Book Bites: 3 Sentence Intro About What This Story Is

Magnus and Alec have entered a new stage of their life: parenthood! But when the Book of the White gets stolen from Magnus and Alec’s apartment and Magnus get stabbed by a mythological weapon, the boys are forced to leave their son, Max, in the care of Alec’s mom while they and the rest of the Shadowhunter gang journey to Shanghai to stop the plans of some wayward warlocks working with Greater Demons. And what awaits them in Shanghai is far greater than they could have imagined.

*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)

Back with some more Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood stories!! Can you tell I’m on a bit of a binge? You have no idea how many times I have watched the Shadowhunter TV series just to get my daily dose of Malec (go over and watch the TV series, not sponsored or affiliated by them so you’re welcome Freeform for the free ad).

Interested in the other Malec adventures? Read my reviews here!

The Bane Chronicles

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

The Life of Magnus and Alec…3 Years After They Start Dating

The Lost Book of the White is set approximately three years after the boys first started their iconic romance. Life has been a little bit different. I mean they still love each other very much. Alec’s still a badass Shadowhunter warrior and Magnus is still as sassy and fashionable as ever, not to mention a brilliant warlock. What’s new? They’re now living together. Oh! And they also have a new addition to their family: a warlock baby named Max! Parenthood is a real treat, ain’t it?

Just when I thought Malec couldn’t get any more adorable as a couple, our sickeningly brilliant authors (Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu) decided to toss in a cute and magical warlock baby, Max, into the mix. And boy, oh boy, does this family win most heartbreakingly-adorable-and-sweet-family-ever award!

My heart? Melted from overwhelming cuteness. Someone call me a cardiologist. Might need some help with this heart.

Magnus and Alec as parents was something I never thought I’d crave reading. We get a snippet of their new domestic life, but since, you know, gotta go on a mission and save the world from evil, the majority of the book, Max was in the care of Maryse Lightwood (Alec’s mom) while the group chased down the villains in Shanghai. I am so excited to read more about Magnus and Alec parenting in the upcoming books so hopefully we get more scenes with the three of them in the last book of the trilogy!!

Umm…CUTEST BABY EVER?!

Max is the cutest baby!! And I don’t like babies or kids. This book managed to convince me those little suckers are a joy in the world.

Max’s scenes were so funny! From driving his dads crazy with his uncontrollable magic, his learning to speak, and being an energetic troublemaker while Alec’s mom was babysitting him. The skilled, intimidating, raised-four-kids-of-her-own Shadowhunter Maryse Lightwood having to babysit little Max? Oh, just pure entertainment.

All of his scenes warmed my heart. Especially, the tender and intimate moments where we get to see Magnus and Alec as a whole family together not being chased down and stabbed by an out-of-their-mind warlock.

Also, Max’s story of how he came to be under the guardianship of our lovely couple was heartbreaking. But I’m glad he was adopted by the best dads in the world. Can’t wait to read more about him! And when he really gains control of his warlock powers, everybody watch out. He’s going to be as much of a firecracker as Magnus! I already feel it!

The Warlock Lifestyle

Okay, so not everything is sunshine and family time.

Shinyun is back (read The Red Scrolls of Magic if you have no idea what I’m talking about). And also a long-time warlock friend of Magnus’s makes a shocking comeback.

We get to hear more details of Magnus’s mysterious past and childhood years as well as his relationship to fellow warlock friend, Ragnor Fell.

I find The Eldest Curses series really focuses on the differing perspectives and life philosophies of warlocks. Magnus mentions how Shadowhunters and other Downworlders have each other. But warlocks have always lived an existence on their own – basically alone.

Through Ragnor’s, Catarina’s, and Shinyun’s backstories, we further see support for how this independent lifestyle is and has always been the warlock’s way to survive. But Magnus is different from them. Magnus is a trailblazer.

Not only is Magnus iconic for being able to find love with and have a wonderful relationship with Alec, a Shadowhunter, Magnus has built a family with Alec and Max and over the years formed a community of people who he deeply cares for and who care about him. Not your typical warlock lifestyle as we know.

Together, Magnus and Alec are changing traditions and outdated philosophies to work towards a world that facilitates more peace and happiness between the differing worlds. And this is just a grandiose explanation for why Malec kicks ass and touches everyone’s hearts!

