Affichage des articles dont le libellé est Cassandra Clare. Afficher tous les articles
Affichage des articles dont le libellé est Cassandra Clare. Afficher tous les articles

lundi 30 juillet 2012

La cité des ténèbres tome 5 : City of Lost Souls - Cassandra Clare {En quelques mots}


Titre en anglais : City of Lost Souls
Titre en français : La Cité des ténèbres tome 5
Auteur : Cassandra Clare
Editeur français : Pocket Jeunesse
Lu en anglais
534 pages

Ce roman est le cinquième tome d'une série de six ouvrages. Il pourrait y avoir des spoilers sur les tomes précédents dans cette chronique.

  • Synopsis

Can the lost be reclaimed? What price is too high to pay for love? Who can be trusted when sin and salvation collide? Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.

  • Mon avis {En quelques mots}

Après avoir beaucoup aimé les trois premiers tomes de cette saga j'avais été un petit peu déçue par le quatrième tome. J'étais donc curieuse et impatiente de découvrir celui-ci afin d'éventuellement me réconcilier avec la série. Le début m'a semblé un petit peu lent mais j'ai très vite accroché et je l'ai finalement fini très rapidement.

Dans ce cinquième tome nous retrouvons nos personnages favoris. Cassandra Clare alterne entre plusieurs points de vue au fil des pages et sans vraiment de changements précis. Simon, Clary, Jace ou en encore Izzie et Maya tiennent le haut de l'affiche. Dans celui-ci j'ai par contre particulièrement aimé Magnus qui amène sa touche de fraîcheur et d'humour. Le sorcier est toujours aussi attachant et ses répliques sont de nouveau vraiment très savoureuses. Dans City of Lost Souls Cassandra Clare nous offre de nombreux revirements de situations et de nombreux rebondissements. Le rythme est prenant et il n'y a pas de temps morts. L'intrigue devient assez sombre, en particulier vers l'approche du dénouement. Cassandra Clare nous fait également voyager à travers l'Europe entre Venise, Prague mais également Paris.

En conclusion, je ne dirais pas que j'ai retrouvé ce qui me plaisait tant dans les trois premiers mais j'ai tout de même passé un très bon moment et je pense qu'il plaira aux fans de la saga. Cassandra Clare nous offre une intrigue plutôt riche en action, avec une ambiance vraiment plaisante et des personnages toujours aussi agréables. Les répliques sont de nouveau très savoureuses et le récit est une nouvelle fois parsemé d'humour. En tout cas, pour ma part, je suis un peu réconciliée avec la série et j'ai maintenant hâte de découvrir le sixième tome.

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jeudi 26 janvier 2012

Clockwork Prince - Cassandra Clare {En quelques mots}


Titre en anglais : Clockwork Prince
Titre en français : ?
Auteur : Cassandra Clare
Lu en anglais
502 pages

Ce roman est le deuxième tome d'une trilogie, il pourrait y avoir des spoilers du premier opus dans cette chronique.

  • Synopsis

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.

  • Mon avis {En quelques mots}

J'avais été un peu déçue par le quatrième tome de La Cité des Ténèbres, du coup j'attendais celui-ci avec impatience en espérant me réconcilier avec Cassandra Clare. Si je n'ai rien à reprocher à l'intrigue qui est captivante et menée avec rythme, je ne suis absolument pas contente de certains rebondissements ainsi que de certains évènements de l'histoire. Je ne veux pas trop en dévoiler pour ne rien spoiler mais dire que je suis énervée contre Cassie Clare est vraiment un faible mot :D Je préfère vous prévenir en avance, certains lecteurs seront probablement très très frustrés, ce qui a été mon cas. Ceci étant dit, l'histoire est vraiment prenante, le lecteur en apprend énormément sur les personnages et certaines explications commencent à se mettre en place. Nous trouvons des réponses à nos questions et j'ai vraiment apprécié cet aspect de l'intrigue ainsi que les nombreux rebondissements qui jalonnent le récit.

