the fact he's ruthless and will do anything to protect his family is honestly what makes his character great imo

I feel like Julians behaviour and dodgy thoughts might be a sign of the problems that being in love with your parabatai can cause, he might be going crazy from the curse.

I never thought of Julian in that way, but I see what you're saying with those quotes. I'm wondering if it could be foreshadowing that Julian may be taking the villain route in the future? I remember the one guy saying something along the lines of "You seem so gentle but underneath you're actually ruthless".

I agree that Julian is creepy, but that's like the entire point of his character, and I still love him because of the way he'll protect his family over anything else. The only thing I didn't think was creepy was his paintings of Emma - he paints everything, he just has to hide his pictures of Emma because they make it obvious that he loves her, which he's not allowed to do.

I really like Julian. I did see his manipulative behaviors at the end when he so expertly wove that story to keep everyone out of trouble. But I loved how much he cares for his family and Emma. I feel like he and Emma's relationship is deep. They understand each other's music so to speak. I also didn't find it creepy that the old darkroom is where he kept his pictures of Emma. I understand why he couldn't let others see them. And I also never imagined him obsessively painting her. They were best friends for over a decade, I assumed that they were cumulative over that period of time.

I feel like Julian only has that super protective personality over his siblings because he has raised them his entire life and because he knows they've gone through so much pain already. Also, he's definitely got some self distruction issues going on, since he's been running the institute since the age of 12.

I think the main reason why she didn't tell Julian about the curse was because Tessa said something along the lines of "telling someone love is forbidden, only makes it stronger." I guess she just kinda took that advice as Tessa herself has gone through a great deal of things, and she was trying to prevent their feelings from escalating; which spoiler alert never actually worked lol

"I was betrayed , i was heartbroken , and i loved it......" SAMEEEE

Emma for me is basically Jace and Will all over again; in fact the only thing that make them different is the genitals and thats it - she is so obvious and cliche for me as the other two, so not that I dislike her or anything, I just could happily read the whole thing without care about her and Mark honestly is not that far. Julian in the other hand.... what an amazing character - he has tons of flaws and questionable behaviors, but all of it is so well built that I just loved him, his twisted thoughts, his manipulative tendencies... most of the time Cassandra characters are kinda of too stereotypical for my taste and the universe itself always was a reason for me to read her books way more stronger than the characters, Julian is on the next level cause he actually has levels and he can be very obvious some times, but at the same time the possibilities for his future in the franchise are really exciting. Besides the villain, none of the twists were that shoking - some of them pretty buzzkiller tbh.

I see where you're coming from,but I absolutely loved how flawed and troubled Julian was. the love for his family, the heaps of responsibilities he had to take on when he was a 12 year old. everything about his story got me. 😭

I just gotta say this: I love Julian. I think he's so sweet and I believe everything he ever did was to protect his family and Emma. Some people are good at lying, okay, Julian is a good liar, but that doesn't mean he's a bad person. He lies to protect them, and I think it was very obvious... Also, as everyone that reads the Shadow Hunter books knows, falling in love with a parabatai is forbidden (not only frowned upon, but punished by law), so it's only natural that he tries to hide his infatuation... and as he is an artist, it is understandable that he would want to draw and paint Emma, his muse, his love. But he knows that no one can find out, so he hides it...it would sound creepy if they barely knew each other, but I think it's different in this situation. I know a lot of you don't agree, but this is what I think. Furthermore, I actually think the opposite of what Hannah said: I think it is Julian that deserves better, and not the other way around. Throughout the whole book, every decision Emma has made was reckless. She didn't even give a second thought about the fact that she had a parabatai, someone that could not only help her in battle and make her stronger, but also someone that suffers the consequences of her actions (like when she was drowning...). And not telling him what Jem told her about parabatai falling in love...not being honest and pretending to date Mark...that was all pretty stupid of her... But of course, this is just my opinion and I don't mean to offend anyone. I still love the book and every Shadow Hunter book. And I know everyone is entitled to heir own opinion (and I'm glad it is so). ❤️

yes the scene in the studio with the pictures was HELLA CREEPY it was like 'oh god, oh god, its coming, its coming...' and then it happened and it was like AAWWWW GAWD CRINGE NO NOPE NOPE, GO AWAY!

