'Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy' by Cassandra Clare

Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy incorporates all ten novellas about The Mortal Instruments character Simon Lewis as he navigates his training to become a Shadowhunter. The novellas are written by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, Robin Wasserman, and Sarah Rees Brennan.

The novellas are really interesting as Simon has no memory of what happened in previous books, so they are good for superfans of the Shadowhunter books, and for those who don't remember what happened in The Mortal Instruments–you and Simon can remember together!

This review will assess each story individually, and then how they work together as a whole. All information comes from the synopsis of each story, and contains no spoilers.

'Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy'–4 stars

Simon is relieved to get away from home, and away from people waiting for him to get his memories back, but he wasn't prepared for what he'd face at Shadowhunter Academy. Due to the fact that he saved the world, Simon was put in the class with the students who were born Shadowhunters. The divide between mundanes and Shadowhunters annoys Simon, especially as he seems to be given a free pass for something he doesn't remember doing. This is a really short and interesting insight into the world of the Academy.

'The Lost Herondale'–4 stars

A lot of these novellas involve guest speakers coming to speak to the class about Shadowhunter history, and this so no exception. The warlock, Caterina Loss, reveals that there may be a lost Herondale–someone who thinks they are human, but is a Shadowhunter. Tobias Herondale was accused of cowardice and sentenced to execution, but since he couldn't be found, they executed his pregnant wife instead. But what if the baby had been born? This was a really fast paced and interesting story that demonstrates the brutality of the Shadowhunters.

'The Whitechapel Fiend'–5 stars

Tessa Gray comes to teach the history of how she, Will Herondale, and Cecily and Gabriel Lightwood hunted down Jack the Ripper. The story wasn't that good, but the characters from The Infernal Devices are so compelling it was impossible to not love this. Will and Tessa had their children at this point and it was a small glimpse into the upcoming series The Last Hours.

'Nothing but Shadows'–5 stars

This was the best one of all. James Herondale (son of Tess and Will) makes his way to the Academy. Being half warlock causes many problems for him, and he doesn't fit in with the popular Alistair Carstairs, no matter how much his father wishes for them to be friends. This was the true prelude to The Last Hours, and this short story promises that, that series is going to be fantastic.

'The Evil We Love,' 'Pale Kings and Princes,' 'The Fiery Trial,' and 'Born to Endless Night'–2 stars

These stories are guilty of only existing for fan service, and it's so obvious. In 'The Evil We Love' Robert Lightwood thinks about his time in The Circle, In 'Pale Kings and Princes' Helen Blackthorn is paraded around as a humiliation tactic, 'The Fiery Trial' is the parabatai ceremony of Emma Carstairs and Julain Blackthorn and 'Born to Endless Night' involves a warlock child being abandoned at The Academy where Magnus so happens to be. All of these stories are an excuse for Simon and Izzy to get together, for Clary to be the best friend ever, or for cute Malec moments.

'Bitter of Tongue'–4 stars

Simon is kidnapped by the fae and finds Mark Blackthorn, now a member of The Hunt. This story was really interesting and provides some backstory to The Dark Artifices that makes you feel for the characters. I highly recommend reading this one before Lady Midnight.

'Angel's Twice Descending'–5 stars

The Ascension ceremony is coming closer, and Simon and his mundane friends must decide whether they will go through the dangerous ceremony. This is a great conclusion to the series with surprisingly emotional moments as Simon is reassured by his friends that he doesn't need to become a Shadowhunter for them to love him.

Overall

Overall, these novellas are compelling and provide interesting backstory to beloved characters. The ones that work best are the ones that don't exist just to bring old characters back. Throughout the novellas, Simon battles to get his memories back and this is extremely touching. On one hand he wants his memories back because everyone tells him he has done wonderful things, but on the other hand, he doesn't think he can live up to being that hero.

These novellas will be enjoyed by every Cassandra Clare fan, and I recommend that you at least read some of them as they are important for the emotional understanding of The Dark Artifices, and the upcoming series The Last Hours.