Scan barcode
meghanlew_'s review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
eesh25's review against another edition
4.0
The Eldest Curses, for lack of a better way to put this, is a fun little bonus for fans of The Shadowhunter Chronicles. You don't have to read these books to make sense of the main storylines (the five main series) but you can if you want to, and they'll just add to the experience. Like the short story collections.
I've read everything Shadowhunter related that Cassie has put out—except The Shadowhunters' Codex, which is a to-read still—and I love Alec and Magnus. So of course I was gonna read this. And I would definitely recommend it to any fans of The Shadowhunter Chronicles. But, unlike the main series, this one doesn't work on it's own. So if you haven't read, at least, the first three books of The Mortal Instruments, this book won't make much sense. For optimal fun, read all the books published before.
Yeah... that's might seem a little intimidating to some, but like I said, this is a bonus series. So even as it tells it's own story, it adds layers to other stories. Here's an example:
I love this. Because in City of Fallen Angels, Jace actually mentions Alec sending photos with captions saying "Wish you were here. Except not really" and, if you know Alec, the latter part isn't some he would think to write. So now we know how that came to be. And there are so many scenes like this, ones that reference past events and foreshadow future ones.
But anyway, it seems I've yet to write the synopsis. Which is that, after the events of City of Glass, Alec and Magnus go on a vacation across Europe. It's Alec first vacation and he and Magnus are just looking to enjoy themselves as a couple. But a lot of stuff goes wrong during the trip and this book tells us about it all. Like the demon attacks, missing memories and a cult that Magnus may have jokingly founded a couple hundred years, which has now gone off the rails, with it's members getting very murder-y.
The book starts with Magnus and Alec trying to enjoy their vacation, which descents into utter chaos thanks to the aforementioned cult. And the story becomes a strange combination of beautiful European destinations, and trying to stay ahead of a demonic cult.
It was definitely an interesting book to read. We had these very familiar and loved characters and Cassie's familiar mixture of heartfelt emotion and humour. But it was also not exactly like reading a Cassandra Clare book because it lacked the urgency that can usually be found in them. Which wasn't the book's fault really. It was because we already knew the entirety of the aftermath of the events of the book. So we didn't have to worry about Magnus or Alec dying or being injured irrevocably.
Not sure what else there is to say. I really enjoyed the book. I love Alec and Magnus and this book just further showed how precious Alec is. Like you could be flirting with him in a very obvious manner, complete with suggestive wink, but unless you tell him directly that you're hitting on him, he won't see it. He has such a good heart too. And reading about his and Magnus's feeling for one another... gave me so many feels.
If there's one thing I'd have liked changed, it's the abundance of dialogue. Don't get me wrong, I love all of Cassie's clever dialogues, but sometimes, there's too much of it at the wrong moment. Like a scene would be interrupted just so a characters could say a clever line. And it disrupted the flow of that scene. Also, do we really need a description of the pretty effect different lighting on every single person or thing?
Overall, this was a good read and, again, something I would recommend to fans of the Shadow World. And being one such fan, I'm most definitely looking forward to the next book in the series—Jace, Clary, Izzy and Simon are in it!
I've read everything Shadowhunter related that Cassie has put out—except The Shadowhunters' Codex, which is a to-read still—and I love Alec and Magnus. So of course I was gonna read this. And I would definitely recommend it to any fans of The Shadowhunter Chronicles. But, unlike the main series, this one doesn't work on it's own. So if you haven't read, at least, the first three books of The Mortal Instruments, this book won't make much sense. For optimal fun, read all the books published before.
Yeah... that's might seem a little intimidating to some, but like I said, this is a bonus series. So even as it tells it's own story, it adds layers to other stories. Here's an example:
Each time he finished a postcard, Alec wrote Wish you were here at the end. And each time, Magnus snatched the card and wrote, with a flourish, Except not really.
...
Alec finished his last postcard, and Magnus reached for it, then let his hand drop. He read what Alec had written and smiled, charmed and surprised.
On the postcard to his sister, Alec had added, Wish you were here. Except not really himself.
I love this. Because in City of Fallen Angels, Jace actually mentions Alec sending photos with captions saying "Wish you were here. Except not really" and, if you know Alec, the latter part isn't some he would think to write. So now we know how that came to be. And there are so many scenes like this, ones that reference past events and foreshadow future ones.
But anyway, it seems I've yet to write the synopsis. Which is that, after the events of City of Glass, Alec and Magnus go on a vacation across Europe. It's Alec first vacation and he and Magnus are just looking to enjoy themselves as a couple. But a lot of stuff goes wrong during the trip and this book tells us about it all. Like the demon attacks, missing memories and a cult that Magnus may have jokingly founded a couple hundred years, which has now gone off the rails, with it's members getting very murder-y.
