Part of The Eldest Curses
First published 2020
Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood have built something good. They share a loft in New York, their warlock son Max is taking his first wobbly steps, and the city is as calm as it ever gets. Then two intruders break in and walk out with the Book of the White, one of the most powerful magical objects Magnus owns. Before the night is over, Magnus has also been stabbed with a strange glowing weapon, and nobody knows what it does yet. He and Alec have to move fast. They book flights to Shanghai, arrange backup from Clary, Jace, Isabelle, and newly made Shadowhunter Simon, and find someone to watch Max. What starts as a theft recovery turns into something much worse. Magnus's magic begins to destabilize, demons are pouring into Shanghai, and the trail leads toward the realm of the dead. The second book in the Eldest Curses series, co-written by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu, keeps its two leads at the center of every crisis while asking whether they can protect the world and still make it home to their kid.
Genres: adventure, fantasy, contemporary, action, urban-fantasy
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, high-stakes, suspenseful
Tropes: established-relationship, found-family, magical-threat, protective-partner
Setting: New York, Shanghai
365 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster
Content warnings: death, violence