Review: The Fiery Trial (Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #8) by Cassandra Clare & Maureen Johnson

Title: The Fiery Trial

Series: Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #8

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) | Bitter of Tongue (#7)

Previous series: The Mortal Instruments

Authors: Cassandra Clare & Maureen Johnson

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: September 2015

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Own hardcover

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Synopsis: Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorn become parabatai. Simon and Clary both act as their witnesses, so they can see what a parabatai bond forming looks like as they want to become parabatai as soon as Simon graduates — and because Emma asked Clary. The ritual goes unexpectedly...

My rating: ★★★★☆

The Fiery Trial... that is what the ceremony is called when two Shadowhunters become parabatai. And Emma and Julian are about to go through it with Clary and Simon as witnesses! How cool is that? But first, Clary and Simon have to go on a... trip. That’s the best way to describe it. Lol. It was very trippy, but there was a purpose to it all. Lol.

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

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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 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

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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

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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 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

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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: 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

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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.

Review: The Rise of the Hotel Dumort (The Bane Chronicles #5) by Cassandra Clare & Maureen Johnson

Title: The Rise of the Hotel Dumort

Series: The Bane Chronicles #5

Authors: Cassandra Clare & Maureen Johnson

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: August 2013

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Purchased hardcover

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Synopsis: In 1920s Manhattan, Magnus Bane hobnobs with the elite at a glamorous Jazz Age hotspot.

The immortal Magnus Bane is making the most of his time in the Roaring Twenties: He's settled into New York society and is thriving among the fashionable jazz set. And there is nowhere better to see and be seen than the glamorous Hotel Dumort, a glittering new addition to the Manhattan landscape. But a different type of glamour may be at play...

My rating: ★★★★☆

This short story takes place in the Roaring 20s and it’s basically an origin story of the Hotel Dumort. Aldous Nix was the High Warlock of Manhattan and he was into some really shady stuff. He lived in the hotel and basically what he wants to do was open a portal to return to where he “belongs” aka home aka the Void aka the demon dimension 😳 Yeahhh, have fun with that. So this guy has a bunch of mundane followers who are idiots and things go about as well as you expect. It was really cool to see Magnus in action though! I always love that!

Review: The Runaway Queen (The Bane Chronicles #2) by Cassandra Clare & Maureen Johnson

Title: The Runaway Queen

Series/Collection: The Bane Chronicles (#2)

Authors: Cassandra Clare & Maureen Johnson

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: May 2013

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Purchased hardcover

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Synopsis: While in France, immortal warlock Magnus Bane finds himself attempting to rescue the royal family from the horrors of the French Revolution—after being roped into this mess by a most attractive count. Naturally, the daring escape calls for invisible air balloons...

My rating: ★★★★☆

This short story takes place in the 1700s, and, as the title suggests, Magnus basically helps a queen run away. There was a whole thing with an air balloon that is later mentioned in The Red Scroll of Magic, and it was just hilarious! Oh, and there’s also a bit of romance in this one.

Review: Vacations From Hell

Title: Vacations From Hell

Authors: Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Claudia Gray, Maureen Johnson, Sarah Mlynowski

Genre: YA, anthology, paranormal

Publication date: May 2009

Published by: HarperTeen

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis:

Life's a beach . . . and then you're undead?

In this must-have collection, five of today's hottest writers—Libba Bray (A Great and Terrible Beauty), Cassandra Clare (City of Bones), Claudia Gray (Evernight), Maureen Johnson (13 Little Blue Envelopes), and Sarah Mlynowski (Bras & Broomsticks)—tell supernatural tales of vacations gone awry. Lost luggage is only mildly unpleasant compared to bunking with a witch who holds a grudge. And a sunburn might be embarrassing and painful, but it doesn't last as long as a curse. Of course, even in the most hellish of situations, love can thrive. . . .

From light and funny to dark and creepy, these stories have something for everyone. You definitely won't want to leave this collection at home!

My rating: ★★★★☆
I will admit that the reason behind my picking up this book is because I noticed that Cassandra Clare (one of my favorite authors…TMI, duh!) wrote a story for this. And overall, the book did not disappoint!!