Rating: 4.5 stars
Synopsis: It is not easy being Magnus Bane. As a warlock, he's often called upon to fix the problems of others. His life has been long, and his loves have been many. And Magnus has a way of making sure he's in the right place at the right - or perhaps wrong - time. The French Revolution, Prohibition, the first great battle between Valentine and the New York Institute...Magnus was there, and usually in the middle of it. Magnus will never be able to tell all of his tales. No one would believe him. But these eleven stories shed a little light on his often inscrutable character. They are stories he probably wishes had never got out.
Review: This book is a collection of eleven short stories (all averaging around fifty pages or so), detailing some of the events of Magnus Bane's long life. Magnus Bane is a reoccurring character in both the Infernal Devices and, more prominently, in the Mortal Instruments series, both of which are by Cassandra Clare. I love both of these series and Magnus is one of my favourite characters. He's so sassy and sarcastic and is the most fashionable warlock I've ever heard of! I loved getting to learn more about him and how his life ended up tying in to the events of both the Infernal Devices and the Mortal Instruments.
I think my favourite story in this bind up is probably The Midnight Heir, where we get to see Tessa and Will and Jem once more, years after we left them in the Infernal Devices and we actually get our first real look at Will and Tessa's son, James which was really interesting. Dramatics definitely seem to run in the Herondale bloodline! Saving Raphael Santiago was another really interesting story and I loved how Magnus and Raphael's personalities just clashed together. I think that's one thing that Cassandra and Sarah Rees Brennan (who co-wrote this short story) are really good at, writing humorous and sarcastic characters. Of course, we couldn't read about Magnus' life without seeing Alec Lightwood as well. Their first date just sounds so hilarious and so typically Magnus.
As with all short story bind ups, I did enjoy some stories better than others but, overall, I did really love this collection. The only story I had a problem connecting with really, was The Rise of the Hotel Dumort, though I'm not really sure why. I think that one just felt a lot slower than the others and it was a bit more serious as well which, compared to the others which have a healthy dose of humour and sarcasm, I think that particular story lacked some of that which made it feel a bit slower.
I liked how certain characters made reappearances in some of the stories. Ragnor Fell and Catarina for example, pop up in several of the stories, and events that occurred in previous stories come up again and again. Ragnor Fell never got over the pirate escapade in Peru. And escapades are plenty, especially early on in this collection - Magnus always seems to know where the interesting things are going to happen. And, by interesting, I generally mean trouble!
If you enjoy the Shadowhunter world that Cassandra Clare has created, I would definitely recommend picking up this collection of short stories. You learn so much, not just about Magnus, but about other characters within the series and how they're living their lives or, as is the case with Alec and Magnus' first date, you get to see something that actually isn't included in the Mortal Instruments series because it's told from Clary's perspective. And, because they're only fifty pages long, you can pick which one you want to read, or just read one if you're short on time. Besides, why wouldn't you want to read about Magnus Bane's life?
As with all short story bind ups, I did enjoy some stories better than others but, overall, I did really love this collection. The only story I had a problem connecting with really, was The Rise of the Hotel Dumort, though I'm not really sure why. I think that one just felt a lot slower than the others and it was a bit more serious as well which, compared to the others which have a healthy dose of humour and sarcasm, I think that particular story lacked some of that which made it feel a bit slower.
I liked how certain characters made reappearances in some of the stories. Ragnor Fell and Catarina for example, pop up in several of the stories, and events that occurred in previous stories come up again and again. Ragnor Fell never got over the pirate escapade in Peru. And escapades are plenty, especially early on in this collection - Magnus always seems to know where the interesting things are going to happen. And, by interesting, I generally mean trouble!
If you enjoy the Shadowhunter world that Cassandra Clare has created, I would definitely recommend picking up this collection of short stories. You learn so much, not just about Magnus, but about other characters within the series and how they're living their lives or, as is the case with Alec and Magnus' first date, you get to see something that actually isn't included in the Mortal Instruments series because it's told from Clary's perspective. And, because they're only fifty pages long, you can pick which one you want to read, or just read one if you're short on time. Besides, why wouldn't you want to read about Magnus Bane's life?
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