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dijahe 's review for:
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy
by Robin Wasserman, Sarah Rees Brennan, Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson
I loved the novellas! Some were better than others, but I think that's all a matter of opinion and tastes. (SPOILERS AHEAD!)
"Sed lex, dura lex," Balogh said. The Latin phrase had been hammered into them from the first day at the Academy, and Simon was coming to hate the sound of it—so often was it used as an excuse for acting like monsters.
Ratings for each, separately:
Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy: 4.5 Stars
I loved seeing everyone's interactions with Simon after he gets his memories taken away. And it was amazing to actually have another Simon POV like we did in City of Fallen Angels. The angst was too real, and it was glorious. When Simon talks about how it feels to have all these feelings but no memories to fall back on, it made my heart ache for him
The Lost Herondale: 5 stars
I enjoyed seeing Simon's school and dorm life. The way he becomes ingrained into a group of new friends, and we get to see all of the born Shadowhunters in their natural Shadowhunter entitlement, and Simon's increasing discomfort being surrounded by it. When the group of them told Simon they thought he was lying about his memory loss, I was incredulous along with him. Simon but he pulls through it with his quick wit, not even feeling hurt about it. I continue to enjoy Marisol's comments and unabashed love of herself; it's so refreshing.
Balogh annoyed the crap out of me, though I'm guessing that's what Clare wanted from the audience. The stark difference in the storytelling of Tobias Herondale between Belogh and Catarina was wonderful—I continue to love how we are shown the difference between the old generation of Shadowhunters and the Downworlders.
"Only a fool would try to get between the Shadowhunters and their Law."
The Whitechapel Fiend: 5 stars
Honestly, this one might very well be my favorite. The Jimon brotp returned full-force for me in this story! I love that Jace immediately falls back into being friends with Simon, and Simon does it as well—even though he doesn't know he is. He just seems to return everything Jace gives him with the visit. The training scene is what I have in mind with the brotp moment being the strongest. Jace going from joking around and being smirky to instantly serious when Simon seems to be in danger gave me LIFE. Man, Jace needing to confide in Simon even though he doesn't remember much of anything in terms of Jace's family drama or even being a person Jace would consider confiding in. AMAZING.
"So you just came here to torture me and talk about yourself?" Simon demanded.
"Oh, Simon, Simon, Simon," said Jace. "You may not remember, but that's kind of our thing."
TESSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. Man, the story made me so happy. I've missed these dear characters so much, and the tiny glimpse of their domestic life after the events of Clockwork Princess made me gooey.
Nothing but Shadows: 5 stars
THIS ONE IS PROBABLY 100% MY FAVORITE ONE. I'm sorry for the virtual screaming, but I just can't help it.
The story was so interesting, and I finished this one the quickest. I couldn't stop reading it, and I could probably talk about this one for days. James and Matthew, my babies. At first, I sided with James (mostly because it was his POV and we saw Matthew through James-feels-glasses), but then, like James, I grew more and more fond of Matthew. Alastair was a dick, and I continued to hate him all through the story; and he's a Carstairs! I was just as brokenhearted over his character as everyone else probably was—honestly, I was expecting to have seen multiple lines of Herondale/Carstairs parabatai and closeness, considering how close Will and Jem were. Jem would have probably been aghast at that turn of events. Though, I did feel happy-silly to see that there were some good Herondale/Fairchild bonds from back then, considering Jace and Clary, so I guess I'm not complaining too much. And, Matthew Fairchild loving art made me so so so happy; the Fairchilds love of art is familial!
He curled his hands, one around his father's coat sleeve, and one around Matthew's. He held on to them, all the way home.
The Evil We Love: 4 stars
This one is one of my least favorites, but I did love it, hence the 4 star rating. It was interesting, especially since the Circle is one of my biggest wells of curiosity, but it was a little slow-going. I don't really have much to say about this one, as I did for the others, but Robert's POV may have been what distanced me from it. I felt like there was a wall between me and the story, and I couldn't get sucked into it like I had for the others. Though, getting an insight into Robert's past, and being able to see the Circle in its early days was very entertaining and very cool. I loved seeing Valentine as a teenager, and the entire group of them and how they'd all interacted before the Accords and before they all had children. Oh man, my intense dislike for Robert was heightened with the scene with Michael Wayland. But now I understand why he didn't feel it the way Will did with Jem in The Infernal Devices when his parabatai bond was broken.
"Stop worrying so much about whether or not you're sure. Let me be sure for you. Rely on my certainty, on my passion. Let yourself be weak, and lean on me, because we both know I can be strong. Accept that you're doing the right thing because I know it to be the right thing."
Pale Kings and Princes: 5 stars
I absolutely adored this one. We once again get to see Helen Blackthorn, and this time after the Cold Peace has taken effect in the Shadow World. It was heartbreaking, having to read about the Clave's cruelty, making her come to speak about her heritage the way she did. I won't spoil it, in case anyone hasn't read it, but it made my heart ache even more than it already did for the Blackthorns and what they've had to go through (and even more in Lady Midnight). At least she has Aline, who will always be there for her. Ugh, the Blackthorns and what the Clave did to Helen and Mark still makes my hair stand up.
This is how a faerie loves: with a gift.
Bitter of Tongue: 5 stars
MARK. MY BABY. The Blackthorns make me want to leap and scream, both in agony and in joy. I can't help myself, so some mild spoilers hereon lay.
Simon gets taken by a faerie in a turn of unseen events, and meets Mark Blackthorn. Mark is breathtaking, and my bones ached for him and his situation. The revelations that we have of him, of what's become of him in the Wild Hunt, made me want to cry. Clare has written Mark so beautifully, and so tragically, that I can't even comprehend how lovely of a character he is. He's a faerie, and he is beautiful, and he speaks in poetry, and he walks as if he is caught in an endless, lovely dance, but he holds steadfastly onto his Shadowhunter brothers and sisters, holds on to his hope that he will be saved. We see all of this through Simon's eyes, and it is both terrible and wonderful. We also meet Kieran, the Prince. (I've yet to finish Lady Midnight, but I do suspect some things that I see now may have been alluded to in this story).
All in all, this one was the most heartbreaking, yet the most beautiful. This one comes into my second favorite out of all of them, and would possibly be my absolute number one favorite if not for James Herondale, because we all have a soft spot for Herondales, let's be real.
Julian was their father, Simon thought with a dawning of horror. There was nobody else. Even though the Blackthorns had family who wanted to be there for them, wanted it desperately. The Clave had ripped a family apart, and Simon did not know what effects that would have in the future or how the wounds the Clave had inflicted would heal.
The Fiery Trial: 4.5 stars
Parabatai, Shadowhunters, technicalities, and much more. I loved this one as well, as you can see I've loved all of these stories. We get to see the weird hallucinations caused by Lake Lyn water, and it's so weird. So, so, so weird. But also very fascinating. Simon and Clary in this story gave me early TMI feels, and I welcomed them happily alongside all of the current angst we keep getting thrown at us. We also get to be witness to a parabatai ceremony, through Simon's eyes. It is all very interesting and very cruel, knowing what we know from Clare. It also made me agonize, knowing that everyone bearing witness to this ceremony felt something off about it, yet let it happen. WHY, OH WHY?
It was everything. It was all the love he saw in Jem's eyes when he talked about Will, and the love in Alec's face when he looked at Jace, even when Jace was being annoying, and a clear memory he had of Jace holding Alec while he was wounded and the desperation in Jace's eyes, that terror that comes only from thinking you might lose someone you can't live without.
Born to Endless Night: 5 stars
MALEC. 'Nuff said.
Just kidding.
I'm pretty sure everyone knows about this one; how can one not? It's been all over tumblr and pretty much everything else. I won't spoil anything, just in case anyone has not been defiled by spoilers.
A blue-skinned warlock baby is left on the steps of the Academy. Oh, what a scandal! Everything surrounding this instance, to me, is mysterious. Anyway, Simon and co find the baby, and not knowing what to do, bring said obviously-a-warlock baby to Magnus, who also happens to be with Alec in an apartment alongside the Academy.
Hilarity ensues, at first; things get real mushy real quick, with some tearful angst that gets resolved rather quickly, though there continues to be that underlying string of angst as there usually is with Clare's work.
Max, guys. That's all I'm going to say, to spare you non-spoilery people.
The note read: Who could ever love it?
Angels Twice Descending: 5 stars
Man, you can never go through any kind of Shadowhunter ceremony without angst hitting you like a punch to the gut. Again, I won't spoil anything for anyone who hasn't read it yet.
All the mundanes are on edge; the day for Ascension has finally come, and everyone is nervous. Will they all survive the Cup, finally becoming Shadowhunters, able to bear Marks and fight demons and protect and serve the Angel? That's what all the mundanes are thinking; the Shadowhunters are just ready to graduate. Things happen, and there is honestly a shocking turn of events that I was not expecting. I mean, based on the blurb, I was expecting someone to not make it, but I was completely shocked at who it was. I think I teared up a little bit at it. But man, this one was good. Simon, my poor comic relief baby, made me so proud. I didn't even know I could be even more proud of Simon than I already was, what with his beautiful progressive thoughts, but I was pleasantly surprised at how happy I was with him. Definitely a great ending for this novella of short stories, and definitely worth the read.
But swearing was a serious thing for Shadowhunters. You never promised unless you were absolutely sure.
"Sed lex, dura lex," Balogh said. The Latin phrase had been hammered into them from the first day at the Academy, and Simon was coming to hate the sound of it—so often was it used as an excuse for acting like monsters.
Ratings for each, separately:
Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy: 4.5 Stars
I loved seeing everyone's interactions with Simon after he gets his memories taken away. And it was amazing to actually have another Simon POV like we did in City of Fallen Angels. The angst was too real, and it was glorious. When Simon talks about how it feels to have all these feelings but no memories to fall back on, it made my heart ache for him
The Lost Herondale: 5 stars
I enjoyed seeing Simon's school and dorm life. The way he becomes ingrained into a group of new friends, and we get to see all of the born Shadowhunters in their natural Shadowhunter entitlement, and Simon's increasing discomfort being surrounded by it. When the group of them told Simon they thought he was lying about his memory loss, I was incredulous along with him. Simon
Spoiler
gets compared to ValentineBalogh annoyed the crap out of me, though I'm guessing that's what Clare wanted from the audience. The stark difference in the storytelling of Tobias Herondale between Belogh and Catarina was wonderful—I continue to love how we are shown the difference between the old generation of Shadowhunters and the Downworlders.
"Only a fool would try to get between the Shadowhunters and their Law."
The Whitechapel Fiend: 5 stars
Honestly, this one might very well be my favorite. The Jimon brotp returned full-force for me in this story! I love that Jace immediately falls back into being friends with Simon, and Simon does it as well—even though he doesn't know he is. He just seems to return everything Jace gives him with the visit. The training scene is what I have in mind with the brotp moment being the strongest. Jace going from joking around and being smirky to instantly serious when Simon seems to be in danger gave me LIFE. Man, Jace needing to confide in Simon even though he doesn't remember much of anything in terms of Jace's family drama or even being a person Jace would consider confiding in. AMAZING.
"So you just came here to torture me and talk about yourself?" Simon demanded.
"Oh, Simon, Simon, Simon," said Jace. "You may not remember, but that's kind of our thing."
TESSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. Man, the story made me so happy. I've missed these dear characters so much, and the tiny glimpse of their domestic life after the events of Clockwork Princess made me gooey.
Spoiler
Will's condition being that Brother Zachariah accompany them made me squeal, even through the after-pang of angst deep in my chest.Nothing but Shadows: 5 stars
THIS ONE IS PROBABLY 100% MY FAVORITE ONE. I'm sorry for the virtual screaming, but I just can't help it.
The story was so interesting, and I finished this one the quickest. I couldn't stop reading it, and I could probably talk about this one for days. James and Matthew, my babies. At first, I sided with James (mostly because it was his POV and we saw Matthew through James-feels-glasses), but then, like James, I grew more and more fond of Matthew. Alastair was a dick, and I continued to hate him all through the story; and he's a Carstairs! I was just as brokenhearted over his character as everyone else probably was—honestly, I was expecting to have seen multiple lines of Herondale/Carstairs parabatai and closeness, considering how close Will and Jem were. Jem would have probably been aghast at that turn of events. Though, I did feel happy-silly to see that there were some good Herondale/Fairchild bonds from back then, considering Jace and Clary, so I guess I'm not complaining too much. And, Matthew Fairchild loving art made me so so so happy; the Fairchilds love of art is familial!
He curled his hands, one around his father's coat sleeve, and one around Matthew's. He held on to them, all the way home.
The Evil We Love: 4 stars
This one is one of my least favorites, but I did love it, hence the 4 star rating. It was interesting, especially since the Circle is one of my biggest wells of curiosity, but it was a little slow-going. I don't really have much to say about this one, as I did for the others, but Robert's POV may have been what distanced me from it. I felt like there was a wall between me and the story, and I couldn't get sucked into it like I had for the others. Though, getting an insight into Robert's past, and being able to see the Circle in its early days was very entertaining and very cool. I loved seeing Valentine as a teenager, and the entire group of them and how they'd all interacted before the Accords and before they all had children. Oh man, my intense dislike for Robert was heightened with the scene with Michael Wayland. But now I understand why he didn't feel it the way Will did with Jem in The Infernal Devices when his parabatai bond was broken.
"Stop worrying so much about whether or not you're sure. Let me be sure for you. Rely on my certainty, on my passion. Let yourself be weak, and lean on me, because we both know I can be strong. Accept that you're doing the right thing because I know it to be the right thing."
