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.


This collection shocked me. I ended up loving it WAY MORE than I anticipated. I am Shadowhunter trash, this is true. But The Bane Chronicles didn't blow me away. I liked it because it's Magnus. But I was a little underwhelmed. It was glaringly obvious that it wasn't written wholly by Cassandra Clare, and that brought me out of the stories. BUT THIS WAS SOOOOOO GOOD. Simon felt like the Simon I loved for six books--even without his memories. How is that possible? I'm not sure, but I don't care about the logistics. I just want more more more.

Here are my thoughts, breaking it down by tale:

Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy: This was a great start to whole collection. It set-up enough of Simon's memory loss without being repetitive, and built the Academy setting really well. And I loved George.

The Lost Herondale: I liked this but I wasn't insanely impressed with it. I forget the details of it, though I remember it was tragic. Because every damn Herondale has some sort of drama.

The Whitechapel Fiend: I loved being back with Will and Tessa, as The Infernal Devices is my favorite Shadowhunter series, but I don't care too much about Jack the Ripper. But I liked the Shadowhunter spin!

Nothing But Shadows: GIVE ME THE LAST HOURS OR GIVE ME DEATH. I am in love with James Herondale and his friendship with Matthew Fairchild. This might have been my favorite story in the collection.

The Evil We Love: I loved this flashback to the beginning of The Circle. It was cool to see how Robert Lightwood came to be himself. I teared up a little bit for Michael Wayland.

Pale Kings and Princes: I LOOOOOOVEEEED the Izzy/Simon stuff. But the rest was a little forgettable.

Bitter of Tongue: I like Mark Blackthorn a lot. I liked the frank conversations he had with Simon. But it felt a little info-dump-y.

The Fiery Trial: Clary/Simon Friendship forever. Even though I knew they were going to become parabatai, I loved this story of their trial (of course they passed). It also made me REALLY want more Julian/Emma. Good thing I'm starting Lady Midnight tonight.

Born to Endless Night: Malec is the best thing that has ever been written. Top Five Ships of all time, probably. I had to hold back my happy tears because I was on the bus and this was soooo good. Max Lightwood #2 will have the best dads ever.

Angels Twice Descending: Wow. This was a punch in the feels that I wasn't expecting. RIP MY BABY GEORGE. I did not see that coming. It was a great story to wrap up the collection.