How Well Do You Know Neal Shusterman&#8217;s Arc of a Scythe Series?

Do you love Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe series and recommend it to everyone you know? Are you shipping Citra and Rowan, rooting for Greyson, willing to fight anyone for Scythe Curie, and wish the Thunderhead was real? Do you have multiple copies of Scythe, Thunderhead, and The Toll? If you answered yes to any of these, then this is the quiz for you!

How Well Do You Know Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe Series?

No matter your results, check out this ultimate Arc of a Scythe recap before you pick up the new book, Gleanings!

Which of the Merry Thieves Are You?

Quizzes

November 2, 2022

Art in cover photo from Cassandra Jean!

I can’t be the only one who desperately wants to be a member of the Merry Thieves right? We all fell in love with James, Matthew, Christopher, and Thomas in Chain of Gold and Chain of Iron (and we can’t wait to see them in Chain of Thorns!). Well, now is our chance to join! Take this quiz to find out which of the Merry Thieves (official or honorary) you are!

Which of the Official or Honorary Merry Thieves Are You?

Need more Merry Thieves before Chain of Thorns comes out? Find out who is your Last Hours soulmate!

The Ultimate Arc of a Scythe Recap You Need Before Reading Gleanings

General

October 21, 2022

Like you, I was SO EXCITED when I heard there was going to be a short story collection set in the world of Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe. Scythe, Thunderhead, and The Toll are some of my favorite books of all time, and I can’t wait to spend more time in this imperfect utopia.

But what do we need to remember before picking up Gleanings?? Here’s a quick and thorough recap of the entire series so you’ll be ready to be gleaned!

If you haven’t read these books, please know that everything below is a giant spoiler. Now go read them, they’re great!!

The Ultimate Arc of a Scythe Recap You Need Before Reading Gleanings

A Recap of Scythe

“Thou Shalt Kill” is the #1 Scythe commandment because humanity has conquered death and scythes are the only ones who can end life. The Thunderhead, a powerful AI, runs everything else and “the separation of Scythe and Thunderhead” keeps those powers “balanced.”

Citra and Rowan are apprenticed to Scythe Faraday and things are going well until Faraday self-gleans (or did he?? scythes can only die by self-gleaning, or if their bodies are physically destroyed).

The dream team is broken up and Citra is apprenticed to Scythe Curie (we stan the Grandame of Death – Curie is infamous for gleaning the last figureheads of mortal rule) and Rowan is apprenticed to Scythe Goddard (who is the actual WORST). Goddard “trains” aka tortures Rowan with the help of his evil crew. The scythes declare that only one of Faraday’s apprentices can be a scythe and plans to pit them against each other. Whoever wins must glean the other. Rude.

Citra & Rowan are reunited at the Harvest Conclave but when they’re forced to fight, they both try to lose because they like each other too much. I stan. Citra is winning at losing so Rowan snaps Citra’s neck and they’re both disqualified and neither wins and both get to live a bit longer!

Rowan learns that High Blade Xenocrates has a daughter and Goddard is blackmailing him over it. Xenocrates accuses Citra of murdering Faraday (she’s like, what even is murder??) and rather than be imprisoned, she makes an epic splat. This creates a brilliant loophole, and the Thunderhead is able to communicate with Citra while she’s deadish! The Thunderhead gives Citra a clue that allows her to discover that Scythe Faraday isn’t dead—he’s in hiding.

Goddard arranges a massacre at Tonist Monetary. Rowan uses that opportunity to decapitate Scythe Goddard and burn everything to the ground. YES!!!

As a final scythe test, Citra and Rowan have to kill their families (including Citra’s brother Ben), who are then revived. They again face off at the next Conclave and Citra is declared the winner and takes on the name Scythe Anastasia. Instead of gleaning Rowan, she punches him in the face, granting him a year of immunity. He escapes and goes on the run with Scythe Faraday. WHAT AN ENDING!!

If you want more, here’s a recap of book 1 with *feelings.*

A Recap of Thunderhead

The Thunderhead is the perfect ruler, but can’t interfere with the scythes, who are FAR from perfect.

