Rating: 5 Stars
Publication: April 9th, 2019
Genre: Fantasy
Format: ARC
Diversity: POC & LGBT+ MC
Quick Summary:
This new series in the Shadowhunter universe follows newly dating High Warlock Magnus Bane and Shadowhunter Alec Lightwood while on a romantic vacation after the Mortal War. Once in Paris their trip is quickly side tracked when an old friend named Tessa arrives with news about a demon-worshipping cult causing trouble all over Europe. A cult that might have been founded by Magnus himself as a joke years ago. Not sure who to trust Magnus and Alec must race across Europe to track down the cult known as the Crimson Hand and its elusive new leader before they can cause any more damage. As their quest for answers becomes increasingly dire, Magnus and Alec will have to trust each other more than ever. Even if it means revealing the secrets they’ve both been keeping.
My Thoughts:
This book has so many adorable Magnus and Alec moments. We get plenty of romantic angst as we wait for them to finally get a moment alone to take things to the next level without demons chasing them. They have this beautiful and healthy relationship that just warms my heart. I loved learning more about Magnus and his past as he starts to open up to Alec. We get to see how he hides a huge amount of depth behind his dramatic flair. Alecs unwavering loyality to Magnus was totally on brand for him. He is just so loyal and protective. There isnt two people more perfect for each other than Alec and Magnus. I also loved seeing Alec start to question the hard shadowhunter laws and the claves overall view of downworlders after believing in the law for so long.
I liked how we got alternating chapters of Magnus and Alecs point of view. Their voices werent super different so it gave the story a cohesive feel while still being able to tell them apart. This is probably the best Shadowhunter book Ive read to date. Ive always loved the world, but most of the time I dont get fully invested in the characters. The only one that came close to my love for Magnus and Alec was precious Jem from the Infernal Devices. This book has so many awesome character cameos from other books that its definitely worth reading up to at least Lady Midnight before diving into this one. Two of the most prominent side characters were Aline and Helen. I just loved seeing how they first met. Plus my heart was filled with so much joy at seeing all that great on page LGBT+ rep.
It was fun following Magnus and Alec all over Europe as they try to track down the cult Magnus is rumored to have started and put a stop to them. It took me a while to figure out the identiy of the cult leader. We also get to visit the iconic cities of Paris, Venice and Rome. The Shadowhunter world is so immersive and well developped with rich history that it feels very lived in and like it could almost be a real place. I love how many different paranormal species are incorporated. I enjoyed this so much I read the entire last half of the book in one sitting. I can tell the author has grown a lot as a writer over the years. The writing was very bingeable with a lot of funny lines and an engaging pace. We get action scenes all throughout while still getting some wonderfully dynamic characters with a lot of depth. I cant wait for the sequel.
Who's Your Favorite Shadowhunter Character?
*This book was received for an honest review
*My summaries are often a shortened version of the goodreads summary
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