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

Summary (from Goodreads):

Fans of The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices can get to know warlock Magnus Bane like never before in this collection of New York Times bestselling tales, in print for the first time with an exclusive new story and illustrated material.

This collection of eleven short stories illuminates the life of the enigmatic Magnus Bane, whose alluring personality, flamboyant style, and sharp wit populate the pages of the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices.

Originally released one-by-one as e-only short stories by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, and Sarah Rees Brennan, this compilation presents all ten together in print for the first time and includes a never-before-seen eleventh tale, as well as new illustrated material.

Review:

This book was magical. Seriously, there are no better words. I have read and loved Cassandra Clare’s books. And while reading these books that I love, I often stopped to think about how wonderful it would be for Magnus to have his own book. For those of you who don’t know, Magnus is flamboyant, fashion-crazed, kind-hearted warlock who has been alive for centuries. He’s bisexual and has hinted at many different romances in Clare’s earlier series. Now, I finally got to see some of these romances. I got to see Magnus become the warlock that he is in the last of the Mortal Instruments books, and it is such a fun journey.

If you are a fan, you know that these stories about Magnus could be anything but dull. The man goes for hot air balloon rides around Paris, he rescues Marie Antoinette, and he falls in love with men, women, shadow hunters, and vampires. He has adventures on pirate ships, he’s on the forefront of wars, revolutions, and peace treaties, and he helps (much as he doesn’t think he does) so many people.

Not all the stories are equally good. I think I actually liked the first couple of stories and then the last couple of stories the best. I loved his role in the French Revolution, but I loved even more getting to see his first date with Alec. There’s moments with Alec, with Camile, with Tessa, with all the Herondales, and with so many other characters I know and love.

Also, I love that Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson helped with the stories. These are three of my all time favorite YA authors, and how often do you get such a fantastic mixture in one? While I have always loved Magnus, since the first book, I finally feel as though I might understand him a little bit better. And I love him even more. He is just such a rich, interesting, deep, and hilarious character. I would read 11 more stories about him if more were to be written.

I do get that not everyone loves Cassandra Clare, and I have noticed quite a bit of anger toward her online recently. Most of it is in regards to her continuing to write books in this universe and “milking” it for as long as she can. There has only, so far, been one book out of the now 10 books in this universe that I didn’t absolutely love. So, I guess, if they continue to be good stories, I can’t complain about the same universe. She doesn’t always write about the same characters, and I think it’s characters that she most excels at writing. So, everything does read rather uniquely to me. Why not keep writing in a setting where supernatural creatures exist and shadow hunters are there to fight the demons?

I guess the main thing I wanted to say in regards to the hate I’ve been reading is this: everyone is entitled to their own opinion (I’m all for free speech), but I do think you should read a book before expressing so much anger toward it. Or at least, explain why you stopped reading it. I don’t always like the books everyone else likes. And vice versa, people don’t always agree with my tastes either. However, I don’t give my opinion/tastes/reviews on books I haven’t read. And also, I thought I’d throw in; there are some male authors out there who have written more than 10 books in the same universe, and I don’t see them receiving quite as much anger for it. Why can’t an author (male or female) keep writing in the same universe and maintain their success?

All in all, I loved this collection of short stories. Magnus Bane is just such an interesting character. His adventures were equally interesting. And I’m really glad these three authors decided to do this. I give it a 10/10.