I couldn’t wait to get back into the wonderful world of Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu’s The Eldest Curses Trilogy, and I was so very happy to see the gang back together for another adventure. I did love the random selection of characters in The Red Scrolls of Magic, but there is a nostalgia with these characters and a bittersweet aspect to their interactions and reactions which had me in a death grip for most of the novel.

Life is good for Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood. They’re living together in a fabulous loft, their warlock son, Max, has started learning to walk, and the streets of New York are as peaceful and quiet as they ever are. Until the night that two old acquaintances break into Magnus’s apartment and steal the powerful Book of the White. Now Magnus and Alec will have to drop everything to get it back: they need to follow the thieves to Shanghai, call some backup to accompany them, and they need a babysitter. Also, Magnus has been stabbed with a strange magical weapon and the wound is glowing, so they have that to worry about too. Fortunately, their backup consists of Clary, Jace, Isabelle, and newly minted Shadowhunter Simon. In Shanghai, they learn that a much darker threat awaits them, Magnus’s magic is growing unstable, and if they can’t stop the demons flooding into the city, they might have to follow them all the way back to the realm of the dead whence they came. Can they stop this threat to the world? More importantly, will they make it back home before their kid completely wears out Alec’s mom?

It has the same comedic light humour in the first book, but ther eis a darker, more serious tone to this one. It makes it not only feel more mature, but it gives the characters an older image. These aren’t the same kids who defeated Valentine and Sebastian just a few years ago. They have all grown up and emotionally developed as individuals and Shadowhunters (and warlock). It gives the novel and the trilogy a less YA feel, even though the characters and story world are rooted in the memorable YA fantasy of our teen reading years. I like this shift as it shows how adults think and act, removing the childish instinct to show-off and pester and heavily rooting the action and character driven progression in the adult need to protect and serve, especially when your child and your loved ones are at the heart of the matter.

Getting to see another institute and area of the world and how Shadowhunter lore and the Downworlder presence is blended in with the community and culture is so fascinating. This institute holds a special place in my heart, as I’m sure it does for many of you, because of Jem’s heritage and descendants residing there. The fact that we get to see Jem in The Lost Book of the White makes my heart warm because he is such an interesting character, especially at this point in time. Mentions of Tessa also make reading this worth while, and I am very eager to find out how Tessa will fit into the final book given her relevance and similarities to Magnus.

It is difficult to continuously write within a world that you have be building for decades, especially when you are bringing back characters who have fought together many times before. Trying to find new combat direction and interactions can be challenging, not to mention the slight changes in personality and dialogue that now make interactions different for another reason, one that can be hard to keep the reader interested in. I think the Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu have done a great job working around these points and weaving new details into the narrative in a way that feels like a genuine occurrence, for example, the new demons that come out of the woodwork in Shanghai and how that works with the history of demonic activity in the area.

The Lost Book of the White is a fun read, with its high-tension moments and key themes of family, friends, love, and forgiveness shaping the novel’s direction. The conflicts, both internal and external, make for intriguing action points and the dialogue is always witty and light with these guys. I encourage all YA fantasy readers to give this trilogy a go, and if you are a fan of the Shadowhunter Chronicles, then you really need to read The Eldest Curses. It is a lesser read and lesser known trilogy in the collection, but it is by far worth the read.