Lady Midnight is the first novel in the The Dark Artifices trilogy written by Cassandra Clare.
Description[]
Glitz, glamours, and Shadowhunters abound in this heartrending opening to Cassandra Clare's Dark Artifices series, a sequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series.
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 LA, 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?
In a kingdom by the sea...
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 Shadowhunter, one in a long line of Shadowhunters tasked with protecting the world from demons. With her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, she patrols the streets of a secret Los Angeles where vampires party on the Sunset Strip, and faeries teeter on the edge of open war with Shadowhunters. When the bodies of humans and faeries start turning up murdered in the same way Emma's parents were murdered years ago, an uneasy alliance is formed. This is Emma's chance for revenge—and Julian's chance to get back his half-faerie brother, Mark, who was kidnapped five years ago. All Emma, Mark and Julian have to do is solve the murders within two weeks... before the murderer targets them.
Their search takes Emma from sea caves full of sorcery to a dark lottery where death is dispensed. As she uncovers the past, she begins to peel away the secrets of the present: 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?
The magic and adventure of the Shadowhunter Chronicles have captured the imaginations of millions of readers across the globe. Fall in love with Emma and her friends in this pulse-pounding, heart-rending new volume sure to delight new readers and longtime fans.
Chapters[]
There are 27 chapters; the titles are derived from lines (in no particular order) in the poem "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allan Poe.[1]
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Prologue
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Epilogue: Annabel |
Characters[]
Shadowhunters[]
- Emma Carstairs — Seventeen-year-old Emma is a Shadowhunter who is bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses.
- Julian Blackthorn — Emma's parabatai, Jules has been responsible for his younger siblings, and indirectly the Los Angeles Institute, from a young age.
- Mark Blackthorn — Half-faerie, half-Shadowhunter, Mark is returned to his family in Los Angeles as a bargaining chip after years with the Wild Hunt.
- Cristina Rosales — Emma's eighteen-year-old best friend who currently resides at the Institute to learn about how their Shadowhunter culture differs from Mexico's.
- Diana Wrayburn — The tutor of the young Shadowhunters of the Institute.
- Arthur Blackthorn — The head of the Institute whose shock and trauma over the events of the Dark War, in addition to his past experience in Faerie, has driven his mind over the edge.
- Diego Rosales — A Shadowhunter from Cristina's past who is also a Centurion.
- Other Blackthorn children, namely Dru, Livvy, Tavvy, and Ty
Downworlders[]
- Kieran — Member of the Hunt and prince of the Unseelie Court
- Malcolm Fade — High Warlock of Los Angeles
- Gwyn ap Nudd — Leader of the Wild Hunt
- Iarlath — Member of the Unseelie Court
Gallery[]
Art[]
Editions[]
International covers[]
Trailers[]
Special content[]
- First edition: All first editions include a hand-stamped rune (Cassandra Clare's stamp signature with a Cortana and Blackthorn thorns symbol) on the first page and the short story A Long Conversation, which shows a party mentioned in Lady Midnight that is attended by The Mortal Instruments characters.[2]
- Target edition: Books bought at Target additionally include a map of Shadowhunter Los Angeles by Drew Willis.
- Barnes & Noble edition: Barnes & Noble copies additionally include Cassandra Clare's guide to Emma's Los Angeles, a written piece similar to the one in The Infernal Devices about Tessa's London.
- Costco edition: Editions bought at Costco additionally include artwork on the inside of the dust jacket by Cassandra Jean featuring the characters of The Dark Artifices and The Mortal Instruments.[3]
- Waterstones Exclusive Edition: This edition sold by Waterstones includes a map of Shadowhunter Los Angeles, the short story included in first editions, and Cassandra Clare's guide to Emma's Los Angeles. All 1,000 copies are signed by Cassandra Clare herself and the cover features a design of Enkeli runes.[4]
- Fifth anniversary edition: A special edition by Simon & Schuster UK released on September 2, 2021 to commemorate the book's 5-year anniversary since its first release. It includes an introductory letter from Cassandra Clare and a bonus story called Stars to Burn (a version of which was previously released online).[5][6]
Trivia[]
- The title refers to Annabel Blackthorn, who is famously known in Shadowhunter folklore as Lady Midnight.
- Aside from beginning the pattern of nobility titles for The Dark Artifices book titles, Lady Midnight is also named after the Leonard Cohen song of the same name.[7]
- The cover features Emma Carstairs drowning in the ocean; specifically, it depicts a scene in the book.
- The final cover was revealed at the New York Comic-Con in October 2015, by Cassandra Clare and Harry Shum Jr..
- The book is set in August 2012. While the original plan was always to have it set in 2012,[8] it was changed to 2013 for some time before being moved back to 2012.[9]
- The book is told from different points of view, namely: Emma, Julian, Cristina, Kit, Mark, and, briefly, Annabel.
- The book was originally going to be divided into parts like The Mortal Instruments. The first was supposed to be called "Steel and Temper", after Cortana's inscription.[10]
- The cover model for Emma Carstairs is Brookelynn Elizabeth.[11]
References[]
- ↑ "In Lady Midnight, Annabel Lee, and in Lord of Shadows, Dream-Land, both by Poe." Cassandra Clare on Tumblr
- ↑ First edition of Lady Midnight —Cassandra Clare on Tumblr
- ↑ "Hey do all of the LM hardcover dust-jackets have the Cassandra Jean artwork on them?" Cassandra Clare on Tumblr
- ↑ Lady Midnight Exclusive Edition on Waterstones' website
- ↑ "It will have a bonus story featuring Mark and Kieran, and I’ve written you a letter" — Cassandra Clare on Twitter
- ↑ "'Stars to Burn' which you may have read an earlier version of on my tumblr a long time ago!" Cassandra Clare on Instagram
- ↑ "Nobility titles. But Lady Midnight is named after a favorite Leonard Cohen song." Cassandra Clare on Tumblr
- ↑ "It takes place five years after the end of TMI (ie in 2012)" Cassandra Clare on Twitter
- ↑ "Lady Midnight begins in August, 2013." Cassandra Clare on Tumblr
- ↑ "The first section of Lady Midnight is called Part One: Steel and Temper." Cassandra Clare on Tumblr
- ↑ Justine Magazine: "Lady Midnight" Cover Model on The Shooting Experience! on Justine Magazine's Youtube channel