The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Maureen Johnson

“To them, as to Magnus, time was like rain, glittering as it fell, changing the world, but something that could also be taken for granted. Until you loved a mortal. Then time became gold in a miser's hands, every bright year counted out carefully, infinitely precious, and each one slipping through your fingers.” 

This book was really great. I loves all the little snapshots into Magnus Bane's life. You could definitely tell this was written by people other than Cassandra, but I really enjoy both Sarah and Maureen's writing so I was not too bothered by it.  My review is mostly going to be a bit about each story with a separate rating (that part is going to be spoilery). Overall this was a 4 star book. And that is largely due to how much I like Magnus as a character.



What Really Happened in Peru: ♛♛♛♛

• This was witty, crazy Magnus as I have come to expect it. Basically a bunch of crazy things that happened in Peru.

The Runaway Queen: ♛♛

• Interesting story about the French Revolution and Magnus's role with the royalty and with Parisian Vampires, this one was pretty meh for me. But we got to see how much Magnus cares and does help people. 

Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale: ♛♛♛½

• This was a nice insight into the planning of the Accords and also seeing Will's father and mother briefly.

The Midnight Heir: ♛♛♛♛♛

• This one was  perfect with Tessa, Will, and Jem. I also loved the glimpse of James we got. I feel like this shows a little bit of what to expect in The Last Hours. Definitely my favorite story of the 11.

The Rise of Hotel Dumort: ♛♛♛

• This seemed like filler but did give background on the Hotel Dumont. I enjoyed the bits about Magnus running a speakeasy. 

Saving Raphael Santiago: ♛♛♛

• Nice backstory to Magnus and Raphael's relationship and interaction in City of Heavenly Fire. Plus we get to see Magnus helping someone yet again. 

The Fall of Hotel Dumort: ♛♛½

•  I'm not a big fan of these vampire stories I guess. This one was extremely meh for me. But we did see the lengths Magnus will go to to protect and help the Downworlders.

What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything: ♛♛♛♛♛

• This story was adorable and quirky. I absolutely loved it.  Magnus fussing about what to get Alec, when all Alec wanted was to spend time with him.

The Last Stand of the New York Institute: ♛♛♛♛

• Tessa, Clary, and Jocelyn background in this one. This story was a nice sidestory to the Uprising and Valentine's first War with the Shadowhunters. Again we see Magnus helping out Clary (even if he is reluctant at first).

The Course of True Love: ♛♛♛♛♛

• That first date was epic. I thought it was perfect for the two characters. And seeing the insecurity of both Alec and Magnus was great. 

The Voicemail of Magnus Bane: ♛♛♛♛½

• Cute, quirky, and hilarious. I loved everyone's voicemails telling, or somethings threatening, Magnus to get back together with Alec. I would have liked to see Magnus's reaction to all of these, but I guess the tidbit at the end gives us a clue as to how he reacted. 

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

“We are all the pieces of what we remember. We hold in ourselves the hopes and fears of those who love us. As long as there is love and memory, there is no true loss.”

Short review since this is the sixth in a series, but if you haven't read this series you really should. As a whole, I prefer the Infernal Devices Trilogy, but this series is all really well done.

This was a great conclusion to the series. Cassandra Clare did a great job tying up all the loose ends and also setting the stage for the next series with Emma and Julian. I loved the introduction to all the new characters in this book. Emma seems like such an amazing character, I cannot wait to learn more about her and her friends in LA.

The only problem I have with this conclusion is just how it seemed too perfect. That isn’t a bad thing really, but I think I can come to expect it from this world.

So this book was a wonderful conclusion to Clary and Jace's story and now I really need Lady Midnight. Also I really need to stop waiting so long to finish conclusions to Cassandra Clare's series.

♛ ♛ ♛ ♛ ♛