Review: Chain of Thorns (The Last Hours #3) by Cassandra Clare

Title: Chain of Thorns

Series: The Last Hours #3

Previous books in this series: Chain of Gold (#1) | Chain of Iron (#2)

Prequel short stories: The Penultimate Hours

Other series in the Shadowhunter Chronicles: The Infernal Devices | The Mortal Instruments | The Dark Artifices

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genre: YA, urban fantasy, historical

Publication date: January 31st 2023

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry

Source: Purchased hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis: James and Cordelia must save London—and their marriage—in this conclusion to the Last Hours series from author Cassandra Clare.

Cordelia Carstairs has lost everything that matters to her. In only a few short weeks, she has seen her father murdered, her plans to become parabatai with her best friend, Lucie, destroyed, and her marriage to James Herondale crumble before her eyes. Even worse, she is now bound to an ancient demon, Lilith, stripping her of her power as a Shadowhunter.

After fleeing to Paris with Matthew Fairchild, Cordelia hopes to forget her sorrows in the city’s glittering nightlife. But reality intrudes when shocking news comes from home: Tatiana Blackthorn has escaped the Adamant Citadel, and London is under new threat by the Prince of Hell, Belial.

Cordelia returns to a London riven by chaos and dissent. The long-kept secret that Belial is James and Lucie’s grandfather has been revealed by an unexpected enemy, and the Herondales find themselves under suspicion of dealings with demons. Cordelia longs to protect James but is torn between a love for James she has long believed hopeless, and the possibility of a new life with Matthew. Nor can her friends help—ripped apart by their own secrets, they seem destined to face what is coming alone.

For time is short, and Belial’s plan is about to crash into the Shadowhunters of London like a deadly wave, one that will separate Cordelia, Lucie, and the Merry Thieves from help of any kind. Left alone in a shadowy London, they must face Belial’s deadly army. If Cordelia and her friends are going to save their city—and their families—they will have to muster their courage, swallow their pride, and trust one another again. For if they fail, they may lose everything—even their souls.

My rating: ★★★★★

We all carry a light inside ourselves. It burns with the flame of our souls. But there are other people in our lives who add their own flames to ours, creating a brighter conflagration.

Review: Chain of Iron (The Last Hours #2) by Cassandra Clare

Title: Chain of Iron

Series: The Last Hours #2

Previous book in this series: Chain of Gold

Prequel short stories: The Penultimate Hours

Other series in the Shadowhunter Chronicles: The Infernal Devices | The Mortal Instruments | The Dark Artifices

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genre: YA, urban fantasy, historical

Publication date: March 2021

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry

Source: Purchased hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Cordelia Carstairs seems to have everything she ever wanted. She’s engaged to marry James Herondale, the boy she has loved since childhood. She has a new life in London with her best friend, Lucie Herondale, and James’s charming companions, the Merry Thieves. She is about to be reunited with her beloved father. And she bears the sword Cortana, a legendary hero’s blade.

But the truth is far grimmer. James and Cordelia’s marriage is a lie, arranged to save Cordelia’s reputation. James is in love with the mysterious Grace Blackthorn, whose brother, Jesse, died years ago in a terrible accident. Cortana burns Cordelia’s hand when she touches it, while her father has grown bitter and angry. And a serial murderer is targeting the Shadowhunters of London, killing under cover of darkness, then vanishing without a trace.

Together with the Merry Thieves, Cordelia, James, and Lucie must follow the trail of the knife-wielding killer through the city’s most dangerous streets. All the while, each is keeping a shocking secret: Lucie, that she plans to raise Jesse from the dead; Cordelia, that she has sworn a dangerous oath of loyalty to a mysterious power; and James, that he is being drawn further each night into the dark web of his grandfather, the arch-demon Belial. And that he himself may be the killer they seek.

