| Title | : | Ghosts of the Shadow Market |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1406385379 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781406385373 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 617 |
| Publication | : | First published June 4, 2019 |
Follow Brother Zachariah and see, against the backdrop of the Shadow Market’s dark dealings and festive celebrations, Anna Lightwood’s first romance, Matthew Fairchild’s great sin and Tessa Gray plunged into a world war. Valentine Morgenstern buys a soul at the Market and a young Jace Wayland’s soul finds safe harbor. In the Market is hidden a lost heir and a beloved ghost, and no one can save you once you have traded away your heart. Not even Brother Zachariah...
Ghosts of the Shadow Market will be co-written with Maureen Johnson, Robin Wasserman, Sarah Rees Brennan and Pulitzer finalist Kelly Link and will initially be available digitally.
The first eight stories will be published as e-books from around March 2018 monthly, with the final two available in a print bind-up of all the stories, to be published in 2019.
Ghosts of the Shadow Market Reviews
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Check out my individual novella reviews here:
Son of the Dawn 4 Stars
Cast Long Shadows 4.5 Stars
Every Exquisite Things 5 Stars
Learn About Loss 3 Stars
A Deeper Love 3 Stars
The Wicked Ones 5 Stars
The Land I Lost 5 Stars
Through Blood, Through Fire 4.5 Stars
The Lost World 4.5 Stars
Forever Fallen 4 Stars
Average rating for entire novella bind up - 4 Stars
I received a copy of this book from Simon & Schuster. I had no obligation to read or review this book and all opinions are my own. -
ARC provided by Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review.
Ghost of the Shadow Market is truly my favorite anthology set in the Shadowhunter universe, so far. Each story is so different, so unique, and really transcends all time periods, all generations, and all of my expectations. I loved this, friends.
And this bind-up is all about Brother Zachariah, former Silent brother, and all the different shadow markets through the ages and through our world. And, again, you get to see glimpses of all the different generations of Shadowhunters in all of the different time periods. I read the first eight stories in 2018, but I just finished off the last two since the collection is now out in the world! And I truly recommend this anthology to any and every Shadowhunter fan.
I am going to break down each short story with my thoughts, opinions, and individual star rating! I would highly recommend that you are caught up with
Queen of Air and Darkness and everything previously published, before reading this anthology and before reading this review! Spoilers ahead! Please use caution!
➽
Son of the Dawn - ★★★★“Every world contains other worlds within it.”
It is official, The New York City Shadow Market is the coolest one we’ve seen so far? Abandoned theater? Ahhh, the aesthetics. But this story takes place in 2000, and I will be honest with you all, I sure in the hell wasn’t expecting a story about how Jace came to join the Lightwood family. Damn, my emotions are all over the place, because seeing Raphael alone makes me weep. Also, I think it was really smart for Cassie Clare to show us a “good” side of Robert Lightwood, especially after finishing
Lord of Shadows. Also, all that talk of parabatai bonds? Lord, help us all. But I think my sappy self cried hardest over two initials. Okay, I know this brief review is all over the place, but this was such an unexpected treat and I was smiling while reading this entire story. From Izzy watching Alec discover who he is, to me crying even more over Max, to Jace being Jace even at a young age, to Lily Chen actually making me laugh out loud, to me screaming at seeing Raphael confirming that he is ace, I love all of this. And even just seeing Raphael come to Brother Zachariah for help and to go on what ends up being such a meaningful adventure, that really impacts all their lives eventually, it was just amazing. I really loved this short story and I think it was such an amazing glimpse at the past, that really makes you appreciate the future so much more.
➽
Cast Long Shadows - ★★“Old sins cast long shadows.”
Okay, I’m still hyped for The Last Hours though, but I think it is mostly for James Herondale, even though Matthew Fairchild is such a little sweetheart. I loved seeing him interact with Brother Zachariah, and loving him just because so many of his loved ones love him. I love that feeling, and I think that’s something in life that I experience a lot that books rarely depict. But in this short story takes place in London 1901, and we get to see Matthew dealing with something that’s really bothering him, while willing to do anything to find out the truth. Oh, and Alastair Carstairs is such a little jerk, but I know Cassie is going to give him a homelife (and a father, I think) that is going to make us feel a lot of empathy toward him. But why the hell is Sophie (my queen, still) and Gideon’s kid friends with him? Yet, I love seeing Henry’s disability rep, I love seeing Charlotte say fuck your misogyny to the Clave, and I just love seeing all these glimpses at old friendships that we already love, but also all the new glimpses at what is to come. And seeing Jem, Will, and Tessa living their lives after
Clockwork Princess will never not equal parts break my heart and heal my soul. And yeah, I’m still crying over that staff. Lord, help me.
➽
Every Exquisite Thing - ★★★★“Foolish people say so many things. But we know who we are…”
Anna Lightwood deserves the entire galaxy and all the stars within it, please spread the word. Like, the child of Cecily and Gabriel is a true blessing to the Shadowhunter universe. And the end of this made me happier than any other Shadowhunter short story I’ve ever read. In short, this story is love letter to nonbinary people, and we get to follow Anna embracing being a genderfluid lesbian. Even though everyone knows that queer people existed all throughout history, this story highlights how it was harder to come out back in the 1900s. But seeing Anna live their best life was everything and it warmed my heart so very much. And, again, Cassie Clare is just being more and more inclusive and she impresses me so very much. And there is f/gq romance in this story, too! But the heart of this story is identity and being the person you are on the inside on the outside, too. Okay, I’m done gushing; this story we also get to see Anna and Matthew explore the London nightlife and meet a woman named Leopolda in a club and bring to ask a few questions. And soon, them and Brother Zachariah are trying to figure out what she's up to. And I think that we are soon going to get a lot more background story on Tessa, and I cannot wait for The Last Hours, friends. It is going to be so amazing, and now Anna is going to make me even more excited!
➽
Learn about Loss - ★★★★“I want you to give them both a span of time. Both of them in a time and place where they can be young and happy and together.”
Current mood: Forever weeping over the masterpiece that is the end of this short story. You all, Will and Jem will always be best friend goals, and honestly are the definition of platonic unconditional pure love. (I mean, I won’t go into my polyamorous wants because Cassie Clare didn’t bless us!) But friends, this story just has a lot in it that I really appreciated. And I loved this dark carnival Shadow Market. This story is set in 1936 Tennessee, during the end of the Great Depression, and not only do we follow Brother Zachariah, but also the soon-to-be Iron Sister, Emilia, who easily stole my heart. And Sister Emilia’s promise? Goosebumps. Perfection. Also, I think these stories are really going to make an impact for QoAaD.
➽
A Deeper Love - ★★★“…those two twin souls, the only souls she had ever loved.”
Friends, I was not expecting a WWII story set in London that starred Tessa Gray and Catarina Loss working as nurses. But oh my gosh, it was so beautifully and hauntingly unexpected. And there is still a Shadow Market that they bargain at, but even the paranormal war is impacted (both positively and negatively) by war. And Brother Zachariah just happens to be at the Shadow Market, where bombs are dropping from the sky, while he gets into his own altercation with a fae who thinks he is meddling in affairs that do not involve him. And I believe the point of this story was that we get to see that weapon poison that Julian and Emma deal with in Lady Midnight. I also cried for probably a third of this just because Brother Zachariah and Tessa both dealing with loss, while healing and living with love, just guts me every time. It’s so pure, and so hopefully, and just gives me all the feelings under the sun. The power of love is something so strong, and this story just left me in awe, honestly.
➽
The Wicked Ones - ★★★“They’d both given a piece of their hearts to a Herondale. And they both loved someone they could not have.”