Citra (as Scythe Anastasia) challenges the rising “new order” of scythes with Scythe Curie, but there are many evil plots afoot to take them both out. Luckily, here comes Greyson, beloved of the Thunderhead, who double agents to save our fave scythes from multiple Evil Plans. He’s marked unsavory for his heroism and goes undercover as Slayd. As an unsavory, he can’t communicate with his father figure, the Thunderhead, which is traumatizing for us all. And after another devastating rescue mission, he has to go hide out with the Tonists.

Rowan (as Scythe Lucifer yasssss) has gone off the grid and runs around threatening misbehaving scythes, including Scythe Brahms. But that backfires because…Scythe Rand (one of Goddard’s lackeys) is not dead, and she’s conscripted Rowan’s bff Tyger into her web of evilness. Rowan is captured by them and is rightly horrified when they put Goddard’s head (rescued from the fire ew) on Tyger’s body.

Things come to a head (HA!) when the Old Guard & New Order square off at the Winter Conclave. It’s Curie vs Goddard to take Xeoncrates’ High Blade seat. Citra calls for an inquest and stalls the vote, but this does not slow down Goddard’s continual torture of Rowan.

Meanwhile, Faraday is off the grid looking for the Land of Nod with the help of Murina, and they discover a hidden group of atolls (word play!). The Thunderhead is VERY interested, and going through a bit of a midlife crisis if I’m being honest.

Ok, now for the WILDEST ENDING EVER. Everyone shows up for the inquest in Endura, the seat of scythe power. Rowan escapes Goddard’s clutches thanks to Rand, and the Grandslayers decree Curie the High Blade. YAY! Enter Goddard’s evil plan. Endura starts to sink, and the Grandslayers are set upon by sharks (can’t be revived from that!). Curie scarifies herself to lock Rowan & Citra in a vault, and the two embrace as they wait for death. The Thunderhead screams in anguish and the Tonists know the Great Resonance has come. Everyone in the world is marked as unsavory, except for Greyson.

Want more? Here’s an even more detailed recap of book 2.

Recap of The Toll

Goddard has taken over all of North Merica (except Texas). Boo.

Faraday and Murina have found the mystery atoll, which contains a room locked by the founding scythes. Lorina, once a nimbus agent, is chosen by the Thunderhead to be its eyes in the one place it can’t see: the Kwajelein Atoll. Ships with supplies start showing up. The Thunderhead is building something.

Greyson is the Toll, as the Tonists have rebranded him as a mystical figure, and he’s the only one who the Thunderhead speaks to directly. Goddard sends Scythe Morrison to kill Grayson, but instead, Greyson uses this chance to fake his death and travels the world wrangling rogue Tonists into behaving.

Jerico and crew are working to salvage Endura under the direction of Scythe Possuelo. After 3 years, they pull Citra & Rowan out from the vault and revive them (separately to torture them and us). After both are brought up on the dismal state of the world, Rowan is captured by scythes while Anastasia (our babe Citra) escapes with Jerico (Jeri).

Anastasia joins forces with some SubSahara scythes, trying to decode a message from the Thunderhead. It’s something about a failed lunar mission and a Scythe Alighieri. Anastasia begins publicly broadcasting, asking people to do some digging into the Thunderhead’s backbrain for info.

Goddard sets up an elaborate execution for Rowan (no!) and gleans the entire stadium-sized crowd (NO!) when Rowam escapes with the help of some Texan scythes.

The Tonists are real mad at the scythes after that gleaning and stage many attacks, including one on the SubSaharan scythedom, where Anastasia and Jeri narrowly escape death. Greyson has to make a special trip out there to get the tonists in line. Citra and Greyson are reunited as Anastasia and the Toll in a hilarious and heartwarming way.

Jeri, Anastasia, and Greyson go find Scythe Alighieri who publicly admits that Goddard was behind the failure of the NewHope, which was humanity’s hope for an off-world colony. In retaliation, Goddard orders mass gleanings of Tonists. The Thunderhead tells Greyson that he has plans for those killed.

Turns out, the Thunderhead has been building spaceships. Anastasia and Greyson head to the Atoll with thousands of dead Tonists for cargo. But that’s not all the Thunderhead has built – the Thunderhead also created a new Thunderhead: Cirrus. Cirrus explains the Thunderhead’s plan: the Tonists will be implanted with the minds of the greatest humans and sent to space with live crews of volunteers. They will be the new hope for humanity.