The Plot and World-Building

LOTS OF PLOT. And history. And myth. This book was particularly plot heavy compared to the first one. And the world-building and story development in The Lost Book of the White was amazing! I liked the European trip the boys took in The Red Scrolls of Magic, but their mission in Shanghai was spectacular. I was more fully immersed in the international location of this book rather than in their European adventure previously. Nothing bad though! Just super surprised at how much I loved the Shanghai adventure!

Shanghai was such an interesting destination for this book. I loved the beautiful integration of the history, location, and myth. The Shanghai Institute is one of the most beautiful, well-known, and oldest out of the other institutes. We get to see how the Downworld and Shadowhunter relationships of Shanghai function differently within this ancient city that has deep roots connected to a lot of myth and supernatural elements. And we see the amount of work the Shanghai Institute and their Downworld have done towards progressing relations between factions. Rather modernized compared to other Shadowhunter institutes. Just incredible story telling.

I wanted to go travel to this place with the group! Everywhere seemed so beautiful and interesting (*takes out my tourist sight-seeing map*). The Celestial Palace, the Shanghai Institute, the various dimensions of hell, the Shanghai (one and only) Sunlit Market, Saint Ignatius Cathedral and even the Ke House were visually appealing with lots of mesmerizing history. I felt transported to these locations as I read.

And the antagonists, the betrayals, the double-agents, the twists, the conflicts – ALL AMAZING. Just read the book – what are you waiting for?!

Magnus and Alec Have Matured – Tone of Book

As compared to The Red Scrolls of Magic, The Lost Book of the White held a more serious and urgent tone. I mean the first book was still urgent, what with the Crimson Hand cult trying to summon demons and all, but overall felt more light-hearted and Magnus was very…Magnus still. Magnus was more serious in this book. Alec is worried as always. But there’s a reason for both to be as tense as they were.

The fact that Magnus got stabbed by this mysterious-magical-twisted-pointy-mythological sword thingy and has to go chase down an insane warlock who stole the powerful Book of the White as a part of some delusional plan to collaborate with Greater Demons – well that would make anyone fear for their life (in Magnus’s case) and their lover (in Alec’s case). So yes, more seriousness and tension in this book.

Still had really good intimate and romantic scenes between Magnus and Alec. But be forewarned. This book isn’t as cozy as the first one which had cuter and sweeter romantic moments. Also, at this point, Magnus and Alec aren’t trying to flirt and win each other over so much. It’s not puppy love anymore. This current mission focused on testing how well the two can work through obstacles together as a couple. And how they have to consider their actions carefully because they have a son back at home waiting for his dads to return.

I thought the tone of the book beautifully illustrated the growth of Magnus and Alec’s relationship. In the first book, the light-hearted approached paralleled the puppy-love/early stages of a relationship. Whereas, in the second book, three years has passed, Magnus and Alec are more comfortable with each other, living together, and raising a baby together. You still get the core essence of Magnus’s and Alec’s individual personalities but they feel more mature. This might be a well-duh thing for any reader. I just really appreciated how as I was reading, it was evident the boys have grown so much together and personally. They acted, thought, and behaved like responsible adults, a supportive, healthy, and loving couple, and caring parents. (*Bring in the tissues.*) My boys are growing up so fast!!

I didn’t like that the whole gang (Izzy, Jace, Clary, and Simon and a few new friends) was there the entire trip because I personally wanted more alone time with just Magnus and Alec. Yeah, I’m selfish and want only Malec scenes. However, the whole gang balanced out the story’s seriousness with their light-hearted and comedic scenes. I loved how I got to experience the dynamics between all couples (Izzy and Simon, Magnus and Alec, and Clary and Jace). You get to see why each couple fits so well together. Plus, Jem Carstairs (my fave!) makes a cameo appearance in this book!

BONUS CONTENT – We All Love a Good Bonus Chapter in the Book

A short scene between Tessa, Jem and our favorite Shadowhunters and Downworlders cast. I won’t spoil too much. Remember the tissues I mentioned earlier? Yeah, keep a whole box by you.

Final Thoughts

I felt bittersweet zooming through the book since it was so exciting and interesting! But also I never wanted the story to end either! Can’t wait to read the rest of the series!!!

Ugh! Please just take my heart! Take my money! I openly give both for more Malec!

Love this – no…that’s a gross understatement! Words truly cannot express my joy, love and devotion to Magnus and Alec stories. LOVE MAGNUS BANE BECAUSE HE’S FREAKING MAGNUS BANE. His humor and fashion is always on point. And love, love, love ALEC LIGHTWOOD. They both have a big and loving heart. They’re beautiful, intelligent, interesting. And Malec together is always magical. Protect them at all costs.

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.”