Weekend Pick for November 10, 2023
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Are your students looking for book recommendations?
Send them to browse through the picks for this or past years.
For the picks from 2022 click here
For the picks from 2021 click here
For the picks from 2020 click here.
For older picks click from 2019 click here.
For the even older picks click here.
Lady Midnight by Cassandra Claire (2012)
As one who encouraged her students to never judge a book by its cover, I will be the first to admit the only reason why I grabbed Lady Midnight was because of the cover. Simply put, it looked cool - a sleeping beauty unconscious as she is submerged in water with her sword slipping away from her hand just screamed courage, consequence, power, and a little bit of romance (I think it is the nightgown and the weightless, flowing hair everywhere). Either way, I read it and was immersed in the world of Shadowhunters instantly!
This weekend’s pick is another fantasy novel and this time the main protagonist is a female shadowhunter named Emma Carstairs. She’s about seventeen, trains really hard to be a badass demon crusher, and has the stereotypical “tall, dark and handsome” parabatai that goes by the name of Julian Blackthorn (or in Emma’s case, “Jules”). To give you an insight about these two, you’ll have to know what parabatai is.
Per my description, parabatai is essentially one’s warrior soulmate; the best friend that has sworn to be the lifelong partner in battle. Having a parabatai makes shadowhunting that much better - it sharpens fighting skills, markings scribed in runes make supernatural abilities more enhanced, and healing runes work more effectively than if another shadowhunter scribed them. However, there is only one forbidden rule for parabatais… They cannot fall in love. This is due to the strong bond between the two individuals that their engrossed love will eventually wield into dark magic. Dark magic, as always, is perilous because it is known for shadowhunters to become deranged or begin turning against one another, and in due time turn utterly mad! As parabatai, Emma and Jules not only have to face the unsolved mysteries of their supernatural world, but battle the boundaries of their love...
I call the author clever Claire because Lady Midnight entails all the great fight scenes a reader wants to envision, but more so for the helpless romantics out there, there’s nothing better than a Romeo and Juliet situation especially when destiny is indubitable yet Fate says otherwise.
As one who encouraged her students to never judge a book by its cover, I will be the first to admit the only reason why I grabbed Lady Midnight was because of the cover. Simply put, it looked cool - a sleeping beauty unconscious as she is submerged in water with her sword slipping away from her hand just screamed courage, consequence, power, and a little bit of romance (I think it is the nightgown and the weightless, flowing hair everywhere). Either way, I read it and was immersed in the world of Shadowhunters instantly!
This weekend’s pick is another fantasy novel and this time the main protagonist is a female shadowhunter named Emma Carstairs. She’s about seventeen, trains really hard to be a badass demon crusher, and has the stereotypical “tall, dark and handsome” parabatai that goes by the name of Julian Blackthorn (or in Emma’s case, “Jules”). To give you an insight about these two, you’ll have to know what parabatai is.
Per my description, parabatai is essentially one’s warrior soulmate; the best friend that has sworn to be the lifelong partner in battle. Having a parabatai makes shadowhunting that much better - it sharpens fighting skills, markings scribed in runes make supernatural abilities more enhanced, and healing runes work more effectively than if another shadowhunter scribed them. However, there is only one forbidden rule for parabatais… They cannot fall in love. This is due to the strong bond between the two individuals that their engrossed love will eventually wield into dark magic. Dark magic, as always, is perilous because it is known for shadowhunters to become deranged or begin turning against one another, and in due time turn utterly mad! As parabatai, Emma and Jules not only have to face the unsolved mysteries of their supernatural world, but battle the boundaries of their love...
I call the author clever Claire because Lady Midnight entails all the great fight scenes a reader wants to envision, but more so for the helpless romantics out there, there’s nothing better than a Romeo and Juliet situation especially when destiny is indubitable yet Fate says otherwise.
BIO-Sonja Howard is a passionate educator specializing in English Language Arts for 9th and 10th graders. She is obtaining a doctoral degree in literacy education with a focus on novel study and English curriculum from UNLV. With her expertise, Sonja aims to instill a love for literature in her students, making a positive impact on their educational journey.
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