My rating: ★★★★★

I thought I was prepared for the angst this book was going to deliver, but boy was I wrong! 🙃

Review: The Lost Book of the White (The Eldest Curses #2) by Cassandra Clare & Wesley Chu

Title: The Lost Book of the White

Series: The Eldest Curses #2

Other series in the Shadowhunter Chronicles: The Infernal Devices | The Mortal Instruments | The Dark Artifices

Previous book in this series: The Red Scrolls of Magic

Authors: Cassandra Clare & Wesley Chu

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: September 2020

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Purchased hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Life is good for Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood. They’re living together in a fabulous loft, their warlock son, Max, has started learning to walk, and the streets of New York are peaceful and quiet—as peaceful and quiet as they ever are, anyway.

Until the night that two old acquaintances break into Magnus’s apartment and steal the powerful Book of the White. Now Magnus and Alec will have to drop everything to get it back. They need to follow the thieves to Shanghai, they need to call some backup to accompany them, and they need a babysitter.

Also, someone has stabbed Magnus with a strange magical weapon and the wound is glowing, so they have that to worry about too.

Fortunately, their backup consists of Clary, Jace, Isabelle, and newly minted Shadowhunter Simon. In Shanghai, they learn that a much darker threat awaits them. Magnus’s magic is growing unstable, and if they can’t stop the demons flooding into the city, they might have to follow them all the way back to the source—to the very realm of the dead. Can they stop the threat to the world? Will they make it back home before their kid completely wears out Alec’s mom?

My rating: ★★★★★

I know I’ve said this before, but it makes me really happy that Magnus and Alec have their own series. I just had the best time reading this! This book takes place after The Mortal Instruments and Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy (Simon has only been a Shadowhunter for about 4 months at this point) but before the events of The Dark. Artifices, just FYI. The prologue takes place during City of Glass, just before Clary goes to look for Ragnor and finds out that he’s dead. This scene was a lot of fun but really set the scene for the entire book and for Ragnor’s reasoning behind him faking his death.

Review: Chain of Gold (The Last Hours #1) by Cassandra Clare

Title: Chain of Gold

Series: The Last Hours #1

Prequel short stories: The Penultimate Hours

Other series in the Shadowhunter Chronicles: The Infernal Devices | The Mortal Instruments | The Dark Artifices

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genre: YA, urban fantasy, historical

Publication date: March 2020

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Purchased hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

Synopsis: An inheritance of shadows. A love in chains. An unconquerable foe.

Cordelia Carstairs is a Shadowhunter, a warrior trained since childhood to battle demons. When her father is accused of a terrible crime, she and her brother travel to London in hopes of preventing the family’s ruin. Cordelia’s mother wants to marry her off, but Cordelia is determined to be a hero rather than a bride. Soon Cordelia encounters childhood friends James and Lucie Herondale and is drawn into their world of glittering ballrooms, secret assignations, and supernatural salons, where vampires and warlocks mingle with mermaids and magicians. All the while, she must hide her secret love for James, who is sworn to marry someone else.

But Cordelia’s new life is blown apart when a shocking series of demon attacks devastate London. These monsters are nothing like those Shadowhunters have fought before—these demons walk in daylight, strike down the unwary with incurable poison, and seem impossible to kill. London is immediately quarantined. Trapped in the city, Cordelia's friends discover that a dark legacy has gifted them with incredible powers—and forced a brutal choice that will reveal the true cruel price of being a hero.

My rating: ★★★★★

I loved this book! But then again, going into it I knew I was going to love it, as I do all Shadowhunter books. But at this point we all know what a huge fan of the Shadowhunter Chronicles I am.

Review: Queen of Air and Darkness (The Dark Artifices #3) by Cassandra Clare

Title: Queen of Air and Darkness

Series: The Dark Artifices #3

Previous books in this series: Lady Midnight (#1) | Lord of Shadows (#2)

Other series in the Shadowhunter Chronicles: The Infernal Devices | The Mortal Instruments

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: December 2018

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry

Source: Purchased hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository | B&N | Thrift Books

Synopsis: What if damnation is the price of true love?

Innocent blood has been spilled on the steps of the Council Hall, the sacred stronghold of the Shadowhunters. In the wake of the tragic death of Livia Blackthorn, the Clave teeters on the brink of civil war. One fragment of the Blackthorn family flees to Los Angeles, seeking to discover the source of the disease that is destroying the race of warlocks.

