Maureen Johnson

Sarah Rees Brennan

Robin Wasserman

 Cassandra Clare

Collects short stories chronicling Simon's journey from amnesia to Ascension, as he works to regain his lost life while attending the Shadowhunter Academy.

Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy

The New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling collection of short stories chronicling the adventures of Simon Lewis as he trains to become a Shadowhunter is now available in print for the first time with ten brand-new comic illustrations
Simon Lewis has been a human and a vampire, and now he is becoming a Shadowhunter. The events of City of Heavenly Fire left him stripped of his memories, and Simon isn't sure who he is anymore. So when the Shadowhunter Academy reopens, Simon throws himself into this new world of demon-hunting, determined to find himself again. 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. At least Simon's trained in weaponry--even if it's only from hours of playing D&D.
Join Simon on his journey to become a Shadowhunter, and learn about the Academy's illustrious history along the way, through guest lecturers such as Jace Herondale, Tessa Gray, and Magnus Bane. Written by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, and Robin Wasserman, these moving and hilarious short stories are perfect for the fan who just can't get enough of the Shadowhunters.

Nikas

We are all our past have made us. The accumulation of thousands of daily choices. We can change ourselves, but never erase what we've been. Forgetting those choices doesn't unmake them.

Sarah

"Feel this arm," said Simon. "Rock hard! I don't mean to brag, but it's all bone. All bone."

Lara 

Ellie M.

“The point wasn’t that you tried to live forever; the point was that you lived, and did everything you could to live well. The point was the choices you made and the people you loved.”

4.5 ⭐️. Perfect for fans of TSC!! This was certainly packed with content about our favorite Shadowhunters and picks up after the events of The Mortal Instruments. We get to see Simon’s beautiful journey to Ascension, his discovery and self-acceptance, and finding his place among the Nephilim as a hero, while meeting new people along the way. We also get to see his extremely angsty, second chance love with Izzy unfold (which I loved, btw. I was dying for more Sizzy content 🥹), and him slowly get his memories back, especially those of Clary 🤍. Along the way, we also get to read a bunch of stories about Shadowhunters of the past (married Wessa, james and lucie as babies, and The Merry Thieves in the Academy) told through amazing cameos from characters we all love! Each short story certainly provides a lesson about friendship, found family, acceptance, and redemption for readers to reflect on. I love Simon now more than ever, and I definitely liked this book 🤍 though it is easily not my favorite as there were parts where I got extremely bored, which I believe had something to do with my reading slump 💀, but I loved it towards the end especially with those hilarious and chaotic scenes because of the TMI gang LMAO 😭🫶🏻

I JUST LOVE THIS BOOK!! idk what to say, honestly. i only read this book in less than 24 hours, which is this book is absolutely good.

Tatiana

Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy: 3.5/5

After The Bane Chronicles, I was kind of apprehensive about Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy just because I'm getting sick of the novellas, and I just wanted to get back to the main storyline. This was a delightful surprise, though. Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy are after City of Heavenly Fire events and told through Simon's experiences within the Shadowhunter Academy. Some stories are from Simon's perspective, and some stories are in the form of teachers retelling past experiences. I really liked this novella's format, much more than The Bane Chronicles, just because I feel like there is actually a cohesive plotline or larger story to follow within these mini-stories. Just like The Bane Chronicles, I will be breaking down each story into its own mini-review.

Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy: ★★
This story's purpose is to introduce the reader to the academy, so it is pretty boring. It follows the events immediately after CoHF where Simon is saying goodbye to his friends, even though he doesn't remember them, and will train at the Shadowhunter Academy. We meet some new characters, and we get a cute Izzy and Simon moment, but that's about it. 

The Lost Herondale: ★★
Gonna be completely honest; I don't really remember this one. We get to meet Tobias, Will Herondale's younger brother, and we find out there is a mysterious branch to the Herondale line that we do not know of. Forgettable, overall.

The Whitechapel Fiend: ★★★★
What is it about Jem, Tessa, and Will that just so different? I can't tell you. But I loved this one. In this story, Simon is in class, but Tessa comes as a guest speaker to talk about her time in the Shadow World, as a guest speaker. She talks about when Jem, Will, and herself had a part in capturing and killing Jack The Ripper. This was so entertaining, and we get to see the most adorable James Herondale as a baby. 

Nothing but Shadows: ★★★★★
This story is 100% my favorite within Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy. Simon does not like the divide between the mundanes and the true-blooded shadowhunters, so Caterina pulls Simon aside and tells him a story of when a shadowhunter was knocked down to the level of a mundane. The story follows James Herondale when he first came to the Shadowhunter Academy. He was a lonely child, who has trouble making friends, but he finds an unlikely forever friendship with Matthew Fairchild. Seeing the shadowhunter bloodlines or family trees grow is so amazing and what makes this universe so special. We learn many interesting things about James Herondale, which made me even more excited for The Last Hours.