Oh, boy. So, this story is set in 1989 Paris, where we meet a young girl named Céline and get to see the uprising of Valentine. Céline has constantly run away from her abusive home, and the parents that torture her and call it love. And when she was eight years old, she ran away and felt safe and at home for the very first time – at the Paris Shadow Market. But in this story we see her almost ten years later, and she is desperately trying to feel welcome with Valentine and his elite crew. And she is also realizing she is completely and utterly in love with Stephen Herondale. But while this is going on, Brother Zachariah is in search of a lost necklace and a lost child. This story really dives deep into how manipulative people can gaslight to get what they want, and will always try to isolate people and convince them that what they are doing is in their best interest. It is always really interesting to see the rise and fall of Valentine Morgenstern, but this story just made me feel really sad for Amatis and for another child who has yet to be born.
➽
The Land I Lost - ★★★★★“Your voice is the music I love best in all the world.”
First and foremost, it is very obvious that Lily Chen is not straight, but
Cassie Clare confirmed on Tumblr that she is pan! The blessings. The actual blessings. Also, hello, my new favorite character. Lily is half Japanese and half Chinese, and was made a vampire under the saddest of circumstances. And her love for Raphael Santiago warms my black heart like nothing else in the entire Shadowhunter world. And even though I could go on forever about my love for her, this story is more about her and Alec going to the Buenos Aires Institute together because Jem and Tessa are in need of help, and someone requested Alec personally. This story is actually pretty dark, so content and trigger warnings for abandonment, captivity, sex trafficking, sex slavery, and war themes. Nothing is graphic, but it is very much talked about, so please use caution. But Alec soon finds out that the Buenos Aires Institute is being heavily influenced by Horace Dearborn, and they are allowing children whose parents were killed in the Dark War to be orphans living on the street, just because they are Downworlders. Alec then comes across a Shadowhunter child who they are also unwilling to help, and the other Downworlders are too scared to bring in, therefore he must take action. You all, this novella was heartbreaking and heartwarming. Seeing Magnus and Alec be such good fathers to Max, and then adopting their second child, Rafe, it is something I don’t even have words for. And they are allowing their children to be whatever they want to be, Warlock or Shadowhunter, and will never stop giving them unconditional love. Even just seeing glimpses of Jace and Izzy being an uncle and an aunt had me smiling so big! It is a joy to read, pure joy. But we learn so much during this longer addition to the anthology, too. All the information we got of/from Mother Hawthorn? Damn.
➽
Through Blood, Through Fire - ★★★★“But we bear so much that seems unthinkable. The only truly unbearable burden is living without love.”
Okay, I won’t lie, even though I have loved watching Brother Zachariah go on this quest of finding the lost Herondale, I feel like it is my least favorite aspect of this anthology. And even though this short story gave us major insight on Rosemary and Jack, it wasn’t a big surprise after reading
The Wicked Ones. But then, once the story catches up to the events at the end of
Lady Midnight, and Tessa drops the REAL information of this story. You all, my jaw dropped. And my eyes? The tears won’t stop coming after that last paragraph. Wow, the blessings. The happiness. The everything.
Queen of Air and Darkness can’t come soon enough.
➽ Ghosts of Old Loves - ★★★★“A boy, a Carpathian lynx, and a ghost.”
This story starts out with Ty in Scholomance, but we get to see it through the eyes of Livvy. Yeah, my heart is officially breaking, too. We also get to meet Irene, a new animal companion that I already love. And we get to see a little glimpse into Idris and how Zara and Manuel are holding down their bigoted fort. Livvy is learning to do so much with her ghost form, and I know she is only just beginning to discover her powers, while also being bound to Ty. I am also incredibly excited for Ty to write some letters.
➽ Forever Fallen - ★★★★★“Memories were like love: wound and cure, both at once.”
Daddy Jem is best Jem. Oh my word, I am not even exaggerating when I say that I cried through this entire short story. Perfection, pure perfection, to the very powerful last line. This story is set in 2013, and we get to see two very different families in juxtaposition with one another. One being Jem, Tessa, Kit, and baby Mina! The other being Ash, Thule Jace (AKA: Janus), and wishfully hoping that Clary will soon join them. The story switches points of view, back and forth, but both storylines are completely captivating and immersive. We see Kit realize that Jem and Tessa love him more than anything, while finally feeling found and safe. We see Janus is willing to do anything to have Clary’s love, and he will probably wreak havoc in the three years leading up to The Wicked Powers to attempt to claim it. Also seeing Lily react to Thule Raphael’s actions, and seeing Thule Raphael’s reaction to what happened to Thule Lily, it just broke me in the best way possible. This story was the perfect concluding story for this anthology, and I don’t know how I’m going to be able to wait for what is to come next.
I gave Ghosts of the Shadow Market 4 stars overall, because out of a possible 50 stars (5 stars possible for each of the 10 stories) this collection accumulated 38 stars (76%)!
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BLOODY FREAKING HELL!! JEM JEM JEM. I love him so much!!! Damn it!! This was so good!!
AND, it mentioned JEM being in Chattanooga, where I live, and standing in one of the places I have stood many times!!
Sigh.......
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
My little Amazon sentence review:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/1... -
I'm a simple woman, I see 'Jem Carstairs', I read the book.
-
Update:
OMG!!! Since when do we have that gorgeous cover?!!
How is it possible I missed this?!
Soo awesome! <333
More of Jem!!!!????
Sign me up!!!! -
No me esperaba esto.
Bueno, pues después de casi un año, por fin he leído esta maravilla. Ghosts of the Shadow Market es el tercer libro de relatos del universo de Cazadores de Sombras, y probablemente, sea el mejor y más completo hasta el momento.
Sobre los dos primeros relatos ya tenéis reseña: de Son of the Dawn
aquí y de Cast Long Shadows
aquí. Y ahora toca a hablar del resto de historias.
Antes de nada, me gustaría aclarar que el personaje 'central' es Jem, durante gran parte de los relatos como Hermano Zachariah. Tiene una misión y el punto de encuentro de todos los relatos serían él y el Mercado de las Sombras, de ahí el nombre y portada del libro. Iré hablando sobre esta trama, pues une todos los relatos y obviamente tiene un desarrollo.
Every Exquisite Thing. Conocemos el personaje de Anna Lightwood, las cosas que pasan por su cabeza, su sexualidad, etc. Vemos la dinámica con su familia previo a los tiempos de The Last Hours. Me resultó más que interesante conocer al personaje, así como sus aventuras nocturnas en el Instituto. No sé, no es que tenga una trama demoledora, pero sí es un buen punto de partida para conocer mejor a ciertos personajes y empatizar con ellos, especialmente con Anna.
Learn About Loss. Uf. Aquí la cosa ya empieza a ponerse verdaderamente interesante. Aparte de la trama del Hermano Zachariah con respecto al Mercado de las Sombras, aquí conocemos un nuevo e interesante modelo del Mercado. Otra ciudad, otros personajes y, sobre todo, otros misterios. Conocemos también al personaje de Hermana Emilia -que entiendo que aparecerá en más ocasiones-, siendo uno de los relatos más completos en cuanto a descripciones a la par que sorprendentes. Tiene acción, misterio y sentimentalismo de este de llorar. Además, da ciertos detalles MUY importantes más adelante, y sobre todo, en el desarrollo de los acontecimientos de la saga Renacimiento (The Dark Artifices).
A Deeper Love. Este le bajaría un poco la media. Me resultó muy interesante ver cómo ha continuado la vida de Tessa Gray después de perder al amor de su vida. No me esperaba su profesión, o el momento histórico en el que se desarrolla la historia, y en ese sentido era algo inexplorado en el universo de los Cazadores de Sombras, por lo que lo agradezco mucho.
