Review of 'Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy'
Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy gives readers more history for the TMI universe while also allowing Simon Lewis to shine.
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy follow Simon Lewis as he trains to become a Shadowhunter while struggling to reconcile who he was with who he is.
Filled with History
These are my two cents on The Mortal Instrument reading order: read the books in order of publication. I say this because even if you read The Infernal Devices first, there are so many easter eggs and hints of what will happen in The Mortal Instruments series. I love that, and I read online that many people prefer her other series to her original series, and I get that. However, her writing style, characterization, plot structure, and pacing have improved since she started.
I love being on this journey with Clare, watching her grow as a reader while I lose myself in her world.
That is part of why I love her anthologies so much.
Clare works with other authors to create these fantastic stories surrounding Simon Lewis. Simon Lewis lost all his memories at the end of the Mortal Instrument series but could regain bits and pieces here and there. Nevertheless, he struggles to reconcile all these memories, his true memories of who he was, with the false memories of whom he thinks he is.
Simon is no longer that same person, and it has affected many of his relationships, from his familial to his romantic. This has put such a strain on him, and it offers him a chance to explore who he is and whom he wants to be. It makes him question what he wants for himself, not what others may want for him or what he wants to be for other people.
Simon is learning to be himself, truly himself, and that also allows him to challenge those around him with narrow-minded, bigoted, and racist views. He brings so much to the table, and watching him evolve and grow throughout these stories.
Final Thoughts
I cannot stress this enough: I wish I had read these stories before reading The Dark Artifices trilogy. There is so much history here that relates to that series in a significant way. So let me say, no, it is not essential that one read this collection before reading that trilogy, but it does make things that much clearer. There are references to these stories; easter eggs dropped here and there that mean so much more to me as a reader know that I have read Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy.
I will say that the pacing in these stories is a bit slower than in The Bane Chronicles, but the journey and history brought to life here is more extensive. In addition, I like the fact that Clare decided to create an anthology because it gives her more opportunity to tell these stories without distracting the reader from the overall plot if they had been included in the novels.
There is more opportunity to expand her universe by adding bits and pieces of history here, and Clare makes them optional to read. You do not have to read this series to read her main trilogies, but it gives them more depth and history-making these tales worthwhile.
- Writing Quality : 9/10
- Character Development : 9/10
- Image / Illustration Quality: 10/10
- "Couldn't Put It Down"-ness : 7/10
- Intellectual Depth: 9/10
- Originality: 9/10
- Overall Rating: 4 out of 5.
Like this review?
Don’t forget to follow Cyn’s Workshop on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads | LinkedIn to stay tuned for future reviews.
About the Author
Cynthia Bujnicki graduated from Emerson College with a BA in Writing, Literature and Publishing. She has always loved to read since she was a child. A contributing writer for YA Fantasy Addicts, she is also the Editor-in-Chief for Cyn's Workshop. She lives in sunny South Florida with her husband and son and their two cats, Mr. J the Kitten and Nyx.
About the Creator
Keep reading
More stories from Cyn's Workshop and writers in Geeks and other communities.
Review of 'Return of the Evening Star'
When the people and animals of Fairfax come under attack from speeding ambulances that prowl the land, mowing down anything in their path and dragging their victims to a mysterious hospital deep in the woods, Chloe Ashton and her friends race to stop the bloodshed. A mysterious hospital deep in the Oregon woods is sending marauding ambulances into the countryside, looking for new patients. Mowing down anything in their path, the deadly ambulance drivers have forced the people and animals of the land into hiding. Twelve-year-old Chloe Ashton has returned to Fairfax and is desperate to find her mother. Together with her friends—the magical cook Mrs. Goodweather, carpenter Brisco Knot, and clever white rat Shakespeare—she hatches a plan to enter the hospital and stop the bloodshed. At the same time a rumor reaches them from the east: Silas the Stargazer is coming, and he is bringing an army. An animal army.
By Cyn's Workshop2 years ago in Geeks
Before Sylvester the Cat, there was Sylvester the Dog
Sylvester was a Merrie Melodies canine Sylvester, the Cat, is a beloved Looney Tunes character who debuted in March 1947 in the animated short Life with Feathers. The iconic Mel Blanc once said that he enjoyed voicing Sylvester, one of his favorite characters. The cartoon short that was near and dear to Blanc's heart was Bird's Anonymous which starred the popular cat.
By Cheryl E Preston13 days ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Painter's Daughters" by Emily Howes
Now, I had heard a little bit about Thomas Gainsborough's daughters and the fact that one of them was less in health than the other but I did not know much of the small details of the story such as the strictness of the mother or the way in which the father wanted them to live outside the city. This may be written like a fiction novel but it is based within the facts of some very real lives. Thomas Gainsborough was a famed English painter and yet, his daughters were central to his world. Producing many paintings of them, he seems to have spent a lot of time with the girls as they were growing up, possibly fuelling these wild imaginations that they had.
By Annie Kapur5 days ago in Geeks
I AM
This is not who I thought I would be. Before my family was captured and forced into slavery, I had aspirations of becoming a wealthy business owner or possibly a scholar and philosopher. Becoming a warrior was the furthest thing from my mind. Unfortunately, our Roman conquerors had other plans.
By Mark Gagnon4 days ago in Fiction
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.