I really love Julian but I totally get what you're saying. And actually I think that the reason I like him is because of how strange he is. Like to me even though he does disturb me ( especially when he threw Nightshade under the bus at the end ) I'm just so intrigued by his character and the way that he will develop in the future. I do think he's a good person with good intentions but his morals have been twisted because of what he's had to do for his family and protect them and stuff.

Also, I think the "he would kill without remorse", quotes that show up throughout the book are just to show that he would do anything to protect his family.

I've got odd feelings about Jullian, he scares me and makes me uncomfortable but it somehow makes him more interesting. In TMI I resented Jace and Clary because they were perfect somehow everything seemed so easy for them, I feel differently about Emma and Jullian, they're relationship is screwed up yet they still love each other more than anything else

Everything you said is so true. Even at start i began to grow tired of Julian's repetitive sentences of Emma and what he would do to protect her, how much he has loved her even as kid, etc. Mark and Kieran. Enough said. Christopher Herondale! If that means that we will see more of Tessa, Jem, and the whole New York crew plus Ty, than I am sold. It's happening.

Your voice is so chill i feel like i'm on the beach while listening to you

I am pretty sure Cassandra did that on purpose, How Malcolm's motives are fueled by love, and he kills all those people, and how Julian says that he would kill anyone to keep his family safe. It's almost like Julian might become like Malcolm one day. I am pretty sure they're trying to hint to that throughout the book. Maybe that's why I love him so much. Because he would kill to protect those he loved and although he's a protagonist he has so many similarities to the villian

When you mentioned Julian's creepy studio of Emma pictures and paintings and that it was pretty much like Criminal Minds, I just died. That is so true, and this is actually making me look at Julian in a different light because now that I am actually thinking about it, Julian is so creepy, and he actually scares me. He is the type of character that could potentially become the villain. I am really nervous about what seeing Emma and Mark together is going to push Julian to do in Lord of Shadows. Julian is ruthless and he is willing to do anything to make things go his way, and that is really scary to me. And I do think that I agree. Emma deserves better. Loved your review!!

I agree with basically everything you said. I never really thought about Julian being creepy, but I hated him nonetheless just because he seemed so manufactured. Like everything he did had to correspond to his love for Emma and the kids, which made him seem like a really one sided character.

You have a point about being obsessed with her but i think because his being in love with her since he was young he didnt want to lose her after he lost alot of his family members but i dont agree with what you said about the painting room because he drew everyone he loved, it was just her he had to hide because you could clearly see what he felt for her thru the paintings, but i do see ur point because when i read the scene i thought omg her reaction is going to be bad....like stalker much? Lol

Hannah, WE ARE HERE. I agree with you. I've heard enough of the other series to understand what goes on in Lady Midnight. I did think it was a good book. I loved Emma's character a thousand times more than I did Clary. I'm with on Emma and Mark's plan to hurt Julian. That came out of nowhere and was a really crappy, horrible way to make sure Julian kept his distance. I kept keeping, why not simply TELL HIM THE TRUTH. I don't understand why it had to be turned into a soap opera plot. I love Christina as well. I think she is awesome but I don't love her with Mark. I love love love love love love him with Kieran. Yes, Kieran screwed up horribly and betrayed him but if you think about it, his reasons are tied with Malcom's: it was all done out of love. And besides Emma and Julian, Mark and Kieran were my fav couple. Sometimes even more. I love their parts so much. I think Hannah, you're the only booktuber I know who ships them as much as I do. For Christina, honestly, I'd love if she didn't end up with anyone. I like her and Mark being friends. I don't really care for Perfect Diego. Besides, there's no law saying that every female character had to end up with someone. I' actually do love Emma and Julian's relationship. Most of that is due to the fact I'm such a sucker for best childhood friends becoming more farther down the line. Also, their bond was so different, more intense. It's clear they're willing to do anything for each other. The one sour note was the paintings. First note, you'd think aww sweet. Then you realize wait a minute, that's like Edward watching Bella sleep. Creepy as hell. So that definitely is the one, one of a few, flaws I found within the book. I'm actually very tempted to reread it. I feel like I was just breezing through it but now I really want to take my time

Omg when I found out Tavvy was missing I was so worried

I'm watching this right after I just finished reading Lady Midnight and I'm glad that you're pointing out some things about Jillian that I did not realize while reading it. But one thing, he has to hide his feelings from Emma by hiding his paintings because it's actually illegal. Painting someone you love isn't really creepy usually, but yea I get where you're coming from. Thank you for briging them up!

