Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, Robin Wasserman, Sarah Rees Brennan Narrator: Brett Dalton, Chris Wood, Devon Bostick, Jack Falahee, Keahu Kahuanui, Ki Hong Li, Luke Pasqualino, Nico Mirallegro, Sam Hueghan, Torrance Coombs
Published by Simon and Schuster on November 15th 2016
Length: 17 hours 35 minutes
Genres: Boarding School & Prep School, Fantasy, Short Stories, Young Adult
Pages: 672
Format: Audiobook
Goodreads
The New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling collection of short stories chronicling the adventures of Simon Lewis as he trains to become a Shadowhunter is now available in print for the first time with ten brand-new comic illustrations! Simon Lewis has been a human and a vampire, and now he is becoming a Shadowhunter. The events of City of Heavenly Fire left him stripped of his memories, and Simon isn’t sure who he is anymore. So when the Shadowhunter Academy reopens, Simon throws himself into this new world of demon-hunting, determined to find himself again. Whomever this new Simon might be. But the Academy is a Shadowhunter institution, which means it has some problems. Like the fact that non-Shadowhunter students have to live in the basement. At least Simon’s trained in weaponry—even if it’s only from hours of playing D&D. Join Simon on his journey to become a Shadowhunter, and learn about the Academy’s illustrious history along the way, through guest lecturers such as Jace Herondale, Tessa Gray, and Magnus Bane. Written by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, and Robin Wasserman, these moving and hilarious short stories are perfect for the fan who just can’t get enough of the Shadowhunters.
Lynn’s Review:
Between the Shadowhunters TV show and Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy, I’ve been rather immersed in the Shadowhunter world lately. And I’m definitely not complaining! It really is one of my favorite worlds to visit. And Shadowhunter Academy brings Simon and his nerdy t-shirts to life.
These ten tales are written by Cassandra Clare with Maureen Johnson, Robin Wasserman, and Sarah Rees Brennan. Simon is enrolled in Shadowhunter Academy, where elite, legacy, Shadowhunter kids train with mundanes hoping to become Shadowhunters. As Simon likes to call it, with a lot of stabby tools. I’d like to shout out my thanks to the fandom who run the Shadowhunter Wiki page. I referenced this page quite often. And without which, there is no way I could keep all the history and bloodlines straight!
I listened to the audio of Shadowhunters. And I don’t know how Cassandra Clare managed it, but she wrangled some seriously famous actors (well, famous to me at least!) to narrate the ten tales. And each narrator brought their own flare and style to the books. Some of my favorites include:
If you aren’t watching The Musketeers, you are seriously missing out!
and of course Sam Heughan
While I enjoyed all ten tales, I really appreciated how the tales were interconnected, and provided us with both modern Shadowhunter stories as well as historic tales. It’s not practical to review all ten tales; here are some individual reviews. My favorite of the collection was Born to Endless Night, written by Ms. Clare and Ms. Rees Brennan. In this tale, Magnus and Alec decide to adopt a baby warlock. The baby shows up on the doorstep of the academy where Magnus is guest-lecturing. Of the two, Alec takes to adopting the baby first. And let’s just say that Magnus making a bottle for the baby was totally swoony. I don’t really know what this tale had to do with Simon, but I also don’t really care. This was also the tale where I realized I picture the actors from the TV series as the characters.
Another favorite tale is Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy, also by Ms. Clare and Ms. Rees Breenan. (I think I see a pattern here!) This story is hilarious and all Simon. Who else would pack nothing but funny t-shirts when going off to Idris to learn to be a Shadowhunter. The scene with the girls and talking about when Simon bit Jace had me literally laughing at my desk at work.
“I might have bitten him. It was more like a tiny nibble.” <Simon>
“Was he delicious”, Julie asked? “He looks like he would be delicious.”
And Izzy staking her claim on Simon? Just as great. Excellent narration by Devon Bostick. And a great start to a compilation book.
Pale Kings and Princes by Ms. Clare and Ms. Wasserman was one of my least favorite of the collection. This tale focuses on the history of the Blackthorn family, specifically Mark and Helen. Most of which I learned from reading Lady Midnight. This tale emphasized for me the fact that I really should have read the books in publication order. All the questions I had reading Lady Midnight were answered here. It would have made much more sense to have read Shadowhunter Academy first.
Across the board, I really enjoyed all of the tales. And especially the audio narration. If you appreciate Simon’s sense of humor and are interested in more Shadowhunter history, check out Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy!
I need to catch up on this season. Plus a rewatch of Alec and Magnus and their big scene.
Do it, Tammy! You are missing some seriously good tv!