Pale Kings and Princes: 5 stars
I absolutely adored this one. We once again get to see Helen Blackthorn, and this time after the Cold Peace has taken effect in the Shadow World. It was heartbreaking, having to read about the Clave's cruelty, making her come to speak about her heritage the way she did. I won't spoil it, in case anyone hasn't read it, but it made my heart ache even more than it already did for the Blackthorns and what they've had to go through (and even more in Lady Midnight). At least she has Aline, who will always be there for her. Ugh, the Blackthorns and what the Clave did to Helen and Mark still makes my hair stand up.
This is how a faerie loves: with a gift.
Bitter of Tongue: 5 stars
MARK. MY BABY. The Blackthorns make me want to leap and scream, both in agony and in joy. I can't help myself, so some mild spoilers hereon lay.
Simon gets taken by a faerie in a turn of unseen events, and meets Mark Blackthorn. Mark is breathtaking, and my bones ached for him and his situation. The revelations that we have of him, of what's become of him in the Wild Hunt, made me want to cry. Clare has written Mark so beautifully, and so tragically, that I can't even comprehend how lovely of a character he is. He's a faerie, and he is beautiful, and he speaks in poetry, and he walks as if he is caught in an endless, lovely dance, but he holds steadfastly onto his Shadowhunter brothers and sisters, holds on to his hope that he will be saved. We see all of this through Simon's eyes, and it is both terrible and wonderful. We also meet Kieran, the Prince. (I've yet to finish Lady Midnight, but I do suspect some things that I see now may have been alluded to in this story).
All in all, this one was the most heartbreaking, yet the most beautiful. This one comes into my second favorite out of all of them, and would possibly be my absolute number one favorite if not for James Herondale, because we all have a soft spot for Herondales, let's be real.
Julian was their father, Simon thought with a dawning of horror. There was nobody else. Even though the Blackthorns had family who wanted to be there for them, wanted it desperately. The Clave had ripped a family apart, and Simon did not know what effects that would have in the future or how the wounds the Clave had inflicted would heal.
The Fiery Trial: 4.5 stars
Parabatai, Shadowhunters, technicalities, and much more. I loved this one as well, as you can see I've loved all of these stories. We get to see the weird hallucinations caused by Lake Lyn water, and it's so weird. So, so, so weird. But also very fascinating. Simon and Clary in this story gave me early TMI feels, and I welcomed them happily alongside all of the current angst we keep getting thrown at us. We also get to be witness to a parabatai ceremony, through Simon's eyes. It is all very interesting and very cruel, knowing what we know from Clare. It also made me agonize, knowing that everyone bearing witness to this ceremony felt something off about it, yet let it happen. WHY, OH WHY?
It was everything. It was all the love he saw in Jem's eyes when he talked about Will, and the love in Alec's face when he looked at Jace, even when Jace was being annoying, and a clear memory he had of Jace holding Alec while he was wounded and the desperation in Jace's eyes, that terror that comes only from thinking you might lose someone you can't live without.
Born to Endless Night: 5 stars
MALEC. 'Nuff said.
Just kidding.
I'm pretty sure everyone knows about this one; how can one not? It's been all over tumblr and pretty much everything else. I won't spoil anything, just in case anyone has not been defiled by spoilers.
A blue-skinned warlock baby is left on the steps of the Academy. Oh, what a scandal! Everything surrounding this instance, to me, is mysterious. Anyway, Simon and co find the baby, and not knowing what to do, bring said obviously-a-warlock baby to Magnus, who also happens to be with Alec in an apartment alongside the Academy.
Hilarity ensues, at first; things get real mushy real quick, with some tearful angst that gets resolved rather quickly, though there continues to be that underlying string of angst as there usually is with Clare's work.
Max, guys. That's all I'm going to say, to spare you non-spoilery people.
The note read: Who could ever love it?
Angels Twice Descending: 5 stars
Man, you can never go through any kind of Shadowhunter ceremony without angst hitting you like a punch to the gut. Again, I won't spoil anything for anyone who hasn't read it yet.
All the mundanes are on edge; the day for Ascension has finally come, and everyone is nervous. Will they all survive the Cup, finally becoming Shadowhunters, able to bear Marks and fight demons and protect and serve the Angel? That's what all the mundanes are thinking; the Shadowhunters are just ready to graduate. Things happen, and there is honestly a shocking turn of events that I was not expecting. I mean, based on the blurb, I was expecting someone to not make it, but I was completely shocked at who it was. I think I teared up a little bit at it. But man, this one was good. Simon, my poor comic relief baby, made me so proud. I didn't even know I could be even more proud of Simon than I already was, what with his beautiful progressive thoughts, but I was pleasantly surprised at how happy I was with him. Definitely a great ending for this novella of short stories, and definitely worth the read.
But swearing was a serious thing for Shadowhunters. You never promised unless you were absolutely sure.