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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
adventurous
I adore when fantasy authors release books centred solely on the lore of their worlds. I particularly liked the unreliable narrator aspect of the Clave framing its history in a certain way, with Luke, Magnus, and Jordan interjecting with different perspectives. Interestingly, some aspects of Clave history seemed allegorical, like the Clave supporting Downworlder hunts in the 1600s while providing no tangible reparations thereafter.
Nevertheless, this book inadvertently revealed some holes in the worldbuilding:
Nevertheless, this book inadvertently revealed some holes in the worldbuilding:
- Shadowhunters are meant to be secular, but the language often gravitates toward the Abrahamic religions, like "demons" and "denizens of Heaven". It's even stated that Raziel named them the Nephilim after the Book of Genesis.
- After a thousand years of fighting demons, they still don't know why demons come to Earth.
- It may have just been the digital version I was reading, but Simon’s lighthearted homoerotic fanfic of Jonathan Shadowhunter and David appears directly after the section describing the Circle and all the lives lost because of prejudice, which felt distasteful and tone-deaf.
Typically I’m not a fan of books that serve as supplements to series, but I loved The Shadowhunter’s Codex. What really sold it for me was the detail that went into the book as well as the annotations and the illustrations. It was really interesting to see more of what the characters thought about some of Shadowhunter history.
The illustrations of The Shadowhunter’s Codex are what sold me on the book. That and the cover.
It always bothers me that many books do not have a good book cover underneath the book jacket. I mean, seriously? If you spend that much money and effort on a book, why not go just a little further to make it really a complete project? Just look at the difference.
I recently read the last book of the Mortal Instruments Series, City of Heavenly Fire (post will be up soon), and throughout the final installment I kept remembering parts of this book that I had read and how the ending of the series make so much more sense having read the standalone supplement to the series.
I just had my graduation and all of my friends were so much sadder than I was. To be honest, I was much more upset by the end of this series than by going to a different school. The end of this series marked the end to an era of my life and losing this series tore me apart. I started reading these books when I was in middle school and reading the final book made me realize that these books have been in my life more consistently than a lot of other things in my life. They will be sorely missed.
review cross-posted on my blog Spectacle Aglow
The illustrations of The Shadowhunter’s Codex are what sold me on the book. That and the cover.
It always bothers me that many books do not have a good book cover underneath the book jacket. I mean, seriously? If you spend that much money and effort on a book, why not go just a little further to make it really a complete project? Just look at the difference.
I recently read the last book of the Mortal Instruments Series, City of Heavenly Fire (post will be up soon), and throughout the final installment I kept remembering parts of this book that I had read and how the ending of the series make so much more sense having read the standalone supplement to the series.
I just had my graduation and all of my friends were so much sadder than I was. To be honest, I was much more upset by the end of this series than by going to a different school. The end of this series marked the end to an era of my life and losing this series tore me apart. I started reading these books when I was in middle school and reading the final book made me realize that these books have been in my life more consistently than a lot of other things in my life. They will be sorely missed.
review cross-posted on my blog Spectacle Aglow
This was a birthday gift from one of my best friends, it was an adorable read. I'm really happy to own it. :)
Perfect reminder of the Shadowhunters universe with all its diversity in lore, characters, architecture and laws. The comments are also silly and sometimes even hilarious, a necessary addition to this very formal standard text. Funny and informative, the best kind of book.
Honestly, ended up skimming most of it. I think pretty much everything in it is mentioned in the actual series. Some of the "footnotes" are quite funny though.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Shadowhunter's Codex was in the vein of Rowling's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages, i.e. a book that was mentioned in the author's series and then turned into a "textbook" with comments from the characters. But where Rowling shined with additional commentary on her exciting world, Claire failed.
Sure some of the Clary, Have and Simon commentary was cute and Clary's supposed added drawings were neat to examine but the text itself left a lot to be desired. First, the book was having an identity crisis. Yes it's supposedly the translated English copy, 11th edition or something, but it flipped back and forth between being too formal (annoyingly like a real textbook with long winded, mind numbing facts) and too informal. What a reader knows from the books is that the Clave is pretty formal and rule specific and I can't imagine they'd allow the passive aggressive and sarcastic passages that some of the sections were. (At least with Rowling's books we already knew quite a lot of the older wizards could be goofballs).
After having read the first five Mortal Instruments books and the Infernal Devices I really don't think there was much about the world I cared to know, at least not in the dry textbook like entries that sometimes took up pages and pages.
Sure some of the Clary, Have and Simon commentary was cute and Clary's supposed added drawings were neat to examine but the text itself left a lot to be desired. First, the book was having an identity crisis. Yes it's supposedly the translated English copy, 11th edition or something, but it flipped back and forth between being too formal (annoyingly like a real textbook with long winded, mind numbing facts) and too informal. What a reader knows from the books is that the Clave is pretty formal and rule specific and I can't imagine they'd allow the passive aggressive and sarcastic passages that some of the sections were. (At least with Rowling's books we already knew quite a lot of the older wizards could be goofballs).
After having read the first five Mortal Instruments books and the Infernal Devices I really don't think there was much about the world I cared to know, at least not in the dry textbook like entries that sometimes took up pages and pages.
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I loved this book! It helped me navigate the world of the series The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices, by Casandra Clare. But before you read the Codex, you should read at least books 1-3 of The Mortal Instruments series. I read the Codex after I had read both series, which I found the best solution, since I could relate to the context in a different, more broad way.
I did get bored sometimes. After all, the codex itself is filled with tips, data, and history. However, the story of the Codex is it once belonged to Clary Fray, the main character in The Mortal Instruments. She and her friends Jace and Simon took turns writing in it. So addition to information, you also get more tips, additional questions answered, and a lot more humor. I even decided to write in it myself! (since I bought it)
The Shadowhunter's Codex was helpful and humorous, as well as interactive, for me at least. If you love The Mortal Instruments, this is a good book to read!
I did get bored sometimes. After all, the codex itself is filled with tips, data, and history. However, the story of the Codex is it once belonged to Clary Fray, the main character in The Mortal Instruments. She and her friends Jace and Simon took turns writing in it. So addition to information, you also get more tips, additional questions answered, and a lot more humor. I even decided to write in it myself! (since I bought it)
The Shadowhunter's Codex was helpful and humorous, as well as interactive, for me at least. If you love The Mortal Instruments, this is a good book to read!
So I read this. Okay I skimmed this. Okay I basically only read Jace/Clary/Simons notes. But like it was fun. And don't tell me how to live my life.