En conclusion, j'ai beaucoup aimé ce deuxième tome et je suis maintenant très impatiente de pouvoir lire la suite. Cependant, il vaut mieux s'y préparer, Clockwork Prince risque de vous briser le coeur et de vous arracher quelques larmes. J'ai vraiment été très surprise (et émue) et je n'attends plus qu'une chose : la sortie du troisième tome, Clockwork Princess, même si j'ai vraiment très peur de ce qu'il va nous réserver.
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vendredi 3 juin 2011

Le synopsis de Clockwork Prince (4ème de couverture)

Après la couverture, le titre des chapitre (voir l'article), divers extraits nombreux et variés (ici, ici et  et encore ) c'est au tour du synopsis de ce deuxième tome d'être dévoilé.

Vous pouvez le retrouver ci-dessous en anglais. Comme la sortie en France n'est pas vraiment prévue pour tout de suite je n'en ai pas fait de traduction.

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street—and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, but her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will—the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

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Plus d'informations sur la série...
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mardi 31 mai 2011

[Confirmé] Jamie Campbell Bower sera Jace dans l'adaptation de La Cité des ténèbres

Alors que les fans attendaient Alex Pettyfer, c'est finalement Jamie Campbell Bower qui endossera le rôle de Jace dans l'adaptation de La Cité des ténèbres qui est prévue sur nos écrans en 2012.


Jamie Campbell Bower qui a également joué dans Twilight (Caïus) et Harry Potter (Gellert Grindewald) jouera le rôle du chasseur d'ombre le plus célèbre de la planète aux côtés de Lily Collins qui incarnera le personnage de Clary. Le reste du casting n'est pas encore tout à fait finalisé.

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dimanche 29 mai 2011

Les titres des chapitres de Clockwork Prince - Cassandra Clare


Cassandra Clare a dévoilé aujourd'hui le titre de chapitre de ce deuxième tome, avec quelques explications ainsi que les citations qui accompagnent les chapitres.

Vous pouvez retrouver d'autres extraits de Clockwork Prince ici, ici,  et encore .

Prologue: The Outcast Dead

Will visits the Cross Bones Graveyard in London.

Chapter One: The Council Chamber

Pretty literal — the Council meets to discuss whether Charlotte is fit to run the Institute; we see a bit more of the Lightwoods, not to mention the Waylands and some other familiar families.

Chapter Two: Reparations

“Mr. Bane has been awaiting your arrival, sir,” said the footman, and stepped aside to let Will enter.

Chapter Three: Unjustifiable Death

The term, under the Accords, for a Shadowhunter killing a Downworlder without provocation.

“This was the first time she had been alone with Will in weeks.”

Chapter Four: A Journey

Tessa, Will and Jem leave the Institute and in fact, London entirely.

“Gabriel Lightwood strode across the room to meet them. He really was quite tall, Tessa thought, craning her neck to look up at him. As a tall girl herself, she didn’t often find herself bending her head back to look up at men.”

Chapter Five: Shades of the Past

This one is a pun that will probably only make sense upon actual reading. Althpugh one of the themes of the book is how the past affects the present.

Chapter Six: In Silence Sealed

Again the theme is hidden secrets. The title comes from a Charlotte Bronte poem. “In secret kept, in silence sealed.” Tessa begins to uncover the secrets of her own origins.

Chapter Seven: I had to redact the title of this chapter. It’s a spoiler.

“When Will truly wants something,” said Jem, quietly, “when he feels something — he can break your heart.”

Chapter Eight: The Purposes of Wrath

The title here comes from Thomas de Quncey’s (yes de Quincey!) Confessions of an English Opium-Eater. The paragraph is about addiction, and both the pleasures and the pains of opium, and the chapter is not dissimilar. Also, we meet Ragnor Fell.

Chapter Nine: Fierce Midnight

This chapter ends the night begun in the previous chapter. And has some pretty hot kissing. Titled after a Swinburne poem.

Chapter Ten: The Virtue of Angels

The virtue of angels is that they cannot deteriorate; their flaw is that they cannot improve. Man’s flaw is that he can deteriorate; and his virtue is that he can improve. —The Talmud

Someone rather unexpected hits Gabriel — who, really, was asking for it.

