Ghosts of the Shadow Market By Cassandra Clare Book Review

About

Author(s): Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, Kelly Link, and Robin Wasserman

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Series: Shadwohutner books

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Synopsis

The Shadow Market is a meeting point for faeries, werewolves, warlocks, and vampires. There, the Downworlders buy and sell magical objects, make dark bargains, and whisper secrets they do not want the Nephilim to know. Through two centuries, however, there has been a frequent visitor to the Shadow Market from the City of Bones, the very heart of the Shadowhunters’ world. As a Silent Brother, Brother Zachariah is a sworn keeper of the laws and lore of the Nephilim. But once he was a Shadowhunter called Jem Carstairs, and his love, then and always, is the warlock Tessa Gray. And Jem is searching through the Shadow Markets, in many different cities over long years, for a relic from his past.

Follow Jem and see, against the backdrop of the Shadow Market’s dark dealings and festival, Anna Lightwood’s doomed romance, Matthew Fairchild’s great sin, and Tessa Gray as she is plunged into a world war. Valentine Morgenstern buys a soul at the Market and a young Jace Wayland’s soul finds safe harbor. In the Market is hidden a lost heir and a beloved ghost, and no one can save you once you have traded away your heart. Not even Brother Zachariah.

Review

Spoilers Contained Below

For those who love Brother Snackariah, 😉

A book with Jem in every novella? SIGN ME UP! I kid you not, if Cassandra Clare wrote an autobiography about Jem, I would read it! If she wrote an autobiography of any of her characters, I would sit down on my couch and dive the heck in. Because what’s better than reading about the life of your favorite characters when you don’t have much of a social life, am I right? 😂

Anyway, not really joking about reading Jem’s autobiography. But I do mean it when I say that I thought I loved Jem from the Infernal Devices and his presence all throughout Cassandra Clare’s other books. But this book just amplified my love and admiration for Jem for sure. And it also magnified my love for the other characters in this book, which I’ll get more into later. This was such an excellent read and I would read it over and over again because all the stories filled in these pieces of the puzzle I never knew I was missing. And that’s why I love Cassandra Clare’s novellas because they are so worth it! 🖤

This review will be formatted differently, where I review each novella, so without further ado, let’s get right into all the magical tales:

Cast Long Shadows

Matthew Fairchild’s deepest secrets and greatest loss

“None knew better than Jem that someone could be not fully known yet still entirely loved.”

(pg. 56)

Cassandra Clare really is starting off STRONG! I asked myself, should I read Ghosts of the Shadow Market before I dive into Chain of Gold ? Then I was like, yea I should because maybe there will be things in that book that would make more sense when I got around to Chain of Gold. And intuition proved me right!

It was so nice to get a sneak peak into The Infernal Devices kids because we never really got around to their generation until now. I mean, we went from The Infernal Devices straight to The Mortal Instruments, so I love that Cassandra Clare is finally giving the people what they want, and by people I mean me 😆

If I’m being honest all the names introduced were one big headache at first because I was like, “Who?” But then, I started to figure it out and associate names to imaginary faces. I think it was hard for me to grasp the characters because Cassandra Clare has such an in-depth world that sometimes I just get lost with everything. Yikes. Do you tend to get confused too? Sometimes, I feel like I mix up or mis-remember plot lines and then other times I’m like, why are we fighting again or why XYZ again? I thoroughly need to go back and create a whole profile of her world because gosh knows I’m invested but can’t remember every gosh darn thing. Somehow I can remember ducks, worms, and demon pox, you know the important things. 😂

That’s not to say I don’t remember the plots of her books though, I do, just not the minute details that are honestly really the best part of the book 👌🏼

But I’m not here to talk about my confusion, I am here to talk about the descendants of Charlotte Fairchild and Henry Branwell, Ceicily Herondale and Gabriel Lightwood, Sophie and Gideon Lightwood, and Will and Tessa Herondale.

The child we got to know more of was mostly Matthew Fairchild. I quite like Matthew, he was such a charismatic charmer and I loved that. He would talk to anyone and they would always meet him with a kind grin and he’s just the type of person you want to be around. I found it cute how he would cook with Cook (thank goodness she still worked at the Institute) and how he prepared meals with her. It was cuter how he would joke that he would marry Cook. He could be the Chef to her Cook 🤪

What I couldn’t get past though, was the fact that Charlotte and Henry had a kid. Not that I didn’t think they would ever have a kid, but you know in The Infernal Devices, Charlotte has such an air of maturity that you think she’s just older—-like in her mid to late 20s or older. But it reminded me how Charlotte was in her early 20s during the time she took on the institute and looked after all those kids. Her early 20s!!!! Honestly, we just need to stand and applaud the STRONG woman Charlotte Fairchild is because, gosh gracious, she has more poise in her finger than I do in my whole body. I highly admire her.

I’m happy she had kids of her own because she would be a great mom. And she was. Matthew for the most part was a happy kid. I would have liked to understand Charles Buford (the older son) a little more and why he seemed distant from Matthew and the family. Is he the stuck-up kid? 😆 I also enjoyed the relationship that Matthew had with his extended family. There was Christoper Lightwood who worked with Henry in his lab. That’s such a cute relationship! Henry actually had someone who took interest in what he did and liked it! I loved that for him. I was also more intrigued to know more about the other Lightwood brother, Thomas. He was more distant, which I understand, but it would be nice to know why. I think there’s more to the story there. Matthew respected both Christopher and Thomas equally, which made him kinder in my eyes; the fact that he would be invested in both brothers no matter how different they were, spoke volumes.

“‘Is there a lady you find yourself thinking of more often than other ladies?’ he asked. ‘Or a hello,’ he added tentatively.

Christopher’s face cleared. ‘Oh! Oh yes, I see. Yes there is a lady.’

‘Christoper!’ Matthew exclaimed, delighted. ‘You sly dog!’ Do I know her’

‘No, I cannot think so,’ said Christopher. ‘She is a mundane.

‘Christopher, you dark horse,’ said Matthew. ‘What is her name?’

‘Mrs.–‘

‘A married lady!’ Matthew said, overhauled. ‘No, no. I beg your pardon. Please go on.’

‘Mrs. Marie Curie,’ said Christopher.

(pg. 38)

I could just imagine Matthew leaning on the table, waggling his eyebrows at Christopher like the intrusive cousin 😂 But when Christopher said “Mrs.”, I was in hysterics 😂

I love love love Christopher Lightwood already.

Someone else we got to meet was James Herondale, Will and Tessa’s son. If you read the Tale of the Shadowhunter Academy, I believe we got to know that James could travel as a literal Shadow because he has both demon and Shadowhunter/Angel blood in him. So his abilities are a whole new thing that not a lot understand. And I think James’ broodiness and darkness parallels well with Matthew’s brightness and optimism—-yin and yang. Matthew really cares for James and I could see that in the way they spoke to each other and the way Matthew thought about James. They had a good friendship going. I also loved the idea that Matthew chose James to be his parabatai. They had an oddly weird relationship that I liked. I still think it was concerning that Jame threw someone in a river and daddy Will and mommy Tessa should have some anger management classes with their son. But still he was only defending Matthew. Did he need to throw someone in a river to do it? Probably not. You couldn’t say he wasn’t loyal. I also respected how James respected Matthew and gave him time to be by himself when Matthew needed it and vice versa.

Speaking of parabatai, relating to Chain of Gold, we got to see Lucie Herondale too and her relationship with Cordelia Carstairs. It’s cute how Lucie and Cordelia had a penpal relationship and how Lucie wanted to ask her to be her parabatai, which obviously they will be. I can’t wait to see that relationship develop with The Last Hours.

Matthew is a genuinely good boy, so what happened with the market really sucked. It sucked the life out of poor Matthew! Jem (at the time Brother Zachariah, but I will still call him Jem) was at the Shadow Market and saw Matthew. Jem told Matthew not to take this potion that a faerie was giving away, but you know kids, if you tell them not to do something, they will go ahead and do it. So Matthew took the potion when he thought Jem wasn’t looking, but Jem’s not dumb.

The reason Matthew wanted the potion so badly kind of hurt. A lot of people would tell him that he was the illegitimate child of Charlotte Fairchild and that Henry wasn’t his father because Matthew didn’t look like them at all. At his age, I would get the insecurity of not knowing for sure if you were related to your parents. I mean, Matthew had golden blonde hair and Charlotte was a brunette and Henry had fiery orange hair. But, Matthew, really, did you really have to go and steal poison to find out? *Shakes head* but he was a kid, so I understand . . . it just sucked. But you know what? The adults who were so thoroughly convinced that Matthew wasn’t Henry’s son should have taken their assumptions and stuck it where the sun don’t shine because you don’t just tell a kid that sort of thing. Like how cruel are you?!