The Wicked Ones. Historia sobre los padres de Jace, sobre el inicio de El Círculo, en un París de los años 80. Conocer cómo era Céline, Robert o Stephen en sus tiempos mozos me ha ayudado muchísimo a comprender mejor la situación que llevó a Valentine al poder, del alzamiento de El Círculo. A la par que sus historias, tenemos la de Jem y el Mercado de las Sombras, la cual en este caso es crucial para descubrir dónde está el Herondale perdido. Este ha sido, sin duda, uno de los mejores relatos de todos los existentes del universo.
The Land I Lost. EL MEJOR RELATO DE LA HISTORIA. No puedo más con esto. ¿Queréis saber cómo Alec y Magnus conocieron a Rafe? Bueno, pues me llevé una enorme sorpresa al ver que una de las subtramas iba a ser esa. Moñeco me quedé. Pero bueno, es que a mí me pones Malec en cualquier lado y ya soy fan, no soy muy objetivo. En este caso, ya en nuestro siglo, en torno al 2012, Jem, Tessa, Alec y Lily Chen se reúnen en Buenos Aires para una misión. Realmente, Tessa y Jem necesitan la ayuda de Alec para conseguir información acerca del Herondale perdido, pero al llegar se encuentran con algún que otro problema: y es que la Paz Fría ha traído consigo muchos problemas con los Subterráneos, pese a los Acuerdos. Este relato, de más de cien páginas, para mí tiene la relevancia suficiente como para ser incluido en alguno de los libros. Conocemos más la organización del Mercado de las Sombras, nuevos problemas a los que se enfrentan los Subterráneos, información sobre los Herondale, Rafe... (Y muchas otras cosas pero serían spoiler. Hi, Robert.)
[image error] -
I’m sobbing a normal amount
-
Whoever on one of these pages compared this very very long series to a CW tv show is exactly correct. Which CW tv show, and the quality of said CW tv show, varies widely based on the book. The Mortal Instruments is the late-seasons the 100 of books. The Infernal Devices, however, is unironically well-done, and I really enjoyed it, and it made me cry a little bit which we don’t have to address. I was curious as to whether this spinoff would be good. The answer is… sometimes.
This spinoff vaguely follows Jem's quest to track down the lost Herondale from the beginning of her life to the ending, from introducing the second Infernal DevicesDark Artifices characters. If you don't know anything about Cassandra Clare, essentially there's
the Mortal Instruments, the original series which I personally think is bad and not worth reading,
the Infernal Devices, a prequel series with entirely different characters which gave me permanent brainworms and which I am obsessed with, and
the Dark Artifices, a sequel series with cameos from TMI characters which I think is somewhat variant in quality.
This collection is one of many spinoffs and follows characters from all three series, and my opinions on the stories in the collection tended to correlate with my feelings on the characters. But this particular spinoff is also primarily from the points of view of Jem and Tessa, two of the three Infernal Devices characters. It’s just like. Jem yearns to be with Tessa. Jem yearns to be with Will. Will and Tessa, happily married, yearn to be with Jem. And the later chapters are just like. Jem and Tessa, happily married, are happy and also yearn to have Will with them. Overall, I feel crazy, but I am definitely having fun.
▶ #1 Cast Long Shadows ⋆ ★★★★½
Stars Matthew Fairchild, with major presence of his parabatai, James, and cameos from Christopher, Thomas, Lucie, and Alastair. Christopher and James have just gotten expelled for blowing up a wing. This one is… sad, but it definitely got me invested in Matthew and James.
SPOILER:
Also Jem is in this and the thing is that for personal reasons I love him. It contains several moments that made me go crazy, including:
✔“All the silent brothers hushed when Brother Zachariah was with Tessa”
✔“Brother Enoch had made it clear he was tired of two names echoing in their minds”
✔He also calls Will “the finest man ever made” in this.
▶ #2 Every Exquisite Thing ⋆ ★★★★½
Stars Anna Lightwood, a gendernoncomforing lesbian in the 1800s, and her love interest, Ariadne Bridgestock. For personal reasons, which are that I am gay, I’m obsessed with Anna. I enjoyed the writing of Gabriel and Cecily as deeply supportive.
▶ #3 Learn About Loss ⋆ ★★★★☆
Introduces Sister Emilia, as she and Jem go to investigate a demon attack by Beleal and have to make a difficult choice. Jem looks for Annabelle Blackthorn, who became an iron sister, and Malcolm Fade. Something about this plotline is just really really hitting me, and the ending moment between Will and Jem made me really sad :/
▶ #4 A Deeper Love ⋆ ★★★★½
Tessa hanging out with Catarina Loss in the 1940s. Some insane yearning longing between Tessa and Jem and it made me feel so crazy god bless.
▶ #5 The Wicked Ones ⋆ ★★★★★
Backstory on Celine, who I think is Jace’s mom, and an introduction to Rosemarie and Jack Crow. It is SO sad and you know what? This was good. This was really really good. I cannot remember what happens to Celine so I guess I have to Google it, but this functions primarily as a character piece, and I think in its role as this it is stupendous.
▶ #6 Son of the Dawn ⋆ ★★★★☆
Jem goes to a shadow market in 2000 and meets Raphael Santiago and Lily Chen, a duo who are among the long list of mortal instruments characters that are more interesting than the protagonists. Raphael is so entertaining, adore whatever he has going on, would gladly read a Magnus Raphael Lily New-Girl-type spinoff where they just have to be each other’s awful roomies. This is also the one where Jem is like “wow I should visit Emma more often. her and Julian are so close, they remind me of me and Will :)” and then we just. don’t unpack that at all.
▶ #7 The Land I Lost ⋆ ★★★★☆
Alec goes to the Buenos Aires institute with Lily Chen to help Tessa and Jem with their lost-Herondale search, and ends up accidentally adopting a kid. The NYC clan has at this point lost Raphael, who… when did Raphael die, and so Elliot has to take over. Great, really charming, works as a stand-alone story better than anything else in the book. The complaint would be that it dragged on a bit, and I feel somehow like the selection of a Buenos Aires location for a specifically corrupt institute that a white person is going to save is… in poor taste.
▶ #8 Through Blood, Through Fire ⋆ ★★☆☆☆
Tessa and Jem find Rosemarie again and shit goes WRONG! This is a backstory episode for the lost Herondales with some interesting elements. The issue is just that it drags a lot. Two stars for Tessa and Jem, whose presence is of course a blessing.
▶ #9 The Lost World ⋆ ★★★☆☆
The Ty and Livvy moment. I like these characters and liked seeing more of Livvy as a ghost, but as a story this did not stick out to me. I think Queen of Air and Darkness was just such an exhaustingly long book that reading more about any of these characters just feels weird. Why couldn’t some of these arcs have been wrapped up in a more coherent way in 800 pages? It’s not that I’m not excited for more Kit and Ty, but having this ghost storyline as such a seeming loose end feels wrong. I’ll get over it.
▶ #10 Forever Fallen ⋆ ★★☆☆☆
I just don’t like, care about the Thule Jace storyline, and I kind of think it’s dumb. I didn’t like og Jace and I don’t care for new Jace. I think that Cassandra Clare needs to stop playing out Jace and Clary angst, I’ve seriously had enough of it, and the only remotely interesting thing about Jace But Evil is his relationship with Ash. Too bad I don’t really care about Ash either. Every single line of this just made me think “calm down edgelord”. I’m so tired.
The two stars are primarily for Kit, who I just really really enjoy as a character, and Jem’s ending being really really good. I also really like that Lily Chen ends up having an actual role in the future plot, especially one having to do with Rafael. It’s a well-built motivation that pays off the setup of earlier stories, and I have successfully become invested in their lifetime best friendship. This was also the story where they compared Jem’s feelings for Will to Kit’s feelings for Ty, the second time they’ve been compared to a romantic couple in this single book, and then Jem is like wow. I know My Will would be proud of me :). On an unrelated note, I’ve had enough of this plane of existence.
