February 15, 2016
Clare returns to her Shadowhunters world with this enjoyable if drawn-out tale. Set in contemporary Los Angeles, it centers on Emma Carstairs, a Shadowhunter adopted by members of the Blackthorn family who, like her, were orphaned in the Dark War five years earlier. Emma has become parabatai or sworn companion to Julian, the oldest Blackthorn boy living at the local Institute, where Shadowhunters live and train. When humans and faeries start turning up dead, covered in mysterious runes like those found on the bodies of Emma's parents, she and Julian investigate, accompanied by Julian's disoriented older brother Mark, recently returned after having been stolen by the faeries years before. Having been gradually revealed in nine previous novels, the Shadowhunter universe is complex, jargon-rich, and a bit unwieldy, but Clare's well-developed protagonists (each a fragile combination of heroic warrior and teenage neurotic), pell-mell action sequences, complicated family dynamics, and fascinating magic system continue to engage. This first volume in the Dark Artifices trilogy should easily please Clare's existing fans, but newcomers will want to begin with the Mortal Instruments. Ages 14âup. Agent: Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary.
August 29, 2016
Clare returns to her Shadowhunters world with this enjoyable tale set in present-day Los Angeles. Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs must join forces with the faeries to solve a gruesome series of murders of humans and faeries. The murders have similarities to the murders of Emma’s own parents many years ago, and Emma and her partner, Julian, set out on a supernatural journey to discover secrets of her past, avenge her parents’ deaths, and dispatch the killers before anyone else turns up dead. Voice actress Baccarin chooses a simple, straightforward reading for the audio edition. Her voice is very clear and articulate, and she reads with some expression, but she does little to differentiate the characters’ voices, and she reads the text in a neutral tone, never getting overly emotional. This is a perfectly serviceable narration style for the plot, which moves along speedily, but Baccarin does not really add anything of depth to the story. Ages 14–up. A S&S/McElderry hardcover.