Matthew slipped some of the poison on food he prepared for his mom. The poison was supposed to help tell him whether or not Charlotte and Henry were his real parents. But that’s not what it did. It caused Charlotte to literally fall ghastly ill. They needed to call Brother Zachariah to help her and even then the effort was great. I still want to understand what exactly Matthew gave her and why it had that sort of effect on Charlotte. It mentioned how it took a big toll on her later on/for years, which I would like to dive more into, but the book never did. I hope Charlotte’s overall well-being is fine.

Part of the reason I think her body reacted badly was because she was with child. And gosh, my heart just fell like Johnathan Shadowhunter when Henry told Matthew that they were expecting another kid. A daughter no less. Then Henry had to be Henry and tell such an innocent, heart-felt story that he didn’t know would just make Matthew fall more from the heartache he felt.

But Henry was saying how they were going to name the baby Matilda after his great aunt, who HAD FAIR LOCKS! LIGHT HAIR!!

I swear, Matthew could have skipped the poison and should have talked to his parents about his lineage to understand!!! Communication people!!! He could have been like, “Dad, why is my hair blonde?” Maybe they would have told him about darn Matilda. 😰 I swear, communication is key.

But that drove the knife into Matthew’s back. It sucked the life out of him. When he wept, my eyes were glistening for him 😥 My poor baby!

“A secret too long kept can kill a soul by inches. I watched a secret almost destroy a man once, the finest man ever made. Such a secret is like keeping treasure in a tomb. Little by little, potion eats away at the gold. By the time the door is opened, there may be nothing left but dust.”

(pg. 49)

It’s like Will all over again! 😩

Didn’t we already put kids through the gutter! Matthew didn’t deserve this. Because after he cried, I felt this shift in him from light to dark, and feeling that was like hearing the tomb door close with a resounding thud. Because Will’s secret ate him alive for years, and this probably will eat Matthew up for years. He saw himself as the villain who nearly cost his mother her own life. He cost his future baby sister her own life. Just because he wanted to know if his parents were really his parents.

And I can’t blame Matthew, I really can’t. But I just want to hold him and tell him to tell his parents what he did in time. Secrets like his aren’t healthy for him. And he deserved better. It was sooo heartbreaking to see him become cold after getting to know him as the literal sunshine person he was. I just felt like he had a heavy burden on his chest now. And gosh, it will not be easy to tell his parents what he did, but he needs to. I wonder if in The Last Hours he will? I hope so, because we do not need a repeat of Will Herondale, well then again Will had a happy ending. I can only hope that for Matthew.

He was just a kid who made a mistake. We all make mistakes.

“He knew he could not be forgiven.”

(pg 53)

Cue the single tear rolling down my cheek. I want to hug him. He can be forgiven because if someone loves you that much, they will find it in their heart to.

This novella really sets the stage to what’s to come with Matthew and from the great words of Olaf, I hope it’s “all good things.”

Every Exquisite Thing

A history of great Lightwoods

“I can choose what shirt I wear when it suits me. The trousers and jacket do not make me a man, and the necklace does not make me a woman. They are only what makes me feel beautiful and powerful in this moment. I am exactly as I choose to be. I am a Shadowhutner who wears gorgeous suits and a legendary pendant.” 

(pg. 121)

This novella had such beautiful simplicity to it and I fell in love with it!

Anna Lightwood is someone who hands down has my utmost love and respect as a woman who knows what she wants and who she wants to be. Her character is so assured and so strong, there are literally no words for her.

I love the idea that she loves to dress more masculine. As a girl, especially a girl in the 1900s, wearing anything but a frilly dress and a tight corset was abnormal. People would look at Anna weirdly or with some odd fetish interest, but whenever she dressed like a “girl,” she got looked at in the right way. And it’s crazy how gendered dress can be in putting someone in a box of what they have to represent themselves in. Anna choosing to dress more masculine was her big middle finger to societal rules and gender norms and I was here for it. I thought it was kind of sad, but cute how she would loot through Christopher’s closet for clothes that felt more like her speed. It was sadder when she would look in the mirror and see herself as strong, but then in the next second she would have to change into something more feminine.

Part of Anna’s dreams was this fantasy that she would meet the love of her life and dance with her. Yes, her. And ALEC Lightwood would be proud! I’m proud. Given the time period, no one was openly out about his/her sexuality , but I loved how Anna owned up to it from the very beginning and wasn’t going to settle for anyone or anything less than what she deserved. Even Araiadne.

Ariadne was the Inquisitor’s daughter at the time who was going to be wed to a man for status sake. But from the minute Anna laid eyes on Ariadne at that dinner, I was like, Anna likes her. I was also thinking, how lucky was she to possibly meet the love of her life after just fantasizing about it. Manifestation at it’s finest. 👌🏼 I loved how they shamelessly flirted with each other and also met in secret to go on what I would call a nice getting-to-know-you date.

But the moment I knew I absolutely adored Anna’s character was when she walked away from Ariadne. Anna knew she wanted better than to have a temporary love with someone who was betrothed to someone else who didn’t want to change that because “that’s just the way the world works.” I felt sorry that Ariadne was ever made to feel that way because clearly she loved women, but again, given the time, I don’t think her parents would have understood it and that’s why she had such a closed mind to ever being with Anna. I think during that time, it would have been unheard of. But I like Ariadne, I really do, and I hope she can own up to her truth one day because I think being in a marriage just for power or for show, isn’t the most honest thing. Marriage should be about love. I also didn’t think it was fair of her to ask Anna to be her’s only for a few months because that’s just leading her on. Because after those few months, if Anna’s love grows for her, then what?

It takes strength to walk away from someone you could love.

Anna was strong.

But even the strong have their moments. When Anna cried in her room and Christopher went to check on her, my heart did a little clench because what a good brother!

The moment between Anna and Cicely though, was everything. Raise your kids right. I love love love how supportive Cicely was of Anna and how she picked up on Anna’s love of dressing masculine and her love of woman. Heck, I felt like Cicely knew Anna loved women the moment Cicely saw Anna lay eyes on Ariadne. Mother’s know best!

And you really cannot say that Cicely wasn’t a good mother. She talked openly with Anna about her love of Ariadne and didn’t put her down or make her feel bad for it. If all parents were like that, we would have less kids feeling insecure and wrong about who they are. My heart also melted when Cicely gave Anna a present and when Anna opened it, it was her very own blue suit 🤧 And then Anna tried it on and cut her hair. When she walked downstairs, I could not stop smiling at how Gabriel and Cicely did not look down at her, but they had a nice little banter moment. We love SUPPORTIVE parents. I love love love love love them.

“Both her parents looked up. She saw them take in her new clothes, as well as her short hair. She stood in the doorway, bracing herself for whatever response was coming.

A long moment passed.

‘I told you the blue waistcoat was the one,’ Gabriel said to Cecily. ‘It brings out her eyes.’

(pg. 119)

Just supporting your child with whatever he/she chooses speaks volumes. It allows them to feel comfortable being themself.

It was also such a sweet moment when Cecily talked to Anna about her name.

“‘Anna means ‘favor,’ as in ‘God has favored me.’ I thought the angel favored me with you, and I would make sure you were always happy, always content.'”

(pg. 116)

And isn’t that what all parents should want for their child: for them to be happy?

Someone raised Cecily right 😢

We also can’t forget the moment where Cicely gives Anna the infamous red pendant that would protect her against demons—the family heirloom. And it was such a powerful moment of acceptance and of love. No matter what Anna wears or who Anna loves, she was just a person beneath that. She was always her, now even more so because she had people in her life who made her feel comfortable with owning up to that. I’m happy Anna does.

I hope we get to see more of her in The Last Hours and maybe also Ariadne and if she ever comes out.

Learn About Loss

Tennessee carnival with demons, ducks, and dreams

 “The face of the one you love is the best mirror of all. It shows you your own happiness and your own pain and it helps you to bear both, because to bear either alone is to be overwhelmed by the flood.”

(pg. 162)

I enjoyed this novella, but this one probably wasn’t my favorite out of all of them. Not because it wasn’t good because anything Cassandra Clare and her friends wrote was phenomenal, but in comparison to the other novellas this one didn’t seem that jam packed, per say.

But it did have it’s good moments that I loved.

This one had a more carnival theme, which was fun, but we also got to meet Emilia, who was on her way to become an Iron sister. She’s such a strong woman and I love that. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. Oh, but don’t get me started on how she stood up for Jem. I absolutely loved the connection that her and Jem had. It was very light-hearted and at the same time heavy at points.