Chapter Eleven: Wild Unrest

This chapter title comes from the poem “City of Dreadful Night” by James Thompson. It’s really about taking on the suffering of someone you love. Will wanders about London at night. “He had reached Fleet Street. Temple Bar was visible through the mist in the distance” — Temple Bar is the structure Jem is standing in front of, on the cover of the book.

Chapter Twelve: The Ball

This is somewhat self-explanatory. There is a masquerade ball. And a balcony. And Magnus.

Chapter Thirteen: The Mortal Sword

We finally see the Mortal Sword put to its actual use: extracting the truth from reluctant Shadowhunters. And it is not pretty.

Chapter Fourteen: The Silent City

“Ah,” said a voice from the doorway, “having your annual ‘everyone thinks Will is a lunatic’ meeting, are you?”

Chapter Fifteen: Thousands More

From a poem by Charlotte Mew: There are thousands more; you do not miss a rose.

“Will has always been the brighter burning star, the one to catch attention — but Jem is a steady flame, unwavering and honest. He could make you happy.”

Chapter Sixteen: Mortal Rage

In which there are automatons and vengeance and explosions. The title comes from Shakespeare: “And brass eternal slave to mortal rage.”

Chapter Seventeen: In Dreams

There is the famous “in dreams begin responsibilities” but this title is actually from a poem by Matthew Arnold. The chapter from which this deleted scene was taken.

Chapter Eighteen: Until I Die

This chapter title has really freaked people out. So I will be nice and say that it is from a poem by Christopher Brennan (no relation to Sarah Rees):

Then seek not, sweet, the “If” and “Why” I love you now until I die.

Chapter Nineteen: If Treason Doth Prosper

Betrayals and misunderstandings come thick and fast. And Magnus may have a new boyfriend. The title is from a poem attributed to Sir John Harrington:

“Treason doth never prosper: what’s the reason? Why if it prosper, none dare call it treason.”

Chapter Twenty: The Last Dream

This is the chapter that made me cry! I rarely cry so I felt good about that. The chapter title comes from A Tale of Two Cities.

Chapter Twenty-One: Coals of Fire

I guess if you’re paying a lot of attention you’ll recognize this as part of something Jace quotes in City of Fallen Angels. Endings, beginnings, new characters, and, I promise, not too bad of a cliffhanger.
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mercredi 25 mai 2011

La couverture de Clockwork Prince de Cassandra Clare enfin dévoilée


La tant attendue couverture de Clockwork Prince de Cassandra Clare a été dévoilée aujourd'hui et vous pouvez la retrouver ci-dessus. Pour le roman il faudra par contre attendre le 6 décembre 2011.

Alors vous la trouvez comment ? Pour ma part je suis une des seules mais je suis plutôt déçue par Jem et en particulier sa coupe de cheveux.

Vous pouvez retrouver des extraits de Clockwork Prince ici, ici et  et encore .

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jeudi 19 mai 2011

[Chronique] City of Fallen Angels - La Cité des ténèbres tome 4 - Cassandra Clare


Titre en anglais : City of Fallen Angels
Auteur : Cassandra Clare
Editeur français : Pocket jeunesse
Lu en anglais 
448 pages (Sortie VO : 05 avril 2011)

Ce roman est le quatrième tome d'une saga. Pour plus d'informations sur la série c'est ici. Sa sortie française est prévu en 2012, très certainement aux alentours d'avril puisque Cassandra Clare a prévu une visite en France à cette période.

Attention, il y a dans cette chronique des spoilers sur les tomes précédents.

  • Synopsis

Simon Lewis a un peu de mal à s'adapter à sa nouvelle vie en tant que vampire, surtout maintenant qu'il ne voit plus trop sa meilleure amie, Clary, qui est très occupée avec sa formation pour devenir Shadowhunter et à passer du temps avec son nouveau petit ami, Jace. Simon décide donc qu'il a besoin d'une pause et de s'aérer la tête ailleurs - ce qui n'aboutira qu'à la découverte que des événements sinistres ne cessent de le suivre.