IN CONCLUSION: The stories in this may have been a bit variant in quality towards the second half, but I adored the first half of this collection and would recommend giving it a read if you, like me, have chronic brainworms and want to see Jem on a page again.
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Marking this as one book even though I read the stories individually as ebooks. But OMG. THIS WAS SO MUCH BETTER THAN I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE.
I’m SO glad I took someone’s advice and read this before QOAAD because i definitely would’ve been spoiled for something BIG if I went back and read this later. And also now I know the backstory.
But like JEM. AND TESSA. AND JEM. AND TESSA. My heart is HAPPY -
1.)
City of Bones ★★★★
2.)
City of Ashes ★★★★
3.)
City of Glass ★★★★
4.) City of Fallen Angels ★★★
5.) City of Lost Souls ★★★.5
6.) City of Heavenly Fire ★★★★
1.)
Clockwork Angel ★★★★★
2.) Clockwork Prince ★★★★★
3.) Clockwork Princess ★★★★★
1.) Lady Midnight [TBA]
2.) Lord of Shadows [TBA]
3.) Queen of Air and Darkness [TBA]
1.)
The Red Scrolls of Magic ★★★★.5
1.) Chain of Gold ★★★★★
*.) The Bane Chronicles ★★★★
*.) Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy [TBA]
*.) Ghosts of the Shadow Market ★★★★
-----------------------------------------------
Cast Long Shadows
★ ★ ★ ★ . 5
“...the world was cruel enough to women who were even suspected of being the least bit different.”
2019 - PUNCH ME IN THE HEART, WHY DON'T YOU?
Oh man, I'm so obsessed with these characters already! I NEED CHAIN OF GOLD RIGHT NOW!
2020 – oh boy, this one still hurts. I already love these babies so much.
Every Exquisite Thing
★ ★ ★ ★
“Women should value other women, even if society often did not.”
2019 – Wow, we stan supportive parents 🙌🏻
2020 – The ending of this story is everything. My heart.
Learn About Loss
★ ★ ★ . 5
“The face of the one you love is the best mirror of all. It shows your own happiness and your own pain and it helps you to bear both, because to bear either alone is to be overwhelmed by the flood.”
2019 – Was all set on giving this 3 stars, but then THAT ENDING omg <3 <3 <3
2020 – my heart… it hurts.
A Deeper Love
★ ★ ★ . 5
“There will be no separation between us. Where you are, I am. Where we are, Will is. Whatever else I may be, I remain always.”
2019 – brb, crying
2020 – brb, still crying.
The Wicked Ones
★ ★ ★
“But who would she be without pain? What was strength, if not the endurance of suffering?”
2019 – Yikes
2020 – Definitely not my fave in this collection.
Son of the Dawn
★ ★ ★ ★
“Before I am my parents’ daughter or my brothers’ sister, I am my own.”
2019 – oh maaaaan this makes me want to read The Mortal Instruments books all over again!
2020 – Can we just appreciate Lily’s nicknames for Brother Zachariah???
~ Brother Mackariah; Brother Lipsmackariah; Brother Hop-in-the-sack-ariah; Once you go Zachariah, you never go backariah; Brother Zacharide-him-like-a-bad-pony; Brother Sixpackariah; and my personal favourite; Brother Let-him-see-my-rack-ariah.
The Land I Lost
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“Anyone who says women are weak is afraid they’re too strong.”
2019 – MY HEART
2020 – my heart is bursting, my cheeks hurt from smiling, I cannot contain my joy, best story of the entire collection so far, hands down.
Through Blood, Through Fire
★ ★ ★ . 5
“You can never replace what you've lost, can you? You can only find new love to fill the void left behind.”
2019 – OMG THAT ENDING!!!!
2020 – be still, my Jem loving heart.
The Lost World
★ ★ ★ . 5
“Because if you do not do great things, then I fear you may do terrible things.”
2019 – I would die for Irene & Mina and that's the tea
2020 – Any story involving a cat automatically gets brownie points, let’s be real.
Forever Fallen
★ ★ ★
“Wherever you are is where I want to be.”
2019 – This whole Janus thing feels kinda fanfictiony??? but KIT!!!! ow, my heart!!!
2020 – Literally couldn’t care less about the whole Janus storyline, I’m only here for Jessa, Mina and Kit.
Overall Rating: 3.75 -
I just need some Jem Carstairs in my life right now thanks
______
My reviews for:
The Infernal Devices Series
Book 1:
Clockwork Angel
Book 2:
Clockwork Prince
Book 3:
Clockwork Princess
[Sorry no reviews for TMI, I read it too long ago and don't plan to re-read]
The Dark Artifices Series
Book 1:
Lady Midnight
Book 2:
Lord of Shadows
Book 3:
Queen of Air and Darkness
The Last Hours Series
Book 1:
Chain of Gold -
THIS IS THE BEST ANTHOLOGY OF STORIES THAT CASSANDRA CLARE HAS PUBLISHED SO FAR. OH MY GOODNESS, I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH THAT I READ IT THREE TIMES!!! I'M IN LOVE WITH JEM CARSTAIRS.
09/27/2017
MORE SHORT TALES ABOUT THE SHADOWHUNTERS AND DOWNWORLDERS???? YES, PLEASE.
SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY. -
14. August 2019
Hello my dudes,
HERE WE GO
Non-Spoilery
I heckin loved this so much oh my god
15/10 recommend for those who are caught up on the shadowhunter chronicles
ONTO SPOILERS!!!!!!!!
THIS INCLUDES SPOILERS FOR THE OTHER BOOKS IN THE SHADOWHUNTER CHRONICLES! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
13. August 2019
its 10:41 at night and i just finished this and ive cried no less than 4 times
RTC
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. June 2019
I really went to B&N at 9 am to get Ghosts of the Shadow Market and THEY DIDN'T HAVE IT IN PHYSICAL COPIES???? so i went to target and they didn't even have them on the floor yet and so the sales lady went to the back and was like 'thats the only copy we have in stock lolz'
.
.
GUYS THIS HAS BEEN AN ADVENTURE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I JUST FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS IN JEM'S POV IM SO HAPPY -
"Whatever the color, the shape, the design of the shade that conceals it, the flame inside the lamp remains the same. You are the flame."
I loved all these short stories!!!🥰 It's funny. Towards the end was when I noticed that Jem was in every one of these stories, so obviously I loved them!
My reviews for each story:
Son of the Dawn
Cast Long Shadows
Every Exquisite Thing
Learn About Loss
A Deeper Love
The Wicked Ones
The Land I Lost
Through Blood, Through Fire
The Lost World
Forever Fallen -
4.0 (i love some of the stories but the plot of some were just kinda boring)
The first and the last short story really takes home the crown from me. This cast will be the end of me"The story that I love you, It has no end."
1. Cast Long Shadows: ★★★★★(5.0)
i cried over that one Jem and Will moment... and i'm not ashamed of it
2. Every Exquisite Thing: ★★★☆☆(3.5)
Anna Lightwood rights
3. Learn About Loss: ★★★★☆(3.75)
4. A Deeper Love: ★★★★☆(3.75)
5. The Wicked Ones: ★★★☆☆(3.25)
6. Son of the Dawn: ★★★★☆(4.0)
i love emotions
7. The Land I Lost: ★★★★☆(3.75)
that was cute as heck
8. Through Blood, Through Fire: ★★★☆☆(3.0)
9. The Lost World: ★★★★☆(4.0)
give me The Wicked Powers right now pls T_T
10. Forever Fallen: ★★★★★(4.5)
----------------------
me the majority of this book:
-
No puedo creer lo que es este libro. Enserio que se va al carajo. De lo mejor que leí en el año y de lo mejor que leí de Cassandra. Cassandra reina de mi alma antes de dormir te rezo a vos y a Will Herondale.
