Better in Black by Cassandra Clare (Shadowhunter Chronicles book 22)

The Good Storm  Tessa and Will Herondale are on their honeymoon in Paris, after the events of The Infernal Devices. 

The Beautiful Ajatara 

Cordelia and James Herondale as well as Cordelia’s parabatai/James’s sister Lucy are tricked into thinking Lucie’s unfinished story will be published. The demon Ajatara 

Who the Wolves Love 

Luke Garroway writes a love letter to Jocelyn Fray while she is in a coma in The Mortal Instruments series. 

Zachary’s Day Out 

Alistair Carstairs and Thomas Lightwood have been living together for a year now and they are recruited into babysitting Alistair’s 18-month-old brother Zachary. 

The Judgment of King Kieran

It’s been a while since I read The Dark Artifices, so I had forgotten Kieran, Mark, and Cristina’s little love triangle: King Kieran and his two consorts. Mark and Cristina are summoned to the Unseelie Court where Kieran is tasked with choosing the next Lord of All Storms as the previous one was slain

A Surfeit of Annas 

In this story, Anna Lightwood and Ariane (Ari) Bridgestock deal with challenges to their relationship in the aftermath of the events in The Last Hours a year ago. 

Bred in the Bone 

Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorn encounter an “Endarkened” version of Emma from the alternate timeline of Thule. 

City of Broken Hearts 

Simon Lewis and Isabelle Lightwood investigate the actions of the jilted greater demon named Ajatara

The Time of Two 

Jace and Clary set out to find Max Trueblood, Jace‘s adoptive mother Maryse Lightwood’s brother. 

Too Wise to Love 

Nene, a faerie who vows to never love anyone, tells us this “faerie tale”. This is Ash Morgansternś origin story.

Visit Cassandra Clare’s website.

Visit Shadowhunters.com

Oathbound by Tracy Deonn (Legendborn Cycle book 3)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first two books in the series, Legendborn and Bloodmarked, Stop! I don’t want to ruin one of my favorite series for you.

Check out Book Series Recaps for a refresher of the first book.

Check out Simon Teen if you need a refresher of the first book.

Check out Simon Teen if you need a recap of the second book. 

“Severed from the Legendborn. Oathbound to a monster.

Bree Matthews is alone. She exiled herself from the Legendborn Order, cut her ancestral connections, and turned away from the friends who can’t understand the impossible cost of her powers. This is the only way to keep herself—and those she loves—safe.

But Bree’s decision has come with a terrible price: an unbreakable bargain with the Shadow King himself, a shapeshifter who can move between humanity, the demon underworld, and the Legendborn secret society. In exchange for training to wield her unprecedented abilities, Bree has put her future in the Shadow King’s hands—and unwittingly bound herself to do his bidding as his new protégé.

Meanwhile, the other Scions must face war with their Round Table fractured, leaderless, and missing its Kingsmage, as Selwyn has also disappeared. When Nick is detained by the Order’s Merlins, he invokes an ancient law that requires the High Council of Regents to convene at the Northern Keep and grant him an audience. No one knows what he will demand of them...or what secrets he has kept hidden from the Table.

As a string of mysterious kidnappings escalates and Merlins are found dead, it becomes clear that no matter how hard Bree runs from who she is, the past will always find her.” - taken from Goodreads.

Several new characters are introduced and some secrets are uncovered in this massive tome that I thought was the conclusion to this series. Nope, with that ending, book four is on the horizon.

Book four is to be determined.

Visit Tracy Deonn’s website

The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 8 by Cassandra Clare and Cassandra Jean

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first seven books in the series, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“Jace’s nightmares are getting worse, as is his fear of hurting the one he cares for most. But he can’t avoid Clary forever... Meanwhile, Simon receives a note threatening his girlfriend’s life. When the Shadowhunters track down its source, what they find might be the most sinister thing they have ever encountered...” - taken from Goodreads.com

This is the eighth volume in this graphic novel series retelling that concludes the storyline of City of Fallen Angels. The final page does offer a teaser for a ninth volume that will start the story with City of Lost Souls. Release date is not yet known.

Visit Cassandra Clare’s website.

Visit Cassandra Jean’s website.

The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington

“Devon is always being left behind by her genius twin sister, Drew. At this point, it’s a fact of life. But Devon has one last plan before Drew leaves for college a whole year early—The Best Summer Ever. After committing to the bit a little too much, the twins and their chaotic circle of friends learn why you don’t ever mess with a Ouija board if you want to actually survive the Best Summer Ever, and soon find themselves being hunted down by…a demon?

But while there’s no mistaking the creeping, venomous figure is not from around here, their method doesn’t feel very demonic at all. In fact, it’s downright human—going after them in typical slasher movie kill order. And that means Devon, the blonde, is up first and her decade-long crush, Yaya, is the Final Girl who must kill or be killed to end the cycle.