Amour, sang, trahison et vengeance - les enjeux sont plus élevés que jamais dans le quatrième livre de la saga best-seller "La cité des ténèbres".

  • Mon avis

J'aime Cassandra Clare, j'en suis une grande fan et j'aurais voulu adorer ce livre. Je l'attendais avec beaucoup d'impatience et j'avais donc probablement des attentes trop élevées. C'est donc très certainement pour cela que je suis aussi sévère mais, en toute honnêteté, j'ai trouvé ce quatrième opus un peu en dessous des deux précédents. 

En fait, je pense qu'il a les mêmes défauts que le tout premier tome, au début de la saga. Il faut remettre une intrigue en place, reconstruire des bases et je l'ai trouvé un peu long à démarrer. Ensuite, mon deuxième point de contrariété est que nous faisons connaissance avec un Jace un peu torturé et qui se cherche. Il a donc perdu de sa verve et de sa combativité et le Jace cinglant, sarcastique et enjoué m'a beaucoup manqué. Clary m'a également semblé un peu moins forte et déterminée que dans les trois précédents.

Nous faisons par contre davantage connaissance avec Simon et c'est un point que j'ai beaucoup apprécié. En effet, le jeune vampire tient le beau rôle et me fait m'interroger sur l'évolution possible de son personnage dans la suite. Il ne faisait pas partie de mes protagonistes préférés mais j'ai appris à mieux le connaître et à l'apprécier.

La plume de Cassandra Clare est toujours aussi agréable à lire, elle nous fait voyager et nous embarque dans son monde. Nous faisons également connaissance avec de nouveaux personnages qui réservent des surprises et sont prometteurs pour les deux prochains tomes. Il y a également un peu d'humour, en particulier avec Magnus et Alec qui sont deux personnages que je commence à apprécier particulièrement.

Côté action, et bien c'est là que cela pêche un peu, en effet, elle est relativement longue à démarrer et surtout plutôt prévisible. A la fin du troisième tome je m'attendais à quelque chose dans ce goût-là. Il y a néanmoins quelques surprises ainsi qu'un peu de suspense. Tout au long du livre, nous sentons la tension et Cassandra Clare parvient à nous inclure totalement dans son univers.

Ceci dit j'ai tout de même aimé cette redécouverte, retrouver les personnages et passer plus de temps avec eux. On les découvre plus en profondeur et on fait connaissance avec de nouvelles facettes de leur personnalité. Je pense que je suis sévère à cause de mon amour de la saga et du fait que je l'ai beaucoup attendu. Il n'en reste pas moins un roman agréable à lire et si vous avez aimé l'ambiance et l'univers vous serez ravis de cette nouvelle plongée dans le monde des Chasseurs d'Ombre.

En fait, il y a moins d'action et plus de passages où Cassandra Clare prend le temps de s'attarder sur chacun, de détailler leur histoire et d'inclure de nouvelles pistes. Le fait que les chapitres et les points de vue soient très régulièrement alternés permet d'avoir une vision plus globale de la situation et d'entretenir le suspense puisque l'on veut toujours savoir ce qu'il va arriver aux autres.

En conclusion, même si j'en attendais un peu plus je suis ravie d'avoir retrouvé Clary, Jace, Simon et tous les autres. Les personnages sont toujours aussi attachants et la plume de Cassandra Clare est à la hauteur. La fin se termine sur beaucoup de suspense, même si une fois encore je me doutais que ce serait ce genre de dénouement donc je n'ai pas tellement été surprise. Désormais, j'attends tout de même avec impatience le cinquième tome, City of Lost Souls, pour retrouver les personnages et surtout savoir quelles surprises la suite nous réserve.


Commande Amazon - Commande Bookdepository

Pour cette lecture j'ai fait une mini lecture commune avec Elise, vous pouvez retrouver son avis ici. A bientôt pour la prochaine :D
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mercredi 18 mai 2011

Les Teasers de Clockwork Prince (Edit : MAI)


A l'image de City of Fallen Angel pour lequel Cassandra Clare avait dévoilé un teaser par mois, elle procède de même pour Clockwork Prince. Elle a donc dévoilé celui du mois d'avril (et du mois de mai comme elle sera absente tout le mois). Il va falloir s'armer de patience puisqu'il est bien prévu le 06 décembre 2011. En attendant vous pouvez toujours le précommander ici et pour ceux qui ont des ennuis avec les précommandes amazon, TheBookDepository est par là.