Cirrus IS allowed to speak to scythes and has rescued Rowan from the Texas scythes and brought him to the Atoll too. Anastasia and Rowan and reunited (finally!!) and plan to go to space together.

But dang Goddard has to swope in and rain fire down as the spaceships are leaving earth. Most make it but Anastasia is injured as they escape. Rowan makes a deal with Cirrus that he’ll lead the ship as long as Anastasia is revived when they reach their destination in 117 years. IDK but might be the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.

While Goddard is raining fire, Scythe Rand finally gets her revenge and stabs Goddard, later reviving him back as Tyger. Weird, Rand, but I’ll take it.

When Citra was on the island, Faraday was finally able to open the founding scythes’ failsafe. He and Murina push the big red button and all scythe rings are destroyed. Instead of scythes, plagues are released which will keep the population in control on earth now.

Greyson & Jeri stay on earth together. But Greyson feels betrayed by the Thunderhead, who wanted to experience humanity and briefly took control of Jeri’s body. Greyson resolves not to speak to the Thunderhead (what a turnabout). Some scythes, including Faraday, now bring a peaceful passing to people taken by the plagues.

And that is where The Toll ends!

Ready for more in the Arc of a Scythe world? Pick up Gleanings on 11/8!

Top 10 Magical Artifacts from the Shadowhunters Series

August 24, 2022

“What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (And Who You’re Not Officially Dating Anyway),”The Bane Chronicles

From powerful weapons to a family heirloom, these magical artifacts from the Shadowhunters series are almost as iconic as the Shadowhunters themselves! Did your fave magical object from Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunters books make this list?

Top 10 Magical Artifacts from the Shadowhunters Series

10. Electrum

Used in some weapons, like Izzy’s whip and Jessamine’s parasol, electrum is a good conductor of magic.

Magnus took the whip carefully, laid across his palms like a snake, and he carried it to his closet door, which he opened. He drew out a special potion, one that he had paid an exorbitant price for and that he had been saving for something special.

He tipped the potion—faerie dust and blood taken in one of the old rituals, hematite and hellebore and more besides—onto the whip.

In the last extremity this weapon will not fail you; in the darkest hour this weapon will bring your enemy low.

Magnus carried the whip back to Isabelle when he was done.

“What did you do to it?” Isabelle asked.

“I gave it a little extra kick,” said Magnus.

9. Pyxis

Shadowhunters of the past used the pyxis, a special box that could contain demon energies, to transport and hold demons captive.

“A Pyxis?” Cordelia was startled. Long ago, Shadowhunters had developed wooden containers called Pyxis boxes to trap the essence of demons they hunted; after the Clockwork War, when Axel Mortmain had used a Pyxis box to transfer demon souls into clockwork monsters, they had been abandoned as a tool by the Nephilim. No one had used them for years.

8. Lightwood Family Necklace

The ruby necklace pulses and glows when in the presence of demons. Currently owned by Isabelle Lightwood; previous owners include Cecily Herondale Lightwood and Anna Lightwood.

The ruby necklace pulses and glows when in the presence of demons. Currently owned by Isabelle Lightwood; previous owners include Cecily Herondale Lightwood and Anna Lightwood.

[Will] stepped toward Cecily and drew the glittering chain over her dark head. The ruby fell against her throat as if it were made for her. She looked at him over it, her eyes serious. “Wear it always. It will warn you when demons are coming,” Will said. “It will help keep you safe, which is how I want you, and help you be a warrior, which is what you want.”

Clockwork Princess

7. Witchlight

All Shadowhunters carry this flat, smooth gray stone that gives off light when they hold it.

In his right hand he held a sort of glowing stone—it was shining, providing the light in the room that had nearly blinded Tessa.

Clockwork Angel

6. Adamas

The hardest metal known to Shadowhunters, adamas is used to make many of their weapons, including seraph blades. It can only be forged by the Iron Sisters of the Adamant Citadel.

