Review: Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson and Robin Wasserman

Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy
by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson and Robin Wasserman

November 15, 2016

672 pages

Goodreads     Indigo

Goodreads Summary:
Simon Lewis has been a human and a vampire, and now he is becoming a Shadowhunter. But the events of City of Heavenly Fire left him stripped of his memories, and Simon isn’t sure who he is anymore. He knows he was friends with Clary, and that he convinced the total goddess Isabelle Lightwood to go out with him…but he doesn’t know how. And when Clary and Isabelle look at him, expecting him to be a man he doesn’t remember…Simon can’t take it.

So when the Shadowhunter Academy reopens, Simon throws himself into this new world of demon-hunting, determined to find himself again. His new self. 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. And that differences—like being a former vampire—are greatly looked down upon. At least Simon is 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. These ten short stories give an epilogue to the Mortal Instruments series and provide glimpses of what’s in store in the Dark Artifices.

Review

Being back in the Shadowhunter world feels like coming home. There is something so soothing about it. A familiar and comfortable place to be. No matter where life takes me I'll always love this world and its scintillating characters and its exceptional stories.

Tales of Shadowhunter Academy covered a wide range of topics. From the Circle to the Faeries to the Lightwoods, we learn quite a bit about the past and present. The tales of the past were not the most fun to read but I sense they will have importance in future books so I endured the heartbreak(s). It wasn't all sadness as I loved catching up with the other Shadowhunter characters. Particularly Tessa and Jem's guest appearance. Being able to see how they're doing was such a treat!

Simon is the main voice we hear in Tales of Shadowhunter Academy. The book focuses on his journey to becoming a Shadowhunter. I loved watching our adorkable nerd find himself (again) and grow in confidence. Simon, who's been through so much since the very first The Mortal Instruments book, deserves the world.

The Shadowhunter books are not ones you want to miss! I won't say much else about Tales of Shadowhunter Academy except leave you with some beautiful relatable quotes.

 

"We are all what our pasts have made us, the accumulation of thousands of daily choices. We can change ourselves, but never erase what we've been. Forgetting those choices doesn't unmake them, Daylighter." (p. 111).

"Love, real love, is being seen. Being known. Knowing the ugliest part of someone, and loving them anyways."(p. 302).

"All the beautiful surprises of life are what make life worth living." (p. 597).

"It's not cowardly to make a choice about what you want your life to be. Choosing what's right for you, maybe that's the bravest thing you can do." (p. 633).

"The point wasn't that you tried to live forever; the point was that you lived, and did everything you could to live well." (p. 653).