Meanwhile, Julian and Emma take desperate measures to put their forbidden love aside and undertake a perilous mission to Faerie to retrieve the Black Volume of the Dead. What they find in the Courts is a secret that may tear the Shadow World asunder and open a dark path into a future they could never have imagined.

Caught in a race against time, Emma and Julian must save the world of Shadowhunters before the deadly power of the parabatai curse destroys them and everyone they love.

My rating: ★★★★★

This book was a rollercoaster ride. If I had to pick one gif to describe my experience reading this book, it would definitely be this one:

Review: Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2) by Cassandra Clare

Title: Lord of Shadows

Series: The Dark Artifices #2

Previous books in this series: Lady Midnight (#1)

Other series in the Shadowhunter Chronicles: The Infernal Devices | The Mortal Instruments

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: May 2017

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry

Source: Purchased hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository | B&N | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Would you trade your soul mate for your soul?

A Shadowhunter’s life is bound by duty. Constrained by honor. The word of a Shadowhunter is a solemn pledge, and no vow is more sacred than the vow that binds parabatai, warrior partners—sworn to fight together, die together, but never to fall in love.

Emma Carstairs has learned that the love she shares with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, isn’t just forbidden—it could destroy them both. She knows she should run from Julian. But how can she when the Blackthorns are threatened by enemies on all sides?

Their only hope is the Black Volume of the Dead, a spell book of terrible power. Everyone wants it. Only the Blackthorns can find it. Spurred on by a dark bargain with the Seelie Queen, Emma; her best friend, Cristina; and Mark and Julian Blackthorn journey into the Courts of Faerie, where glittering revels hide bloody danger and no promise can be trusted. Meanwhile, rising tension between Shadowhunters and Downworlders has produced the Cohort, an extremist group of Shadowhunters dedicated to registering Downworlders and “unsuitable” Nephilim. They’ll do anything in their power to expose Julian’s secrets and take the Los Angeles Institute for their own.

When Downworlders turn against the Clave, a new threat rises in the form of the Lord of Shadows—the Unseelie King, who sends his greatest warriors to slaughter those with Blackthorn blood and seize the Black Volume. As dangers close in, Julian devises a risky scheme that depends on the cooperation of an unpredictable enemy. But success may come with a price he and Emma cannot even imagine, one that will bring with it a reckoning of blood that could have repercussions for everyone and everything they hold dear.

My rating: ★★★★★

Let me just say that the fact that this book started off with a Jace cameo made me extremely happy 🥰

Review: Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1) by Cassandra Clare

Title: Lady Midnight

Series: The Dark Artifices #1)

Other series in the Shadowhunter Chronicles: The Infernal Devices | The Mortal Instruments

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: March 2016

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry

Source: Purchased hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository | B&N | Thrift Books

Synopsis: The Shadowhunters of Los Angeles star in the first novel in Cassandra Clare’s newest series, The Dark Artifices, a sequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series.

It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses.

Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions…

Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark—who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it?

My rating: ★★★★★

Lady Midnight takes place 5 years after the end of The Mortal Instruments, and about 3 years after the end of Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy. In this series we follow the new characters we met in those last two books of TMI, the Blackthorn kids and Emma Carstairs, who is a distant relative of Jem! There are some sketchy murders going on in LA. that Emma thinks might be connected to the murder of her parents, who were killed all those years ago during Sebastian's attack on the institutes.

Review: Bitter of Tongue (Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #7) by Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan

Title: Bitter of Tongue

Series: Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #7

Previous novellas in this series: Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy (#1) | The Lost Herondale (#2) | The Whitechapel Fiend (#3) | Nothing but Shadows (#4) | The Evil We Love (#5) | Pale Kings and Princes (#6)

Previous series: The Mortal Instruments

Author: Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: August 2015

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Own hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Audible (novella only) | Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis: After Simon is kidnapped by faeries (why is he always kidnapped?), he uncovers rumors of a secret weapon Sebastian left behind for the faerie queen. He must escape the Fey, relying on his only ally, former Shadowhunter and Dark Artifices character Mark Blackthorn.