-
“No me gusta la idea de renunciar a mi independencia. Antes de ser la hija de mis padres o la hermana de mis hermanos, soy mía. Ya soy muchas cosas para mucha gente. No necesito ser nada de nadie más, no por mucho tiempo. ¿No crees?” - Isabelle Lightwood.
Como cualquier libro de Cazadores de Sombras que llegue a mis manos, tiene ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
Me encantó. Es genial ir conociendo a los protagonistas de Chain of Gold de a poco, viajar junto a Jem para encontrar al Herondale Perdido y la vida después de encontrarlo.
Las historias que más me gustaron fueron la de Matthew Fairchild, Céline Montclaire (ESA NECESITABA MÁS PÁGINAS, NECESITO SABER CÓMO LOGRO VALENTINE QUE STEPHEN ESTÉ CON CÉLINE), Jace llegando por primera vez a la familia Lightwood❤️... pero por lejos mis favoritas son las dos ultimas historias: Ty, Livvy y JANUS.
Dios la última historia me dejó con la necesidad de leer maaaaas. Literalmente no puedo esperar a que salga The Wicked Powers, en serio necesito ese libro en mis manos.
Janus es tan sanguinario pero cuando se trata de Clary el solo puede pensar en lo mucho que la necesita y ama. El odio que tiene para Jace va ser tan increíble de leer. Y qué puedo decir de Ash NECESITO SABER QUE PIENSA ESE CHICO, vimos puntos de vista de TODOS menos de él. Quiero saber qué clase de ideas tiene y comprender ese futuro ¿amor? ¿anhelo? ¿obsesión? por Dru.
Finalmente creo que no he hablado mucho de Jem pero oh Jem y Tessa son tan hermosos con la pequeña Mina💕
Necesito saber si tiene algún don como James. En verdad este libro me dejó con ganas de más.
•Negativo:
~ Hubo capítulos que no me interesaron en absoluto o que eran demasiado largos para mi gusto.
Es un libro que se puede leer cómodamente en partes. Incluso para mi (como amante de la saga) se me hizo un poco pesado. Diría que al menos los primeros 3 capítulos son más que necesarios para leer Chain of Gold. O los dos últimos bastante importantes para The Wicked Powers.
Lo demás es complemento para la historia.
~ Por varios momentos ya estuve cansadísima de leer a Jem lamentar la muerte de Will más de MIL VECES. Sisi, cuando ocurre algo que le recuerda a Will es muy tierno de leer y me remueve la experiencia de The Infernal Devices pero EN CADA CAPÍTULO REVIVEN SU MUERTE: “Will murió y lo extraño” “Will Will Will”. Oye amigo ya entendimos que lo amabas, tienes que entender que él cumplió su vida. No lo asesinaron, no murió infeliz. EL LO TUVO TODO ósea murió al lado de las personas que más amaba y de viejito.
Ademaaaas, parece que de todos los que murieron solo recuerdan a Will, porque todos sabemos que él murió, pero Cassandra no cuenta la vida de nadie más de los protagonistas de The Infernal Devices y se nota mucho como solo trata de centrarse en Will para no dar explicaciones de otros. No es necesario saber cómo murieron los demás pero (algo que no puedo evitar pensar) NADIE SUFRE LA MUERTE DE JAMES Y LUCIE. Me refiero a que todo el tiempo es “WILL WILL WILL” y ¿los hijos de Will no son más importantes que él mismo? Nadie parece extrañarlos.
Si tanto van a llorar por Will, al menos debería ser menor al sufrimiento de haber perdido a los niños.
Por el contrario sólo parecen sufrir por Will 🤨
~ Sin ofender a Malec: (amo demasiado esa pareja y me encanta que progresen en sus vidas tan hermosamente). Me es inevitable pensar que Cassandra les da un protagonismo demasiado amplio, digo, son los únicos de toda la saga que desarrollaron una vida y me alegra. Pero ¿Clary y Jace? ¿Que hacen de sus vidas? Pienso que en algún momento van a casarse, espero que para la próxima trilogía AL MENOS LO ESTÉN. Yo también quiero que ellos tengan hijos. :( ¿algo? Simon e Izzy, lo único que sabemos es que se comprometieron. Por favor Cassandra, no quiero terminar esta saga sin leer que se casaron. ¿Sería mucho pedir que Clace tenga hijos? La última trilogía va tener bastante protagonismo de ellos (literalmente van a ser demasiados puntos de vista); por lo menos que Clary termine embarazada. O Izzy.
Pero ya no quiero leer más sobre Malec, tienen una vida hermosa. Listo. Ahora dame más de otro personaje. Thank you, next.
Oh! Cierto que existen los Pergaminos Rojos de la Magia. Dios. Esa es una lectura que haré pero probablemente no pronto.
Es un gran libro que posee grandes curiosidades que si sos fan de la saga vienen excelente para amar aún más Shadowhunters ɤ -
“Memories were like love: wound and cure, both at once.”
Finally reading this book after putting it off for a while. I hadn’t wanted to put myself through the pain that this book will inevitably bring, but since Chain of Iron is coming out soon I decided to get over with. Warning: spoilers!
⇢Cast Long Shadows: 4.5 Stars
Wow, this book really wanted to pull at my heartstrings right from the start, didn’t it? Because holy crap, this story was sad and it made me feel so much worse for judging Matthew in Chain of Gold now that I actually know what made him the way he was. Still, I loved this novella. It was incredible to see Matthew when he was actually happy, and it was heartbreaking to see him slowly fade away. I really hope that he makes amends with Charlotte and Henry in Chain of Iron (and Alastair), and after reading this short story I wholeheartedly believe that Matthew deserves a happy ending. I swear if he gets his runes stripped or something I will not be okay.“Later Matthew would look back and remember it as his last happy day.”
⇢Every Exquisite Thing: 4 Stars
Anna and Ariadne’s first meeting was something I never knew I always needed. Also, can I just say, it was sort of comforting to see that even Anna (who seemed like she had everything figured out in Chain of Gold) had her struggles and took time to discover who she was? We all know that she dresses in a more “masculine” or androgynous way in Chain of Gold, and I liked seeing her start that in this story. AND CECILY AND GABRIEL BUYING ANNA A WAISTCOAT WAS SO HEARTWARMING OMG.“The trousers and jacket do not make me a man, and the necklace does not make me a woman. They are only what makes me feel beautiful and powerful in this moment. I am exactly as I choose to be.”
⇢Learn About Loss: 2.5 Stars
Definitely not going to be a favourite story of mine, but it was interesting to see how Jem originally found out about Kit’s ancestors and the other branch of Herondales. And that scene at the end with Will and Jem was so cute <3“The face of the one you love is the best mirror of all. It shows you your own happiness and your own pain and it helps you to bear both, because to bear either alone is to be overwhelmed by the flood.”
⇢A Deeper Love: 3.5 Stars
I am convinced that Cassandra Clare wrote this story to rip my heart (and the hearts of other TSC fans) out. Because why else would she write this? And if reading a story from Tessa’s perspective that took place only a few years after Will’s death wasn’t enough, she had to add Jem almost dying to the mix? UM??“If she lived until the sun died, there would never be any other for her besides Will and Jem, those two twin souls, the only souls she had ever loved.”
⇢The Wicked Ones: 3.5 Stars
Wow, that was a plotline I hadn’t thought of a while, with Valentine and the Circle. Hearing what happened to Céline, Jace’s mother, was something I never knew I always needed. It was interesting to see what happened between her and Stephen Herondale from another perspective since we only knew the story from Amatis’ point of view.“It would be unjust to blame the past for choices made in the present. Nor can we justify present choices by invoking the sins of the past.”
