About The Bane Chronicles
Release Date: November 11, 2014
Find it: Goodreads, IndieBound, Barnes & Noble, Amazon
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.
What Really Happened in Peru — 2 stars
Honestly, this story wasn’t a strong start to the collection. It consisted of short stories within the novella, so there wasn’t really a plot to it and was kind of hard for me to get into after being out of the Shadowhunter world for several years.
The Runaway Queen — 3 stars
The Runaway Queen was much better than the first story. It was fun to see Magnus inserting himself into a major part of history as he tried to save Queen Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution.
Vampire, Scones, and Edmund Herondale — 5 stars
I loved this story. Magnus meets Edmund Herondale (Will’s dad) and we find out the story behind his decision to leave the Shadowhunters to marry Linette. There’s also the beginning of the Accords and Magnus’s relationship with Camille.
The Midnight Heir — 5 stars
We meet James Herondale (Will and Tessa’s son) for the first time in this novella and it has made me even more excited to read Chain of Gold. I’m so curious about how Jame’s story is going to unfold now! Plus, I of course loved seeing Will, Tessa, and Jem together again.
The Rise of the Hotel Dumort — 3.5 stars
This story stakes place in the 1929 right as the stock market is about to crash, so again it was cool to see Magnus during a major historical event. There’s a lot of action towards the end.
Saving Raphael Santiago — 5 stars
Magnus and Raphael’s backstory is fully revealed in this story as Magnus finds Raphael right after he was turned into a vampire. He helps Raphael figure out his new life as a vampire.
The Fall of the Hotel Dumort — 3.5
This story focuses on Camille and her vampires during the 1970s as they become addicted to drugs through its presence in human blood. Magnus steps in to manage the situation between the vampires, werewolfs, and mundanes before the Shadowhunters become aware.
What to Buy a the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (And Who You’re Not Officially Dating Anyway) — 4 stars
It was pretty cute seeing Magnus worry and fuss over what to get Alec for his birthday since they were just starting to date. Izzy makes an appearance in this one too! I do think this story should have appeared later in this collection so that it aligned with the correct timeline.
The Last Stand of the New York Institute — 4 stars
The Circle appears in this story and attacks a werewolf family. Magnus and the Whitelaws fight back against them. This one was kind of sad since some of the main Circle members are the parents of the TMI characters. The story also flashes forward to Jocelyn appearing with Clary to Magnus and Tessa for help.
The Course of True Love (And First Dates) — 4 stars
Magnus and Alec’s first date did not start off well, but it sure became action-packed when Magnus is called to an emergency and Alex tags along to help.
The Voicemail of Magnus Bane — 4 stars
This is the shortest story of the all as it’s literally just the voicemail messages left on Magnus’s phone from Alec, Izzy, and several other characters. It’s been so long since I read the TMI series, so I couldn’t quite remember why Alec and Magnus had briefly broken up. However, I enjoyed that the audiobook added in sound effects (so 4 stars for that).
Overall Rating:
Great review!
Thanks, Kristi!
I love Magnus (one of my all time favourite book characters) but I could not get into this! I think I only read the stories that had Alec in them because I love seeing them together <3
The first two were hard for me to get into—my favorite stories were definitely the ones with some of the main characters from the different series.