The Evil We Love: ★★
Did not like this one. Robert Lightwood is a guest speaker at the Academy, and he speaks about how Valentine rose to power and gained followers. This genuinely just made me dislike Robert Lightwood even more than I already do. There is a secondary plot where Isabelle is just overly rude to Simon, which annoyed me greatly.

Pale Kings and Princes: ★★★
In this short story, we see Helen Blackthorn tells the Academy a small story about her half-fae while the Academy is humiliating her. We find this was all a ruse to embarrass Helen, and she puts up with it so the Clave will end her exile for one day because of heritage so that she can marry her love, Aline Penhallow. While on her visit to the Academy, Helen brings along Isabelle Lightwood so she and Simon can go on a spontaneous date. They finally make up, but it was all very meh for me.

Bitter of Tongue: ★★★★
Bouncing right off the previous story, Simon finds himself lost in Faerieland, where he runs into Mark Blackthorn while kidnapped. Both mark and Isabelle show up to save Simon, and we get to learn a lot more about the fae and the Wild Hunt. This was also a turning point for Simon and Isabelle (finally), where they are starting to return to normal. Later we actually get to see the ceremony for Helen Blackthorn and Aline Penhallow. This was very cute.

The Fiery Trial: ★★
Yeah, this one was kind of weird because Simon and Clary are tricked and drugged, so Jem, Magnus, and Caterina could see if Simon and Clary were true parabatai. Also, Clary and Jace are asked to attend the parabatai ceremony for Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorn. We know they're gonna have a forbidden romance, so I am excited for that (besides the fact that they are literal children). This story's entire premise was all around wack, unnecessary, and made me feel a bit uncomfortable. 

Born to Endless Night: ★★★★.5
Outstanding. Where was this in the Bane Chronicles? A mysterious warlock baby is left on the academy's steps, and who is a guest speaker at the time? None other than Magnus Bane. He agrees to care for the warlock child for a temporary time with Alec. This was such a joy to read and was so lighthearted. It truly made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I really hope we get more of this content later!

Angels Twice Descending: ★★★
Simon finally graduates from the Shadowhunter Academy, and it is time to ascend! There are some great final moments before the ceremony, which I loved, and Simon's internal battle with who he was vs. who he currently is, is finally resolved. I liked this all the way up until the end. I truly thought the death was pointless and was there for no reason except helping Simon pick an official shadowhunter name. I feel like this was so uncalled for. 

Overall, I liked the story's flow, like there was a larger plot, and some of these stories knocked it out of the park (pun intended) while others definitely fell short. I definitely believe these stories will be important in future books, though, so definitely read the whole thing!

A collection of novellas about Simon during his time in the Shadowhunter Academy with some visits from other beloved characters! 

— Amazing, heartfelt and with enough Simon and Izzy content to fill up my heart!

A collection of novellas about Simon during his time in the Shadowhunter Academy with some visits from other beloved characters! 

— Amazing, heartfelt and with enough Simon and Izzy content to fill up my heart!

Denaiir

I don't know whether I've outgrown this series but both Lady Midnight and Tales [...] were very average. I am disappointed because the book couldn't grab my attention, and the only character I really liked will not be making an appearance in the next books from what I understand. 
It was a bunch of ok stories with a somewhat fun common theme, the Academy, and I got attached to some of the students. I enjoyed Simon's point of view as usual and some of the guest appearances were fun, like my absolute favorite Magnus or some funny scenes with Jace. But overall it just wasn't anything special and the ending didn't really sit right with me.

alexandra

5/5 ☆ i'm a mess of emotions. 

i didn't realize but there are a ton of (i guess you could say) side characters i didn't  fully appreciate or understand until reading these novellas and i'm so happy my perspective changed. it shows there are more sides to a person you may think.

i'm also surprised by how strongly i appreciated the themes. these novellas are mostly about finding who you are and what YOU want. i fohnd that really surprising because most novella collections are just compilations of "fan-fiction-esque" writings and lack depth. all these stories had a moral and made me love the shadowhunter world even more than i already do. 

another thing i loved about this collection was that it didn't feeeeeeel long (which, it is quite long) or disconnected. i usually have a hard time getting into novellas because they're so short and don't connect together into one cohesive story, but TALES FROM THE SHADOWHUNTER ACADEMY was not the case. it felt like one whole book split into 12 parts instead of 12 parts put together as a book.