I loved Julian, he's such a good dad/older brother

Oh and I love how you know how to study and decipher a character

I really like Julian and I admire and understand some of his actions but I have to admit tha he is a little bit creepy .I found the scene with the paintings cute but the other lines that you mentioned ..not so much.so you have a point.but who knows what its gonna happen next maybe there's a purpose on that!

I think Julian is Slytherin

I understand what you're saying about Julian but he had to learn to raise a whole family at the age of 12. You can't expect someone like that to be perfectly normal.

I see your opinion on Julian but he’s like my favorite haha

Wow, I love this video and this is so cool. Wow, perfect.

I'm in the same boat as you! I would read anything that's Shadowhunter related hahaha.

hannah how did you manage to coin every single thing that i felt after reading lady midnight. like every single little thing, this is exactlyyyyy what i felt.

I have a lot of thoughts about this book (mainly Julian) that I haven't thought of until watching this. So just in case you don't get to the end, I really enjoyed your perspective of the book. It was very interesting to hear someone have a valid reason as to not like Julian! I honestly never even thought of Julian that way. I noticed some of his weird ways of describing love, but to me that was just Julian. Until more towards the end of course when he was an expert lying machine. That part did kind of give me chills just because I'm pretty sure it all stems from the fact that he has basically been single-handedly running the Institute and corresponding with the Inquisitor since he was 12. We kept getting glimpses of just how manipulative he could be throughout the book, but nothing on that scale. And then Emma decided that she was going to make Julian fall out of love with her and he straight up said that he was never, never going to give up on her. It seems okay because we know that Emma is lying, but what if she was honest and really didn't love him enough? I feel like that would put more weight on how in love (cough cough possessive cough cough) he is with Emma if we think about it that way. So now, looking back on it, I'm in much less despair about the end of the book than I originally was. I actually really hope that something, even if it's not for long, happens between Emma and Mark. The only thing that I'm scared of with Mark is that he just lost Kieran, and then his second hope at love was swept off of her feet by Perfect Diego, so I feel like he saw this opportunity with Emma and thought "why not?" On the other hand, if he is indeed actually wanting to get together with Emma, I feel like Julian is going to have a mental breakdown and snap. Even before anything happened between them, Julian was wary of Mark being around Emma, so I really have a feeling that if that's the direction that Cassie takes it, Julian is going to do something....not good. Maybe even despicable. I do have to say though, for all of his creepiness towards Emma, he loves his family so fiercely and in such a different way that I can't help but still love him. Especially the part where he's reflecting back to when he almost dropped Tavvy and thought "my baby" for the first time. Ugh. I just love how much he is willing to do for his family and didn't let the loss of Mark and Helen and his father get in the way of taking care of them. But I really loved your review and you made me think about the book on a much deeper level than I would have! So thank you!

I just commented on one of your other videos, the EOS one. LITERALLY I am laughing my ass off at these reviews. Every emotion is MEEEEE asf. "Like props for being self aware, but that's terrifying" 😂😂😂😂😂 I had to rewind XDD

I adore Cristina😍 also I love Mark and Kieran and Kit and Ty so much!! Emma is such a great protagonist who I also loved, and I love the Blackthorn family! I don’t hate Julian because I appreciate the complexity of his character as it develops throughout the series, but he’s not my favorite and I definitely am scared of him at times. I like that Cassie is exploring what happens when parabatai fall in love, but I think I would’ve liked Emma and Julian to just continue being best friends bc that would’ve been great to see!

I also feel it was weird with the pictures (especially the one of Emma naked, but it was transparent, likeeeeee)

“To kill someone for someone you love” “to die for someone”... I’m not trying to be mean of anything but I honestly think you haven’t experienced that type of love (not that is a bad thing it comes to everyone at a certain time, I haven’t experienced it myself). Those are phrases my parents have said to me, if anything happened my mother would let herself die, that’s what she has said to me... a friend’s grandfather stop taking care of himself when his wife died, in less than a year he was dead, he couldn’t live in a world where she wasn’t there, specially because is children had their own live and he lived with her. It’s the type of love that, I think, no one can understand until they live it, and that’s probably when we have our own kids, and you have to remember that Julian was like a dad to the children

I'm the opposite of you 😂 I honestly do not want Mark and Kieran to end up together in the end. I ship Mark and Cristina like all the way. Oh well lol.