My rating: ★★★★☆

In this story, some students from Shadowhunter Academy go on a mission, a mission where Simon runs into freaking Mark Blackthorn! It was so sad! 😭 I hate that the Shadowhunters didn’t do anything to save him in City of Heavenly Fire. After the mission they then go to Helen’s wedding. Which, again, was sad because Mark wasn’t there and Helen is still in exile. And then seeing poor Juilan taking care of all of his siblings... it really pulled at the heartstrings 😭

Review: Pale Kings and Princes (Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #6) by Cassandra Clare & Robin Wasserman

Title: Pale Kings and Princes

Series: Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #6

Previous novellas in this series: Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy (#1) | The Lost Herondale (#2) | The Whitechapel Fiend (#3) | Nothing but Shadows (#4) | The Evil We Love (#5)

Previous series: The Mortal Instruments

Author: Cassandra Clare & Robin Wasserman

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Own hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Audible (novella only) | Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Simon has an encounter with Downworlders and is reprimanded for not following the rules for Academy students interacting with Downworlders. A story within a story: Andrew Blackthorn, while a student at the Academy, becomes enthralled by a faerie and has two children with her: Mark and Helen.

My rating: ★★★★☆

Our guest in this story is Helen Blackthorn! It was a nice surprise, but it was also awful because she’s still in exile 😫 I absolutely hate how they’re treating Helen! I’m glad she at least has Aline though, and they’re getting freaking married! 😆

Review: The Evil We Love (Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #5) by Cassandra Clare & Robin Wasserman

Title: The Evil We Love

Series: Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #5

Previous novellas in this series: Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy (#1) | The Lost Herondale (#2) | The Whitechapel Fiend (#3) | Nothing but Shadows (#4)

Previous series: The Mortal Instruments

Authors: Cassandra Clare & Robin Wasserman

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: June 2015

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Own hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Audible (novella only) | Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis: All evil starts somewhere, and Simon Lewis learns how The Circle—led by Valentine Morgenstern—began.

The Shadowhunter Academy has only just reopened following the disastrous rise of the Circle. Now the faculty can finally admit to what happened when Valentine was a student.

My rating: ★★★★★

In this story we have another guest lecturer, Robert Lightwood aka Isabelle and Alec’s dad aka the Inquisitor! His story takes place in the 1980s and is about the Circle 😬 Valentine was so terrible, but we already knew that. We also got a little insight into Robert’s relationship with his parabatai Michael Wayland, Jace’s supposed dad before we found out who he was actually a Herondale. It was a very interesting, sad story. Robert said some terrible things and, just, ugh! I really liked Michael! I felt so bad for him 😢

Review: Nothing but Shadows (Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #4) by Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan

Title: Nothing but Shadows

Series: Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #4

Previous novellas in this series: Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy (#1) | The Lost Herondale (#2) | The Whitechapel Fiend (#3)

Previous series: The Mortal Instruments

Authors: Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: May 2015

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Own hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Audible (novella only) | Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis: It’s hard to be a Shadowhunter when you’ve got demonic powers.

Simon learns about the school-time struggles of half-warlock James Herondale in this prelude to The Last Hours.

My rating: ★★★★★

Another Herondale story from Catarina!

“A Herondale? Another Herondale?” Simon asked. “Herondales without cease. Do you ever get the feeling you are being chased around by Herondales?”
“Not really,” Catarina said. “Not that I’d mind. Magnus says they tend to be a good-looking lot. Of course, Magnus also says they tend to be strange in the head. James Herondale was a bit of a special case.”

Review: The Whitechapel Fiend (Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #3) by Cassandra Clare & Maureen Johnson

Title: The Whitechapel Fiend

Series: Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #3

Previous novellas in this series: Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy (#1) | The Lost Herondale (#2)

Previous series: The Mortal Instruments

Author: Cassandra Clare & Maureen Johnson

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: April 2015

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Own hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Audible (novella only) | Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Simon learns the truth behind the Jack the Ripper murders—“Jack” was stopped by Will Herondale and his institute of Victorian Shadowhunters.