The book starts with Magnus and Alec trying to enjoy their vacation, which descents into utter chaos thanks to the aforementioned cult. And the story becomes a strange combination of beautiful European destinations, and trying to stay ahead of a demonic cult.
It was definitely an interesting book to read. We had these very familiar and loved characters and Cassie's familiar mixture of heartfelt emotion and humour. But it was also not exactly like reading a Cassandra Clare book because it lacked the urgency that can usually be found in them. Which wasn't the book's fault really. It was because we already knew the entirety of the aftermath of the events of the book. So we didn't have to worry about Magnus or Alec dying or being injured irrevocably.
Not sure what else there is to say. I really enjoyed the book. I love Alec and Magnus and this book just further showed how precious Alec is. Like you could be flirting with him in a very obvious manner, complete with suggestive wink, but unless you tell him directly that you're hitting on him, he won't see it. He has such a good heart too. And reading about his and Magnus's feeling for one another... gave me so many feels.
If there's one thing I'd have liked changed, it's the abundance of dialogue. Don't get me wrong, I love all of Cassie's clever dialogues, but sometimes, there's too much of it at the wrong moment. Like a scene would be interrupted just so a characters could say a clever line. And it disrupted the flow of that scene. Also, do we really need a description of the pretty effect different lighting on every single person or thing?
Overall, this was a good read and, again, something I would recommend to fans of the Shadow World. And being one such fan, I'm most definitely looking forward to the next book in the series—Jace, Clary, Izzy and Simon are in it!
heather1999's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
michaela_s's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
anjilivreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I've lost count of how many times I've re-read this one 😊
MALEC is definitely the best TSC couple ☺️
MALEC is definitely the best TSC couple ☺️
ashjreads's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5 stars
"Alec, my Alexander. You came for me."
Magnus and Alec, I love you guys. You two are so special to me... but I do have something to say...
This book was good, but not great (which makes me so sad to say). I am just kind of underwhelmed. It's not that it wasn't enjoyable! I loved my little guys in this and the insight it gave me into the beginnings of their relationship, but it just felt like someone got their Malec fanfiction published under Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu's names. Like... as its own thing, this book does miss. I don't think anyone would care about it if it didn't include their favorite ship. I certainly would not have.
"But Ash! You read Malec fanfic every night! Why didn't you enjoy a published Malec fanfic?!" -Alissa, probably. and that's because the writers on AO3 kinda did it better...... (Yes, I am confessing publically to reading Malec fanfic)
It's got some super adorable moments that had me kicking and giggling. I basically got to count Malec fanfic towards my reading goal! That was fun. It had some great action scenes but it also made me realize that Cassandra Clare really likes to use the phrase "gave chase"/"give chase" like... A LOT.
I am going to read something in between this and The Lost Book of the White and then something between THAT and Lady Midnight... I think. No promises on if I will actually do that.
"Alec, my Alexander. You came for me."
Magnus and Alec, I love you guys. You two are so special to me... but I do have something to say...
This book was good, but not great (which makes me so sad to say). I am just kind of underwhelmed. It's not that it wasn't enjoyable! I loved my little guys in this and the insight it gave me into the beginnings of their relationship, but it just felt like someone got their Malec fanfiction published under Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu's names. Like... as its own thing, this book does miss. I don't think anyone would care about it if it didn't include their favorite ship. I certainly would not have.
"But Ash! You read Malec fanfic every night! Why didn't you enjoy a published Malec fanfic?!" -Alissa, probably. and that's because the writers on AO3 kinda did it better...... (Yes, I am confessing publically to reading Malec fanfic)
It's got some super adorable moments that had me kicking and giggling. I basically got to count Malec fanfic towards my reading goal! That was fun. It had some great action scenes but it also made me realize that Cassandra Clare really likes to use the phrase "gave chase"/"give chase" like... A LOT.
I am going to read something in between this and The Lost Book of the White and then something between THAT and Lady Midnight... I think. No promises on if I will actually do that.
alexan13's review against another edition
4.0
This book was so nostalgic — it really fit right into the era of The Mortal Instruments (and lowkey made me want to re-read the whole series) — and such a special reading experience for me. When I was a middle schooler reading TMI for the first time Alec and Magnus were the first positive representations of queer characters I had ever encountered in the media I had consumed and I connected with Alec as a character so much. His journey brought me a lot of comfort as a teen figuring out my own identity. For that reason alone, they will always mean so much to me and I love that we’re still getting stories about them now. This is a very fun start to this spin-off series with all the references to TMI and self-aware “foreshadowing” of TDA that obviously all fans of the series will love.