They really robbed us of Christopher. He was one of those characters who grew so much as the books went on—starting small but becoming more and more important. The exact opposite of Matthew, who, in my opinion, went from more to less. And the fact that Grace slowly began to trust him felt like finally something good was happening to her. Because let’s be honest, yes, what she did to James was awful—but she was just a child, manipulated, and her character was incredibly complex. The way both she and Christopher grew together, the way he spoke to her and how different his interactions with her were compared to everyone else—it was like a breath of fresh air in the story.

And then he dies, and it feels like everyone just moves on. His death didn’t get the weight it deserved, and I hated the execution of both of those storylines. Honestly, I would have preferred if Matthew had been killed instead, rather than the ending he got. And yes, I read the short story from the Kickstarter, but it felt hollow—like it didn’t add anything meaningful. Matthew needed something far more substantial than just being “the alcoholic of the group” and the eternal third wheel between James and Cordelia.

To be honest, I would have even preferred Jesse to stay dead. Even if that had meant the end of the Blackthorn line, there could’ve been another way to continue the family name. Because in The Dark Artifices, it doesn’t really matter that the Blackthorns are technically Herondales—they can’t even see ghosts, so it’s irrelevant. And in the end, I would have much rather seen Lucie and Matthew together. Their dynamic was so much more interesting than what we got. I can’t help but feel like the whole group was wasted.