Lord of Shadows

By: Cassandra Clare

Narrated by: James Marsters

Length: 23 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's Summary

Sunny Los Angeles can be a dark place indeed in Cassandra Clare's Lord of Shadows, the sequel to the New York Times and USA Today best-selling Lady Midnight. Lord of Shadows is a Shadowhunters novel.

Emma Carstairs has finally avenged her parents. She thought she'd be at peace. But she is anything but calm. Torn between her desire for her parabatai, Julian, and her desire to protect him from the brutal consequences of parabatai relationships, she has begun dating his brother, Mark. But Mark has spent the past five years trapped in Faerie; can he ever truly be a Shadowhunter again?

And the faerie courts are not silent. The Unseelie King is tired of the Cold Peace and will no longer concede to the Shadowhunters' demands. Caught between the demands of Faerie and the laws of the Clave, Emma, Julian, and Mark must find a way to come together to defend everything they hold dear - before it's too late.

©2017 Cassandra Clare (P)2017 Simon & Schuster

James Marsters is Amazing

What made the experience of listening to Lord of Shadows the most enjoyable?

Equal parts the narrator and the story. This may be my favorite book of all of the Shadowhunters books.

What did you like best about this story?

I feel like I really got to know the characters at the L.A. Institute. New information about the Parabatai bond was also very interesting (and scary).

Have you listened to any of James Marsters’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I'm a big fan of the Harry Dresden series and was worried that I would keep hearing Harry when I listened to this book. Not so. James Marsters is incredibly talented and he brought every one of these characters to life. I knew who was speaking at all times. Probably my favorite Audible performer.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The last chapter. Wow! I hope there's a way that some of what happened can be undone.I actually cried

Any additional comments?

Buy this audio book. You won't regret it.

Blows the other stories away

The story of Emma and Julian and their families make Clary and Jace seem like tween stories. This story is heartbreaking and phenomenal.

beautifully performed

James Marsters is sublime. He gave each character an unique voice and I am at a loss to say any more! Bravo!

Ugh- DNF

I couldn't finish this one. I've enjoyed the other series that Cassandra Clare has written, and I really liked Lady Midnight. This book derails so often I finally gave up. Just as we're starting to get some character development, any character depth is reduced to their sexuality. I get that the author has every right to make her book about anything she wants, but why does every subplot have to revolve primarily around a character's sexuality? While that is an important aspect in any person/character's story, it's never the only aspect. I finally realized that there was so little plot that I didn't really feel like spending more of my time going nowhere. I'm disappointed, as I had been waiting for this pre-order since it first became available.

So so

I love Casandra Clare's books and have ready all of them. Unfortunately while the general story of this book was great I'd have to say that she went way overboard with the teen love. There's so much of it I found myself wanting to skip sections of the chapter just to get on with the story. It's almost as if her book was too short so she added a bunch of repetitive teen drama and silly mushy unnecessary romance scenes to fill it up. Usually her books are well balanced when it comes to drama, romance and action but defiantly not in this book.

The weakest Shadowhunter novel thus far

The narrator was the only thing that pushed me to finish this book. While I've enjoyed most of the Shadowhunter books, this one felt like a chore. The plot felt repetitive and boring and I'm finding myself losing interest in the characters. There aren't any real shocking moments until the very end. The worst part is the whiny monologue which pops up constantly throughout the story. And it's frustrating that there's one simple thing that the main character could do to resolve her main issue, yet she doesn't do this simple thing and no explanation is ever offered for why she can't seem to bring herself to do this. Sorry to be vague, trying to keep this spoiler free for anyone who wants to waste their time on this book.

One persons opinion..

I Love James Marsters, he did an amazing job!! It was like having a beloved friend read to me, I love the life he brought to these characters. He was what made this book bearable for me, And that is why I give this audiobook three stars. I have read all of Cassandra Clare books and have enjoyed them all, she's a good writer no doubt about that. HOWEVER, I don't really care for this series. I tried, I actually read book one and thought "it's okay, I'll give book two a try". If I were to have read this book and not listened to it I would have put it down frequently and most likely not pick it back up. It's very wordy, almost to the point of boring and unnecessary. There was very little action and when the book seem to be picking up and gaining momentum it would slow down again. I didn't really like the majority of the storyline, the only storyline I did like was Mark and Chritina's. This Shadowhunter series reads like fan fiction or taking place in a alternate universe. I will not be reading the next book, (might listen to it tho, if James Marsters reads it.) I really can't take much more of these sad characters.

Another masterpiece - You won't be disappointed!

Clare's Shadowhunters world is exquisite. The author isn't afraid to take risks with her characters and it's refreshing to have real world problems in a fantasy novel. The narration made the story come alive. Without giving spoilers the cliffhanger left me jaw-dropped and crying but hungry for more. I can't wait for the next in the series!

Terrible Ending

This could have been such a great story, but the ending feels so incomplete. Yes this is a series, but even a series book should have an ending. The story travels all over the place in a disjointed way and then never really provides an end. A last word is not the same as an ending. Sad.

We Have Descended into Hell

James Marsters, you did a fabulous job!!!

But the book was crushing and I feel so disappointed in how this story is being played out.

The ShadowHunter books have changed much since the first series. Almost like a teenager becoming an adult, Ms. Clare's writing has matured. There is much about this book that is spellbinding, but also terribly disappointing. I think it has gone too dark. And the focus of the series on romantic relationships being the center of each tragedy is disheartening. The Mortal Instruments was a good mix of all emotions without getting mired in any. There was a good balance of light and struggle. The Dark Artifices, Book 1 showed such promise. I listened to it a least a hundred times. But this book rips your heart out and sucks the life out of you. This book doesn't hold up to the delightful standards of the others and I am not looking forward to the next one, as nothing can bring this story back to anything positive now.