1) Son of the Dawn ★★★
2) Cast Long Shadows ★★
3) Every Exquisite Thing ★★★★★
4) Learn About Loss ★★
5) A Deeper Love ★★★★
6) The Wicked Ones ★★★★
7) The Land I Lost ★★★★★
8) Through Blood, Through Fire ★★★★
9) The Lost World ★★★★
10) Forever Fallen ★★★★½

content warnings: violence
representation: genderqueer lesbian main character, indian lesbian side character, main f/f romance, chinese-british side character


“Someday, the lady would not be imaginary. The clothes would not be borrowed and ill-fitting. Someday she would stride down the street and women would fall at her feet (not failing to notice the perfectly polished brogues) and men would tip their hats to a lady-killer more accomplished than they.”


Someone told Cassandra Clare that having LGBTQ+ characters in her Victorian-era stories was unrealistic, so she just fucking doubled down. This was incredible. I decided I wasn't going to read any of Ghosts of the Shadow Market until the full bind-up was released, but I had to make an exception for this when I saw the front cover and saw everyone freaking out.

This is about Anna Lightwood, the daughter of Cecily and Gabriel, as she falls in love for the first time and explores her gender identity. And I absolutely loved this. The romance, Anna's exploration of her gender, her friends and family being the best people alive, Jem's existence, it was all fantastic. A novella that's just over 50 pages shouldn't be able to make me cry, but by the end of this I was tearing up.

In conclusion, I love Anna Lightwood and I would lay down my life for her.