Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Faeries, demons, kissing, with thoughtful look at prejudice.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In LORD OF SHADOWS, Shadowhunters at the LA Institute -- the Blackthorn family, Emma Carstairs and her friend Cristina -- thought they would finally have some peace with the murderous warlock Malcolm Fade gone, but unwanted visitors just keep coming. First it's massive, tentacled ocean demons invading the Santa Monica Pier, snatching tourists. Next it's dozens of Centurions, secretive and bigoted Shadowhunter soldiers there to investigate Fade's death. And then it's Gwyn, a faerie from the Wild Hunt who implores Mark Blackthorn to come rescue his old boyfriend from the land of faerie. The Unseelie faerie king is about to kill him. As Mark, his brother Julian, Emma, and Cristina sneak to the land of faerie on a rescue mission, things go very wrong at home. Under the Centurions' watch, Malcolm Fade emerges from the sea, zombie-like, demanding Blackthorn blood to raise his love, Annabel, from the dead.
Is It Any Good?
As always, fans will eat up this extra-large helping of this Shadowhunter saga with parts lovelorn melodrama, demon and undead fighting, and political turmoil. It's a curious combo that usually works well enough for author Cassandra Clare, but Lord of Shadows seems to have more passionate kissing and more anguished couples than usual. There's Emma and Julian, of course, but also Mark and Kieran, Mark and Cristina, and Cristina and Diego. Adding to the anguish is lots of unnecessary lying that only seems to serve to keep the melodrama high. Why wouldn't Emma tell Jules that they'd be cursed if they were together? Her reasoning doesn't seem solid.
But in between forbidden lip locks, a lot goes down. A trip to the land of faerie sets up so many fascinating complications: promises that will be nearly impossible to keep, a deranged undead ancestor the Blackthorns are now desperate to find -- and under that, the whole current of political upheaval among the Shadowhunters. Who will win out? In one corner: the scheming ban-and-register-all-Downworlders crowd. In another: those like the Blackthorns who have part-faerie siblings and a warlock as their best ally. If you take out the fantasy element, does any of this sound familiar?
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the transgender character in Lord of Shadows. What did you learn about her struggles? How often have you seen transgender characters represented in books you read?
How does this book address themes of intolerance and prejudice? Do they remind you of any current events?
Will you read the next Dark Artifices book? What do you think will happen to the Blackthorns? To Julian and Emma?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : McElderry Books
- Publication date : May 23, 2017
- Number of pages : 720
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate