A review by madscibrarian
The Bane Chronicles by Sarah Rees Brennan, Cassandra Clare

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 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.