⇢Son of the Dawn: 4 Stars
I haven’t thought of the TMI characters in a while and this short story really made me miss them. It was so interesting to see Izzy and Alec meet Jace for the first time, and I didn’t know it was Maryse who came up with the nickname Jace! I loved seeing the set up for Jace wanting to be parabatai with Alec, too. As always, Jem played a role in this story, and it was sad but sweet to read about Jem seeing Will in Jace.“No, said Jem, because he was always James Carstairs when he spoke of what was dearest to him. Not mine. My parabatai’s. W and H. William Herondale. Will.”
⇢The Land I Lost: 5 Stars
I AM OBSESSED WITH MAX LIGHTWOOD-BANE AND RAFAEL LIGHTWOOD-BANE AND I LOVE THEM WITH ALL MY HEART. THIS STORY WAS SO HEARTWARMING IT MADE ALL THE PAIN THAT THIS WHOLE BOOK GAVE ME WORTH IT. THAT IS ALL I WILL SAY. Oh, and Lily Chen deserves the world.“No bed!” he argued. “Stay up. Be with Rafe.” He sidled up to a stunned looking Rafael and gave him a big hug. “I’m love him.”
Rafe hesitated, then hugged Max shyly back. The sight of them made Alec’s chest hurt. He cast a glance back at Magnus, who had an equally smitten expression.
⇢Through Blood, Through Fire: 4.25 Stars
It’s incredible how interwoven Cassandra Clare’s books and storylines are. I mean, in this story we learn about Rosemary, Kit’s mother. We learn about how she met and fell in love with Jack, Kit’s father, who is of course also known as Johnny Rook, the character who appears in The Dark Artifices. When I first read TDA I didn’t know about Johnny Rook’s whole past, and now that I’ve read this story, it makes everything seem so much more connected. That’s definitely one of my favourite parts of the TSC universe; the little hints and correlations and crossovers are fantastic. Anyway, I loved this story and it was so nice to see modern Jessa.“The light winked out. Jem and Tessa were already in motion. In the century and a half they’d known each other, much had changed, but this truth endured: when a Herondale called, they would answer.”
⇢The Lost World: 3.5 Stars
This story was from Livvy’s perspective, as a ghost. It was sad to see her missing out on life, but also nice to see her and Ty together. Livvy was never my favourite character so this wasn’t particularly a perspective that I had wanted to see, but it was interesting nonetheless."I would tell them this. That the future isn't fixed. If we see a path in front of us that we would not choose, then we can choose another path. Another future."
⇢Forever Fallen: 4 Stars
What a perfect story to end this collection. It definitely set up some elements of The Wicked Powers, from Ash and Janus’ plans to Kit and Ty’s relationship. I was a bit confused at times because it’s been a while since I’ve read TDA, but overall, this was an… illuminating read. I can’t wait for TWP.“Whoever you have loved, and however you loved them,” said Jem, “anyone you loved would be lucky.”
⇢Overall
This book… While reading through this collection of novellas I have sobbed, laughed, cried, and sobbed some more. There are honestly no words to describe this universe that Cassandra Clare has created, but I can say that seeing Jem grow throughout these stories that spanned over a hundred years was incredible, and I will never get over how moving Jem, Will and Tessa’s story is. It’s a crime how little time they all got together.. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ❦ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .
My Ghosts of the Shadow Market Playlist:
my jem carstairs playlist
my will herondale playlist
my alec lightwood playlist
my magnus bane playlist
my matthew fairchild playlist
MY BLOG ❦
MY SPOTIFY ❦ -
''We will kill all the demins.'': Shadowhunter Chronicles, a summary.
⚫ Cast Of Long Shadows: uugghhh rude.
⚫ Every Exquisite Thing: Anna marry me. I will protect you (ง'̀-'́)ง. Also women in suits 💕💕
⚫ Learn About Loss: -5/5 apparently it wasn’t about Catarina Loss and I’m mad about it. Cassie I thought we were bffs. Can’t believe you tricked me… haven’t read it yet tho…
⚫ A Deeper Love: I think I read this but I can’t remember.
⚫ The Wicked Ones: F.U.N.- Spongebob Squarepants*said sarcastically*
⚫ Son Of The Dawn: THE LIGHTWOODS *Jace obviously included* ARE SO SMAAALLL. PROTECT THEM!!!!!!
⚫ The Land I Lost: 10/5. Rafe is my new son.
“What is that cool man doing with you?” AN ICON. WE STAN!!!
⚫ Through Blood, Through Fire:
⚫ The Lost World: Magnus reminded me that I need to see Detective Pikachu WHICH IS STILL NOT OUT HERE IN GREECE AND I’M SUFFERING. Tiny me was like the BIGGEST Pikachu stan.
⚫ Forever Fallen: ''I heard the Consul is a big loser.''
IF ANYONE TOUCHES BAT!MAX I WILL FIGHT THEM… I hate the name J*anus*. I’m too immature for it. 3/5 just for that name. Also leave queen Lily the fuck alone. Please and thank you.
….sooo I haven’t gotten a psychical copy of it because I’m dumb and bought Boy Erased *i'll buy it when i get paid*. we are gonna pretend like I read all the stories. I mean we all know I will give it 5 stars so does it matter? Jem we all love you… I need to stop buying shit just ‘cause daddy Bane is in them. -
"Follow Brother Zachariah--" I'll follow him anywhere.
-
Forever Fallen rating:
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
It has Jem, Tessa, baby Mina, and Kit in it!!! So what kind of rating did you expect?? 🤧
Definitely my favorite story out of the ten 😭
"Oh, I see how it is," Jem's wife whispered, laughing softly. "Daddy's girl."
Jessa is my drug. I am addicted. I can never get enough of them. I need these two together like the air I'm breathing. I can't let a single day pass without looking up fanart. Is that normal??????
No?
Okay.
the next part is spoilery
I cut off half a star for the wholeJace Wayland/Lightwood/Morgenstern/Herondale/Evil Jace/Thule Jace/Anus/Janusi-don't-give-two-shits-what-your-name-is-now drama. So now my rating is 4.5. WHY WOULD YOU MAKE US GO THROUGH THAT BULLSHIT AGAIN?!?!?!?! 💩
I am soOoOoO angry!!!! You're a successful author!!! Drop the Seelie Bitch and Janus the Anus and brainstorm another villain to use in TWP!! 😭😭🤒😷
- - - - -
The Lost World rating:
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
My babies 😢😢❤❤❤
- - - -
Now that I read TDA I can finally read the last two stories 😭😭😭 Finally 🤧
- - - -
-
I'm not a fan of novellas because I don't feel that they add much to the original series they accompany, but this novella bind up was fantastic. It introduced issues that the characters from Chain of Gold will face, it provided more moments between Tessa and Jem throughout the decades of their relationship, and it introduced Tessa and Jem's daughter to us as well. While I did skip a few of the stories simply because I'm not interested in certain characters, the majority of the stories were fantastic, smile-inducing, and made me love these characters that much more.
This novella bind-up proves that Cassandra Clare could write about her characters simply eating breakfast together, and it would make my entire day reading about the slow moments in their lives. I absolutely love the world she's created. -
“Every world contains worlds within it. People wander through all the worlds they can find, searching for their homes”.
Este es un libro de relatos que se centra en Jem y que nos lleva en un viaje a través de las décadas, las diferentes familias de Cazadores de Sombras y Subterráneos que ha conocido y, sobre todo, la enorme lealtad y amo que siente por Tessa y por Will. Sí, hay unos relatos que son mejores que otros, pero créanme que todos y cada uno de ellos valen la pena si sabes apreciar cada uno de los detalles.