This Tennessee fair had a reputation for being a big odd as in magical, so Jem and Emilia went to check it out. In the hall of mirrors, they see the Belial demon again, which sounded sooooo familiar. Was that the demon that tricked Will into thinking he was cursed? I don’t know, but Jem sure had a bone to pick with him. Unless that was the demon who went after his family? If you remember, how is Belial and Jem related again?

“There are Herondales, not the ones you know, but of the same bloodline as your parabatai. They are in great danger . . .”

(pg. 152)

This is the first time Jem hears about the lost Herondale line. Looking at the date on this novella, 1936, I was highly astounded that they had information about the lost Herondale line that far back and that it took them about 70 or so years to actually claim up and find that line. It really puts into perspective how old Jem is 😆

When Jem left the hall or mirrors to chase Roland the Astonishing, who was a part of the Herondale line, Emilia stayed and struck up a deal with Belial. He was promising to make her the greatest Iron sister, but she wanted to be the best out of her hard work, which I admired. I also loved how she threatened Belial. I mean, get you a woman who’s not afraid to look a greater demon in the face and say that she will kill it and craft the very sword to do so. Chills, I tell you chills.

But what she asked for in return was the best 🖤

She asked for Jem and Will to have a good day together as they were younger. And then that night, Jem went to sleep and it was such a heartfelt moment when he saw Will and they were 17 again. It was nostalgic and brought me to happy tears. It felt like the good old days back in The Infernal Devices 😢 They were both in Shanghai, where Jem was from and then they went to go get dumplings and eat duck together because Jem always wanted to show Will where he came from. It was just soooooo sweet to see them share a moment together even if it was a dream. Will was getting older and I bet he wished that they could have spent time like that again—young and free. Honestly, as much as it would rip out my gut, I would love a novella about Will’s last days from his perspective. We always are told about Will’s last days and that he passed away naturally, but I would love to just creep around in his head and see how he spent those days with those he loved. I really do because I can just imagine Jem’s reaction, Tessa’s, the kids, and all the other people’s reactions. It will literally be the destruction of me, but you know, I like a good cry 🤧

And I just miss hearing from Will. Like can we get a novella about him as a dad? Or maybe that’s what happens in The Last Hours? Still, we now have a whole collection of novellas with Jem in them, I need one with Will. It’s only fair 🙈

“The night was very beautiful and warm, and they were both young.”

(pg. 162)

A Deeper Love

Wars and secret Herondales

“My Tessa,

There will be no separation between us.

Where you are, I am. Where we are, Will is.

Whatever else I may be, I remain always,

Your Jem”

(pg. 205)

Your Tessa?! YOUR TESSA!??

Your Jem?! YOUR JEM??!!!

Rip my heart out, why don’t you.

I would be half as lucky if I found a man like Jem. This is why I don’t date 😂

No, but seriously Jem is an honest to gosh gem and Tessa better wrap him around her finger and never let go because men like that don’t come around anymore!

I liked how this novella was set during WW2 and Tessa and Catarina Loss were working as nurses. The backdrop of the scene was very hectic and terrifying with the air raids. But I liked how Cassandra Clare and Maureen Johnson created pockets of lighthearted moments that parallel well with each other. In the beginning, Tessa and Catarina are taking a leisurely stroll talking about food and then at the end, they are taking another stroll, dreaming about sandwiches. It’s mundane things like that that really humanized the experience that they went through. Living through those times could not be easy and I knew that people had to ration their food/resources. But I was surprised at how they had to draw a line in their bathtub for how much water they were allowed to use. I never knew that. Imagine how much water we use today.

Jem is in London during this time, on the hunt for information of the lost Herondale. Information that gets him stabbed by a faerie who warns him about all the reasons he should stop looking into this situation. Honestly, did the faerie really need to stab my precious Jem? NO! Thank goodness to whoever found Jem and took him to the hospital that Tessa and Catarina were working at, because what were the odds?

It was fate.

Rushing Jem out of the mundane hospital reminded me a lot like a Grey’s Anatomy drama scene, but I was holding my breath because Jem could not die on us now! He needed to be with Tessa! Tessa needed a chance!

Tessa’s reaction to almost losing Jem hurt like a sucker punch to the chest. It’s amazing how a heart can have the capacity to love and care for two great men. Honestly, Tessa wins at life because not only did she have two great loves of her life, but heck, she had two amazing men who were completely fine with her loving two men. If Jem and Will ever had a love child, I would gladly marry that love child because, you know what, that child would have good looks and a good heart. The latter matters more to me, but they are honestly the epitome of what it means to be a man—to be a human.

When Jem wakes up, Catarina tells him all about the lost Herondale she helped raise. This was the story I needed to hear from her because in past books we got bits and snippets of people saying how Catarina raised a lost Herondale, but never from her perspective. Catarina helped Tobais Herondales’s wife by enchanting her to look like she was pregnant when she was executed. But she had her son already and his name was Ephraim, which sounds hard to pronounce. Ephraim went on to have his own lineage of kids, one of which included Roland the magician who was at the Tennessee fair Jem was at. I found it funny how Roland used his abilities to do mundane magic to woo people.

What I loved about after Jem waking up, was the conversation Tessa had with him. It was very vulnerable and honest. After years of not living with Will, having that one hint of doubt that she might not even get the chance to live and love with Jem, put into perspective how she never wants Jem out of her life. But Jem kept his distance from her because he didn’t want to put her in danger, which I understand. But maybe it also came from a place where Jem felt like he couldn’t see Tessa without thinking of all he wished he had with her. That made me wonder, how did Jem keep sane in the brains for years knowing he couldn’t really be with her?

That’s will power 😂 Ah, the pun!

The note he left her was sweeter, though because it was a reminder from him that he would always be hers—he would come back.

And all ladies need to get a man who will stick around for 100s of years and still want to be with you 😆

The Wicked Ones

Celine’s circle of love

“I sometimes think there is nothing more painful than love denied. To love someone you cannot have, to stand beside your heart’s desire and be unable to take them in your arms. A love that cannot be requited. I can think of nothing more painful than that.”

(pg. 225)

Oh, I can think of things that are more painful than that Jem 😆 Would you like me to list them for you?

I’m joking.

I loved how Cassandra Clare and Robin Wasserman gave us an inside look at the inner formings Valentine’s circle. I would also love a novella series about the circle forming and each person’s backstory into how they got roped into being part of his plan. Especially a novella from Valentine’s perspective because I just have one question: Who the HECK hurt him so badly as a child?

I honestly want to know.

Someone give me an in-depth explanation of the Morgenstern line because something OBVIOUSLY got screwed up along the way. Someone said family therapy 👉🏼👈🏼 Because I am not convinced that Valentine was born heartless, but it was his environment that made him that way. So I would like to know his parents and his parents’ parents and why the heck they treated their son so horribly that he would rage war on Shadowhunters and be a conniving little piece of dirt?!

As a no degree psychologist, but has some classes of psychology under my belt, here is my psychoanalysis of Valentine: He was raised in a harsh environment, probably with authoritarian parents who abused him. Since he was never shown love, he doesn’t know healthy relationships to create his own—-he knows how to manipulate. So I’m thinking his parents had a manipulative relationship and that’s what served the basis of Valentine and Jocelyn because he was naturally charismatic, but he also was manipulative. And that’s why Valentine raised Sebby with pain and strength because he was keeping with this cycle of abuse and violence. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

But seriously, he needed help at a young age and I am sorry for all those who didn’t help him because, heck, if they did early on, they wouldn’t be in the predicaments they find themselves in later.

But the focus here isn’t Valentine, it’s Céline, Jace’s mother. Céline needs a big hug. I honestly feel so much for her. Where do I begin?

Let’s talk about her abusive parents.

This was something that bonded her and Valentine, quite unfortunately because no kid should have gone through what they did.

There were a plethora of things wrong with how her parents treated her. First of all, good on Céline for running away countless times because I would have done the gosh darn same thing. But someone would track her down and bring her back to the one place that wasn’t safe for her: home.

“Céline knew her parents loved her, because they told her so repeatedly.

We’re doing this because we love you, her mother would say before locking her in the basement.

We’re only doing this because we love you, her father would say before lashing her with the whip.

We’re only doing this because we love you, when they set the Dragonidae demon on her; when they dumped her for the night, eight years old and weaponless, in a werewolf-ridden wood;. . .

That night, Céline had curled fetal in the corner of the basement, back still bloody, and thought, So this is how it feels like be to loved too much.”

