Before I discuss my thoughts on the stories, I want to describe how I feel about Magnus Bane. From the moment he was introduced in The Mortal Instruments, I loved him. He is sassy, classy, and smart-assy and I adore how much he seems to like Clary (I mean, he calls her Biscuit and I think it’s so cute!).

When the Shadowhunters series was set to release and I found out Harry Shum Jr would be playing Magnus, I screamed. In my opinion, there is no better actor to play this character. I got my husband hooked on the show and he agrees – Magnus is the best!

Magnus is my favorite character in the Shadowhunter world. This is fact. Because my husband and I both adore the character, we named our Aussie, you guessed it, Magnus.

Clearly, Magnus is my favorite. Clearly I hyped up his tales in my mind. In fact, I might have overhyped…

Here’s a breakdown of The Bane Chronicles and my thoughts on each of the stories.

What Really Happened in Peru – 🌟🌟🌟

The tales of debauchery are wildly entertaining, but this story left something to be desired. Literally. They literally do not tell us what really happened in Peru and it’s infuriating. I felt so disappointed by this story. I don’t want a mystery. I want to know why Magnus was banned from a country!

The Runaway Queen – 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

I love Magnus in Paris. I love the nod to his type – blue eyes, dark hair. I loved the fact that there was some historical value to this – it’s believable that Magnus knew Marie Antoinette!

Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale – 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Edmund reminds me so much of Jace (except the whole part about having his Marks stripped to marry a mundane). The fact that he loves only one person (and we know he ends up loving her his whole life) is what makes me realize he and Jace aren’t so different. Actually, in this one Camille doesn’t seem so bad. Yet. Regardless, I really like Edmund Herondale!

The Midnight Heir – 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Another Herondale to adore! I love Tessa, Will, and Jem. Poor James and his love of a psychopath though. Grace is batshit. Magnus is such a naughty man in this and I love that! I also really enjoyed the dynamic between Magnus and James Herondale. He seems to really hit it off with every Herondale he encounters!

The Rise of the Hotel Dumort – 🌟🌟🌟💫

This one felt like a lot of drivel. I did enjoy the more exciting bits, but it was just a little to blah for my liking. Magnus closing the door to the void was the most exciting part, but that’s about it. Oh, and Dolly’s “friend” was glaringly obvious. C’mon.

Saving Raphael Santiago – 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (my favorite)

I needed more Raphael in my life. I love the portrayal in the television series and I actually liked Raphael a lot in The Mortal Instruments. Getting his backstory was something I needed. His sass is everything I strive to be.

The Fall of the Hotel Dumort – 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I like the glimpses of history in this story. I also enjoyed learning that vampires can develop addictions through the blood of human addicts. This seems obvious, but it was interesting to me.

What To Buy The Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (And Who You’re Not Officially Dating Anyway) – 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I didn’t know how desperately I needed to see the sweet side of Alec that presents itself in this tale. I adore Malec!

The Last Stand of the New York Institute – 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This was a pre-uprising tale and I loved it. It’s nice seeing Magnus’ part in everything.

The Course of True Love (and First Dates) – 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I didn’t realize how much I wanted to know the details of Malec’s first date until I started reading this novella. This one was my second favorite tale in this bind up. I love getting some extra Magnus and Alec. And this definitely didn’t go the way I thought!

The Voicemail of Magnus Bane – 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

A sad and hilarious conclusion to the chronicles. Izzy really is invested in her brother’s love life and that makes me so happy.

Overall, I did really enjoy these tales. Reading this before I started The Infernal Devices was a great call. So much of what I read in these tales helped set up what happens in TID and I’m really pleased to have finally read this book.

Overall, I rate this at 🌟🌟🌟🌟. I didn’t absolutely love all of the tales, but that’s to be expected. Magnus is still my favorite character!

What was your favorite of The Bane Chronicles?

Book Reviews From My Library bee the booknerd book blogger book review booknerd cassandra clare shadow world shadowhunters