Mais sans vous faire languir davantage voilà l'extrait. Vous pouvez retrouver les autres extraits de Clockwork Prince ici et  et encore . Vu qu'il n'est pas prévu en France avant belle lurette je n'ai pas fait de traduction.

Teaser du mois d'avril.

The Lightwood boys. 

The door to the training room opened. Tessa and Sophie turned as Gabriel Lightwood strode into the room, followed by a boy she had not met. Where Gabriel was slender and darker-haired, the other boy was muscular, with thick, sandy-blond hair. They were both dressed in gear, with expensive-looking dark gloves studded with metal across the knuckles. Each wore silver bands around each wrist — knife sheaths, Tessa knew — and had the same elaborate, pale white pattern of runes woven into the sleeves of their gear. It was clear not just from the similarity of their clothes but the shape of their faces and the pale, luminous green of their eyes that they were related, so Tessa was not in the least surprised when Gabriel said, in his abrupt manner : 

“Well, we’re here as we said we would be. James, I assume you remember my brother, Gideon. Miss Gray, Miss Collins —” 

“Pleased to make your acquaintance,” Gideon muttered, meeting neither of their gazes with his. Bad moods seemed to run in the family, Tessa thought, remembering that Will had said that next to his brother, Gabriel seemed a sweetheart.


Teaser de mai (Tessa et Will au milieu du livre)

Tessa pushed the carriage curtains aside. Outside she could see the gaslights going by in a yellow blur; two children were slumped in a doorway, leaning against each other, asleep. Temple Bar flew by overhead.

“Have you ever thought of transforming yourself into one of your parents?” Will asked. “Your mother, or father? It would give you access to their memories, wouldn’t it?”

She turned to look at him. “I have thought of it. Of course I have. But I have nothing of my father’s or mother’s. Everything that was packed in my trunks for the voyage here was discarded by the Dark Sisters.”

“What about your angel necklace?” Will asked. “Wasn’t that your mother’s?”

Tessa shook her head. “I tried. I — I could reach nothing of her in it. It has been mine so long, I think, that what made it hers has evaporated, like water.”

Will’s eyes were dark blue in the shadows. “Perhaps you are a clockwork girl. Perhaps Mortmain’s warlock father built you, and now Mortmain seeks the secret of how to create such a perfect facsimile of life when all he can build are hideous monstrosities. Perhaps all that beats beneath your chest is a heart made of metal.”

Tessa drew in a breath, feeling momentarily dizzy. His soft voice was so convincing, and yet — “No,” she said, sharply. “You forget, I remember my childhood. Mechanical creatures do not change or grow. Nor would that explain my ability.”

“I know,” said Will, with a grin that flashed white in the darkness. “I only wanted to see if I could convince *you*.”

Tessa looked at him steadily. “I am not the one of us who has no heart.”

It was too dim in the carriage for her to tell, but she sensed that he had flushed, as he did when startled or upset, across the tops of his cheekbones. To her surprise, he reached out a gloved hand for her. It just brushed the edges of her curls, the kid leather smooth against her cheek — and the carriage wheels came to a jerking halt. They had arrived.

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mardi 10 mai 2011

La cité des ténèbres - Scène inédite entre Magnus et Alec - Cassandra Clare (+ Cartes postales)

Cassandra Clare avait proposé une scène inédite lorsqu'elle aurait 30 000 followers sur twitter. Les internautes avaient voté et c'est une scène entre Magnus et Alec qui avait été choisie.

Cassandra nous a donc dévoilé ce magnifique récit inédit, qui se déroule dans le tome 1. (Source)

J'en profite également pour vous mettre sous cette scène les cartes postales échangées par les personnages entre le troisième et le quatrième tome de la série. Elles sont vraiment très savoureuses.

