A Book Review | The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare

Rating: 3/5
Pages: 518

Hi guys to todays book review is on "The Bane Chronicles" but Cassandra Clare (and two other authors). It follows the Warlock Magnus Bane who features in both the Mortal Instruments and the Infernal Devices series. I really love the shadowhunter world that Clare has created therefore I knew I wanted to read this book no matter who it was about.

 This book contains lots of short stories all about 40 pages each which weave in and out with Cassandra's existing two series. Personally I think I would of preferred it as one story however I can see why it would appeal to those who prefer short stories. 

This book is definitely worth reading AFTER you've read both of Cassandra's series as The Bane Chronicles touches on events that happened in both series and we once again meet the same characters and even their descendants.

So let's touch on some of the stories. In one Magnus meets James Herondale who turns out to be Will's son and it's nice to see how the plot line continued from "The Clockwork Princess".

In the story "The Midnight Heir" we even get a recap of what happened in "The Infernal Devices" which I found nice as its been a year since I read them. In another story we go into the Hotel Durmot and read how it got into the state its in which was a cool backstory as you read about it a lot in "The Mortal Instruments". 

I gave this book 3/5 stars as I found that I enjoyed certain stories more than others. Overall I don't think I would read it again but it was nice to get those backstories and that little bit extra to Cassandra's stories. Once again I think if it was one continuous story with chapters I would of enjoyed the flow more rather that broken up stories. 

I still haven't  read the final three books in "The Mortal Instruments" series and that is something I may get to reading later this year.

Below is the review I filmed over on my Youtube channel.

Until next time, keep reading! Sophie x

Christmas Book Haul.

Last year I asked for a shed load of books for Christmas and this year was no exception. 

I received 11 books in total and read 3 before the week was over. I rated these three over on my Goodreads page which you can see here.

1. Annexed by Sharon Dogar: This is the most recent book that I've finished and I loved it! Dogar took Anne Frank's story and wrote the events from the perspective of Peter Van Pels( who lived with his family also in the Annexe). I found it fascinating to have another point of view of their time and what it could of been like for Peter. I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads and would recommend it to anyone that likes non/fiction books on the Holocaust. 

2. The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen: This is another book that I've already read and again it was a good, quick read. It is about a Jewish girl called Hannah who is fed up with Passover and bored by hearing her Grandpa go on about the Holocaust. However when Hannah opens the door as a Passover ritual she is transported to the 1940's and faces the Nazi's for herself. It really reminded me why we should never forget the atrocities that happened. 

3. City Of Women by David Gillham: So i'm not quite sure what this is about except that the protagonist is a german soldiers wife who still has feelings for her former lover who is a Jew. This sounds like a really interesting plot line and I hope to read this book next. 

4. Alicia by Alicia Appleman-Jurman: This Memoir is about a 13 year old girl who lost all of her family to the Nazi's but then goes on to save the lives of thousands of Jews. It's gotten really good reviews on Goodreads so I expect I will enjoy it. 

5. Heads In Beds by Jacob Tomsky: This book is about Tomsky's journey through the hotel system from being a car valet to managing a department. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads as I wanted to hear more juicier stories of what goes on behind the scenes. 

6. Moloka'i by Alan Brennert: Somehow I managed to stumble across this book and really don't know much about it but I was really interested to read about Hawaii. It is about a young girl who is taken away from her family and sent to a isolated leprosy settlement.

7. The World According To Gogglebox by Jazon Hazeley: This was the first book I read and finished it on Christmas night! If you live in the UK you will know of the show Gogglebox where we go into families homes and watch them react to the weeks t.v programmes. In the States and Canada there's a version of it called "The people's couch". The book contains interviews with the family from how they met to what's their favourite shows to watch. There are some great cartoons included as well! Its a great coffee table book and I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads.

8. Girl Online by Zoe Sugg: Its no surprise that this was probably on most teenage girls Christmas lists this year. To be honest I have not much of an idea of whats its about except for the protagonist is a girl with a blog who has a love interest. I have no expectations going into this book so I hope to be pleasantly surprised. 

9. Just Between Us by Mario Lopez: I have been a massive fan of Mario Lopez since he played AC Slater on "Saved By The Bell", therefore I was really excited to see he had written a book. I actually tween Mario a picture of my book saying I can't wait to read it and he actually tweeted me back! I was astounded that he did so.

10. The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, Sarah Rees Brennan: I'm a big fan of Cassandra Clare's work but I have to admit that i've never heard of the other two authors. I love the shadow hunter world and can't wait to be submerged into it again.  

11. Funny Girl by Nick Hornby: As soon as I read the blurb for this book I knew I had to read it! It contained the words "Lucille Ball" and "I Love Lucy", I was sold. Its about a woman in the 1960's Britain who really admires Lucille for paving the way for female comedians and she wants to follow in her footsteps. 

So theres the 11 books I received for Christmas so look out for some book reviews coming soon!

Sophie.