I just...this series.



I love these characters so deeply and their story always makes me so, so emotional. Of course, yes, there are flaws. But being invested in a story for as long as I've loved the Shadowhunter books? There's nothing that can bring the same level of enjoyment.

Hooooooooo boy this book put me through the ringer. Clockwork Angel is an okay start to the trilogy but This Book is everything that shines about The Infernal Devices — the characters, the joy, the Angst.

i cleaned out an entire box of tissues

** 3.7 stars **
and yes i just averaged my ratings for each of the stories what of it

Honestly, part of me wishes I'd read this sooner and part of me is glad I waited. It was great to hold me over between books (especially since it'll be so...long until we get a book set after QoAaD given that The Last Hours is up next on the docket). Highly recommend for diehard shadowhunter fans like myself but to be honest I wouldn't call it essential reading for the casual reader.

Cassandra. Clare. Owns. My. Soul.

Friends, let me tell you a story. I found City of Bones sitting on my mother's bookshelf one summer day when I was probably 11 or 12. I said "Mom, this looks good, can I read it?" And so began my obsession with the Shadowhunter universe. I was absolute Shadowhunter trash. TID ripped out my heart. Then came the fateful years in high school where I went through an absolutely atrocious many-year reading slump as a result of pressure I put on myself to read more "classics," a genre which I generally dislike. I didn't read Lord of Shadows when it came out. Lady Midnight (before today) was the last Cassie Clare book I read.

Cut to today. I am delighted to announce that I am Shadowhunter trash once more.

I have only one beef (but not really, as you'll see) with Lord of Shadows, which is similar to my beef with the later TMI books -- too many characters. It's just a lot to have going on, and as a result, Lord of Shadows jumps between POVs and plot lines like crazy. This would be a beef (and probably knock my rating down to 4 stars) except I LOVE THEM ALL SO MUCH and I wouldn't get rid of any of them for anything. So. 5 Stars. No regrets. Cassie Clare owns my soul.

What. A. Ride.

As a die-hard Shadowhunter fan, I loved this book because how could I not? Clary, Jace, and the TMI gang played much bigger roles in this one than they had in the other TDA books, which I actually really enjoyed. I'm glad their stories aren't over as long as Cassandra Clare keeps writing into their futures.

And mostly, I really liked the plot, but there are a few things I really didn't like, hence the four stars.

1.

Spoiler

The big one. Sebastian Morgenstern has a son, his name is Ash, and we're setting him up as the big villain of the next series (the one that will come chronologically after TDA). And I hate it. Having villains have children who become villains always felt like a bit of a cop out and while I'm sure it can be done well, I'm just not about it. And also, as part of the same note, the arrival of Dark Jace is both exciting and worrying.

2. Like City of Heavenly Fire, part of this book takes place in an alternate dimension, and while I enjoyed the events that played out there, it just felt so similar to CoHF that I couldn't help be a little disappointed.

And...that's pretty much it tbh I continue to love all of the characters with my whole heart, and I felt like having the plot of the TDA books be uncomfortably topical made the books hit a little harder than the other ones did. Also, kudos to Cassie Clare for writing love triangles I actually love, which is rare. Jem/Tessa/Will will always be a favorite of mine, but Kieran/Cristina/Mark was also amazing and I'm glad she actually went for it.

I excitedly await literally everything this woman will write in the future.