I see your opinion on Julian. I felt that too but for me, it's the madness that Jem explained to Emma with parabatais falling in love

I can totally understand what you're saying about Julian even though I loved him. He is creepy and there are times where he scares the crap out of me. Especially the scene where Julian showed Emma the paintings but I still like his character. I really like how he tries to keep his family together and I can totally see where his protectiveness comes from. But he shows extremely obsessive behaviour which could evolve into villainy behaviour. But I also think that's what makes him interesting in some way. I'm really looking forward to how CC continues with his character.

Been reading it for months I love it it's an incredible book it's very long but a must read

I've finished the book today, (I couldn't make myself free to read it so it took me long to finish it) Just at the first few chapters I already sensed that Julian might be Depressed maybe? Tired? or Stressed out perhaps? But when I continued reading and I realised that Julian actually is (quite) creepy. When he said he would die when Emma dies, he would kill anyone who touches/hurts his family etc, It went to the point where I had to put the book down and breathe properly a few times before continuing. Maybe... just maybe that he'll get worse once he finds out that Emma is dating Mark---who's he'd been jealous of since he was 12 years old. Maybe the *parabatai* rune would make him go insane? I can't wait for book two to come out this year's 23rd May! And I literally screamed when I later on found out that Kit Rook is actually the Lost Herondale! It still amazes me how the plot turned out. And oh how I wish Emma would just tell Julian the Parabatai curse!

I didn't like Julian from starting of the book when he enters into their house and the way he was talking to Emma it was so rude. From then onwards my hatred towards him went increasing

interesting review 👍

I already knew kit was a heron dale when I was half way through the book and no I don't have some 6th sense the funny thing is that I found out from your bookshelf tour, haha I still got that shock experience while watching the bookshelf tour so its all good

Yeah. I read lady midnight without reading the all mortal instrument

I didn't take the art studio scene as creepy but I get it 😂 I didn't get wind of his creepy side until the endish where he had some guy take the blame for something

Hannah just invented my life motto I Always Want More Herondales😍❤️🤗😂😇😂☺️

i sort of like julian, but i totally felt the same way about the paintings scene. like... ew??? i'd actually love for him to be a villain in future books, i think that'd be super cool. but yeah, i'm neutral on him i guess, but he does some REALLY sketchy things

I agree with most of what you are saying (I know I am watching this a bit late :D ). Except for the point considering Julian’s character: yes, he surely is creepy and controlling, even kind of manipulative and he does claim the right to judge Emma’s actions. Though I wouldn’t name that a ‘con’ of the book. I actually believe that this shows Cassie’s strength in character portraying. Julian has raised the kids on his own and taken care of the whole Institute. A youth, or even childhood like that has to leave marks on him which people who encounter him or reader don’t like. I believe that Cassie has simply stayed realistic in this - it perfectly shows what life can do to someone and how Julian has developed while growing up with those burdens. I would name it a con if he’d be perfect and we’d love him, because that would be good for us, but poor story-telling. To be honest, I would even go so far to say that Julian is one of the best characters Cassie has ever written, just because he is so controversial and real and carries a meaning (that life can scar you so that others do not like you). But great review, I love how you go really into detail and consider all the different aspects of a book, not just the characters or the world they are set in!

i was with you until you started bashing Julian's character. he had to raise his siblings from a young age. when no one offered him any kindness. of course there is gonna be a ruthlessness when it comes to his family and Emma. it is weird that you only see the bad in him. it's like you are deliberately ignoring how gentle and great a character he is. I really ship him and Emma I hope they find a way to break the curse. i really Loved Emma too until her idiotic decision to get with mark.