Special : Kissed

It was printed on thin paper, nearly parchment, in a thin, elegant, spidery hand. It announced a gathering at the humble home of Magnus the Magnificent Warlock, and promised attendees “a rapturous evening of delights beyond your wildest imaginings.” —City of Bones

Standing in the stairwell of Magnus’ home, Alec stared at the name written under the buzzer on the wall. BANE. The name didn’t really seem to suit Magnus, he thought, not now that he knew him. If you could really be said to know someone when you’d attended one of their parties, once, and then they’d saved your life later but hadn’t really hung around to be thanked. But the name Magnus Bane made him think of a towering sort of figure, with huge shoulders and formal purple warlock’s robes, calling down fire and lightning. Not Magnus himself, who was more of a cross between a panther and a demented elf.

Alec took a deep breath and let it out. Well, he’d come this far; he might as well go on. The bare lightbulb hanging overhead cast sweeping shadows as he reached forward and pressed the buzzer.

A moment later a voice echoed through the stairwell. “WHO CALLS UPON THE HIGH WARLOCK?”

“Er,” Alec said. “It’s me. I mean, Alec. Alec Lightwood.”

There was a sort of silence, as if even the hallway itself were surprised. Then a ping, and the second door opened, letting him out onto the stairwell. He headed up the rickety stairs into the darkness, which smelled like pizza and dust. The second floor landing was bright, the door at the far end open. Magnus Bane was leaning in the entryway.

Compared to the first time Alec has seen him, he looked fairly normal. His black hair still stood up in spikes, and he looked sleepy; his face, even with its cat’s eyes, very young. He wore a black t-shirt with the words ONE MILLION DOLLARS picked out across the chest in sequins, and jeans that hung low on his hips, low enough that Alec looked away, down at his own shoes. Which were boring.

“Alexander Lightwood,” said Magnus. He had just the faintest trace of an accent, something Alec couldn’t put his finger on, a lilt to his vowels. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Alec looked past Magnus. “Do you have — company?”

Magnus crossed his arms, which did good things for his biceps, and leaned against the side of the door. “Why do you want to know?”

“I was hoping I could come in and talk to you.”

“Hmmm.” Magnus’ eyes raked him up and down. They really did shine in the dark, like a cat’s. “Well, all right then.” He turned abruptly away and disappeared into the apartment; after a startled moment, Alec followed.

The loft looked different without a hundred churning bodies in it. It was — well, not ordinary, but the sort of space someone might live in. Like most lofts, it had a big central room split into “rooms” by groupings of furniture. There was a square collection of sofas and tables off to the right, which Magnus gestured Alec toward. Alec sat down on a gold velvet sofa with elegant wooden curlicues on the arms.

“Would you like some tea?” Magnus asked. He wasn’t sitting in a chair, but had sprawled himself on a tufted ottoman, his long legs stretched out in front of him.

Alec nodded. He felt incapable of saying anything. Anything interesting or intelligent, that was. It was always Jace who said the interesting, intelligent things. He was Jace’s parabatai and that was all the glory he needed or wanted: like being the dark star to someone else’s supernova. But this was somewhere Jace couldn’t go with him, something Jace couldn’t help him with. “Sure.”

His right hand felt suddenly hot. He looked down, and realized he was holding a waxed paper cup from Joe, the Art of Coffee. It smelled like chai. He jumped, and only barely escaped spilling on himself. “By the Angel —”

“I LOVE that expression,” said Magnus. “It’s so quaint.”

Alec stared at him. “Did you steal this tea?”

Magnus ignored the question. “So,” he said. “Why are you here?”

Alec took a gulp of the stolen tea. “I wanted to thank you,” he said, when he came up for air. “For saving my life.”

Magnus leaned back on his hands. His t-shirt rode up over his flat stomach, and this time Alec had nowhere else to look. “You wanted to thank me.”

“You saved my life,” Alec said, again. “But I was delirious, and I don’t think I really thanked you. I know you didn’t have to do it. So thank you.”

Magnus’ eyebrows had disappeared up into his hairline. “You’re . . .welcome?”

