Book Bites: 3 Sentence Intro About What This Story Is

Travel throughout the centuries and get a sneak peek into Magnus’ private, or maybe not so private, life. Several adventures of Magnus Bane’s that you have been dying to read about. Magnus tells all in this compilation of some of his most iconic adventures, including pirates in Peru, smuggling Marie Antoinette, running into the Herondales, and dating a Shadowhunter.

*As usual, to see the official book teaser/summary of this, go to anywhere books are found and read up more about what this book is about.

Now on to My Commentary (**May Contain Spoilers: Read at Your Own Risk)

Interested in the other Magnus and Alec adventures? Read my reviews here!

The Red Scrolls of Magic (Book #1 in Eldest Curses series)

The Lost Book of the White (Book #2 in Eldest Curses series)

How many of you have heard of The Shadowhunters Chronicles novel series by Cassandra Clare? *raises hand*

What about the rest of y’all?!? Where have you been?? Just joking. But seriously, check out this series. I mean there’s several books in its collection and it’s been turned into a movie and a TV series.

Why am I talking about the Shadowhunters series when the title of this post is a book review for The Bane Chronicles?

Well, you are very correct, my dear reader. But I can’t possibly write my review without first mentioning how important it is to become familiar with Cassandra Clare’s largest and most popular series because it pertains to The Bane Chronicles.

Who’s Our Favorite Powerful, Fashionable, and Devilishly Sexy Warlock? MAGNUS BANE.

Don’t let his name fool you. He doesn’t ruin anything for us. On the contrary, a little or a lot of Magnus makes everything better.

The Bane Chronicles book is a collaboration between talented authors Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson and contains 11 short stories at around 50 pages each. Each chapter includes a gorgeously illustrated one page comic strip snippet of the story – I really enjoyed this treat.

These interesting glimpses across history offers fans a bit more detail about what this charismatic warlock has been up to over the centuries that hasn’t been revealed before in the main books. See why I mentioned that it might help to read the main series? I mean you do get a sense of Magnus’s character through the main books and fall in love with him there. If you don’t fall in love with him in The Bane Chronicles, which, duh, you will. But this is Magnus’s own main book! All about Magnus! No longer a side character because believe me he is probably the most intriguing supporting character in the Shadowhunters universe. Consider this like the delectable bonus scenes to the main series.

Favorite characters, like Ragnor Fell, Catarina Loss, the Herondales, beloved Alec Lightwood, and many more make a cameo throughout Magnus’s adventures. And we get to find out how Magnus pisses them off or helps them. Probably does the first then the latter. Either way, never a shortage of amusement reading about him.

You don’t have to be a fan of the infamous Magnus Bane (but don’t kid yourself, you will be) to read this book. Since the stories in The Bane Chronicles are somewhat independent of each other, you can read each section on its own and enjoy it there. Personally, there are moments (when I’m dead-ass tired or lazy) where I prefer “bite-sized” tales versus sitting down for the length of a novel. Though each story packs a generous serving of details about Magnus Bane.

And Magnus might chase a life of thrills and debauchery (I mean who wouldn’t if they were immortal?) but he is also really wise, compassionate, and an overall misunderstood sweetheart. Sweet Magnus has had his heartbroken one to many times as you’ll see.

We see how kindhearted and perceptive Magnus’s character can be in the main series. We get more understanding as to why Magnus is this way when we get more intimate details in The Bane Chronicles. Secrets, hopes, desires, feelings, and thoughts that haven’t been shared before to anyone. But also how his big heart can be so easily broken because he does genuinely care underneath all that eyeliner, fashion and flirtatious smile.

Life Lessons

If Magnus wrote a book about his life, I think it might be titled “Dear Idiot, Life Lessons from the Talented and Keen”. No? Yeah, good thing I’m not a publisher or marketer.

Not only do we get to laugh along with, be shocked and entertained by Magnus’s adventures and humor, we are graced by his wisdom and life lessons.

He may seem childish and reckless but keep in mind, Magnus is an old warlock. Don’t ask him his age though. He’ll never give you a straight answer. Well…he might not give you a straight answer about several things. *wink*

With age, comes incredible fashion sense, wit, and wisdom. Most likely in this order of importance. Didn’t think this book would impart so many life lessons on me but it has. And I’m more than happy to have Magnus as a sage.

For instance, here’s some philosophical crap Magnus says:

Magnus asks his fellow Downworlder friends, Ragnor Fell and Catarina Loss, “do you think that eventually our kind becomes far enough removed from humanity that we transform into creatures that are untouchable and unlovable by humanity?”

“Edmund, Magnus decided, put him in mind of nothing so much as a boat – a shining beautiful thing, buffeted by the whims of the water and winds. Only time would tell if he would find anchor and harbor, or if all that beauty and charm would be reduced to a wreck.”

“One can give up many things for love, but one should not give up oneself.”

“Keep in bright constant motion, or the whole illusion will collapse in on itself.”

This Will Level-up Your History Lesson

Finally, I’ve always admired Clare’s ability to write intriguing historical fiction and fantasy. Through Magnus, the audience also gets a taste of various countries and how their cultures were during a certain era. Like Peru, England, France, the Americas to name a few.

I found the historical references to be smoothly integrated. It provides an imaginative, mystical backstory and explanation as to how some events in history came to be…due to the involvement of a certain cat-eyed warlock. Most of the events were sourced from American and European history. Kind of wanted to find out what trouble Magnus was stirring up all around the world though those chronicled together would probably be volumes long.

Final Thoughts

Love this! LOVE MAGNUS BANE BECAUSE HE’S FREAKING MAGNUS BANE. His humor and fashion is always on point. He has a big and loving heart. He’s beautiful, intelligent, interesting, and the best friend you’ve always dreamt of having.

Check out this book if it piques your interest. Hope you enjoy it as your next read or a re-read!

And remember, “Every story is worth the read. Someone (some poor, overworked, ink-stains-on-the-clothes lovely soul) took the time to write it.”