Devon has never liked playing by anyone else’s rules though, not even a demon’s, and the longer this goes on, the more she feels Drew and Yaya slipping away from her even as she tries to help them all survive. Can they use their horror movie knowledge to flip the script and become the hunters instead of the hunted? Or will their best summer ever be their last?” - taken from Goodreads.

A creepy yet cheesy horror film like thriller that will shock readers by the ending. This book does start off super slow in building the plot and the action really doesn’t start until around chapter five. The best parts of this book are the friendships and Devin trying to repair the bond with her sister Dru.

Visit Joelle Wellington’s website.

Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White by Amelie Wen Zhao (Song of the Last Kingdom book 2)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Song of Silver, Flame Like Night, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“The Demon Gods have risen. Skies’ End has fallen to the colonizers. And Lan and Zen have chosen sides.

But they will not fight together.

Though Lan inherited the power of the Silver Dragon, she understands the path she must take. She believes the Demon Gods to be the cause of war, conflict, and turmoil, and that the future of the Last Kingdom depends on their being eliminated forever. Worse, she knows that if the Elantians manage to bind one of the legendary beings, their army will be unstoppable and any hopes of Hin rebellion will be crushed. To save her kingdom and her people, Lan will need to find the only mythical weapon capable of destroying the Demon Gods: the Godslayer.

Zen knows the only way to defeat the Elantians and free the Last Kingdom is to use the power of the Demon Gods. When he bound the Black Tortoise, he paid the ultimate price: to inherit its strength, he will forfeit his body, his mind, and his soul. Yet one Demon God is not enough against the might of the Elantian Empire. In the ruins of the northern Mansorian lands slumbers a magical army of demonic practitioners capable of facing off against the Elantians—but Zen must find the Seal to awaken them to fight by his side.

At the center of both Lan’s and Zen’s journeys is the fabled desert city of Shaklahira, a former stronghold of the Imperial Court that vanished without a trace when the Elantians invaded. Its location is a mystery, and both are sure that it holds the answers they need, but the past it hides might be more dangerous than anything they’ve faced yet.

The battle for the Last Kingdom rages on. But to win the war, Lan will have to face the ultimate choice—will she kill the boy she loves to free her people?” - taken from Goodreads.

I don’t want to give too much away about the ending of this story but fans will be satisfied with the ending.

Visit Amelie Wen Zhao’s website.

Song Like Sliver, Flame Like Night by Amelie Wen Zhao (Song of the Last Kingdom book 1)

 

“Once, Lan had a different name. Now, she goes by the one the Elantian colonizers gave her when they invaded her kingdom, killed her mother, and outlawed her people's magic. She spends her nights as a songgirl in Haak'gong, a city transformed by the conquerors, and spends her days scavenging for remnants of the past. For anything that might help her understand the strange mark burned into her arm by her mother, in her last act before she died.

No one can see the mysterious mark--an untranslatable Hin character--except Lan. Until the night a boy appears at the teahouse and saves her life.

Zen is a practitioner--one of the fabled magicians of the Last Kingdom, whose abilities were rumored to be drawn from the demons they communed with. Magic believed to be long lost. Magic to be hidden from the Elantians at all costs.

When Zen comes across Lan's unusual qi, he recognizes what she is: a practitioner with a powerful ability hidden in the mark on her arm. He's never seen anything like it--but he knows: if there are answers, they lie deep in the pine forests and misty mountains of the Last Kingdom, with an order of practitioning masters planning to overthrow the Elantian regime.

Both Lan and Zen have secrets buried deep within. Fate has connected them, but their destiny remains unwritten. Both hold the power to liberate their land. And both hold the power to destroy the world.” - taken from Goodreads.

This book was a bit of a beast to get through. There is lots of worldbuilding and back story to get through before the plot really gets going. With a slow burn romance between Lan and Zen and plenty of mystery surrounding each of their backgrounds, readers will be flipping the pages at the end to see all of the secrets that are revealed. Because of a cliffhanger ending, readers will be ready to start book two, Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White.

Visit Amelie Wen Zhao’s website.

The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 7 by Cassandra Clare and Cassandra Jean

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first six books in the series, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“The graphic novel adaptation of Cassandra Clare's bestselling The Mortal Instruments returns with the seventh installment! The Mortal War may be over, but peace doesn’t last long as tensions begin to rise between Downworlders and Shadowhunters…” - taken from Goodreads.com

This is the seventh volume in this graphic novel series retelling that begins the storyline of City of Fallen Angels. The final page does offer a teaser for an eighth volume that readers can hope will conclude the story. Release date is not yet known.

