Lady Midnight, by: Cassandra Clare (Bonus: Julian’s Pancake Recipe!)

       In a secret world where half-angel warriors are sworn to fight demons, parabatai is a sacred word.
       A parabatai is your partner in battle. A parabatai is your best friend. Parabatai can be everything to each other—but they can never fall in love.
       Emma Carstairs is a warrior, a Shadowhunter, and the best in her generation. She lives for battle. Shoulder to shoulder with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, she patrols the streets of Los Angeles, where vampires party on the Sunset Strip, and faeries—the most 

powerful of supernatural creatures—teeter on the edge of open war with Shadowhunters. When the bodies of humans and faeries turn up murdered in the same way Emma’s parents were when she was a child, an uneasy alliance is formed. This is Emma’s chance for revenge—and Julian’s chance to get back his brother Mark, who is being held prisoner by the faerie Courts. All Emma, Mark, and Julian have to do is solve the murders within two weeks…and before the murderer targets them.
       Their search takes Emma from sea caves full of sorcery to a dark lottery where death is dispensed. And each clue she unravels uncovers more secrets. What has Julian been hiding from her all these years? Why does Shadowhunter Law forbid parabatai to fall in love? Who really killed her parents—and can she bear to know the truth?

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My Rating: ★★★★★

       It has been so long since I have read a Shadowhunter novel, and I was so excited to sit down and read Lady Midnight. I started reading the Shadowhunter Chronicles back in 2014, and have been marking them off little by little every summer since then. Summer is my time to catch up on series, so I am taking the opportunity to finish off the rest of The Dark Artifices. Over time, I had forgotten how much I love Emma and Julian, so I was very excited to dive back into their world.

LIKES

• I have forgotten how much depth each of Cassie Clare’s books has. There are so many layers to peel back with different relations, subplots, and not to mention the incredible cast of characters.
• The Blackthorn family gives me LIFE. I am an only child, so I’ve never been 100% sure on what it is like to be a part of a big family. What I do know is that the Blackthorns are the cutest. They all have their own unique personalities and every member contributes to the story.
• Also, every Shadowhunter book is hilarious. The humor is the best, and I always end up laughing out loud. There are witty side comments made about the events in the book, and characters poke fun at each other. 
• Ty is the best autism rep I have ever seen in young adult literature. He is for sure on the spectrum, but nobody ever thinks something is “wrong” with him. The rest of the characters recognize that he is different, appreciate who is, and go about their business. 
• Emma and Julian are SO ADORABLE. In the first two Shadowhunter series, the main couples are very passionate and romantic, and I liked that we were able to see a different point of view on relationships in general. The two parabatai start off as friends and develop feelings for one another. I love seeing best friends fall in love slowly because it grows into an excellent relationship.
• So many plot twists. I am usually pretty good at picking up on foreshadowing in books, but this story had a bunch of unexpected turns. Things would happen throughout the story, and I would remember how Clare foreshadowed the event earlier in the story. I was surprised at the twists again and again throughout the novel. With the investigation taking place for most of the book, it gave the story an air of mystery.
• All the new characters! Christina is an awesome friend for Emma to have by her side. She also has her own little side story that shares her personality and life before moving to Los Angeles. Mark is SO ADORABLE AND HILARIOUS. So glad that we finally got to meet him in this book. Malcolm is another High Warlock with some sass; he is LA’s Magnus, but still very unique. They were all such great additions.
• Kit’s couple of chapters were some of my favorites. I liked that we got to see a side story develop in this book. Anytime we explore a minor character’s backstory, they make their way up into my favorites list. I like to have background information, but not too much. That way when we read the story, we have the freedom to dream up the sections of their lives that we don’t see. 

DISLIKES

• This book took me several thousand years to finish its 700 pages. The good news is I loved every moment of it, but it did break up my reading pace. I have been plowing through 350-page books like nobody’s business, and this book definitely slowed me down.
• Um, why don’t the characters just talk things out? I understand that there has to be a conflict to have a story, but I felt like a lot of their issues could’ve been fixed by just talking things out. JUST TELL HER HOW YOU FEEL, JULIAN. SHE FEELS THE SAME WAY.
• Too many characters with similar names. Magnus Bane is the high warlock in TMI, and Malcolm Fade is the high warlock in TDA. I thought Malcolm was Magnus for the first fifty pages, not even going to lie. I had the same issue with Ty and Tavvy. Their names just look so similar on the page. I just need different first letters.

Bonus: Julian’s Friday Morning Pancake Recipe

       Since I loved the scene at the beginning of the book where Julian makes the Blackthorns pancakes for breakfast, I thought I would share my favorite pancake recipe with you!
“It was buttery and not too sweet, crisp around the edges.”
― Cassandra Clare, Lady Midnight, pg 77

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

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Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Make a well in the center of the mix and add in the milk, egg, and melted butter. Mix until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately ¼ cup of mix for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

       Feel free to make these pancakes your own! Eat them with butter and syrup like Dru, with just syrup like Livvy, with sugar like Emma, plain like Cristina, or add chocolate chips (like me!).

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       I love all of the Shadowhunter books, and this book is no exception. Keep in mind that you don’t have to read The Mortal Instruments or The Infernal Devices before picking up Lady Midnight, but I think you will enjoy reading them all.
       Have you read Lady Midnight or any other Shadowhunter books? Let’s discuss in the comments!

Your Shadowhunter-in-training,
Ashton

For Other Shadowhunter Reviews:

Clockwork Angel Review

Clockwork Prince Review

Clockwork Princess Review

"He bumped into a pay phone and said, 'Excuse me, miss,' on our way in," said Julian.
"It's polite to apologize," said Mark with the same small voice.
"Not to inanimate objects.” 

― Cassandra Clare, Lady Midnight