Most people on their travels are looking for something; either to run towards, or as an option to go run from their troubles to. But not Shadowhunter (bisexual, recovering alcoholic, and general mess) Matthew Fairchild and his loyal (and here mostly when the plot requires him) golden retriever, Oscar Wilde. No. Matthew is searching for himself aboard the Majestic, a grand 19th century ocean liner sailing from Greece to Constantinople, where he’s meeting his parabatai James Herondale, and James’s wife Cordelia.
(Luckily it’s the Black Star line and luckily it’s 1904-5, and he’s heading towards EurAsia; otherwise, this book might have a different ending, and Sylvain would be watching Matthew and Oscar get on that door.) But that’s interrupted when someone is murdered on the ship—and a vampire lurks in the darkness. (Instead of lurking in brightly-lit staterooms, I guess. Can one lurk in brightly-lit rooms?)
Together with Sylvain Verlac, a mysterious and captivating Parisian Shadowhunter with a secret grief of his own, Matthew must find the murderer on the Majestic before death strikes again.
Just like Secrets of Blackthorn Hall, I had to buy this book from England, as it’s apparently not being published in the United States. And I stress that before you read this book you had, at the minimum, read The Lost Hours trilogy. Otherwise, you will not really understand what is going on. But if you’ve read The Red Scrolls of Magic, you can be like me and giggle over the thought that there’s another Verlac to be “very sexy, very French, very bisexual” (or in this case, gay.)
I actually didn’t mind Matthew in this novella, a fact that I never thought would happen after The Lost Hours trilogy and “Cast Long Shadows” in Ghosts of the Shadow Market. True, it bothered me that Matthew seemed to have zero guilt over what he did to his parents (or James), and yet emoted all over the place for Kit, but still.
Did not know that Matthew considered himself comedy relief of the Merry Thieves. I find it interesting that both Matthew and James are having to figure out who they truly are in their late teens; Matthew without the alcohol and James without the bracelet. Sylvain was a very interesting character, even if he and Matthew going from acquaintances to living together seems to happen within the span of three days and four conversations. (Boys, lesbians are the ones that all jokes have bringing U-Hauls on the first date.) I am so glad that a young woman from a small Ohio town has a diamond large and impressive enough to warrant a name (similar to the Koh-i-Noor). I’m sure the vampires loved being unintentional therapists for Matthew and Sylvain. Or that Will’s (and to a lesser extent Jem’s) trauma, and the fact that Will married Tessa anyway, helped Sylvain realize that he can move on past Lucas to Matthew. I guess Matthew being the Consul’s son will trump what Syivain’s father as head of the Paris Institute wants for Sylvain’s path in life. Little bit weird (and when will it hit Matthew the time frame) that Sylvain had the hots for Matthew from the first time he saw his photograph; so much for not knowing he was a Shadowhunter until you saw his Voyance Rune, Sylvain. And at least murder is okay in the eyes of the Clave if the extenuating circumstances are similar to here; or are you just not telling Mummy, Matthew? (Sorry, Matthieu; we should call him as Sylvain does, I guess.)
As usual for books lately, there are at least two editing errors; apparently the King discusses what charities she’s attending with Matthew, and Matthew has gone from knowing his mother is having twins to wondering whether he’s going to have a brother or a sister (but not a dinosaur). Despite that, this is actually one of Clare’s better examples of writing. True, the romance is a bit rushed, the characters aren’t that deep, and the mystery is blink and you miss it, but then again what do you really expect from an one hundred eleven page novella, one hundred seven if you take out author’s bio and preface? It was simply a harmless little book; something I don’t regret the maybe 30 minutes it took me to read it.
If you like the Shadowhunter series and you want more Matthew Fairchild I’d recommend this book, as it adds a HEA to his arc. It wasn’t all that bad.
