On September 1st, Cassandra Clare released the book that was highly anticipated by hardcore fans of the Shadowhunter chronicles and avid fiction readers alike. It is the second book of The Eldest Curses series, centered around the mishaps and misadventures of the queer, Shadowhunter-Warlock couple, Alexander Lightwood and Magnus Bane, as well as their gang of Shadowhunter friends. The book included forbidden romance, demons, hell dimensions, flaming whips--just about anything you could imagine! The book was undoubtedly full of details, but just what exactly did the readers ACTUALLY think about this book?
Some were absolutely HOOKED:
i just finished the lostbook of thewhite and what has it emphasised? the lightwood-bane family are superior and i need more content (w/ rafael) because i love them so so much"
@sxnshinematthew on Twitter
"I TOLD MYSELF I WOULDN'T CRY AT LBOTW AND FOR GODS SAKE I CRIED AT THE LAST PAGE"
anon on Tumblr
Some people had mixed feelings:
"FINISHED THE LOSTBOOK OF THEWHITE AAAAAANDDDDD i don't know how to feel"
@lukovlover on Twitter
"3 of 5 stars to The Lost Book of the White by Cassandra Clare"
@ruescorner on Twitter
Some people couldn't deal AT ALL:
"I'll say it... im having a very hard time getting through the lost book of the white. It seems very boring compared to red scrolls."
anon on Twitter
"Seeing as the Lost Book of the White was my most anticipated release of 2020, and I was ready to give it 4 stars in the get-go, and when I finished it, I was lucky if I gave it even 2.75 stars, I was extremely disappointed with this book..."
uppagainstthewall on Tumblr
Now, my personal feelings toward the book: as a diehard member of the Shadowhunter fandom, I was THRILLED to see Malec and the TMI gang reunited. I smiled at the quirky parabatai moments, teared up at the heartfelt moments between Magnus and Alec, and giggled every time I read a scene of Baby Max just being Baby Max. Fangirl aside, however, the book didn't exactly meet my every expectation. It undoubtedly felt rushed in places and some of the plot was redundant, long-winded, or just plain unnecessary. All in all, I'd probably rate it a 5 or 6 out of 10. Still good (it is a Cassandra Clare novel, after all,) but it couldn't hold a candle to its predecessor, The Red Scrolls of Magic, let alone any other novel from The Shadowhunter Chronicles.
If you haven't read the book yet, you can buy it here and form your own opinion.