(pg. 217-18)

Locking her in a basement is one thing. Beating her is another. But putting a DRAGONIDAE demon on her is next level RIDICULOUS! Who hurt her parents enough that they would do such a thing?! A freaking dragon? Are you joking? What is this Shrek?

But when she said that “So this is how it feels lot be loved too much?” My heart cracked in pieces for her. That wasn’t love, that was abuse beyond abuse. Heck, I wouldn’t even say it was abuse. It was worse. It was intent to kill or something horrible. Her parents were TERRIBLE and that’s an understatement 😤

Céline’s pain really set the stage to how easily convinced she was by Valentine. She was vulnerable and he took advantage of her pain and sorrow and made it anger. Again, and Valentine knew that from personal experience—he’s living proof of his anger.

And I understood why Céline was quick to think the good in him, but darn, I hoped she knew better.

“‘You covet pain, because you know it makes you strong,’ Valentine said . . .’You know why I understand you better than the rest of them? Because we’re the same. We learned early, didn’t we? Cruelty, harness, pain: no one shielded us from the realities of life, and that made us strong. Most people, they’re ruled by fear. They flee the specter of pain, and that makes them weak. You and I, Céline, we know the only way through is to face pain. To invite the cruelty of the world—and master it.'”

(pg. 266)

I just want to thoroughly shake my head because pain breeds pain and feeds it too. And Céline was eating it right up. Just because she knew pain, just because he also knew pain, didn’t mean he had to turn it into something dark. Yes, it’s good to face pain and feel it, but the way Valentine did it was monstrous. I also didn’t like the whole idea that he promised her Stephan Herondale on a silver platter because how in the heck would he do that?

But then again, he was because they had Jace.

But still, at the end when Céline was offered Stephan like a meal, she took it because she wanted him. What Jem said about unrequited love really got to her. I think Jem just didn’t know who he was talking to because Céline knew pain and I think part of her was tired of feeling it and she wanted it on a silver platter with the name Stephan Herondale written all over it. Maybe this was her way of facing the pain because she wanted happiness. Deep down, she knew it was wrong for her to have Stephan be hers because being someone’s person is different from loving that person. It kind of goes back to when Céline was in the Shadow Market with Jem and she got that potion that made Stephan fall head over heels for her. When Stephan kissed her, it gave her a taste into what she actually wanted from him—false hope.

My gosh, when she heard Stephan and Robert talking about how he actually didn’t like her and how they both thought little of Céline, I wanted to hit them upside the head! How dare they! And how dare Stephan cave into his panties by not claiming he at least respected and liked Céline! What a wimp. She deserved a man who worshipped the ground she walked on, not someone too scared to admit he felt something for her even if he was under a potion. Then again, Stephan was married to Amatis at the time, so maybe he really didn’t feel anything. Still, I’m no fortune teller and knew Amatis was not it for him. 🤪

While at the Shadow Market in the beginning, Céline bought the infamous Heron pendant for her lineage, which I loved getting to see. But while at the market, she stumbles across Jem/Brother Zachariah where they talk about unrequited love and feelings. Jem was at the market trying, yet again, to follow a lead about the lost Herondale. It begins this whole journey where Jem follows this guy named Jack who he thinks is the lost Herondale that he promises to protect and help, but in the end the guy changes his face and runs away. So Jem meets his wife, Rosemary on the bridge instead.

And you know, you can’t fool someone who knows Herondale’s better than he knows himself. When Rosemary laughed, he knew. We all knew. When she became partitive about the pendant, he knew. We all knew. I got to give the girl credit because her plan was actually pretty smart if Jem didn’t know any better. But it also makes me wonder who Jack really is? Is Jack even his real name? His real face?

But you can’t say their love wasn’t true or real. I loved how Jack would do anything to protect his wife, even if it meant changing who he was and being separated from her. That’s true love right there and they deserved better.

In this situation though, I liked how Jem didn’t force Rosemary to go with him. It was a very mature thing to do. He trusted that she could protect herself, but also gave her a way to reach out to him if she ever needed it, which I thought was pretty smart. If there’s anything strong out there, it’s the will of a Herondale.

The puns are coming today! 🤪

Son of the Dawn

Welcome to New York, Jace

“‘Maybe I wanted to rip my shirt for Brother Let-him-see-my-rack-ariah.'”

(pg. 306)

One of the biggest things I loved about this anthology was getting to see old characters in a new light. I had absolutely no clue that Lily Chen was this hilarious! I mean, was she always this funny? I like her! I never knew I liked her until now. Where has she been?

We were robbed of Lily Chen.

I just loved all her nicknames for Jem as Brother Zachariah because let’s be honest, they were darn right hilarious! Brother Snackariah. Brother Sixpackariah. Pure gold. I loved when she and Tessa took a walk and Lily told her all the names she had for Brother Zachariah. It was a cute giggly-school girl moment. And we love a wife who could joke with other girls about her husband.

Besides Lily’s underrated humor, I highly enjoyed hearing the story of when Jace came.

Isabelle was nervous (in an excited way) how Alec would take it because Alec was receptive to people. And then she had a change of heart where she didn’t want someone else in the family as a way to protect her brother’s from possible hurt. It was so interesting to see a younger Izzy perspective. She was strong and beautiful even then. It was also interesting to see how she picked up on Alec liking boys, but Alec never really said anything about it. She didn’t want to talk to him first about it because that’s Alec’s story to tell, so I respected how she gave him room to breathe, but also was protective and loving of him.

The part I was confused on a bit was that Jace came on a yin fen boat.

And might I say, it was cathartic to see Raphael again. I miss him. Out of all of the characters, he’s the one that really deserved better and Livvy Blackthorn and Arthur Blackthorn.

“’The work of the circle is not done yet. The Morgenstern legacy will claim more victims. I do not intend to be one of them.”

(pg. 293)

If only Raphael knew 😆.

Pretty darn morbid!

But it was interesting to see Raphael again, especially when he was so young/starting his reign as leader of the vampires. I’ll get more into that with The Land I Lost because it talks about Raphael a lot more, which I loved.

“There are more kinds of love than stars, said Brother Zachariah. If you do not feel one, there are many others. You know what it is to care for family and friends. What we keep sacred keeps us safe. consider that by trying to cut yourself off from the possibility of being hurt, you dust the door on love and live in the darkness.

Raphael stageert over to the rail and pretends to vomit. Then he straightened up.

‘Oh, wait, I’m a vampire and we don’t get seasick,’ he said. ‘I got nauseous for a second. Can’t think why. I heard Silent Brothers were withdrawn. I was looking forward to withdrawn!”

I am not a typical Silent Brother, observed Brother Zachariah.

‘Just my luck I got the touchy-feely Silent Brother. Can I request a different one in the future?”

(pg. 311)

Was Raphael always this funny too? 😂

Loved Loved Loved.

I also loved getting to meet Jace. The poor kid was on a boat with a bunch of drugs and he fought like a warrior. But the way Jem described Jace made my heart ache. He was sad. So when Jem saw Jac smile, it was such a beautiful thing and I loved how Jem thought it was like a “sunrise busting as a bright surprise upon the water” (pg 315).

And then Jace was like:

“‘I’d like that,’ said Johnathan Wayland, adding quickly, ‘To be a great warrior.'”

(pg. 316)

Yes, Jace, you manifest it! 👏🏼

The reaction of Jace from everyone was amazing.

For Alec, it was like seeing Zac Effron 😂 He was gosh darn in love and speechless. I mean, I probably would be too if I saw Jace. But it was funny how Alec was like, “Wow,” like he was looking at art or something. Knowing Jace, his ego would probably say yea 😂.

Max’s reaction was beyond cute in how he said, “Jonathan can sleep in my room because we love each other” (pg. 320). My heart 🖤

Maryse had a real maternal instinct in telling him he needed a haircut. But it was needed; it was cute the way Jace really fed into Maryse. I think it was because he didn’t have a mother figure and he craved that with her. I also liked when he was on the boat and asked about her rather than Robert, further emphasizing how he really wanted a mother figure in his life. I loved when Maryse was like, we’re keeping him because she was the very person who was hesitant to have Jace be there. But when she saw him, she was naturally taken away.

So I loved it when she gave him the name Jace. That was there bonding moment 🖤

Isabelle was more slow-to-warm with Jace because of her protective instinct. The moment in the kitchen when they’re all trying to help him clean his wound was a great bonding moment. You know, kids, cleaning demon wounds together, the usual 🤪.

One thing, I kept thinking as I read this though, was how didn’t someone say that when Jace came to the institute that he locked himself in his room for a good week or so, crying or closed off? I’m not sure. . . But I think I read it somewhere at some point. So the boat part made sense to me, but not so much how he met the Lightwoods. But again, my memory could be wrong. Gosh knows things get jumbled after a while.