Alec set his tea down. “Maybe I should go.”

Magnus sat up. “After you came so far? All the way to Brooklyn? Just to thank me?” He was grinning. “Now that would be a wasted effort.” He reached out and put his hand to Alec’s cheek, his thumb brushing along the cheekbone. His touch felt like fire, training tendrils of sparks in its wake. Alec sat frozen in surprise — surprise at the gesture, and surprise at the effect it was having on him. Magnus’ eyes narrowed, and he dropped his hand. “Huh,” he said to himself.

“What?” Alec was suddenly very worried that he’d done something wrong. “What is it?”

“You’re just . . .” A shadow moved behind Magnus; with fluid agility, the warlock twisted around and picked up a small gray and white tabby cat from the floor. The cat curled into the crook of his arm and looked at Alec with suspicion. Now two pairs of gold-green eyes were trained on him darkly. “Not what I expected.”

“From a Shadowhunter?”

“From a Lightwood.”

“I didn’t realize you knew my family that well.”

“I’ve known your family for hundreds of years.” Magnus’ eyes searched his face. “Now your sister, she’s a Lightwood. You—’

“She said you liked me.”

“What?”

“Izzy. My sister. She told me you liked me. Liked me, liked me.”

“Liked you, liked you?” Magnus buried his grin in the cat’s fur. “Sorry. Are we twelve now? I don’t recall saying anything to Isabelle . . .”

“Jace said it too.” Alec was blunt; it was the only way he knew how to be. “That you liked me. That when he buzzed up here, you thought he was me and you were disappointed that it was him. That never happens.”

“Doesn’t it? Well, it should.”

Alec was startled. “No — I mean Jace, he’s . . . Jace.”

“He’s trouble,” said Magnus. “But you are totally without guile. Which in a Lightwood, is a conundrum. You’ve always been a plotting sort of family, like low-rent Borgias. But there isn’t a lie in your face. I get the feeling everything you say is straightforward.”

Alec leaned forward. “Do you want to go out with me?”

Magnus blinked. “See, that’s what I mean. Straightforward.”

Alec chewed his lip and said nothing.

“Why do you want to go out with me?” Magnus inquired. He was rubbing Chairman Meow’s head, his long fingers folding the cat’s ears down. “Not that I’m not highly desirable, but the way you asked, it seemed as if you were having some sort of fit —”

“I just do,” Alec said. “And I thought you liked me, so you’d say yes, and I could try — I mean, we could try —” He put his face in his hands. “Maybe this was a mistake.”

Magnus’ voice was gentle. “Does anyone know you’re gay?”

Alec’s head jerked up; he found he was breathing a little hard, as if he’d run a race. But what could he do, deny it? When he’d come here to do exactly the opposite? “Clary,” he said, hoarsely. “Which is . . . Which was an accident. And Izzy, but she’d never say anything.”

“Not your parents. Not Jace?”

Alec thought about Jace knowing, and pushed the thought away, hard and fast. “No. No, and I don’t want them to know, especially Jace.”

“I think you could tell him.” Magnus rubbed Chairman Meow under the chin. “He went to pieces like a jigsaw puzzle when he thought you were going to die. He cares —”

“I’d rather not.” Alec was still breathing quickly. He rubbed at the knees of his jeans with his fists. “I’ve never had a date,” he said in a low voice. “Never kissed anyone. Not ever. Izzy said you liked me and I thought —”

“I’m not unsympathetic. But do you like me? Because this being gay business doesn’t mean you can just throw yourself at any guy and it’ll be fine because he’s not a girl. There are still people you like and people you don’t.”

Alec thought of his bedroom back at the Institute, of being in a delirium of pain and poison when Magnus had come in. He had barely recognized him. He was fairly sure he’d been screaming for his parents, for Jace, for Izzy, but his voice would only come out on a whisper. He remembered Magnus’ hands on him, his fingers cool and gentle. He remembered the death-grip he’d kept on Magnus’ wrist, for hours and hours, even after the pain had passed and he knew he would be all right. He remembered watching Magnus’ face in the light of the rising sun, the gold of sunrise sparking gold out of his eyes, and thinking how oddly beautiful he was, with his cat’s gaze and grace.

