Showing posts with label series: dark artifices. Show all posts
Showing posts with label series: dark artifices. Show all posts
June 10, 2017
Dark Artifices 2: Lord of Shadows
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Well, that fell apart rather quickly. Kieran has been an unexpected highlight in this installment. Annabelle is a wild card that may have just destroyed everything they were working for, and then some. Then what is going on with Magnus and his magic? Kit also starts growing into his role. Hopefully it will be a very good thing he's so close to the twins with this ending, though nothing will stop the next part from being painful for any of the key players this round. We do briefly see Jace and Clary at the start, and hear references to them frequently. Clary's dream is yet another dark spot on the horizon. Zara, Manuel and Samantha make it very easy to hate them. I'm sure the same could be said for the rest of the Cohort, but we don't see most of them often enough to single them out. Overall, it was very easy to fall back into this world. Likely also helped by the TV series just starting back up again, too.
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May 16, 2017
The Bane Chronicles
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
This is interesting at is spans a rather large time frame of Magnus's life, way before the original Accords, Valentine's Circle, or the events of the original Mortal Instruments series. It picks back up where it connects with that series the most, bringing in characters that are already familiar. There are some pieces earlier on with Camille, Raphael, and Tess's family brought in that spark more interest if you've read Dark Artifices as well. We also see a lot more of Catarina in this collection, which makes her more comfortable in reference to Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy. Magnus goes through various adventures and ramblings almost as if he's drifting yet still a part of things, which is a very odd perspective. It's easy to see how everyone writes him off as flamboyant and doesn't take him seriously much of the time. He definitely has a very strong moral compass that dictates his actions regardless of "race," unlike some characters we meet, especially the very early Nephilim in this collection.
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July 20, 2016
The Dark Artifices 1: Lady Midnight
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I was both excited and hesitant about this book. Taking place 5 years after the original series, this focuses on the L.A. Institute, especially Julian and Emma. There is definitely a recipe of forbidden love, impossible odds, family, and betrayal that is formatted for each part of these stories. Emma and Julian are no different. Tess, Jem, Jace, Clary, Alec and Magnus all make appearances in the book, so fans of the other two "series" this one stems from can still keep up with other characters they know and love. There are even mentions of Isabelle and Simon, though we don't actually see them interact with anyone. Mostly, I like Emma a lot, though there are certain things that she says or does that are just downright aggravating. Wait... wait... didn't we go through some of these same internal monologues with Clary and Tess? Yes, we did. Slightly altered per situation, but a lot of familiarity. So far the other pairs have all managed to work themselves out nicely. Guess we'll all have to join in on the ride for this one to see if it has the same happy fate.
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