It is rare for me to have absolutely no criticism for a book as there is usually some aspect of the book that I don't enjoy. But as usual Cassandra Clare has surpassed my expectations of this book and has worked her magic to write another great book.
The writing style of Lord of Shadows was similar to all Cassandra Clare's previous books. The pacing was superb and really kept me hooked in to keep reading. Although I did try to slow my reading down as there are two long years to wait until the final book in The Dark Artifices Trilogy is released. There were a few plot twists in this book that I was not expecting that I enjoyed and with every plot twist I got further hooked into the book. There is a clearly definable midpoint to Lord of Shadows so it makes it almost seem that you are reading two books rather than one.
The writing style of The Dark Artifices series so far is definitely more elaborate than the previous books in the Shadowhunter Chronicles as Clare switches seamlessly between characters points of view, which definitely added to the overall impact of the book and allowed you to see the repercussions of the events of the previous books such as the Cold Peace from range of views. The multiple points of view also meant that the development of all the characters was very prominent from the first book but particularly in Emma, Jullian, Mark, and Cristina. I think this is one of the reasons that the ending of Lord of Shadows was so different and in my opinion, it is more heartbreaking than the other books in the Shadowhunter Chronicles (that's not something I thought I would ever say). The ending was definitely a risky decision for Cassandra Clare but looking back it was a really fitting ending (even if it did through my emotions all over the place).
The cameo of characters from previous books in the Shadowhunter Chronicles was excellent and I think that it was a great way of introducing the characters in Cassandra Clare's new triolog, The Last Hours. I particularly liked the way that Cassandra Clare used Magnus and Alec to further the plot but the death of some of the characters of the other books in the Shadowhunter Chronicles was definitely made more heartbreaking due to the previous books however you could always read The Dark Artifices as a stand alone series it would just mean that the deaths of certain characters won't hit you as hard.
This book not only had a wonderful writing style and pacing Cassandra Clare has again managed to weave complex and very diverse characters. The inclusion of LGBT+ characters and autism in this book does not feel forced at all and really adds to all the characters. Everyone I have met who has read any of Cassandra Clare's books is able to identify with at least one of the characters through the diverse nature of the characters and Lord of Shadows is no different. Cassandra Clare has also set up a polyamorous (relationship between more than 2 people) relationship really well in this book and I really hope these three characters end up together because Cassandra Clare has crafted them so elaborately that I dont think that it would work if they were split up.
I would highly recommend this trilogy to everyone and if you are doubtful if this series will not make sense to you because you haven't read the other books in the Shadowhunter Chronicles, I say to those people, JUST START READING!! (you can always go back and read the other books if you enjoy reading The Dark Artifices although you will obviously have been spoiled for some of the events at the end of The Mortal Instruments.)
Happy Reading,
Mizza xx
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