Jace had seen the Adamant Citadel before only in pictures. Carved out of the same stuff as seraph blades, the Citadel glowed against the night sky like a star; it was what Jace had mistaken for the light of a bonfire. A circular wall of adamas ringed it, with no opening in the wall except a single gate, formed of two huge blades plunged into the ground at angles, like an open pair of scissors.

City of Heavenly Fire

5. Seraph Blade

The seraph blade is the Shadowhunter’s weapon of choice. Made of adamas and named for Angels, seraph blades are excellent at killing demons.

Emma swore and pressed her only seraph blade into [Mark’s] hand.

“Name it,” she said, breathing hard, pulling a knife from her belt. She clutched it in her right hand, Cortana in her left.

Mark nodded. “Raguel,” he said, and the blade exploded with light. The Mantids screeched, crouching down, wincing away from the glow, and Emma leaped from the rock.

Lady Midnight

4. Stele

Used by the Shadowhunters to draw runes on their skin, which in turn give them supernatural abilities, like being able to see long distances clearly or healing quickly.

“My stele,” [James] said roughly. “Inside my breast pocket. Barbara needs a healing rune.”

For a moment Cordelia wondered why he couldn’t fetch it himself, but his hands were clenched at his sides, hard as stones. She reached out and fumbled nervously at his chest. Silk and cloth under her hand, and the beat of his heart. She seized hold of the slim, pen-shaped object in his pocket and held it out to Thomas.

3. Cortana

Cortana is the sword that’s been passed through many generations of Carstairs. Its bearers include Cordelia Carstairs and Emma Carstairs. This sword has the power to cut through anything.

“Cortana has one sharp edge and one dull one,” [Cordelia] said. “Because of that, it has often been called a sword of mercy. I want to be a merciful hero.”

“Angels Twice Descending,” Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy

2. Mortal Sword (Maellartach)

Given to Jonathan Shadowhunter by the Angel Raziel, the mortal sword can be used to compel Shadowhunters to tell the truth.

Thomas struggled for breath. The weight of the Sword spread through his chest, and it was more than weight, it was pain—a dozen, a thousand small needles stabbing and dragging at his skin. Words spilled from his mouth, uncontrolled and unpremeditated: he understood now the way in which Maellartach made it impossible to hold back the truth.

Will gave Thomas a hard look and, after a moment, said intently, “Is Gideon aware that he still owes me twenty pounds?”

“Yes,” said Thomas, without being able to stop himself, “but he is pretending not to remember.”

Chain of Iron

1. Mortal Cup

Given to the Shadowhunters by the Angel Raziel, the Mortal Cup can be used to turn mundanes into Shadowhunters, if they are worthy.

“You are Nephilim now. I name you Simon Shadowhunter, of the blood of Jonathan Shadowhunter, child of the Nephilim.” He was the same person he’d always been . . . and yet. He wasn’t Simon Lewis anymore. He was someone new.

Need more Shadowhunters? Find which Shadowhunters rune matches your personality!

Top 8 Shadowhunters Sibling Pairs

July 27, 2022

We have so many favorite characters from Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunters series, and many of them are from the same families! These siblings face the best of times and the worst of times together, something that many of us can relate to. Did your favorite sibling pairing make this list?

Top 8 Shadowhunters Sibling Pairs

8. Christopher & Anna Lightwood

“Can you keep an eye on Christopher while we are talking? Make sure he doesn’t set anything on fire. Or anyone.”

“Yes,” Anna said automatically, “of course.”

– “Every Exquisite Thing,” Ghosts of the Shadow Market

7. Gabriel & Gideon Lightwood

“Father…” Gabriel began. “Father is a worm.”

Gideon shot Will a reproachful look before turning back to his brother. “What do you mean, Gabriel? What did Father do?”

Gabriel shook his head. “He’s a worm,” he said again, tonelessly.

“I know. He has brought shame on the name of Lightwood, and lied to both of us. He shamed and destroyed our mother. But we need not be like him.”

Gabriel pulled away from his brother’s grip, his teeth suddenly flashing in an angry scowl.

“You’re not listening to me,” he said. “He’s a worm. A worm. A bloody great serpentlike thing.