“Yes,” Alec said. “I like you.”

He met Magnus’ gaze squarely. The warlock was looking at him with a sort of admixture of curiosity and affection and puzzlement. “It’s so odd,” Magnus said. “Genetics. Your eyes, that color —” He stopped and shook his head.

“The Lightwoods you knew didn’t have blue eyes?”

“Green-eyed monsters,” said Magnus, and grinned. He deposited Chairman Meow on the ground, and the cat moved over to Alec, and rubbed against his leg. “The Chairman likes you.”

“Is that good?”

“I never date anyone my cat doesn’t like,” Magnus said easily, and stood up. “So let’s say Friday night?”

A great wave of relief came over Alec. “Really? You want to go out with me?”

Magnus shook his head. “You have to stop playing hard to get, Alexander. It makes things difficult.” He grinned. He had a grin like Jace’s — not that they looked anything alike, but the sort of grin that lit up his whole face. “Come on, I’ll walk you out.”

Alec drifted after Magnus toward the front door, feeling as if a weight had been taken off his shoulders, one he hadn’t even known he was carrying. Of course he’d have to come up with an excuse for where he was going Friday night, something Jace wouldn’t want to participate in, something he’d need to do alone. Or he could pretend to be sick and sneak out. He was so lost in thought he almost banged into the front door, which Magnus was leaning against, looking at him through eyes narrowed to crescents.

“What is it?” Alec said.

“Never kissed anyone?” Magnus said. “No one at all?”

“No,” said Alec, hoping this didn’t disqualify him from being datable. “Not a real kiss —”

“Come here.” Magnus took him by the elbows and pulled him close. For a moment Alec was entirely disoriented by the feeling of being so close to someone else, to the kind of person he’d wanted to be close to for so long. Magnus was long and lean but not skinny; his body was hard, his arms lightly muscled but strong; he was an inch or so taller than Alec, which hardly ever happened, and they fit together perfectly. Magnus’ finger was under his chin, tilting his face up, and then they were kissing. Alec heard a small hitching gasp come from his own throat and then their mouths were pressed together with a sort of controlled urgency. Magnus, Alec thought dazedly, really knew what he was doing. His lips were soft, and he parted Alec’s expertly, exploring his mouth: a symphony of lips, teeth, tongue, every movement waking up a nerve ending Alec had never known he had.

He found Magnus’ waist with his fingers, touching the strip of bare skin he’d been trying to avoid looking at before, and slid his hands up under Magnus’ shirt. Magnus jerked with surprise, then relaxed, his hands running down Alec’s arms, over his chest, his waist, finding the belt loops on Alec’s jeans and using them to pull him closer. His mouth left Alec’s and Alec felt the hot pressure of his lips on his throat, where the skin was so sensitive that it seemed directly connected to the bones in his legs, which were about to give out. Just before he slid to the floor, Magnus let him go. His eyes were shining and so was his mouth.

“Now you’ve been kissed,” he said, reached behind him, and yanked the door open. “See you Friday?”

Alec cleared his throat. He felt dizzy, but he also felt alive — blood rushing through his veins like traffic at top speed, everything seemingly almost too brightly colored. As he stepped through the door, he turned and looked at Magnus, who was watching him bemusedly. He reached forward and took hold of the front of Magnus’ t-shirt and dragged the warlock toward him. Magnus stumbled against him, and Alec kissed him, hard and fast and messy and unpracticed, but with everything he had. He pulled Magnus against him, his own hand between them, and felt Magnus’ heart stutter in his chest.

He broke off the kiss, and drew back.

“Friday,” he said, and let Magnus go. He backed away, down the landing, Magnus looking after him. The warlock crossed his arms over his shirt — wrinkled where Alec had grabbed it — and shook his head, grinning.

“Lightwoods,” Magnus said. “They always have to have the last word.”

He shut the door behind him, and Alec ran down the steps, taking them two at a time, his blood still singing in his ears like music.












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