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.

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.

beautifully performed

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

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.

Where is the Action?

What would have made Lord of Shadows better?

The Shadow Hunters series, has for a long time had a great balance of plot development, character development, great story and Action. Lord of Shadows could of be much better had their been more action scenes. Very slow and disappointing.

What was most disappointing about Cassandra Clare’s story?

Action, Action, where was the action? the drama, action, carried into the Clockwork series, etc.. However, this book bored me and I am a big fan all the books. Lord of Shadows was very disappointing and I fast forwarded through some of it.

Would you listen to another book narrated by James Marsters?

Maybe

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Very Disappointed.

Any additional comments?

Please add drama and action. With so many interesting characters and possibilities. This series should be a very powerful, dramatic and action packed book that moves. It should make you want to read it again. This one didn't. Sorry

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!

I tried hard to like this book

I’ve read all the books, but feel this one tried to do too much. There was a constant repeat of things we already knew. I think it was meant to be subtle and help tell the story for people who may not have read the books, but it ended up being unnecessary chatter. For example, it was mentioned more than once that Jem Carstairs aged slowly. I wouldn’t mind that, but it kept going for every little detail that she felt a new reader wouldn’t know (Kieran’s hair, runes, the market, etc). It added to the length and caused the story to be annoying at times.

Second, I know we live in a time where we want and need everyone to be included. I get it and understand, but for this story, Cassie seemed to force every possible type of LGBQT. While I get it and the need to be inclusive, it seemed at every point she tries to exploit these type of gentle relationships. I think she does it to say it’s okay, but after awhile, it just seems forced and needless. She focused on trying to pair every single person. For a second, I thought she was going to introduce a three-way (Kier, Mark, and Christina) and I couldn’t understand the point.

Just focus on the story, without creating unnecessary unions to prove points. These relationships are like all others and there’s no need to constantly try to unite everyone in the book.

Last, try not to repeat things that you’ve already said. Please keep the story moving.

Too long

The story itself was taking almost all of the time between the different relationships - too much focus on them. The author did not fully manage to make it vivid enough, mixing the LA and London vibe with enough enthusiasm.
But I like the development of the characters itself ! And the performance of the book made it worth listening to.