– Clockwork Princess

6. Alastair & Cordelia Carstairs

A demon lunged for Alastair: Cordelia brought Cortana down in a great curving arc, severing its head.

Alastair looked peevish. “Really,” he said. “I could have done that on my own.”

Cordelia considered killing Alastair, but there was no time—

– Chain of Gold

5. Will & Cecily Herondale

“Cecy, what are you doing here?”

She took a step forward, then paused on the threshold, glancing down at her bare feet. “I could ask of you the same.”

“I like to talk to the horses at night. They make good company. And you should not be out and about in your nightgown. There are Lightwoods wandering these halls.”

– Clockwork Princess

4. Matthew & Charles Fairchild

Matthew drew away and fell to his knees… He laid his hand, long and slender, glittering with his signet ring, on his brother’s cheek. “Charles,” he said breathlessly. “Hang on, Charlie. We’ll get you help. We’ll—”

3. Jesse & Grace Blackthorn

Jesse noticed her odd expression but didn’t press her to tell him what she was thinking. Insteadhe went on making his point. “What if one day we were attacked by demons? Someone would have to protect our family.”

“Will you train me, too?” Grace said, in a rush, and her brother broke into a smile that made her burst into tears, overwhelmed by the sudden feeling of being cared for. Of being cared about. Of belonging to something larger than herself.

BONUS: Helen, Mark, Julian, Livvy, Ty, Dru, & Tavvy Blackthorn (we couldn’t pick just one pair!)

And Julian, of course, standing over the kitchen range, flipping pancakes with the ease of an expert…

Be normal, she thought. This is a happy, ordinary meal with family.

“You made pancakes?” she said, keeping her tone cheerful. “What brought that on?”

“Sometimes when you start a war, you want to make pancakes,” Julian said, slipping two pancakes onto a plate and holding it out to Emma.

– Queen of Air and Darkness

2. Alec & Izzy Lightwood

“What is he doing here?”

Isabelle tugged her tank top back down and glared at her brother. “You don’t knock now?”

“It—It’s my bedroom!” Alec spluttered. He seemed to be deliberately trying not to look at Izzy and Simon, who were indeed in a very compromising position.

– City of Heavenly Fire

1. James & Lucie Herondale

“Cruel Prince James strode into the chamber, his cape flashing behind him and his terrible, terrible mustache askew with rage,” Lucie narrated the moment James walked through the door.“

Does it need be said twice that it’s terrible?” James said.

“He required a hot beverage to soothe his throat, parched from barking out his wicked commands all day. Tea, he thought, yes, tea and revenge.”

“I’ll just go put the kettle on,” James sighed.

– Chain of Gold

Want more top Shadowhunters moments? Check out these top Shadowhunters friendships!

Top 9 Shadowhunters Friendships

July 13, 2022

From the Merry Thieves to iconic parabatai pairings there are TONS of amazing friendships in Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunters series, so it was a challenge to narrow them down to just the top nine! Did your fave friends make this list?

Top 9 Shadowhunters Friendships

9. The Merry Thieves

He could hear Christopher and Thomas breathing, sense their worry; he felt Thomas’s hand rough against his hair—Thomas was trying to comfort him, James realized, though Thomas was the one in trouble. These are my brothers, he thought, all around me; I would do anything for them.

8. Magnus, Ragnor, and Catarina

“Magnus, Ragnor, I heard a cat making a most unearthly noise,” [Catarina] exclaimed. “From the sound of it, the poor creature must be direly sick. You have to help me find it!”

Ragnor immediately collapsed with hysterical laughter on his windowsill. Magnus stared at Catarina for a moment, until he saw her lips twitch.“

You are conspiring against me and my art,” he declared. “You are a pack of conspirators.”

– “What Really Happened in Peru,” The Bane Chronicles

7. Emma and Julian

“We are bound together, Emma, bound together—I breathe when you breathe, I bleed when you bleed, I’m yours and you’re mine, you’ve always been mine, and I have always, always belonged to you!”

– Lady Midnight

6. Kit and Ty

“Tell me,” Kit said. Tell me what you need.

“Put your arms around me,” said Ty. His hands were pale blurs in the air, as if Kit were looking at a time-lapse photo. “Hold on to me.”

