Cassandra Clare is known for her ability to leave readers shell-shocked with her incredible plot twists that solve the protagonists’ seemingly unsolvable problems. With Lord of Shadows, the second book from her Dark Artifices series, just months away from release, here’s what you need to watch out for. Be warned, if you haven’t yet caught up with Lady Midnight, there are spoilers ahead.
Kit Rook
At the end of Lady Midnight, Tessa Gray and James Carstairs discovered that Christopher Jonathan Herondale, son of Johnny Rook, was the descendant of a secret line of Herondales. Kit was raised as a mundane and was taught to fear and hate Shadowhunters. His part in the book ends with him asking to be left alone, possibly trying to process all the changes that took place in his life over the course of a single day, including his father’s death. Tiberius Blackthorn sits outside the room where Kit has locked himself in, and there is a strong possibility of a romantic relationship between the two in the future.
If you’ve been keeping up with the snippets that have been released so far, Kit looks like he is going to be an interesting figure in Lord of Shadows.
The Mark-Kieran-Cristina-Diego Love Quadrangle
Another little untied piece of story that Clare has left us with is the love quadrangle between Mark, Kieran, Cristina, and Diego. Diego and Cristina were in a relationship until a misunderstanding causes their break up. As a result, Cristina moves to L.A. The arrival of Mark somewhat complicates the scenario as Cristina starts developing feelings for him. But the part-fey boy was in a relationship with Kieran of the Wild Hunt up until the latter accidentally got his friend and brother in trouble because of his jealousy toward Cristina. Infuriated, Mark ends the relationship. Mark has some feelings for Cristina, but he hasn’t let go of Kieran entirely yet either. This hints at the possibility of a love triangle (if not a quadrangle), in Lord of Shadows, but fans still really want to see ‘Kierark’ happen.
Diana’s Secret
The Parabatai Bond
The parabatai curse states that a parabatai bond should never evolve into a romantic relationship. Emma and Julian became parabatai as it seemed the only way for them to stay together after the Dark War. Their 12-year-old selves hadn’t considered the consequences of this action, but as they grew up, they began falling in love with each other. Cassandra Clare sure seems to adore forbidden love, if Clary and Jace or Will and Tessa are anything to go by. But at the same time, she always manages to find a way around it, so readers will most likely not be disappointed with how it all turns out between these two.
Annabel’s Awakening
The epilogue was yet another mystery in itself. Malcolm Fade, the High Warlock of Los Angeles, had spent the entire book trying to bring his lover, Annabel Blackthorn, back from the dead. At the end of the book, however, Emma manages to stop him, stabbing him with Cortana and pushing him into the ocean. But — and here is the Clare magic at work again — though all was well in the end and no Blackthorn blood had been spilled, Annabel was awakened. The consequences of this and the reason behind it haven’t yet been revealed, so it will hopefully be explained in Lord of Shadows.
“Why lie?”
As a means to find an alternative other than exile, Emma asks James Carstairs (Jem), about the parabatai bond and why they shouldn’t fall in love. She then hears about how parabatai in love gets special powers and can become almost as powerful as a warlock. This finally drives them mad, as Shadowhunters are not meant to perform magic. Desperate to make Julian fall out of love with her after learning about the parabatai curse, Emma resorts to asking Mark for help. Mark’s appalling reply is reason enough to run to the nearest bookstore on April 11 next year when Lord of Shadows comes out.
The Long Conversation
The short story at the end of Lady Midnight ended with Jace asking Clary to marry him. While most Clace shippers would have been overjoyed with the development in their relationship, reading on we find out that Clary dreaded answering him and was glad to delay it as they had to Portal to L.A. where there were reports of necromantic activity. What could possibly be stopping the Clace ship from sailing this time?
The Title
And lastly, it was hinted that similar to Lady Midnight, Lord of Shadows also refers to someone in particular. But who could it be? Watch out for Lord of Shadows coming out on April 11, 2017, to know more about who this character might be.