Cait’s Review of “The Lost Book of the White” by Cassandra Clare and Wesly Chu

By: Cait Marie

Goodreads Blurb

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 peaceful and quiet—as peaceful and quiet as they ever are, anyway.

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, they need to call some backup to accompany them, and they need a babysitter.

Also, someone has stabbed Magnus 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 source—to the very realm of the dead. Can they stop the threat to the world? Will they make it back home before their kid completely wears out Alec’s mom?

Review

Magnus Bane is my favorite character of all time, followed closely by Alexander Gideon Lightwood. They’re my OTP, my favorite ship, my most beloved fictional couple. When I found out they were getting their own series, I literally cried. You can read my ARC review of The Red Scrolls of Magic here for those details.

I really enjoyed this book, and I can’t wait for the next one. However, it felt… off. I listened to the audiobook, and though I love BD Wong with every fiber of my being, I think it was the personalities given to the other characters through the audible dialogue that made me iffy. I was so excited for this reunion adventure, but he made Jace sound like a stereotypical dumb jock and Simon even mopier than usual. It made me start to not like these characters who’ve owned my heart for over a decade, and it took away from the story.

I’m going to give it some time and re-read it via the physical copy, of which I have two. The plot was great and intriguing enough to make me want more. Malec is amazing. Seeing them as adults with a child is absolutely wonderful.

The other thing that’s throwing me off with this series, I think, is the time gap. The two books could pretty much be read as standalones, even though there is an overall story arch connecting them. They don’t flow one into the other like Clare’s other series. Red Scrolls takes place just after the war against Valentine, whereas this second book takes place years later.

Like I said, I still really loved The Lost Book of the White. It was fantastic seeing all these characters come back together and getting a closer peek into Magnus and Alec’s life. I look forward to book three!