Visit Cassandra Clare’s website.

Visit Cassandra Jean’s website.

The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 6 by Cassandra Clare and Cassandra Jean

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first five books in the series, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“With the Mortal Instruments in his possession, Valentine means to unleash havoc on Shadowhunter and Downworlder alike. Despite this, for many in the Clave, fighting alongside werewolves, faeries, warlocks, and vampires would be as terrible as submitting to Valentine. Clary must convince them that working together–aided by her new rune-creation ability–is their only hope for a future!” - taken from Goodreads.com

This is the sixth volume in this graphic novel series retelling that concludes the storyline of City of Glass. The final page does offer a teaser for a seventh volume that readers can hope will start with City of Fallen Angels. Release date is not yet known.

Visit Cassandra Clare’s website.

Visit Cassandra Jean’s website.

The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 5 by Cassandra Clare and Cassandra Jean

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first four books in the series, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“On a mission to save her mom, Clary prepares to leave for Idris, the homeland of the Shadowhunters. Sure, Jace is adamantly against the idea and Magnus refuses to help, but Clary now has powers of her own. What awaits her on the other side of the portal, though, might not be exactly what she’s expecting…” - taken from Goodreads.com

This is the fifth volume in this graphic novel series retelling that begins with the storyline of City of Glass. Great news, there is a sixth volume.

Visit Cassandra Clare’s website.

Visit Cassandra Jean’s website.

 

Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare (The Lost Hours book 3, Shadowhunters book 15)

 

SPOILER POTENTIAL! This is the third book in this series. Please stop if you haven’t read the first two books.

Check out the Riveted blog for a recap of the Chain of Gold characters.

“Cordelia Carstairs has lost everything that matters to her. In only a few short weeks, she has seen her father murdered, her plans to become parabatai with her best friend, Lucie, destroyed, and her marriage to James Herondale crumble before her eyes. Even worse, she is now bound to an ancient demon, Lilith, stripping her of her power as a Shadowhunter.

After fleeing to Paris with Matthew Fairchild, Cordelia hopes to forget her sorrows in the city’s glittering nightlife. But reality intrudes when shocking news comes from home: Tatiana Blackthorn has escaped the Adamant Citadel, and London is under new threat by the Prince of Hell, Belial.

Cordelia returns to a London riven by chaos and dissent. The long-kept secret that Belial is James and Lucie’s grandfather has been revealed by an unexpected enemy, and the Herondales find themselves under suspicion of dealings with demons. Cordelia longs to protect James but is torn between a love for James she has long believed hopeless, and the possibility of a new life with Matthew. Nor can her friends help—ripped apart by their own secrets, they seem destined to face what is coming alone.

For time is short, and Belial’s plan is about to crash into the Shadowhunters of London like a deadly wave, one that will separate Cordelia, Lucie, and the Merry Thieves from help of any kind. Left alone in a shadowy London, they must face Belial’s deadly army. If Cordelia and her friends are going to save their city—and their families—they will have to muster their courage, swallow their pride, and trust one another again. For if they fail, they may lose everything—even their souls.” - taken from Goodreads.

Our latest Shadowhunters’ tale takes many twists and turns, some you see coming and others that will completely blind side the reader. Without spoiling too many details, fans of Cassie Clare’s long running series will want to see where the characters fall into the history of her Shadowhunter’s realm.

Visit Cassandra Clare’s website.

Visit Shadowhunters.com

Nightrender by Jodi Meadows (Salvation Cycle book 1)

 

“In the middle of nothingness is the continent of Salvation.

Reality bends easily here. Villages disappear. Forests burn forever. Pockets of inconsistent time are everywhere, their boundaries strung with yellow ribbon. And the three kingdoms of Salvation have been at war for a thousand years.

But the greatest threat is the Malice, an incursion from the demon plane slowly tearing its way through the world's weakest seams. Seams that--once split--will lead to the total unraveling of night and day, light and dark, life and death.

Not that the human world takes much interest. Of more concern is the upcoming marriage of Rune Highcrown, Prince of Caberwill, and Johanne Fortuin, Princess of Embria--the serpent bride, a girl of famous cunning--which offers a possible end to the ancient conflict. But Rune has noticed the growing darkness, and he is determined to summon mankind's only defense: Nightrender, the hammer of the gods, an immortal warrior more weapon than girl.

There is only one problem. The last time she was summoned, she slaughtered every royal in Salvation, and no one knows why. Will she save humanity from the Malice... or plunge it deeper into the fires of eternal war?” - taken from Goodreads

A great start to a new fantasy trilogy that ends in a cliffhanger. Definitely a unique plot that contains a love/hate/user triangle that allows the reader to get insight into all three of the main characters. A highly recommended suggestion from a student who loves fantasy.