My rating: ★★★★☆

I was VERY excited about this short story—A Jack the Ripper-inspired Shadowhunter story? Ummm, YES PLEASE! I love this serial killer stuff! Oh boy, that sounded morbid 😅 Anyway, I had recently read Stalking Jack the Ripper before this, and that book was super disappointing. I was SURE this short story was gonna be better than that, but I don’t know...

Review: The Lost Herondale (Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #2) by Cassandra Clare & Robin Wasserman

Title: The Lost Herondale

Series: Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #2

Previous novella in this series: Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy (#1)

Previous series: The Mortal Instruments

Authors: Cassandra Clare & Robin Wasserman

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: March 2015

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Own hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Audible (novella only) | Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Simon learns the worst crime a Shadowhunter can commit: desertion of their comrades. In the early nineteenth century, Tobias Herondale abandoned his fellow Shadowhunters in the heat of battle and left them to die. His life was forfeit, but Tobias never returned, and the Clave claimed his wife’s life in exchange for Tobias’s. Simon and his fellow students are shocked to learn of this brutality, especially when it is revealed the woman was pregnant. But what if the child survived... could there be a lost Herondale line out in the world today?

My rating: ★★★★★

With the title of this story, I thought FOR SURE this was gonna be about Jace. I mean, he WAS a lost Herondale after all, having thought he was a Wayland for most of his life. BUT NO! It’s actually about someone else...

Review: Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy (Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #1) by Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan

Title: Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy

Series: Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #1

Previous series: The Mortal Instruments

Authors: Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: February 2015

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Own hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Audible (novella only) | Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis: After living as a Mundane and a Vampire, Simon never thought he would become a Shadowhunter, but today he begins his training at Shadowhunter Academy.

My rating: ★★★★★

Simon is going to Shadowhunter Academy! We start the story off with Simon saying goodbye to the gang in New York, and omg did I love the banter! Jace being a jerk and messing with Simon, telling him about things that never actually happened... The Alec thing 🤣 I love him!

Review: The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, & Maureen Johnson

Title: The Bane Chronicles

Stories in this collection: What Really Happened in Peru (#1) | The Runaway Queen (#2) | Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale (#3) | The Midnight Heir (#4) | The Rise of the Hotel Dumort (#5) | Saving Raphael Santiago (#6) | The Fall of the Hotel Dumort (#7) | What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (#8) | The Last Stand of the New York Institute (#9) | The Course of True Love [and First Dates] (#10) | The Voicemail of Magnus Bane (#11)

Authors: Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, & Maureen Johnson

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: November 2014

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Purchased paperback

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it on: Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Fans of The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices can get to know warlock Magnus Bane like never before in this collection of New York Times bestselling tales, in print for the first time with an exclusive new story and illustrated material.

This collection of eleven short stories illuminates the life of the enigmatic Magnus Bane, whose alluring personality, flamboyant style, and sharp wit populate the pages of the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices.

Originally released one-by-one as e-only short stories by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, and Sarah Rees Brennan, this compilation presents all ten together in print for the first time and includes a never-before-seen eleventh tale, as well as new illustrated material.

My rating: ★★★★★

This book is all about Magnus Bane, which, yes, please! I adore my Jace and my Will and my sweet Jem, but out of all characters in this world, my absolute favorite has got to be Magnus freaking Bane. So I was extremely happy that he got his own book! Which was awesome! It spans a couple of hundred years, starting from about the 1700s to the present day. Magnus had a lot of fun adventures, but these were my top three favorite short stories in the book:

Review: The Voicemail of Magnus Bane (The Bane Chronicles #11) by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, & Maureen Johnson

Title: The Voicemail of Magnus Bane

Series: The Bane Chronicles #11

Authors: Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, & Maureen Johnson

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: November 2014

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Purchased hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy the collection on: Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis: The voice mail of Magnus Bane, High Warlock of Brooklyn, in the days following a certain incident in City of Lost Souls.

