Book Review: ‘The Lost Book of the White’ and happy release day!

Happy release day to The Lost Book of the White by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu! Release day posts seriously never get old for me and I’m so thrilled that Magnus and Alec’s new adventure is now available in stores and online. Happy book birthday, Cassie and Wes! ❤
I was kindly sent an ARC by Simon & Schuster UK so here is my spoiler-free review for The Lost Book of the White.

Life is good for Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood. They’re living together in a fabulous loft, their warlock son, Max, is beginning 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? (x)

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If you missed reading about the characters from The Mortal Instruments, then The Lost Book of the White is the right book for you!
I had many TMI gang feels when I read Lost Book; it was so good to see the characters again and how they are all doing.

In contrast to The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu, Jace, Clary, Izzy and Simon support Magnus and Alec in their fight against evil in this book and they all seem to be aware of what happened to the couple on their first vacation together.
Simon is still getting used to being a Shadowhunter with everything that entails and there are definitely some heavy moments that made me want to hug him. Luckily, Izzy and Clary were there and did just that for me.

The Lost Book of the White starts with a really shocking event thanks to the return of two warlocks we know and there is a lot of action throughout the whole book which I liked a lot! It’s fast-paced and we get to know new demons due to the completely new setting: Shanghai. I definitely Googled some things/places that were mentioned in the book. Reading Shadowhunters books makes you travel while you’re comfortably at home (or wherever you like to read), which I have always loved. I’ve ‘been’ to many cities because of Cassie’s books. 😊
In addition to the characters we already know (and love or hate), we’re introduced to some new ones and I’m particularly interested in two of them for completely different reasons. 😉 Some characters have to directly deal with the repercussions of the Cold Peace and it’ll be interesting to see whether their lives are going to be addressed again in the third The Eldest Curses novel which is set between The Dark Artifices and The Wicked Powers.
There is some background information about Magnus’s history with two other characters and I truly enjoyed what we discovered about this trio.
We also know that Shinyun returns and oh how I hate this character! She’s such a B*tch and I just want her to be GONE. Go die in a hole, please!

The whole situation is really serious for Magnus because of what happened at the beginning of the book but of course this isn’t the only threat. A lot of characters turn out to be in danger which made the book really compelling to me. Luckily, we know that Team Good is safe because they are all in The Dark Artifices which is set two years after the book.

The way the problems that occurred were solved was executed in such a fantastic and clever way that I really have to applaud Cassie and Wes! It was just so creative and I’m sure a lot of readers will really appreciate it.

Despite all the seriousness in the book, there are also funny parts and lines – I mean how can there not be, it’s a Cassandra Clare book after all! We are reunited with a ‘character’ from a Bane Chronicles short story and they definitely lightened up the whole scene.
Simon and Clary have their little insider jokes, which is really nice, although the other characters find some jokes a bit annoying, and Jace is even more witty than he used to be. I have to admit I’m still getting used to a goofy Jace because he was so serious for so long. You can definitely tell that he’s in a good place now after all the angst with Valentine and Sebastian.

There is one thing that I’m sure many readers/shippers will be delighted to see: There is SO MUCH kissing in this book! Magnus and Alec are so comfortable with each other and though they are still getting used to being parents, it’s lovely to see them so happy. These two are loving parents, they are adorable with Max and I smiled every time the little family was mentioned on a page. Max is the cutest, especially with his accidental magic, and I hope we’ll get to see even more of him in the future.
There is also a bit of romance for the other couples, but of course the main focus is on Magnus and Alec. It was still nice to see Simon and Isabelle as well as Clary and Jace being cute together.

There are once again so many quotable lines in this book and I really wish I could share some of them here. You’ll just have to read The Lost Book of the White yourself and find them. 😉

The cliffhanger at the end was so deliciously evil that I had to cackle and now I seriously cannot wait for The Black Volume of the Dead and possibly also The Wicked Powers! This is going to be SO good!

To sum up:

The Lost Book of the White was more fleshed out than The Red Scrolls of Magic in my opinion and I enjoyed it more than its predecessor. Returning to the original gang/Team Good from The Mortal Instruments felt incredibly good and I simply loved seeing how their group dynamics have changed over the years. They all care so much for each other and always have each other’s backs! The action was thrilling and especially the ending/the cliffhanger makes me excited for what’s to come. Five out of five stars.