Awesome vlog ‼️💯I have just finished mortal instruments and now I am on last midnight and I like all it so far except for Emma and Julian because they are super problematic and imho shouldn’t be together. 😅

i think while the mindset Julian has about killing others IS creepy, it does line up with what they set up for him as a character. they do say, he does what he does because it has to be done. He is the one that does all the dirty work, from taking care of the children to running the Institute to killing people, like his own father. I did find the Emma room kind of creepy tho

I do like Julian because I think he's such a great big brother, that's what I love about him and I totally agree with you about Emma, she's so strong and brave and active and funny sometimes but that doesn't stop her for having feelings real feelings and expressing them if it wasn't for Cristina she would be my favorite character, my problem with them is their relationship, I just don't buy it, I don't feel it. The words are there but they don't make me feel like they love each other, I feel their relationship is awkward I just don't like it. I was going crazy with the Kieran and Mark thing I was about to scream and bounce around the room, but I still felt that their relationship wasn't very healthy so I'm not 100% sure what to think about that and I do like how Mark and Cristina are together so I don't know. I also... Mmmhh... I remembered Jem and Will's relationship as parabatais and Jace and Alec and even Luke and Valentine and when I compare them to Emma and Julian I just don't feel it, I feel is too forced, like that's the way they are supposed to feel in the books but I can see it like friends, yeah, but that's it. I screamed when I read the Kit being a Herondale part I realm realm want to know more about that. I liked the book I lot, I didn't love it, but I did really liked it and I really want to read the next one soon.

I definitely see what you're saying about Julian... I Mean don't get me wrong I actually enjoyed their relationship and Julian.. I think its sweet how much he cares for his family and Emma.. especially seeing as how he basically had to take over the family at the age of 12 and didn't have a strong male role model in the most formative years of his life, that being coupled with the fact that he feels completely and utterly responsible for keeping his family together will make anyone crazy and possessive.. not that its excusing the behavior at all, just a thought... I did definitely get a little scared at how good of a liar he actually is, and how he completely threw Anselm Nightshade under the bus to cover up what they had done with the Clave. If i were emma i would be afraid of him too because i would always be questioning everything he did and told me and that doesn't exactly make for a healthy relationship. That being said i'm trying really hard not to be too critical on the characters (julian) in this book, because its just the beginning.. I only can hope that Cassie develops them (him) in the rest of the series and he ends up being a character i can come to love.. I mean if i had to read the Mortal Instrument series book by book waiting for the next release ( i came into the series late so the only one i had to wait for was City of Lost Souls and City of Heavenly Fire) I probably wouldn't have liked Jace very much either.. but the more we got of his story and the reasonings behind his actions the more i grew to like him.. same with Alec actually. if her past work is any indication (which i think it is) then Hopefully Cassie will continue to develop these characters and Julian will end up being more likable than he is now. I just hope that Emma's character doesn't take a hit so Julian can be more likable.

At 8:42 , I'll say you're onto something... And one thing I've learnt from reading the Shadowhunter Chronicles is that you don't know who'll come back to life. Almost every dead character comes back in some way.

Which camera do you use?

I completely agree with you about Julian. I never thought about the parallels between him and Edward Cullen but it is so evident! I also agree with you that Emma should have told Julian about the reason why they can't be in love due to their parabatai bond, however I feel that it is consistent with her character as she keeps a lot of things from Julian to protect him. Also, she is only 16 and I feel as though her decision to keep it a secret reflects her age. Loved your review!

I still dont understand why people think julian is creepy. Can someone pls explain to me why they find julian creepy?

"If both people are into each other, then a big romantic gesture works: Dobler, but if one person isn't into the other, the same gesture comes off serial-killer crazy: Dahmer" Julian is Dahmer to us but Dobler to Emma

No hate but why does everybody hate Julian.

I mean, not telling Julien about the parabatai curse made sense to me. Just because someone says it's forbidden to love someone, doesn't mean you can just stop. Neither of them had told one another of their feelings and yet Emma essentially brought him back to life. Sure, she could tell him and they could both try to distance themselves, but she wants to protect him without having to leave him forever. Also, the whole Julien thing. I totally understand what you mean about his flaws and I'm hoping that it gets developed later as character development. I think it's because of how he's had to be responsible for his siblings since he was 12. He's had way too many responsibilities from a young age which has made him way too obsessive and overprotective of his whole family and Emma. I still like him, but I am hoping for character development

here is what i think can or might happen one Julian becomes a downworlder to be with emma two the real reason they can not be together is because the clave fears there power three the clave are the ones who killed emma's family and are really the big bads of the story but this is just what i think might happen i was wrong before it is just a feeling

I have mixed feelings towards Julian

The only thing that did not sit well with me about Julian was the wall of Emma paintings. I’m trying to justify that in my head but I can’t? I really respect him for taking care of his family when Arthur can’t/won’t however.