I wonder how the heck Cassandra Clare remembers all her storylines/plot lines?

The Land I Lost

Through great loss, comes Alec finding and fixing it.

“‘Blood is not love, but it offers a chance for love.'”

(pg. 383)

If I didn’t love Malec already, I love them even more now.

Please adopt me 😆

Seriously.

They are such great parents and I could tell how much they loved and adored Max—how much they loved and adored kids in general. I loved how Max would say bring me back a sibling or how Alec would talk about all his brothers and sisters spoiling Max. I would love to be Max and be spoiled by Aunt Izzy and Uncle Jace. How cute! That kid’s living the life!

This novella gives you a different side of Alec, a powerful, independent side we never personally see. Alec has suchhhh a big heart, which I knew, but I never knew how much. He loves his husband, he loves Max, and he loves his friends and would do anything for them. Again, who knew he had a good friendship with Lily Chen. I love their dynamic. But the moment when Jace and Alec went to Hotel Dumont to go get her was utterly hilarious! Jem asked Alec to go to Buenos Aires because the Shadow Market Queen there would only talk to Alec for some reason. Instead of Magnus or Jace going, Alec was going to take Lily.

Lily and Jace are one and the same.

“‘Ah, yes.’ Lily brightened. ‘I’m very curious to see how the hottest Shadowhunter in the world is doing.’

‘I’m great,’ said Jace.

Lily tapped her foot. ‘Nobody’s talking about you, Jason. Have you heard the phrase ‘tall, dark, and handsome’?’

‘Sounds like an old-fashioned saying,’ said Jace. Sounds like something people used to say before I was born.'”

(pg. 346-47)

I cannot with either of them 😂.

Or Elliot. Where was Elliot all this time too? It’s like I heard of him, but not really. He sounds like a really funny dude to go to Robert and talk to him when Lily wasn’t there. Elliot was left in charge when she was gone and he didn’t know what to do. He’s a fun one.

So Lily and Alec go off to Buenos Aires and while there they head to the institute. But after the Dark War, everything was left in shambles, even the whole system in place there. Which was really interesting to see because the Dark War did have a lot of repercussions to different places, so it was nice to see how it impacted other places outside of the usual setting. It broke my heart that so many kids had no homes or food on the table. Then there was sweet Rafael who was like a godsend on their mission. Like what are the chances that they would find a kid named Rafael on the street?

Rafael was such a good kid, but I could tell he was hesitant to Lily and Alec because he had no parents and that made him closed off to adult figures. But he grew to like Lily and Alec and be under their care. It was harder for Rafe to warm up to Alec and I thought that was funny given how badly Alec seemed to want Rafe to like him. Calling him Rafe made him feel like he was someone new and when Rafe smiled, I thought that was cute. What made me crack up the most was Rafe’s interest in Magnus on Alec’s phone. I thought it was cute how enraptured Rafe was with the ‘shiny, sparkly dude,’ and how he thought “What was Alec doing with a guy like that?” 😂 I’m still wondering what his boludo means and why he would always call Alec that. Probably not a good thing.

But I could tell Rafe secretly liked Alec because of the way Alec took him in and treated him well. Alec really was sweet when he bought Rafe shoes because he didn’t have any. I mean, what a heart 🖤

What I started to mention with Son of Dawn, was Lily and Raphael’s story, which got discussed more with this novella. Getting to know Lily throughout this anthology was the best. She was born in 1885 and her mother was sold to her father, who eventually sold her and her mom to a place called the House of the Eternal Pearl. If I’m being honest, again, what kind of parents are these people? The dad can go stick a fork up where the sun don’t shine! You don’t sell girls to a house like that! While there, her mother was fed to the vampires because she was too old. Lily made a deal with one of the vampires there that if they turned her into a vampire, she’d free them all. Instead, Lily burned that house down, rightfully so. She never told this story to anyone except Raphael and now Alec. This just goes to show how much she trusted both of them, and with Raphael no longer there, it probably meant so much to Alec that she entrusted him with her story.

After that she left London and moved to New York where she met Shadowhunters for the first time. Lily also knew Camille Belacourt, which again, HOW OLD IS SHE? Well, then again, she did say she was born in 1885 so we know 😆 But wow, she has an eventful life. When Camille ruled the New York vampire clan, she had this guy named Louis Karnstein in charge of the hotel and he would do whatever he liked. That was until Raphael came. Raphael wanted to create a better system at the hotel and he did everything he could to do it. He was a natural leader and I loved that. Just hearing this side of Raphael gave me a whole new outlook on him because in the Mortal Instruments we only get Raphael in the moment—someone who seems very pimp daddy-esque and who has a thing with Isabelle. So to know he was a leader and a lover made me admire him more now. But when starting to takeover the hotel, he said to Lily:

“‘Sleep, Lily. I’ll watch the doors.’ I never slept peacefully before. I didn’t know how to rest and trust I was safe. I slept that day as I’d never slept before.'”

(pg. 392)

Raphael was sweet on her! We should have gotten that relationship! Darn.

But Raphael was such a good person. He looked out for those he loved. And maybe that’s what Lily felt with Alec. My heart melted like a candlestick when Alec was like, “Sleep, Lily. I’ll watch the doors.” When it was nighttime 🖤

So cute.

But back to the story. When they go to the Shadow Market to see the Queen of the market, it’s this girl named Juliette who Alec and Magnus saved on a train in the Red Scrolls of Magic. I swear, I don’t remember 😆 But Alec must have made a great impression if she remembered and trusted him. Apparently, werewolves had been disappearing at the market and she wanted his help to figure out why. Apparently it was the Beakspear’s there who were kidnapping werewolves. And can I say Beakspear sounds a lot like Dearborn as in Zara Dearborn the gosh darn optimal of evil.

I enjoyed seeing Alec and Jem work together because I think we’ve never got to see that dynamic before. They are both two, silent caring hearts and that’s why I think they understand each other well. There was this moment when Alec was asking him about kids. Jem said he wanted kids but didn’t want to put Tessa in that position again to outlive and lose her kids like that. It resonated a lot with Alec, because he was the Jem in the Jessa relationship—the one who wasn’t immortal. And it made Alec think about how Magnus might live on without him, how his kids might too. It was really bittersweet because that’s honestly such a weird concept to know that as a parent you are immortal to your kids. To watch them grow old, while you didn’t has to be weird. Gosh, I can’t imagine what Tessa felt or what Magnus would feel.

But the love Alec felt for Magnus was real.

And can we just take a moment to say that Jem can write a poetry book and I’d read it. I swear, he is the most eloquent speaking person and anything that comes out of his mouth sounds like true poetry. I kid you not. Throughout this anthology, his words sound like someone who sat at a window for years, brooding at the outside world, just waiting for the right time and place to say something poetic. I mean, I guess I wouldn’t be surprised because he was a Silent Brother. What else did he have to do besides stew in his poetic mind? 😂

“‘Me? Jem asked, startled. ‘No, I’ve never thought of myself as very good with words. I like music. It’s easier to express what you feel with music.'”

(pg. 407)

Don’t you play dumb with me James Carstairs. You know EXACTLY what you are saying. “I like music” 😆 Yea, the music of your voice.

But the werewolf takedown was so Fast and Furious level epic. I mean, can we talk about the moment when Alec rushed into the burning building and then talked to Joaquín about being a hero. What a MOMENT. Alec, heart of a warrior. Let’s talk about Joaquín, the guard at the Buenos Aires institute who was fascinated and starstruck for Alec. He seemed like such a good person who wanted to be better and I was here for that. He didn’t want to be hateful of Downworlders, but he grew up around all these negative perceptions of them, so I understood where he came from. But when Joaquín made the choice to follow Alec in the house to save everyone, it was such a good moment! Alec taught him what it really meant to be a Shadowhunter👌🏼. I hope we get to see Joaquín again one day and how he’s doing. When Alec left, he made him the new leader of the institute. I have a good feeling about that. But I also have a good feeling about Alec in general because he wants to bring about change. As someone who is married to a Downworld man, he lies on the intersection of a lot of issues. So it’s honorable the way Alec acknowledges that and wants to do something about it. I loved the moment when he goes back to the institute and he has that cute conversation with Robert. Robert and Alec always had a rocky relationship, but it’s nice to see them actually trying to make it work. I loved that. What made my heart clench was when Robert asked about having dinner with him and his grandkid and he was so excited about it, but inside Alec’s head he was thinking how awkward those dinners are. But they brought joy to Robert. I mean, he’s trying 😢 Or can we talk about the moment when Robert was like:

“‘You’re a good man, Alec,’ he said at last. ‘You’re a better man than I am.’

