Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
This is such a random way to start this post but I remember doing a mock university interview and being asked the last book I read. I said “Lady Midnight” which I then realised sounded a bit like I’d read a book about a ‘lady of the night’. Obviously that isn’t what this book is about, and no shame if it was, but I was only 17 so it sounded a little strange.
Anyway, I adore this series. It’s been a very long time since I read it but it’s definitely up there as one of my favourites by Cassandra Clare. Only book one is available through Kindle Unlimited, but this is such a great way to find out if you want to buy the entire trilogy.
The cast of characters in this series is probably my favourite. I love the found family dynamic and Julian and Emma will always be heartbreaking in the best way possible.
It’s always a little hard for me to talk about why I love Cassandra Clare’s books so much as I read 90% of them before I started reviewing books. I’d absolutely love to re-read them all so I could write in depth reviews, but we all know that’s not going to happen. I did a re-read of Clockwork Angel three years ago now and haven’t continued the series yet.
Synopsis: It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses.
Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions…
Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark—who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it?
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
I have a feeling The Cruel Prince is one of my most talked about books on this blog. I’ve been obsessed with the The Folk of the Air series ever since it came out and I’m constantly recommending it to people – always with the caveat that it doesn’t have any smut because apparently that’s all people have come to expect with fantasy books with a romance sub plot. I’ve had to say numerous times that this book is more about world politics and the intricacies of running a kingdom rather than romance. Although the romance is a nice addition. They’re one of my all time favourite book couples. If you love the ‘holding a knife to their throat’ trope, this is the book for you. Well the series for you, it’s a bit of a slow burn.
Again, this is a book (and series) I’ve never written a review for but it’s up there as an all time favourite. I don’t think I could give you a definitive list of my favourite books but The Cruel Prince would be somewhere near the top.
Synopsis: Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.
And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.
Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.
To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.
As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.
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Like this post? Why not read this one too: Book Review: Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron