Lady Midnight

Title: Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Pages: 668
Rating: 5 Stars
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Emma Carstairs has been searching for answers ever since her parents were killed five years ago. But, for the first time, pieces of the huge puzzle come together, and Emma begins to realize that her parents' murders might've been linked to something much, much bigger.

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Is there anyone out there who didn't like this book? Honestly, it was absolutely amazing. I was pulled in from the very start, and in love with these characters instantly. Cassandra Clare doesn't fail to bring us that lovely, fast paced plot woven in with smaller sub plots, and I was definitely invested in them all.

Let's start with the characters. Something I was worried about was reading something from a whole new set of character's perspectives when Jace and Clary and crew were still alive and present, but the characters of Lady Midnight were just so beautiful and profound, and I, like I said earlier, fell in love with them instantly. Our main character, Emma, is feisty, sarcastic, and funny. Sarcastic characters are always some of my favorites, and Emma didn't disappoint. I found myself laughing at a lot that she said. Our other main character is Julian, Emma's parabatai. His life revolves around his deep love for his siblings and Emma. He's an artist not only when he's painting, but with every way he lives his life. He's just so driven by love and devotion, and it's a beautiful quality to have. 

I enjoyed almost all of the relationships developed in this book. They seemed real, genuine, and true, and I found myself immediately standing behind the different pairings as they came up. There was one or two that I simply didn't feel any actual emotion between the characters, but I'm wondering if perhaps you're not supposed to like the coupling. All personal preferences aside, the relationships were beautifully developed. 

Another thing I loved was how involved Edgar Allan Poe and his works were in this book. Edgar Allan Poe is my favorite poet of all time, and I was thrilled to see his poem Annabel Lee show up in this book. Plus, all the chapter titles were lines from the poem, which I also found rather cool. 

This entire book was just perfect, and it's going to kill me to wait a whole year for book two. I 100% recommend this novel to you, as long as you've read TMI and TDI (unless you're okay with getting spoiled), and I know it won't let you down. 

Shadowhunters

I'm sure that if you're a fan of the Mortal Instruments book series by Cassandra Clare, you sat down some time this week to watch Episode One of the new TV Series "Shadowhunters". 

The second the show ended I opened up Twitter to see what people were saying, and I found plenty of mixed reviews flooding my feed.  I thought it would be fun to share my personal opinion about the premiere and here back from you about what you thought.

I'm not a movie or TV critic by any means, and I won't be addressing some of the more technical parts of the show.  Nor will I be talking about anything that actually happens story wise.  In other words, I won't spoil anything, and if you've yet to see it, this review is perfectly safe. 

It was clear that the acting was certainly not the best at some points.  Some of the lines came across as cringe-worthy, but I feel like this is to be expected for some of the newer actors.  We did hear Alberto Rosende (Simon Lewis) say he'd been working at a restaurant just before accepting the role!  What I'm trying to say is that I think the acting will definitely improve as the series progresses. That is how experience works! 

As far as my general reaction to the plot, I found parts of the actual story were a tad boring for me, just because I, having read the books, already know everything about the shadow world.  I expect the interest level will increase as the series progresses, and Clary understands fully what is happening.  Then we can stop listening to her freak out over every little thing.

On a side note, what did you guys think of the song "Monsters" that played in the beginning?  I really liked it! I thought it was a cool song to use for the show, and fit nicely with the story.  Every time I listen to it, I can just picture Izzy, Alec, and Jace striding down the street in their Shadowhunter gear.  While we're on the topic of music, I'd just like to give a little shout out to Beth Crowley.  If you haven't heard of her, she's a YouTuber who writes songs about books and whatnot and has a spectacular voice.  She has some pretty awesome songs about The Mortal Instruments, and you should totally check out her channel. 

Alright, sorry for that little deviation from the path there.  Let's get back to this reaction! 

Overall, I was actually really entertained with episode one.  I'm overjoyed that ABC is willing to take a chance with this series, even though it flopped at the box office.  I also think this is a great way to bring in new fans.  People aren't going to leave their houses and go to the theatre to see a movie based on a book they haven't read.  But, I've talked to quite a few people who watched the first episode, and they are now reading the books.  Sure, Cassie is usually coming out with new content, but nobody that's not already a fan is really going to read that content.  This TV series will definitely bring in new fans, and I think that people who've already decided they didn't like the show should give it a few episodes before they make their final decision.  I believe that the series will get better as we move deeper into the relationships between all the characters and delve farther into this mystical world we've all come to love.