Alec loved his father and would never be cruel to him. So he didn’t say: I had to be.”

(pg. 439)

I know shade when I see one! But that had so much meaning in it. Alec wanted to be better than his dad—-his past, mistakes, and his role as a father. And I loved that Alec wanted to be more than his father was. But it also meant a lot that his father knew that Alec was a good man. That he was proud that at least he turned out all right.

Robert also talked to Alec about him taking the role of Inquisitor one day. Having that role would also bring about the change that Alec wanted to create. It’s a role he deserves fully!

But back to the idea of the Shadow Market, Jem and Tessa get what they set out. They cornered the same lady who gave Matthew that poison in the beginning of the book. The lady had information about the lost Herondale line. Or well a tale about it. I wonder how old she is? 🤪 This anthology is really out here making me question everyone’s age!

She told the story of the Seelie and Unseelie court at war and the first heir named Auraline, which by the way, is such a beautiful name. Auraline married Roland the magician/the lost Herondale mentioned earlier. Together they built a life of running together and in the end they passed naturally. Their first heir is still out there, and can be utter destruction (pg 408-13).

And the first heir, ladies and gents, is the infamous Kit Herondale. Man, his life is already a mess before he even knew it. Poor boy caught in the middle.; a product of a screwed up situation. Why did they have to drag Kit into this 😂 But I love Kit and he’ll get through this. I don’t know how, but Herondales are known for greatness!

When Alec came back, he made Max’s wish come true and brought back a brother. I thought it was beyond adorable how easily Max fell in love with Rafe or how cute it was that Rafe clung to Magnus and his magic. Max is such a cutie in saying how he wanted to be both a warlock and a Shadowhunter. But I loved how Alec didn’t want to put either of his kids in a box of who they can and can’t be. So when he started to train both of them, I was a literal puddle on the floor in love.

Honestly, the parent of the year award goes to Malec. They really out here raising their kids right because they know it’s going to prevent another gosh darn war in the future 😂

I’m joking.

But Malec, absolutely love love love love love them 🖤

Through Blood, Through Fire

Two couples bound and separated by love through heck and back.

“Loss was an inevitability of love, pain, the inescapable price of joy. Everyone had to learn this someday—maybe this was what it meant to grow up.”

(pg. 469)

This one takes your heart and stomps on it.

Rosemary has been through a lot and that’s to say the least. It’s also not fair because it’s not like she chose to be born into this secret line of Shadowhunters and to be hounded down by the fae. Can’t we just let her live peacefully with the love of her life and her son? 😩

I do give her soooo much credit though for always putting her husband and her son’s safety above her own, even if it meant not seeing them. that had to be hard for her as mother and wife.

Jem and Tessa hurry to her aid one day after getting a signal from her from the Heron pendant Jem gave her, but when they show up it’s far too late and that just breaks my heart. Rosemary deserved better and you can’t tell me otherwise. She passed away honorably, but gosh I wished she could have had Jack and Kit there with her so she wasn’t by herself. At the same time, maybe not so much Kit because that would have been traumatizing, but heck, what happened after Johnny Rook, I feel like Kit’s already traumatized 😆

Still, he should have had a good last moment with his mother where he knew how much she really gave up to sacrifice for him and the dad.

If I’m being honest, I think Jem and Tessa’s plan for Tessa to shape shift into Rosemary and go to the bar so they could find Kit, wasn’t the brightest idea. I mean, if Rosemary had a bounty over her head, naturally people would recognize her/she would be on a radar. It was no surprise that Tessa as Rosemary got pelted with an arrow by some assuming fae, but Tessa got wounded badly and was in this whole in between of being Rosemary and being Tessa. I was thoroughly worried for her!

But it was interesting to have Tessa be in that gray area (there’s another pun for you 😉) of being in Rosemary’s mind and her own mind. When in Rosemary’s mind, we finally got to understand Rosemary and what she really has been through, which I loved hearing. She’s such a dynamic character and very similar to Jem and Tessa.

Rosemary and Jack met at a beach when she was skipping school. She saw him and they instantly bonded.

“He says, I think I’m in love. She whacks him, hard, tells him it’s rude to say that as a joke, even to a girl like her, hard as adamas. He says, ‘What makes you think I’m joking?'”

(pg. 483)

What hurt so much about the situation was that her family had to move again for her safety, but she was tired of moving around, which I get. As a 16 year old who’s in love, of course, you don’t want to move away from that. But her act of teenage refusal cost her parents their life because it was too late. And it served as a heavy burden in her life that she was the cause of them losing their life when all they wanted to do was protect her. It sucked because Jem was the product of someone who saw his parents get murdered and then Rosemary and now Kit. When will all this violence end for them? I give a lot of credit for Jack being there for her and how they protected each other. They loved each other so much that they would do whatever it took and I admired that.

The way I saw it resembling Tessa was how here was a couple who loved each other so fiercely and couldn’t be together knowingly.

I felt sorry for Johnny Rook/Jack because he didn’t even get to be with the love of his life before he passed away and vice versa. And I can’t even begin to explain the ache in my heart at how they sacrificed their lives for their son. I hope they are resting peacefully in the great blue sky. They deserve peace.

Kit.

He’s still stuck on heck on earth with no parents and it sets up the stage to what happened in the beginning of Lady Midnight when Emma and Julian were at Johnny Rook’s house and Jem and Tessa show up. I really liked seeing that parallel/other perspective of what happened.

You can’t really blame Kit for being closed off and shocked by what he saw. But I liked how Tessa knew the last thing he needed was another lie about who he was or that he was going to be okay. He was a Herondale and responded to strength. So she talked unabashedly to him and it helped him get through the situation.

With Kit going to the Los Angeles institute, Jem and Tessa have a talk of their own about love, loss, and kids.

Because gosh darn TESSA was with child. She knew it then! And might I question how in the world did they find time to do the nasty to have a child during their adventures? I mean, when? 😆 They never cease to amaze me.

But anyway,

“It was easier not to feel. It was safer not to love. It was possible to make oneself silent as stone, to wall oneself off from the wild and its losses, to empty one’s heart. It was possible, but it was not human.”

(pg. 500)

It was hard to lose kids, but starting another family with Jem was love and she didn’t want to close herself off to that. I was excited that Jem had the chance to be a father and that they could finally create the life they envisioned so many years ago. If anyone deserved that it was them.

I absolutely adored the way Cassandra Clare and Robin Wasserman ended this novella; Jem and Tessa hugged with the baby in between them 🖤

The Lost World

Livvy and Ty’s unbreakable bond

“Maybe that was her future. Black nothingness. but right now she had Ty. She could choose the path that led away from Dimmet Tarn for as long as she could. She had an anchor. She would hold on as tightly as she could.”

(pg. 544)

My sweet, baby Tiberius got his shining moment in his own novella! I’m proud! I am rooting for Ty’s happy ending, so you best bet I was happy to see that he was doing well.

This novella takes place after Queen of Air and Darkness when Ty is at the Scholomance. I must say, he adjusted well to his new lifestyle and I loved that for him. I also liked that he now had a cool feline sidekick because it would not be a Shadowhutner book without one. He has a Carpathian lynx named Irene. It made me sad though that Ty didn’t have a lot of friends. I know it might be hard to him to make friends, but I also felt hurt that people didn’t reach out to talk to him. When Ty fell ill and went to the infirmary and that guy Anush was there, he was like, “Oh, we’re not really friends.” I wanted to whack Anush. Anyone would be lucky to be friends with Ty! Anyone.

But at least Anush tried to care, so I give him more credit.

I think talking to your twin’s ghost might have also been a factor as to why no one was friends with Ty. I liked how we got a glimpse as to what that relationship was like. It seemed that only Ty and Magnus could see Livvy. The farther Livvy was away from Ty, the bigger the repercussions. When she tried to get into Idris, it made Livvy almost forget who Ty was or what she was doing. Livvy wasn’t able to get into Idris, but she did hear Zara and Manuel talk about a surprise attack. Apparently, they were low on resources in Idris also, which doesn’t surprise me because Zara can’t lead ducks so what makes her think she can lead a country? I don’t like her 🙃

Then Livvy visited the Los Angeles institute to fetch Magnus. When she was there, she messed around and tried to get into Helen, Aline, and Dru, but none of them could see her. I think part of her spirit was frustrated that she was invisible to them, so that’s why the plates clattered in front of Helen and Aline and the electricity wavered with Dru. I hope Dru is okay. Dru is someone who needs more love.

Speaking of love.