He was still rocking. After a moment, Kit put his arms around Ty, not quite knowing what else to do.

– Lord of Shadows

5. Lucie and Cordelia

Lucie pushed Cordelia’s hair out of her eyes and smiled at her.

“There is no need ever to do it yourself,” she said. “Runes given to you by your parabatai are best.”

“Ghastly,” said Matthew. “Look at them, affirming their eternal bond of friendship. In public.”

– Chain of Gold

4. Jace and Alec

Alec said nothing, but his grip on Jace’s hand tightened. “You don’t need to swear,” he said, and with his free hand touched the parabatai rune near his collarbone. “I know. I can feel it. I don’t feel like I’m missing a part of me anymore.”

“I felt it too.” Jace took a ragged breath. “Something missing. I felt it, even with Sebastian, but I didn’t know what it was I was missing. But it was you. My parabatai.”

– City of Lost Souls

3. James and Matthew

“James had thought how lucky he was, to have a parabatai who was always there for him. He could never truly fall with Matthew to hold him up.”

2. Clary and Simon

Something was missing from the pattern of Simon’s life, without Clary, and it would never be right again, unless she was restored. My best friend, Simon thought. Another thing worth living in this world for, worth being a Shadowhunter for.

– “Nothing But Shadows,” Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy

1. Will and Jem

“I thought I would walk with you a little way, my parabatai.”

How far? asked Jem.

Will smiled. “Need you ask? I will go with you as far as I possibly may.”

– “Cast Long Shadows,” Ghosts of the Shadow Market

Want more top Shadowhunters moments? Check the top Will and Jem moments from the Shadowhunters series!

Design a T-Shirt for Simon and Get a Book Rec

Quizzes

July 6, 2022

Let’s admit it. We’re all jealous of Simon’s t-shirts. So this is it. Your chance to design a new shirt for Simon, and we’ll tell you which of Cassandra Clare’s series you should (re)read!

Does even Simon need a shirt?

Design a T-Shirt for Simon and Get a Book Rec

Want more Shadowhunters? Join our Last Hours readalong now!

Want more Simon? Check out City of Bones and Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy!

Top 8 Will and Jem Moments From the Shadowhunters Books

June 29, 2022

There’s no pair of Shadowhunters more adorable and inspiring than Will and Jem. To celebrate this dynamic duo, we rounded up their top 8 moments. Did your fave moment make the top eight? Beware: potential spoilers ahead!

Top 8 Will and Jem Moments From the Shadowhunters Books

8. Will and Jem Hunt Demons Together – Clockwork Angel

“James Carstairs! Jem! Where are you, you disloyal bastard?”

This time a faint reply answered him. “Over here. Follow the witchlight.”

Will moved toward the sound of Jem’s voice.

7. Will is Ready to Help Jem – Clockwork Angel

[Jem] doubled up, suddenly racked with an explosive fit of coughing so violent that he slid from the steamer trunk to crouch on his knees. Too shocked to move, Tessa could only stare as Will—his expansive drunkenness seeming to vanish in a split second—sprang off the bed and knelt down by Jem, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“James,” he said quietly. “Where is it?”

6. Jem and Tessa Rescue Will from the Opium Den – Clockwork Prince

He looked at Jem. His eyes were bluer than blue, his cheeks flushed, his features angelic. He said, “You did not have to come and fetch me like some child. I was having quite a pleasant time.”

Jem looked back at him. “God damn you,” he said, and hit Will across the face, sending him spinning. Will didn’t lose his footing, but fetched up against the side of the carriage, his hand to his cheek. His mouth was bleeding. He looked at Jem with total astonishment.

5. Will “Admires” Jem’s Music – Clockwork Angel

“It was the violin,” Jem explained. “She heard me practicing.”

“Ghastly wailing noise, isn’t it?” Will asked Tessa. “I don’t know how all the cats in the neighborhood don’t come running every time he plays.”

“I thought it was pretty.”

“That’s because it was,” Jem agreed.

Will pointed a finger accusingly in their direction. “You’re ganging up on me. Is this how it’s going to be from now on?I’ll be odd man out? Dear God, I’ll have to befriend Jessamine.”