Book two in the Salvation Cycle, Dawnbreaker, is expected in 2023.

Visit Jodi Meadows’ website.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (Legendborn book 1)

 

“After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.

And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.

She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.” - taken from Goodreads.com

This book was everything that I wanted in a fantasy read and more. Reeling from the sudden death of her mother after an argument, Brianna Matthews heads off to the early college program at UNC Chapel Hill with her best friend, Alice Chen. On their first night there at an off campus party, Bree discovers a hidden world and gets into trouble. When the dean assigns her a student mentor, Nick Davis, Bree discovers that her mother hid some pretty important things from her. With Nick's help, Bree is on a mission to uncover her mother's secrets.

This was a unique twist on the Arthurian legend. Bree is African-American and finds herself thrust into a genteel white society where she must hide her newfound abilities and learn who she can trust. The storyline explodes at the end with shocking reveals and a cliffhanger.

Book two is expected in 2022.

Visit Tracy Deonn’s website.

Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo (King of Scars/Nikolai duology book 2) (Grishaverse book 7)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, King of Scars, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

Check out Book Series Recaps for a refresher of the first book.

Please visit the Recaptains blog if you need a refresher on the first book.

“The Demon King. As Fjerda's massive army prepares to invade, Nikolai Lantsov will summon every bit of his ingenuity and charm—and even the monster within—to win this fight. But a dark threat looms that cannot be defeated by a young king's gift for the impossible.

The Stormwitch. Zoya Nazyalensky has lost too much to war. She saw her mentor die and her worst enemy resurrected, and she refuses to bury another friend. Now duty demands she embrace her powers to become the weapon her country needs. No matter the cost.

The Queen of Mourning. Deep undercover, Nina Zenik risks discovery and death as she wages war on Fjerda from inside its capital. But her desire for revenge may cost her country its chance at freedom and Nina the chance to heal her grieving heart.

King. General. Spy. Together they must find a way to forge a future in the darkness. Or watch a nation fall.” - taken from Goodreads.com

What a way to cut my heart out and still leave me wanting more. Without spoiling any wonderous detail, the next book is going to be awesome! In the meantime, bring on the Netflix series.

Visit Leigh Bardugo’s website.

Visit the Grishaverse.

Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare (The Lost Hours book 2, Shadowhunters book 14)

SPOILER POTENTIAL! This is the second book in this series. Please stop if you haven’t read the first book, Chain of Gold.

“Cordelia Carstairs seems to have everything she ever wanted. She’s engaged to marry James Herondale, the boy she has loved since childhood. She has a new life in London with her best friend Lucie Herondale and James’s charming companions, the Merry Thieves. She is about to be reunited with her beloved father. And she bears the sword Cortana, a legendary hero’s blade.

But the truth is far grimmer. James and Cordelia’s marriage is a lie, arranged to save Cordelia’s reputation. James is in love with the mysterious Grace Blackthorn whose brother, Jesse, died years ago in a terrible accident. Cortana burns Cordelia’s hand when she touches it, while her father has grown bitter and angry. And a serial murderer is targeting the Shadowhunters of London, killing under cover of darkness, then vanishing without a trace.

Together with the Merry Thieves, Cordelia, James, and Lucie must follow the trail of the knife-wielding killer through the city’s most dangerous streets. All the while, each is keeping a shocking secret: Lucie, that she plans to raise Jesse from the dead; Cordelia, that she has sworn a dangerous oath of loyalty to a mysterious power; and James, that he is being drawn further each night into the dark web of his grandfather, the arch-demon Belial. And that he himself may be the killer they seek.” - taken from Goodreads.com

OMG! I don’t know how Ms. Clare continues to draw me into the Shadowhunters’ realm without getting bored. This book was so incredible that I couldn’t wait to get to the end yet never wanted the story to stop. And that ending is a killer cliffhanger! One year is going to be a terrible wait.

Book three, Chain of Thorns, is expected in March of 2022.

Visit Cassandra Clare’s website.
Visit Shadowhunters.com

The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 4 by Cassandra Clare and Cassandra Jean

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first three books in the series, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

Maia and Simon are kidnapped, and Jace knows exactly who took them. It's time to face the terror known as Valentine to stop him from slaughtering the Downworlders and activating the Soul-Sword. All the Shadowhunters gather to join the fight, but when they find themselves hopelessly outnumbered by thousands of demons, the fate of the world might just lie in Clary's hands...!- taken from Goodreads.com

This is the fourth volume in this graphic novel series retelling that concludes the storyline of City of Ashes. No details on volume 5 yet but the final pages do offer a tease. The storyline should pick up with City of Glass.

Visit Cassandra Clare’s website.

Visit Cassandra Jean’s website.