Kit and Ty. Always them. If you’re new here, I’m a big stan for Kit and Ty, or Kity. I still can’t believe how dumb their being in not talking to each other. They both miss each other and are just trying to push their feelings down and that’s never healthy for anyone. I wished they would just talk to each other already!

Kit was the only one who could also see Livvy because he was there when Ty raised her. But when he was talking to her and asked if everything was fine, we all knew he was worried about Ty too. JUST TALK ALREADY MAN!!!! I swear, Herondales can fight, they can banter, but when it comes to getting the ball rolling with love, they’re clueless as heck ( I think Will might be the exception, but still). 😆 They’re going to be endgame. I know it.

I bet your ducks they will.

But one of the creepiest things that happened with Livvy was how she was thinking dark thoughts. Tessa was going into labor and that’s where Magnus was, but Livvy had the idea that if she became Tessa’s baby, then she could start a new life; she was going to be Tessa’s baby’s spirit. THAT’S A HARD NO FROM ME. I don’t care if it’s Livvy or not—I love Livvy—-but don’t take the baby’s life!

Can we pause to talk about the name of said baby girl?

Wilhelimina Yiqiaang Ke Carstairs or Mina for short. What a name, what a name.

But didn’t I tell you that her name would include Will in it 😂. I swear if there’s anyone who’s bigger fans of Will Herondale than me, it’s Jem and Tessa.

But her name had such a beautiful meaning. It had Will in it and the meaning of Wild Rose. They also wanted her to have Chinese name for Jem and to honor Rosemary who trusted them to take care of Kit (pg 558). I also liked how they never gave her the last name Gray because that would tie her into becoming a Warlock and they wanted her to choose who she wanted to be. We love parents who give options for their child.

I’m glad Livvy came to her common sense and didn’t ruin the baby’s life. But Magnus did grow worrisome about the bond Livvy and Ty had. Because the farther Livvy was, the weaker Ty got. I wonder why? So Magnus gave Livvy the Heron pendant to bound her to Ty and to protect him from being bound to her. I think that was smart, but did we really have to give HER the Heron pendant. I feel like Kit should still have it. But that’s my opinion.

One of the troubled things about Livvy’s plot line is the idea of what the Dimmet Tarn showed her. Dimmet Tarn is this pond near the Scholomance with weird properties that are supposed to show the future of that person. When Livvy looked into Dimmet Tarn, she saw blank nothingness. To me that symbolized how maybe this bone won’t last forever and that Livvy will eventually move on. I think her future is finding peace. Maybe once this final battle is over in the Wicked Powers, her job of being there for her twin will be done and that’s what the darkness means. I hope she finds peace. Or it could also mean she might become darkness as hinted at with her endeavors. But knowing the person she becomes the farther she is from Ty, should help her control herself to not succumb to the darkness.

I’m still interested in learning more about this bond and her future.

Forever Fallen

Jace? Yea, I don’t think so.

“Memories were like love: wound and cure, both at once.”

(pg. 595)

You know Cassandra Clare, she likes to end with a bang!

And she did not disappoint.

This basically set the stage for the Wicked Powers in a lot of ways, which I still can’t believe we have to wait TWO YEARS FOR!!!! I’m ready right now!! But then again, the sooner the books come, the faster the series is over. I just don’t see Cassandra Clare ever giving up on Shadowhunters and this beautiful world she built. The day she does, someone take me to the City of Bones and put me next to Will Herondale 🤪.

I’m not mentally ready for this to all be OVER! It really brings me back to when I read City of Heavenly Fire and I thought it was over. Like over over. But then we got The Dark Artifices, The Last Hours, all these novellas, and now the Wicked Powers. Cassandra Clare has written us a lot and I thank her everyday for creating a world that I fall into so easily and love with a burning passion. A thorough thank you 🖤 I will write a blog post about that one day, but right now, I’m just enjoying the love her books bring to my heart.

And the angst!

Where do I even start with this novella?

Let’s start with Kit because I love him. Do I love that he still didn’t talk to Ty? HECK NO! Bro, what are you doing!!!!!!? 🤧 . * Rolls eyes* Do better.

“‘But one of the lady’s sisters was unkind about Kit. Don’t make friends with her, Kit. She called you a beast.’

Kit beamed. ‘Really? Did someone really say that? Who said that?”

(pg. 573)

There goes another Herondale and his ego!

Let’s backtrack a bit and talk about how much I love Jem as a dad. I mean, I was CRINE. Jem had a nice little stroll with Mina in a baby borjourn and he went walking into town with all the ladies fawning over Mina and him. I mean, if I saw an attractive dad with a cute baby, my heart would melt. Not because of the attraction (okay, maybe a little), but because of how much love the dad had for the child. And Jem loved Mina with his whole heart. It was sooooo cute. This was what I was waiting for. THE JESSA family. Will would be proud. I’m crying!

Or when Mina was crying and Jem told Tessa he would get it. What a man. But when he went to the room, Kit was already there, rocking Mina in his arms because he knew how much Jem and Tessa did for him and Mina that he wanted to help out. And then Kit accidentally swore in front of Mina when trying to calm her down and Kit was like, “Don’t tell, it will be our secret.”

Someone hold my emotional shaking body 😢. Kit’s such a good kid. Such a good kid.

And the fact that he lived with the best parents a person could ever have, was the BEST. And he absolutely, 100% deserved that. I mean, JEM AND TESSA ADOPT ME. Heck, they should have a foster center because it would save a lot of emotionally messed up Shadowhunters the trauma 😂.

What I loved though was when Kit first moved into the house, he didn’t feel like he belonged. Tessa and Jem also noticed how he would eye up all the valuables, so they put them in Kit’s room. And they were like:

“‘We want you to stay, and to know that the choice is entirely yours, and we wanted to show you something. We want you to know there is nothing in this house more precious to us than you.’

Kit had stayed.”

(pg. 577-8)

I kid you not, they are such great parents. Because Kit has this past of stealing and putting all those valuables in his room instigated to him that they thought he was a thief or that he would take all those things and leave. But what they actually meant by it was that he could have all those valuables because it didn’t matter as much as he did to them. And that’s such a powerful message to send to a kid, especially one who lost so much.

They tried so hard to make Cirenworth Hall feel like home to him, so I loved how they created this whole workout place for him where Kit trained everyday. Sounds like a Jace if I ever heard one.

“‘If you’re asking whether I’m working out my emotional pain through a punishing physical regime,’ said Kit, ‘my answer is obviously a manly yes. But I was hoping time would speed up when I did, and the rock soundtrack would start up, and I would get buff via a montage like in the movies.”

(pg. 603)

There’s that natural Herondale humor 😂 It’s so good to see how good natured he is considering all that he’s been through.

But I swear, if Kit comes into the Wicked Powers as some jacked up buff dude that rivals Jace, I WILL GO BONKERS!!! AND if he is this jacked up buff dude and still is attracted to Ty and they finally ride the ship that is Kity, I WILL GO BODONKERS!!! It’s like I’m living my Jace and Simon fantasy I never got. But no, seriously, I can see it now. This is going to be hands down the end of my mental sanity 🤪

But can we just give a father of the year award to Jem because GOSH DARN! 😆

“‘I loved my parents,” said Jem. ‘And they loved me.’

Kit blinked. ‘Um, good for you.’

‘ . . . If your father’s heart was too little and wretched to love someone else after losing your mother, then I pity him, but I know it was his fault. None of yours.'”

(pg. 604-5)

Kit was talking about how he knew his mom loved him, but didn’t know her. He knew his dad cared, but loved his mom more and to him it made him feel like he was never enough. And you know, Jem, the guy “not good with words,” thinks about how he had a similar traumatic childhood like him, but at least he knew his parents loved him. Not in a bragging way, but in a way that said that even when he had a difficult childhood and he thought everything would go to pieces for him, he found a new family with Will and the people at the institute, while also carrying around the love he knew his parents had for him.

I felt bad because if only Kit knew how much Rosemary did love him. But I don’t blame Kit for not knowing because he didn’t get to know his mom. But he knew his dad and he should have made Kit feel loved and it was never Kit’s fault for that. It sucks though that he felt that way.

“Jem did know enough to see Johnny Rook must have done something truly wrong, if he’d had all Kits’ life to show him that he was loved and never convinced him.”

(pg 604)

Which goes a lot with the point I’ve been joking about: bad parenting. I mean, isn’t that the product of a lot of heroes in books, movies, or life? There’s always the kid who deals with this difficult situation because they are the product of a bad situation that they find the resilience to push through. Human resiliency is a magic within itself. I mean, look at the Shatter Me series with Juliette and Aaron. Bad parenting. Maxon from the Selection. Bad Parenting. Dorian Hallivard from Throne of Glass. Bad parenting. Cinderella with the evil stepmother. Bad parenting.