///FULL REVIEW + DISCUSSION (maybe) TO COME///

Megan O’Connod

I need a hug. I will write a better non spoiler review soon

I...I'm...oh my Gods. 5*'s! All the stars! The end of the last story just I'm almost in tears ahhh! 

This was such a good bind up I'm so happy I finally read these short stories! Simon has always been one of my favourite characters and just reading about him at the academy made me so happy, I'm so content my heart is full, Sizzy has sailed again...ugh! 

I can't think of a single story in this that I didn't like, I loved the back story and all of the character development so much (Malec oh my Gods). 

I just have Lord of Shadows to read now and I'm all caught up with Cassandra Clare!

Jamieson

I had so many mixed thoughts coming into this, because there were some elements I knew I'd like (DARK ARTIFICES CHARACTERS APPEARING, MAGNUS & ALEC!) but also some elements I really knew I wouldn't 

two massive unpopular opinions I have

1: sizzy is a shit couple
2: simon isn't that interesting of a character. I mean he's okay, but I don't like him that much either

Those elements did, kind of annoy me. But the other elements I knew I'd like I really liked so that kind of counter-balanced my salt. 


  “Why should we isolate people who are brave enough to try to become like us--who want to help people? Why should we treat them as if they're less than us, until they prove their worthiness or die? I won't do it.” 


1) Welcome to the Shadowhunter Academy: 3 stars

I thought the first story was just okay. It was introductory so I guess it's hard to make it super super exciting but I did just kind of find it boring and meandering. Nothing really happened and it dragged on and seemed a little too info-dumpy. 


2) The Lost Herondale: 3 stars
This was interesting but since I've read lm/los and know what happens it was kind of underwhelming. I think it would have been more exciting if I'd read this before the dark artifices. But it was okay, I liked that Catarina got to be more prominent. 


3) The Whitechapel Fiend: 3.5 stars
I loved that Will and Tessa appeared and all the others from The Infernal Devices. I liked the relationship between Tessa and Cecily was developed and that this was about Jack the Ripper! It was overall pretty fun and interesting but something about it felt a little ... unsatisfying?

4) Nothing but Shadows: 4 stars
Jamie was so interesting and this story got me so excited for The Last Hours. I loved seeing Will again, of course. I also loved the introduction of Matthew Fairchild and Christopher Lightwood. They were both really interesting and I can't wait to see more of them in Chain of Gold. Jamie being able to shape into a shadow is really wild to be honest and should be good to see that explored more too. Also Matthew and Jamie are cute parabatai

5) The Evil We Love: 2 stars
Probably my least favourite of the novellas. I just found it boring, and I find Valentine boring now. WE GET IT. Also, the thing with Robert and Michael was so unnecessary ? There was a lot of homophobia which wasn't really addressed and I don't know this story just didn't sit right with me I didn't like it much. 


6) Pale Kings and Princes: 3 stars
The setting in Faerie, and it being about Mark and Helens parents was super appealing. The story of Andrew and Arthur was a little vague so it was nice it was set straight for me. The twist at the end had me shook. But this one also had a lot of Simon and Izzy which I obviously couldn't get into becayse I hate them lmao 


7) Bitter of Tongue: 4 stars
Really liked this one since it features Mark Blackthorn. I found this story the most emotional of them all. I liked reading this AFTER I had read lm/los because it shines such a different and kind of sad light on the characters. It got me super upset about Julian Blackthorn and how dirty he got did in all honesty. BuT ALSO IT MADE ME MADE KIERAN IS SUCH A RAT I HATE HIM. 

8) The Fiery Trial: 3.5 stars
SOBBING ON THE FLOOR. Love the Blackthorns so much love Emma love Jules love their family. I got super emo when Livvy came up might have shed a little tear. Was interesting to see them again as kids and see Jules taking on his role as parent. Also glad I read this one after Lady Midnight and Lord of Shadows because it let me see the Blackthorns in retrospect and that was nice. 

9) Born to Endless Night: 5 stars
Easily my favourite of the novellas. I love Alec and Magnus so much and how their characters have grown both as a couple and individually. Alec is my favourite character in The Mortal Instruments and his happiness means the world to me. I can't believe he gets to raise a family with the man of his life we are so blessed. 


10) Angels Twice Descending: 3 stars
I found this one kind of slow too but the ending left me super shooked and now I'm mad. I liked the description of the ascending ceremony since it's always been quite vague and it was good worlbuilding, and I liked the choices Simon made too. I am just mad about what happened at the end. Also way too much Sizzy. 


