Sunopsis (From Goodreads)
Immortal warlock Magnus Bane’s life has been long, adventure-filled, and never dull. Though snippets of his past have been hinted at in the Mortal Instruments and the Infernal Devices, here his deepest secrets are revealed: his involvement in the French Revolution, his witness to the speakeasies and sleaze of Prohibition, and his place in the battle between Valentine and the New York Institute…the first time around. But smuggling Marie Antoinette out of France is nothing compared to his befriending vampire like Camille Belcourt…or his first date with Alec Lightwood.
The eleven stories in this collection fill in many a delightful gap in Magnus Bane’s colorful history. Shadowhunter fans won’t want to miss a single delicious detail!
My Review
5 out of 5 stars
Not all of the short stories in this collection are worthy of 5 stars. But I listened to this on audiobook (sometimes following along with the physical text and sometimes strictly listening). The audiobook worked very well for me because I’m so familiar with both the character of Magnus Bane and the Shadowhunters world. I appreciated the light and easy read, and it just felt like home. Doesn’t home deserve 5 stars?
My favorite stories that are worth 5 stars are Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale, The Midnight Heir, and Saving Raphael Santiago. These take place more in the distant past and cover the Infernal Devices/Last Hours characters, which are my favorite. And then Raphael Santiago’s origin story of becoming a vampire was interesting; Raphael has grown on me a lot in the main series.
The later stories that follow Magnus and Alec’s relationship were cute, but to this day I still find the Malec ship creepy despite it all. Magnus is centuries older than poor 18 year old Alec; it’s even worse than the age gap between Edward and Bella! Again, they were cute, but still unsettling, especially since it covers the early parts of their relationship that actually addresses this age gap.
I hated What Really Happened in Peru; don’t get me started on the pointlessness of the story. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the stories that featured Camilla. They didn’t feel as engaging to me.
See this review on Goodreads and on Storygraph.
Mad Scibrarian 