Ahora, información importante para que no les pase como a mí. Tenía entendido que había que leer todos los relatos de este libro antes de empezar con Queen of Air and Darkness, pero es falso. ¡No lo hagan! Pueden leer los ocho primeros, pero los dos últimos están ubicados temporalmente después del final de Queen of Air and Darkness, así que tengan cuidado y no se spoileen.
Dicho esto, quiero dejarles por aquí mis calificaciones individuales de los ocho primeros relatos. Eso sí, si quieren ver lo que pensé puntualmente de cada uno, busquen sus fichas en Goodreads, que ahí encuentran mis reseñas.
1. Son of the Dawn: ★★★★
2. Cast Long Shadows: ★★★★
3. Every Exquisite Thing: ★★★★★
4. Learn About Loss: ★★★
5. A Deeper Love: ★★★★★
6. The Wicked Ones: ★★★
7. The Land I Lost: ★★★★★
8. Through Blood, Through Fire: ★★★★
9. The Lost World: pendiente para cuando lea QoAaD.
19. Forever Fallen: pendiente para cuando lea QoAaD. -
This book made me so emotional. I love Jem Carstairs with my soul and seeing him happy makes me the happiest person ever. He deserves all the happiness in the world and I’m so glad he’s getting it after all he went through.
“Will, my Will. You would be so proud”
I wish Will could see how happy his man is. 😭😭
“Jem got up and went over to Tessa. He knelt down in front of her and laid his head against her belly. “Hello there, Wilhelmina Yiqiang Ke Carstairs. Little Mina. You are welcome, little Mina, my heart. We are waiting for you in joy and hope and love.”
“Jem went inside to his wife and his baby and his boy, to his long-awaited home.”
I love him so so so so so so much. 🖤 -
This Review ✍️
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Support me ☕“Every world contains worlds within it. People wander through all the worlds they can find, searching for their homes.”
City of Bones ★★★ 1/2
City of Ashes ★★ 1/2
City of Glass ★★★ 3/4
Clockwork Angel ★★★ 1/2
Clockwork Prince ★★★ 3/4
Clockwork Princess ★★★★ 1/2
City of Fallen Angels ★★
City of Lost Souls ★★ 1/2
City of Heavenly Fire ★★★★ 1/4
The Shadowhunters Codex ★★★
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy ★★★ 1/2
Lady Midnight ★★★★
Lord of Shadows ★★★★
Queen of Air and Darkness ★★★ 3/4
Ghosts of the Shadow Market ★★★★
My journey in the shadowhunters universe continues and in all honesty, I was pretty much skipping this book because short story collections never work for me. My friend Jess (Who is my official guide on everything Clare related) insisted that this book is very essential and that I should read it and I am glad I listened to him. Merci Jess!
I thought that the stories are like backstories that will not be impactful on the main story line but that is not true at all. The stories all follow Brother Zachariah through different time periods told in chronological order and so we see different secondary shadowhunters through all of those short stories.
The writing was great and the flow is just immaculate and I never even for one second got the feeling that the stories were disjointed and that is such an amazing thing given that the stories are co-written by different authors. I don’t know what each author wrote in each story but Cassie managed to make it all have a similar voice and that’s not an easy thing.
There are new characters in this book which are basically the characters in the next series “The Last Hours” and she did something similar with her “The Dark Artifices” series making it much easier to get into that series. I still find it astounding how she keeps track of everything and still add events in both the future and the past and make them make sense. The only criticism I have is that many character’s names start with the letter J which makes it a bit confusing sometimes.
Summary: I really enjoyed this story collection and glad that I listened to my friend and ended up reading it. I won’t be reviewing each story alone because there are better reviewers who did that already and I don’t have much to add to their reviews. I simply liked the writing, the story lines and the characters and I am still excited for stories in this world. -
4.5 stars, though I’m a bit tempted to round up because TALK ABOUT GIVING ME THE FEELS. I did a lot of giggling, but also a lot of crying reading these stories. And I am both impressed and terrified at the set-ups for the the upcoming books!
-
6/10 Reviews Written
Overall Rating ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ [first 6 stories]
» Since this is an anthology, I will write individual reviews of each novella right after I finished it. Then, I’ll give you my overall opinions! I’m so excited to read this. Btw, ratings may change over time because I’m definitely gonna compare the novellas with each other after I read them.
» I actually planned on reading this this weekend when I’m going on vacation to the BEACH!! But the cover and illustrations are just so tempting...just one story won’t do any harm. [Trust me, I’m gonna finish this book before I even get to the beach.]
Overall Thoughts
Coming soon!
➳ Cast Long Shadows » ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆Old sins cast long shadows.
Edit: rating changed from 4 to 3 stars after reading Every Exquisite Thing.
This story is about Matthew’s relationship with James Herondale, and how he made a really bad mistake that changed his worldview.
Oh, Matthew, my damaged boi.
I absolutely loved this, and it takes a lot of potential for a book or movie to make me tear up. Although I recently finished TID, I have to say that Jem’s presence has made me so so so nostalgic. I cried omg. I read CoG before this book, so I knew most of the characters well. I adored Matthew as always, and this explained pretty thoroughly why Matthew became a drunk. It told Matthew’s backstory in a very poignant and touching way. I liked Matthew a lot from CoG because he’s that hot boy that is passionate and sensitive?? However, I felt like James wasn’t the same James as in CoG. Idk maybe that was why people said that I need to read this before CoG, but James in this book felt less sassy than the CoG James. That is why I had to take off a star. Also, things started really slowly. I read about half of the story before something actually happened. Though I guess this book is more about character relationships than action-packed events, and I’m excited to try that! I loved Matthew’s interaction with Jem...oh you know what? Everything that has a drop of Jem will always be my favorite. The ending made me cry oh my god. This book is gonna be a whirlwind of tears. I can tell.
➳ Every Exquisite Thing » ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆I have always known you, my love. You are the gem of my heart. My firstborn. My Anna.
Edit: Lowered to four stars after reading Learn About Loss.
This is another one that made me cry. This novella just feels so surreal, relatable and connected to me in some way. I cried through the end, though there wasn’t much reason for me to cry. I have read a lot of bad reviews for this novella (how sassy Anna is, the bad execution of a cross-dressing female, etc.) but the writing, the relatability and how special this novella is needs me to give it five stars. I haven’t read the whole book yet, but I guess this will be my favorite. It connects with me in a peculiar way, but I like Anna, and she resembles myself in many ways. That’s why this novella’s special.
I should have read this before CoG because I didn’t like Ariadne that much, so I’m planning to read CoG again after I finish all the novellas. Though after finishing this, I’m still not so fond of Ariadne...it would’ve have made my CoG reading experience much better.
Although...I wasn’t so fond of the insta-love between Ariadne and Anna, it was not so bad and I enjoyed the story overall.
Anna’s character growth was so tremendous for a short novella, and I finished this much faster than Cast Long Shadows. The story took off quickly, and I read the whole thing in one sitting (it’s now much, though.) And Cecily and Gabriel are such understanding parents. Can they adopt me now!?
Also, can we say that both Anna and Christopher are my soulmates!?
James Herondale recommending books to Anna is me recommending books to my non-reader friend. We can relate.
Anna will always be my favorite cross-dressing female.
➳ Learn About Loss » ★ ★ ★ ★ ★The face of the one you love is the best mirror of all. It shows you your own happiness and your own pain and it helps you to bear both, because to bear either alone is to be overwhelmed by the flood.
At first, I thought about giving this novella 4 stars, but you know what? Heronstairs and a sassy Iron Sister? Why doesn't it deserve 5 stars!?