4. Brother Zachariah Sees Will in a Dream – “Learn About Loss,” Ghosts of the Shadow Market

Silent Brothers do not dream, and yet…

He was Jem again, and he was in the city where he had been born. Shanghai. Someone said, “Jem? Am I dreaming?”

Even before he turned his head, Jem knew who would be sitting there beside him. “Will?” he said…

There was a lightness in Jem’s chest that he realized, finally, was joy. He saw that joy mirrored in his parabatai’s face. The face of the one you love is the best mirror of all.

3. Jem Says Will’s Two Favorite Words – Clockwork Princess

“I was just thinking of bundling up Cecily and feeding her to the ducks in Hyde Park,” said Will, pushing his wet hair back and favoring Jem with a rare smile. “I could use your assistance.”

“Unfortunately, you may have to delay your plans for sororicide a bit longer. Gabriel Lightwood is downstairs, and I have two words for you. Two of your favorite words, at least when you put them together.”

“‘Utter simpleton’?” inquired Will. “‘Worthless upstart’?”

Jem grinned. “‘Demon pox,’” he said.

2. Brother Zachariah Says Goodbye to Will – Clockwork Princess

“If there is one thing I could ask of you, it is that you be happy. I want you to have a family and grow old with those who love you. And if you wish to marry Tessa, then do not let the memory of me keep you apart.”

1. Will Says Goodbye to Jem – Clockwork Princess

“If there is a life after this one,” he said, “let me meet you in it, James Carstairs.”

“There will be other lives.” Jem held his hand out, and for a moment they clasped hands, as they had done during their parabatai ritual, reaching across twin rings of fire to interlace their fingers with each other. “The world is a wheel,” he said. “When we rise or fall, we do it together.”

Want more top Shadowhunters moments? Check these top dads in the Shadowhunters series!

Top 8 Shadowhunters Dads

June 14, 2022

The Red Scrolls of Magic

These Shadowhunter dads are some of the BEST characters in the whole series! Whether they’re adoptive fathers, birth fathers, or both, these dads deserve all the love. Did your fave dad make this list? Beware: spoilers ahead if you haven’t read all the books!

Top 8 Shadowhunters Dads

8. Raphael Santiago

Sire to Simon

“This is the worst party I’ve ever been to,” he said. “And I hate parties. People keep asking me whether I have extra superpowers, and I tell them they are thinking of Simon, whom I dislike.”

“That’s a little harsh,” said Alec.

“You have to be harsh with fledglings or they do not learn,” said Raphael sternly. “Besides, his jokes are stupid.”

“They’re not all gold,” Alec admitted.

7. Gideon Lightwood

Father to Barbara, Eugenia, and Thomas Lightwood

Lucie had seen her uncle Gideon and aunt Sophie only briefly when they had arrived to view Barbara’s body and collect Thomas. Both had seemed hollowed out, like puppets in the shapes of her uncle and aunt, going through the motions of what was necessary.

6. Henry Branwell

Father to Matthew and Charles Fairchild

“Your mama and I had to wait some time for Charles Buford, and for you, and we thought you were both worth the wait,” said Father, and even in the midst of that awful moment he tried to smile for Matthew.

“Cast Long Shadows,”Ghosts of the Shadow Market

5. Gabriel Lightwood

Father to Anna and Christopher Lightwood

Anna stepped into the room.

Both her parents looked up. She saw them take in her new clothes, as well as her short hair. She stood in the doorway, bracing herself for whatever response was coming.
A long moment passed.

“I told you the blue waistcoat was the one,” Gabriel said to Cecily. “It brings out her eyes.”

“I did not disagree,” said Cecily, rocking the baby. “I just said she would also look very well in red.”

Anna began to smile.

“Every Exquisite Thing,”Ghosts of the Shadow Market

4. Luke Garroway

Father of Clary Fray

“I’ve lost my sister. Jocelyn lost her son—again. And Clary’s still devastated over what happened with Simon. I’d like to be there for my daughter.”

City of Heavenly Fire

3. Will Herondale

Father to James and Lucie Herondale

Will broke into a run. He caught hold of his daughter and swept her into his arms. Tessa ran to James, dropping down to kneel beside him and fuss over his bruises and cuts.