BAD PARENTING!! SAY IT WITH ME 🤪.

Because all these heroes were born from parents who never showed them the love, the kindness, and care they deserved. Being the product of those parents, a child can either choose to be better than the parents or worse. In most cases, people chose the good like Juliette, Aaron, Maxon, Dorian, Cinderella, and now Kit. But it’s sad that parents don’t ever make their kids feel loved and they go their whole lives thinking that they aren’t good enough or that there’s something wrong with them. When really there is something wrong with the way the parents raise their kid to feel that way.

It all starts with love.

And I love love love how Jem knew that and wanted to prove everyday how much he loved Kit and how he was good enough. When Kit asked Jem to train with him, I thought that was cute. But then Jem didn’t want to because it would feel weird given how much he missed Will. Instead, Jem said he would train Kit. It’s like the Karate Kid 😢. I love! And I loved how Jem said he would train Kit not out of what he owed to the Herondales, but because of the love he felt for Kit. And nothing sounds better to me than curling up into Jem and having a good cry like Kit did. When Kit was told he was in love, I could NOT! But Jem, again, won the father of the year award because I loved how he let Kit cry and he didn’t tell him to suck it up or that he was weak or tell Kit to go cry behind closed doors. But he let Kit feel that—to cry. And he held Kit with no judgement, but with comfort. That’s what we should be doing for our kids: teaching them it’s okay to feel sad, feel vulnerable. Especially boys because sadness isn’t a female emotion, it’s a human emotion.

Everything was happy and Jem was with Tessa, Mina, and Kit in their house and then Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan wanted to go and ruin the moment by turning the whole “sky bronze, as though to summon wicked powers” (pg. 607).

Let them LIVE 😩.

Can’t we just call it a day and let them be happy?

But no, we have a psycho maniac on the loose with Jace’s face, but he calls himself Janus after the god of two faces. I swear, I cannot.

Another product of, can you guess?

BAD PARENTING!!! SAY IT WITH ME 🤪.

I will never stop saying that.

So Janus . . .

He gives me Joe Goldberg from You vibes, he really does. It’s disgusting, but it’s understandable. Man, this is why I can’t with myself. What am I doing justifying Janus?

Did anyone else barf in their mouth when he tried to pretend to be Jace? NO NO NO. Janus you are a Walmart knockoff to the Gucci version of Jace. Clary ain’t falling for it. No one ain’t falling for it. I mean, what was he thinking? Clary is probably going to go home to Jace and asked him why he ran out and acted weird when talking to her in the alley. And then what? They’re not dumb. They’re going to put two and two together and figure out it was his doppelgänger from Thule who just popped a kiss because he has this unhealthy addiction with Clary.

Like it’s so UGGUUGUGGUUGUGUGUGGUH!!!

It’s gross. Like if you’re that attached to a person to feel like he/she can fix you and that no one else can have him/her but you, that’s unhealthy. Clary is not your saving grace and I don’t know what it is with blond haired men and their unruly obsession with Clary. I mean we had Sebby and now we have Janus. Can’t we just say Jace is the one and be done 😆.

It’s gross. GROSS GROSS GROSS GROSS GROSS.

It’s abnormally weird how much he wants to replace Jace. But that’s a hard no from me too. He was doing the Joe stalking method by hiding behind a tree and creeping around like a weirdo, trying to gauge Jace’s life so one day he can get rid of him to be him, which again, it’s a no from me. Poor Rafe who saw Janus and thought he was Jace. If Janus hurt a hair on Rafe’s head, oooooh someone hold my earrings! Don’t you touch Rafe. Oh, don’t even get me STARTED on what he did to those two fae who recognized that he wasn’t the real Jace.

I mean, Janus is not going to fool anyone. Amazon Knockoff 😂.

Oh, I kid you not, weirdo buried the fae next to each other in the park because that would be what he wanted for Clary and him. **Cough cough unhealthy addiction cough cough**

Insane in the membrane 🤪.

But at the same time, he just grew up with an abusive father who made him feel like he was never good enough. Then he served Sebby in Thule and did a bunch of horrible things. He lost a lot of important people to him early on like Alec, Simon, and Maryse. Then he lost the love of his life (pg. 582). So do I blame him? Not completely, but he could have chosen to be better. Not this. But I get it. He just wants love, I just think the way he is going about it is wrong.

I think that if Jace had gone through the same thing, would he have turned out like Janus? I don’t think so because I don’t think he would be obsessed with having this love with Clary. But I think maybe Jace would have gone down a darker path. I think that because Janus had no one left in his life who truly loved him, he wanted to fill that void with the one person in this life who loved him in Thule—Clary. But this Clary didn’t love him and I think when he realizes that he’s going to do something dumb to hurt her because if “he can’t have her no one can.” Maybe that’s the dream she has? Because maybe Janus fights with Jace and he ends up hurting her—the person they both love.

Gosh darn it, I hope I’m not right.

When they say hurt people hurt people, they mean it. Because the whole idea that he wanted to “show them what that darkness could be like one day” (pg 595), was the pain talking. He wanted them to feel all the suffering he felt growing up—-all the loss. Which he never deserved the way he was treated and neither did the people he wanted to hurt. What did they ever do to him? Live happily? He could have that too if he chose better. Not pain. Never anger.

That deal he made with Lily Chen isn’t going to be good later down the line, I already know it. Lily made a deal that she would do something for him if she brought Raphael from Thule into their world, but little did she know Raphael wasn’t in his world. He took advantage of Lily because she was in a vulnerable place. Raphael was her love, how could she not want him back the same way Janus wanted Clary?

Then there’s Ash. The Sebby and Seelie queen love child who grew the heck up in Thule. Frankly, I still don’t understand how he went to Thule with Annabel one second as a 13 year-old and then the next minute when Julian and Emma went after him, he was 17. I don’t know. But he’s interesting.

“He was well named… he was born to rule over a land turned to ash.”

(pg. 599)

Well named indeed.

But after Janus’s big night out with pretending to be Jace, he forms this new plan to train with Ash to take down their world so that Clary can “be with them one day.” I don’t know what he’s trying to say, but gosh darn I don’t like the way this is going. Are they going to break down all Shadowhunters? Kill all the people they love? They were going to take down something and contrary to what Ash says, but I do not like that. Someone take them by the ears and throw them back in Thule.

I don’t have a good feeling about what they’re going to do.

Seelie Queen, control your crazed son and his even crazier friend.

I mean, what do they hope to accomplish? Heck on earth?

I swear, bad parenting at it’s finest. And that’s not a compliment.

I’m just so hyped for the Wicked Powers because it’s about to go down and I feel like everyone has met their match with Ash and Janus because they’re out for blood, love, and the world. And they have much more smarts than Valentine and Sebby because they are born from hate and pain and from literally another land. They know what they are doing and that’s dangerous.

I’m genuinely worried for Dru, Kit, and Ty and everyone. Clary and Jace too. Mina. Lily.

Save them all.

Someone make an Avengers portal and let’s be done! 😂

OOOOOH, I don’t know.

But is Dru and Ash going to be a thing? I feel like that’s something that might make Ash second guess his plan: love.

It’s always love.

Anyway, this has been a lengthy book review, but there was just so much to talk about and delve into. If you read this far, you are a true one and if you did, comment a 🖤 in the comments with your favorite novella. I’ll rank my favorites below! If I mentioned anything that you want to discuss further, let me know below in the comments and we can chat? What was you favorite part of the whole anthology? Least favorite part? Let me know below in the comments as I love hearing from you all 💕

I hope you have a beautiful day whenever and wherever you might be reading this.

And as always, with love,

Rank of Novellas

1. Land I Lost

2. Forever Fallen

3. Every Exquisite Thing

4. Cast Long Shadow

5. Through Blood, Through Fire

6. Son of Dawn

7. The Wicked Ones

8. A Deeper Love

9. The Lost World

10. Learn About Loss

Rating

4.98 Full Bloom Flowers

Characters: If you love all the Shadowhunter characters, you’ll love them even more 🖤

Plot: Each story built on each other and flowed nicely to create a beautiful journey of love, loss, mistakes, and triumphs.

Writing: I will say it again and again, but Cassandra Clare rules the fantasy world and you can’t tell me otherwise. And also, I give esteemed credits to all the other authors she wrote with because they meshed well with her voice.

Action: Every moment wrenches your heart out.

Romance: If there’s one thing shadowhutners don’t do half-heartledy its love