Sister Emilia was very sassy and brave, and I agree with her for thinking that Jem was handsome. Of course, he is. Her dream is to be the best Iron Sister of all, and make her mother proud, and I thought that was very sweet. Also, we all know that Jem is always sweet. It was so nice of Sister Emilia to wish for Jem's moment with Will...Oh my god I cried again. Every novella in this book is gonna make me cry!!
The Heronstairs moment at the end was everything I could ever wish for. Dumplings!? My favorite. Feasting on the bones of one's enemies? Why not!? And for Will, that would be ducks. That moment was just so sweet, and reading the Infernal Devices is just gonna make me angry at Cassie Clare for ruining Heronstsairs. :((
➳ A Deeper Love » ★ ★ ★ ★ ★Everything around it was gone, but it had been saved--impossibly, improbably saved from thousands of bombs. London would not let it die, and it had lived.
I swear every novella is going to drown me in a tub of tears.
This was the most heartbreaking in all of the novellas I've read so far. The next ones seen to get better and better...the setting, the characters and the vibes.
This was set in 1940, which was the time of WW2. (I love reading WW2 fiction due to its heartbreaking nature and the constant need to depress myself.) Bombs were raining down, and Sister Gray and Sister Loss kept their strength and nursed people back to health. They kept their spirits up despite the condition of the world right now. I love the descriptions in this story. How Jem described the whistling bombs and how Tessa described her love for Will and Jem.
This story takes place right after Will died, and the thought of seeing all my relatives age and die is so heartbreaking. I applaud Tessa for living through that. She becomes a nurse to keep her mind away from Will's death until Jem shows up at the hospital, seriously injured.
I have no words for this story since it is so so nostalgic and gave me feelings for Will, Jem and Tessa. Jem has to cope with his brotherhood, and Will's death and the thought of never going to be with Tessa again. And that is so so heartbreaking. Out of the 4 stories I've read so far, this is the best and the most heartbreaking.
➳ The Wicked Ones » ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆There is nothing more painful than love denied. A love that cannot be requited. I can think of nothing more painful than that.
I’ve read many bad reviews on this novella, but it’s my favorite of all. Well, I’ve been saying that for every novella, but each one gets better and better.
I felt like Céline is a very relatable character for me. She has had a lot of childhood trauma, and people see her as useless and weak. This story was very intriguing and heartbreaking in the end because...Céline didn’t have a choice!! She had to choose the thing that was better for herself to get back at the people who harmed her throughout her childhood despite the fact that it’s so so heartbreaking. I didn’t like her in the mortal instruments but when I got to meet her...she’s amazing.
Though I love Céline, I have to take off a star because there were incredibly boring parts. I did not like Stephen Herondale or Robert Lightwood, and though I like Jessa, the Jessa scene was really long, boring and irrelevant to the story. I guess they just added this scene to continue the Jessa theme throughout the story, but you know what?? I GET IT. Jem is a silent brother, and he can’t have Tessa.
The connection between all the novellas has finally started to form. Jem has this job that he has to find the lost Herondale...and Ik there’s a novella about this in Tales of the Shadowhunter Academy, and the writers should’ve added the ‘Lost Herondale’ thing to the description of this book since it plays a big role throughout the whole book.
➳ Son of the Dawn » ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆There are more kinds of love than stars. If you do not feel one, there are many others. You know what it is to care for family and friends. What we keep sacred keeps us safe. Consider that by trying to cut yourself off from the possibility of being hurt, you shut the door on love and live in darkness.
The only few things I liked about this were Lily Chen, Jace's Iron Sister joke and Will's initials carved on Jem's staff.
The story was so...so boring. But Lily Chen has won my heart. And Brother Lipsmackariah/Sixpackariah is as heartbreaking as always. There is not much for me to talk about, but I've been reading the whole story, expecting Jace to take place in most of the scenes. No. He showed up in the last few scenes after I've snoozed off hundreds of times. I wanted a scene in Jace's perspective as well, though...
➳ The Land I lost » TBA
➳ Through Blood, Through Fire » TBA
➳ The Lost World » TBA
➳ Forever Fallen » TBA -
actual rating: 4.5/5 stars
Every world contains worlds within it. People wander through all the worlds they can find, searching for their homes.
Story Ratings:
Son of the Dawn: 4/5
Cast Long Shadows: 3/5
Every Exquisite Thing: 3.5/5
Learn About Loss: 2.5/5
A Deeper Love: 4.5/5
The Wicked Ones: 3.5/5
Through Blood, Through Fire: 5/5
The Land I Lost: 5/5
The Lost World: 5/5
Forever Fallen: 4/5
As far as novella's go i was really impressed with this one and i ended up really enjoying it and i really loved having the main focus on Jem. Going through different periods of time was really great i loved getting introduced to new characters and seeing some old faces return and i love how this world just keeps growing and growing with every new book that's released.
Plot: Jem is the main focus on this novella and in all honestly really enjoyed getting to see what this character went through emotionally and physically over the last 150 years of his life from before he became a silent brother, during and after. However Jem is on a mission to find the lost herondales and this journey literally takes him over 150 years to actually get anywhere near completing it.
Along the way i loved hearing the story from other characters and how they all in some way connect with each other and how their actions shape the future for the rest of the shadowhunters. Jem's journey is shown to be a struggle for him from being a shadowhunter and turning into a silent brother and all those years in between and i was left feeling really heartbroken for Jem because this is a life he really never wanted but remained strong and continued to help all those around him.
I liked getting a little glimpse into the children of Will and Tess, Cecily and Gabriel, Charlotte and Henry. It was good to see them all teeangers and shadowhunters. But all there names were to much for me to handle and i did find myself getting confused with who was who and who belonged with who.
Memories were like love: wound and cure, both at once.
All these stories were all beautifully written and at times the writing seemed very poetic because that's the thing with this series i find it at times very poetic.
I loved this and it would have to be my favourite novella out of all those that have been released, i got all the characters i wanted and some plot lines that i needed so i'm really happy with this one -
“Every world contains worlds within it. People wander through all the worlds they can find, searching for their homes.”
4 stars
Short disclaimer before I start (only for those considering buying the UK edition of the hardback for this book):DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT buy the UK edition hardback. The hardback does not have the book and a dust jacket on top like usual hardbacks, but apparently has the cover printed on the book, plastified of a sort….so I wouldn’t recommend, unless of course you don’t mind that. Just putting it out there in case.
Positives:
- What I particularly liked about the book was that the different novellas were in order, in terms of when they take place. It wasn’t all over the place, back and forth and all. One would think that that is the usual when having a couple or more novellas or more put in one book, but surprisingly, at those I’ve read, they are very often not in order.
- Also, I loved that the book was mostly from Jem’s POV because in both The Infernal Devices and The Mortal Instruments (ish), we didn’t get many chapters or any? I’m not sure so it was refreshing and new to see what the events were from his point of view.
Negative(ish, not really though):
- However, there were some novellas that I found around 3 stars and some 5 stars which therefore, equaled to 4 stars.
Definitely recommend -
SPOILERS
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Herondales were always flames, he thought. They loved and suffered as if they would burn away with the sheer force of their own fire.
This novella was very good and I was so happy to read more about my darling Kit Herondale. I'm so grateful he found a place where he is finally loved and cherished. When I read about him with baby Mina in his arms, I lost it. My heart cannot take this level of cuteness!
The Janus's storyline isn't my favourite and I'm sure we're going to have to deal with it in The Wicked Powers series. I hope it's well developed, at least.
The fact that they let Janus (aka fake Jace Herondale) casually walk around the shadow market seems like the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. And he also poses like him, hell no! Of course he cannot fool Clary and the others, they know the real Jace when they see him!
Ash's power to command perfect loyalty and love kind of frightens me and I'm pretty sure it's going to come bite us in the ass in the future. You've heard it here first.
The novella ends with literally the words wicked powers . I guess now we just have to wait.