I ship Emma/Mark ❤️and Mark is my bae! Ty was also so sweet. I loved him ❤️❤️❤️ The book was a bit predictable except the end so many plot twists!!! 4.5/5

I'm shiping kitty

I definitely agree that Julian's idea of love is problematic, but I don't necessarily see it as a con of the book as a whole. I think Cassandra Clare wanted to explore the theme of "love's" darker side, so I think it was a really intentional decision. Tbh, Julian's idea of love reminded me a lot of Clary, actually. Throughout TMI, Clary has to learn that she cannot always choose the one she loves over the good of the world, and so I'm hoping Julian will grow and not become a villain (i.e. like Malcom :/ ). You make some excellent points though. Great review!

I didn't realy care for clary and jace in tmi for some reason I loved simon tho and I kida ship julian and emma more then clace but I do see your point cuz I was to invested in the story and never realy read between the lines

Am I too late for this discussion? Where was Malcolm in City of Heavenly fire?I dont remember. I ship Mark with literally everyone, Im really excited for him and and Emmas thing. I really like how the Rosales rings are different, I think it was a great look into how international Shadowhunter culture. BUT You didnt mention that Lady Midnight woke up!!!! Like maybe Malcolms spell was completed with his own death, but she woke up omg !!!!!!!!!

Throughout the whole book, Julien was very meh to me. I didn't like him, but I didn't hate him. He definitely did, said, and thought some questionable things pretty often. The room with the paintings of Emma were definitely creepy, but super predictable like you said. I am so excited for Kieran and Mark; I really want to get to know Kieran, and I hope they can get back together, but have a healthier relationship. And about there being more LGBTQ+ characters, I think it has been confirmed that Kit will have a relationship with Ty(their ship name is Kitty!!). I also know that there will be a genderfluid character in The Last Hours, their name is Anna. I also heard that there will be a transgender character in The Dark Artifices, so we might even meet them in Lord of Shadows.

I feel like one of Emma or Julian is going to die in the end

I just realised that your voice changed 😲

I can see where your going with not liking Julian. But to me, all those quotes shows how much he loves his family and Emma. I'm not saying that anybody should go and burn down a whole city if they pose some kind of threat to your family but wouldnt you try to do anything in your power to protect your family if it was you? And the paintings of Emma he had in his studio didnt creep me out although I can see how it did creep out some other people. Julian had to hide his paintings of her because if you looked at them you would be able to tell that Julian loved Emma which is forbidden bc theyre parabatai. I mean if he didnt hide them the only other option would be to throw them away and idk ab you guys but if I worked really hard on something and it actually came out really good then I'm not going to throw it away.

I ship Emma and Mark

of course he is soooo defensive and posessive he lost his parents at 12 and had to raise 4 kids, id die for my kids too- maybe its because you havent reached that part of your life yet(? ) but being a mum myself I get that all consuming love. id kill anyone first before thinking about it if it meant protecting my family. i probably wouldn't regret it either. tbh i think you are reading too much into it. i did enjoy your review for the most part but on this i disagree but thats ok i still think you are a fab reviewer though.

Am I the only one who can't stand Emma? I also didn t like the book that much. I completely agree about Jullian.

so great that someone else doesnt like julian

I don't like Julian that much either !! Just saying✋

I agree with you with the whole Julian x Emma relationship. He really creeped me out and was sooo controlling, which is probably because of being a father figure (yeah, no thanks). And Emma's character seemed to weaken drastically towards the end due to their relationship. Ugh, I'm just hoping that ship never sails. Loved the video!

I just commented on one of your other videos, the EOS one. LITERALLY I am laughing my ass off at these reviews. Every emotion is MEEEEE asf. "Like props for being self aware, but that's terrifying" 😂😂😂😂😂 I had to rewind XDD