A THREAD OF ME REACTING TO EACH CHARACTERS APPEARANCE
Everytime Alec came up:


Everytime a character from The Infernal Devices appeared


Everytime a Blackthorn came up and I had to think about the injustice done to them

Everytime Sizzy came up:


Me everytime a character said something racist


Me when everyone started disrespecting Helen Blackthorn and Magnus Bane


Me when they started talking about Raphael


Me at the end


George by the end of this
(view spoiler)[
  
 (hide spoiler)]


Anyway actual rating is 3.5 stars! I've read all of The Shadowhunter Chronicles now I feel accomplished and also pleased I can delete all the individually listed novellas from my tbr

anne

** spoiler alert **
           at first i wasn't particularly interested in this but i was still compelled to keep reading and in the end i enjoyed it a lot. i liked the humor and the way the characters developed as well as just reading about Simons adventures at the academy and with Izzy

George's death made me sad (but kind of predicted it already). 

also. MALEC WITH A SON? i love this

Jules

I love Simon so much, what a king 
This really made me cry and laugh and miss all these characters even more I guess I have no choice but to reread all the books now

Brilliant. All the stories where just pure brilliance

Annabella

The Mortal Instruments

Courtney

Azaura A

** spoiler alert **
           I don't know if I give it 5 stars or none, because the heartbreaking ending.
He did not deserve that!
I'm still crying!

Simon is a great character but not one of my favourites. I wasn't really caring about the other new characters except for one. Still, it was good. 

Nuria Nephilim

** spoiler alert **
           first of all, cassandra clare: how dare you 
second of all, this destroyed me
lastly, a certain someone deserved SO much better & i’m still crying

born to endless night is definitely my favorite. magnus and alec are the best damn characters in this entire universe!!! alec gets to raise a CHILD with the love of his life magnus bane ??? i would die for them.. i really want to see more of max and how they raise him ugh i love them

Tania ✨

Omgg
No tenia muchas expectativas de este libro ya que casi no me gustan los libros de relatos.
Pero omg me gusto demasiado😍
Pero nos mostraron a personajes que tanto amamos con hisotrias super interesantes
En este libro salen muchos personajes que amo💗
Malec es mi pareja favorita son tan lindos

Mary Garza

Que buen libro no puedo creer que me haya gustado más que el de Magnus Bane !! 
Simon me encanta y volver a leer a Will, Tessa y Jem es una delicia.

Laura Pons

Ver como Simon se desenvuelve en el mundo de las sombras me ha encantado. El cambio que hace por haber perdido la memoria... Eso sí, el final me ha destruido la patata...

Hold on let me wipe my laughter tears and the tears from crying. This was wayyyyy more than I expected. Definitely one of my favorites!

Nicole Dykeman

God, is Cassandra Clare ever going to write a book that doesn’t make me cry?????? That last story was NOT FAIR and I’m eternally upset about it. 

Simon was always one of my favorite characters in the Mortal Instruments, so this book was truly a gift. There were a few stories that I didn’t care for too much, like the one about Robert Lightwood. But some of them were absolutely perfect. I adored the last three stories, particularly the one that centered around Magnus and Alec, and the one about James Herondale and Matthew Fairchild was another standout. 

Reading it makes me want to go back and reread the Infernal Devices, which is definitely a reading goal of mine this year. As well as finally getting around to Lord of Shadows and Queen of Air and Darkness. I forgot how much I love the Shadowhunter world and all of its characters. I look forward to revisiting it more this year.

Kailey Rios

simon is one of my favorite characters in the tmi series, so i really enjoyed reading from his point of view.

some of the stories were better than others of course but overall i liked all of them!

my favorites were probably the whitechapel fiend and born to endless night because they were centered around characters i love.

i’m a little bitter about the last because they did my dude george dirty so i’m trying not to think about it!


  4.5 stars

An illustrated collection of ten stories about Simon Lewis, star of Cassandra Clare's internationally bestselling series The Mortal Instruments, as he trains to become a Shadowhunter. Simon has been a human and a vampire, but after the events of City of Heavenly Fire left him stripped of his memories, he isn't sure who he is any more. When the Shadowhunter Academy reopens, Simon throws himself into this new world of demon-hunting, determined to find himself again. Whomever this Simon might be... Join him on his journey to become a Shadowhunter, and learn about the Academy's illustrious history along the way, through guest lecturers such as Jace Herondale, Tessa Gray, and Magnus Bane. These moving and hilarious short stories are perfect for fans who just can't get enough of the Shadowhunters. The series features characters from Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments, Infernal Devices, Dark Artifices and the upcoming Last Hours series.

jess

This was a really interesting insight into the world of the Shadowhunters. I liked the framing device used to tell them - Simon's adventures at the Shadowhunter Academy. Some of them are told from other POVs, some of them are Simon's stories in whole. 

I'm not really a Sizzy shipper, but I quite liked the stories.

Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy

Reviews

Highlights