My rating: ★★★★★

So here is your spoiler warning for things that happened in City of Lost Souls. If you have not read that book yet, avert your eyes!

Review: The Course of True Love [and First Dates] (The Bane Chronicles #10) by Cassandra Clare

Title: The Course of True Love [and First Dates]

Series: The Bane Chronicles #10

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: March 2014

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Purchased hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy the short story on: Audible

Buy the collection on: Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood might fall in love—but first they have a first date.

When Magnus Bane, warlock, meets Alec Lightwood, Shadowhunter, sparks fly. And what happens on their first date lights a flame...

My rating: ★★★★★

Out of all the stories in The Bane Chronicles, this is without a doubt my favorite! Magnus and Alec go on their first date, but then everything goes wrong, and it’s somehow still super cute! Lol. I loved it!

Review: The Last Stand of the New York Institute (The Bane Chronicles #9) by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, & Maureen Johnson

Title: The Last Stand of the New York Institute

Series: The Bane Chronicles #9

Authors: Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, & Maureen Johnson

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: December 2013

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Purchased hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy the short story on: Audible

Buy the collection on: Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Magnus meets Valentine in battle as the Circle attacks the Downworlders of New York City.

In the time of the Uprising, Valentine’s Circle goes after Downworlders in New York...and the Shadowhunters of the Institute must decide whether to join him, or fight with Magnus and his kind. This is the first time Magnus sees Jocelyn, Luke, and Stephen—but not the last. It is not long before Jocelyn seeks him out...

My rating: ★★★★★

This short story takes place in 1989, back when the Circle was in full swing. Ugh. They suck. There was SO much bigotry from them I just... They are awful! And Jace’s real dad, Stephen Herondale, was such an asshole! He believed in everything Valentine did. Oh and then Valentine and his cronies wanted to rid the world of Downworlders no matter what, just because they had some demon blood in them. It was absolutely awful! The things they did to this werewolf family were despicable!

Review: What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything [And Who You're Not Officially Dating Anyway] (The Bane Chronicles #8) by Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan

Title: What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything [And Who You're Not Officially Dating Anyway]

Series: The Bane Chronicles #8

Author: Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: November 2013

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Purchased hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy the short story on: Audible

Buy the collection on: Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Magnus Bane may or may not be dating Alec Lightwood, but he definitely needs to find him the perfect birthday present.

Set in the time between City of Ashes and City of Glass, warlock Magnus Bane is determined to find the best birthday present possible for Alec Lightwood, the Shadowhunter he may or may not be dating. And he’s also got to deal with the demon he’s conjured up for a very irritating client...

My rating: ★★★★★

This short story takes place sometime during The Mortal Instruments and Magnus is looking for a birthday gift to give Alec, but he just doesn’t know what. He asks his friend Ragnor for advice, but...

Review: The Fall of the Hotel Dumort (The Bane Chronicles #7) by Cassandra Clare & Maureen Johnson

Title: The Fall of the Hotel Dumort

Series: The Bane Chronicles #7

Authors: Cassandra Clare & Maureen Johnson

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: October 2013

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Purchased hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy the short story on: Audible

Buy the collection on: Amazon | Book Depository | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Magnus Bane watches the once-glamorous Hotel Dumort become something else altogether in 1970s New York City.

Fifty years after the Jazz Age rise of the Hotel Dumort, immortal warlock Magnus Bane knows the Manhattan landmark is on the decline. The once-beautiful Hotel Dumort has fallen into a decayed thing, a ruin, as dead as a place can be. But the vampires don't mind...

My rating: ★★★★☆

This short story takes place in the 70s and things are crazy! Vampires being reckless and just awful. There’s a vampire killer out there and the werewolves are worried that they might be found out by mundanes and that they (the werewolves) would get in trouble too by extension. So in order to avoid this, the werewolves were covering for those assholes! It was a mess! And Camille was awful in this. While I can see (from the Edmund Herondale short story) why Magnus would like her, in this one? No. She sucks. Lol.