What happened in Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare - Recaptains

The basics

Title: Lord of Shadows

Author: Cassandra Clare

Series: The Dark Artifices #2

- Lady Midnight (2016)
- Lord of Shadows (2017)
- Queen of Air and Darkness (2018)

Add it: Goodreads

Goodreads Summary:

Emma Carstairs has learned that the love she shares with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, isn’t just forbidden—it could destroy them both. She knows she should run from Julian. But how can she when the Blackthorns are threatened by enemies on all sides?

Their only hope is the Black Volume of the Dead, a spell book of terrible power. Everyone wants it. Only the Blackthorns can find it. Spurred on by a dark bargain with the Seelie Queen, Emma; her best friend, Cristina; and Mark and Julian Blackthorn journey into the Courts of Faerie, where glittering revels hide bloody danger and no promise can be trusted. Meanwhile, rising tension between Shadowhunters and Downworlders has produced the Cohort, an extremist group of Shadowhunters dedicated to registering Downworlders and “unsuitable” Nephilim. They’ll do anything in their power to expose Julian’s secrets and take the Los Angeles Institute for their own.

When Downworlders turn against the Clave, a new threat rises in the form of the Lord of Shadows—the Unseelie King, who sends his greatest warriors to slaughter those with Blackthorn blood and seize the Black Volume. As dangers close in, Julian devises a risky scheme that depends on the cooperation of an unpredictable enemy. But success may come with a price he and Emma cannot even imagine, one that will bring with it a reckoning of blood that could have repercussions for everyone and everything they hold dear.

Here’s our recap of what happened in Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare. Read on for a full plot summary to refresh your memory!

what happened in Lord of Shadows?

• • Jace tries to tell Kit how great it is being a Shadowhunter and a Herondale.

• • A demon attacks the crew on the pier, but they kill it fairly easily.

• • Jace and Clary arrive and tell the crew that they need Malcolm’s body in order to break the spells. They get info on the Faerie realm from Mark. They think Sebastian left some sort of weapon with the Faerie king and queen.

• • Julian and Kit go to the Shadow Market because they need medicine for Arthur. They’re told to leave by the owner.

• • Clary tells Emma that her premonitions have returned. She thinks she’s going to die soon, which is why she told Jace she can’t marry him.

• • Kit tells Julian that Ty is autistic.

• • The crew searches Malcolm’s house. They find a glove and a tentacle, the latter of which is from a Makara – a demon.

• • The Centurions arrive.

• • Jace gives Kit the Herondale ring, and he and Clary leave.

• • Cristina gets upset about Diego and refuses to speak to him. This is because he is engaged to Zara.

• • Mark tells Emma that he likes Cristina. Mark and Cristina have a bit of a chat but, of course, there’s drama so they don’t get together just yet.

• • Kit tries to run away but Ty convinces him to stay by asking for his help in finding out why the Centurions are here.

• • Julian and Emma kiss.

• • Gwyn asks Mark to help because Kieran has been found guilty of murdering Iarlath. Mark refuses to help at first but he later leaves to save Kieran.

• • The crew goes after Mark.

• • Kit kisses Livvy.

• • Zara tells Manuel that Arthur is mad so that her father can replace him as the head of the Institute.

• • Cristina and Mark dance in the Faerie realm. Cristina drinks something. They kiss. Cristina tells Mark that Julian is in love with Emma.

• • Julian demands a trial by combat and Emma has to fight to save Kieran’s life. She wins, but then concedes because her opponent has her father’s face.

• • Malcolm and his demons attack the Institute. They bring Jon Cartwright’s head. He says he’ll give the Shadowhunters a day to give him Blackthorn blood. The Blackthorns escape to London.

• • Julian takes the Unseelie king’s son captive.

• • Mark frees Kieran, who gets shot as they escape. Nene helps them escape.

• • Julian looks into the Seelie queen’s scrying glass. He sees Arthur give his blood to Malcolm, which Malcolm uses to raise Annabel.

• • The Seelie queen wants to get the Black Volume from Annabel to find a spell that’ll return someone to her.

• • Kieran swears fealty to Cristina and becomes the queen’s messenger.

• • Diana goes to Idris to share the news about Zara and her father wanting to get rid of Downworlders.

• • Kit gets his first rune, which allows him to see Jessamine’s ghost. Jessamine tells Kit about where Malcolm lived.

