I liked this but I didn't love it. I mean, don't get me wrong; I love Shadowhunters, I will always come back to this world because it has absolutely owned me since I was 13, but there's nothing insanely groundbreaking here. If you've been reading a lot of Clare (which you should be, if you're reading this book, a lot of it won't make sense otherwise), you know that she has a bit of a formula. And she applies it a little bit differently every time, so the mechanics aren't always the same, but the end result more or less is. Not to mention, the family tree in Clockwork Princess is sort of a spoiler for how this is all going to turn out in the long run.
But it's still good. It's an interesting, engaging story, and I still softly went "no," at all the right parts and squealed for joy at the others. And the representation is amazing. If nothing else, you have to give Clare hats off for always focusing on good representation in her works. I mean, how often is it that you read a story, let alone a fantasy story that takes place in Edwardian England that has subtle commentary about what it was like (and what it's still like, to a certain extent), to be an Arabic outsider in a white-majority, insider community? Also, there's just Anna, galivanting around, breaking hearts and taking names, with so little fuss it's just *chef's kiss*.
Listen, if you're this deep in Cassie Clare, you're not in it for Something Unbelievably New™. The way I see it, Clare and Maas are sort of like the YA fantasy equivalent to the Marvel and Star Wars franchises. Are they the most phenomenal, most insightful, most groundbreaking works ever? God, no. And we all know it. But that doesn't mean they don't have their good moments. And reading these series is fun and harmless and in no way prevents us from also reading the actual phenomenal, insightful, groundbreaking works that are out there. It's not an either-or situation. It's a both-and.
But it's still good. It's an interesting, engaging story, and I still softly went "no," at all the right parts and squealed for joy at the others. And the representation is amazing. If nothing else, you have to give Clare hats off for always focusing on good representation in her works. I mean, how often is it that you read a story, let alone a fantasy story that takes place in Edwardian England that has subtle commentary about what it was like (and what it's still like, to a certain extent), to be an Arabic outsider in a white-majority, insider community? Also, there's just Anna, galivanting around, breaking hearts and taking names, with so little fuss it's just *chef's kiss*.
Listen, if you're this deep in Cassie Clare, you're not in it for Something Unbelievably New™. The way I see it, Clare and Maas are sort of like the YA fantasy equivalent to the Marvel and Star Wars franchises. Are they the most phenomenal, most insightful, most groundbreaking works ever? God, no. And we all know it. But that doesn't mean they don't have their good moments. And reading these series is fun and harmless and in no way prevents us from also reading the actual phenomenal, insightful, groundbreaking works that are out there. It's not an either-or situation. It's a both-and.