• • Emma announces that she and Mark broke up.

• • Cristina leaves the Institute with Julian and Emma. Her wrist hurts, and it gets worse as she gets further away. There’s a Faerie spell binding her to Mark. Cristina returns to the Institute. Kieran thinks Adaon can undo this binding.

• • Julian and Emma reach Malcolm’s old house. Emma finds Annabel’s art and Malcolm’s journals that have been hidden away.

• • Diana and Jia discuss the LA Institute and potential new heads. Jia dismisses Diana.

• • Ty finds a crystal that has saved some of Annabel’s memories. They take it to the Shadow Market. A warlock called Shade activates the crystal. They see Annabel being tortured for information on Malcolm and the Black Volume.

• • Hale attacks the group but Magnus arrives and saves them.

• • Emma and Julian read the diaries, which reveal that Malcolm was taken in by the Blackthorns and they were all awful to him.

• • Annabel shows up outside. She says the Unseelie King told Malcolm how to resurrect her. Julian promises Annabel that he won’t use the Black Volume for evil, only to stop the Unseelie king. Annabel runs. Julian and Emma catch piskies. They say Annabel is now in Porthallow Church.

• • Livvy has been poisoned. Magnus heals her.

• • Dru hides Jaime.

• • The group visits Hypatia at her store and give her a list of things they need.

• • Mark and Cristina dance in the ballroom.

• • Ty and Kit visit the Cornwall Institute. Why there would be an Institute in Cornwall is beyond me. Ty leaves a message for Annabel in one of the statues.

• • Julian and Emma go to the church. Annabel has left a note, which says she lied to the piskies and Julian failed the test. Emma and Julian burn the church down.

• • Kieran meets with Adaon and asks if he wants the throne.

• • Erec has been sent to find the Black Volume. He tells Kieran to kill Cristina but Kieran kills Erec instead. lol.

• • The Seven attack Kit, Ty, and Livvy. Gwyn and Diana arrive just in time to help.

• • Julian and Emma argue and Emma runs off. Mannan riders appear and they fight them off.

• • Fal, one of the Seven, dies.

• • Jaime says Diego’s engagement to Zara is because Zara’s family has an heirloom that only the Rosales family can use. This heirloom will allow people enter the Faerie realm undetected.

• • Julian tells Emma that the Seelie queen told him that she can break the parabatai curse. The Black Volume will break every parabatai bond in the world.

• • Jaime’s backpack has a portal in it which pulls Dru in. She is taken to the Faerie realm and there she meets Ash. She returns to the normal world.

• • Diana reveals that she can’t be an Institute head because she used to be male and called David. The Clave doesn’t approve.

• • Julian wants to draw Annabel out by threatening to burn Blackthorn Manor.

• • The Unseelie king seems to want the Black Volume because his first child was taken and presumably murdered.

• • Kieran asks the king to not go to war with the Nephilim. The king returns Kieran’s memories from before the execution. Kieran gets upset with everyone.

• • Magnus suggests that Julian and Emma go to the Inquisitor to talk about their exile. Emma plans on going to Mexico with Cristina. This exile will hopefully slow the curse down.

• • The Riders arrive at the Institute. Magnus is unable to make a portal. The Riders threaten a human girl. There is a battle. Annabel arrives with the Black Volume. She tells the Riders to tell the Unseelie king that she knows his name.

• • It turns out that Ty sent Annabel a letter. She wishes to speak to Julian about the Black Volume. Julian wants Annabel to go with him to Idris and Annabel agrees.

• • The group travels to Idris.

• • Robert agrees to exile Julian and Emma.

• Magnus collapses.

how did it end?

• • Annabel testifies that the Unseelie king was working with Malcolm to destroy Shadowhunters. Julian outs Zara as a liar. Annabel agrees, and says she’s the one who killed Malcolm, not Zara.

• • Annabel testifies while holding the Mortal Sword. Zara gets angry. Annabel panics and kills Robert Lightwood.

• • Kieran leaves with Diego.

• • Cortana breaks the Mortal Sword.

• • Annabel stabs Livvy. Julian is unable to save her.

• Emma tries to kill Annabel. There’s an explosion, and Annabel vanishes. Emma sees the shape of a broken crown in the smoke.

This is a full plot summary of what happened in Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare. Check out our recap list for more recaps. If you can’t find what you need, you can request a recap from us!

Other recaps for this series:

• Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1)