Luceat Lux Vestra

Release Date: November 11th, 2014 from McElderry Books

Summary from cover:

"It's not easy being Magnus Bane. As a warlock, he's often called upon to fix the problems of others. His life has been long, and his loves have been many. And Magnus has a way of making sure he's at the right place at the right-or perhaps wrong-time. The French Revolution, Prohibition, the great blackout of New York City, the first great battle between Valentine and the New York Institute...Magnus was there, and usually in the middle of it. But smuggling Marie Antoinette out of France is noting compared to loving a vampire like Camille Belcourt-or having a first date with Alec Lightwood.

Though Magnus's tale is far from over, these stories shed a little light on his inscurtable character. What happens when an immortal warlock goes mad? Are all Herondales as problematic as Will? (Answer: yes.) What exactly happened at the Hotel Dumont? What do you buy for your Shadowhunter boyfriend when you're not really dating? And why was Magnus banned from Peru?

Magnus will never be able to tell all of his tales. No one would believe him. But here are eleven stories that fill in some of the blanks-stories he probably wishes had never gotten out."

*slowly claps* Cassandra Clare. My gosh. You deserve to receive all my money for every book that you right about Shadowhunters or Downworlders. (I seriously love her. I almost bought a hardcover addition for one of her books that I already have because I wanted it so bad.) These short stories blew my mind away because Magnus was finally portrayed as the fashionable badass he truly is. 

Now, let's get to the review. I'll start with the only sad comment about this book. In the first short story, I felt that Magnus wasn't Magnus. I initially disliked the book when I first started reading because the writing was off putting. The writing wasn't terrible, but the reader can tell that Clare didn't write some of the parts because they didn't fit her style. (Also, be aware that many exclamation marks are used throughout the entire thing. Because of that, I grew tired of reading any dialogue that came out of Magnus's mouth.)

As the stories progressed through the decades, I began to love each story that I read. I could really tell that the authors on this collaboration really took the time to think out each little short memory that Magnus had about his life. What I loved most about each book was the fact there there was so much humor to each of them that made them unique. I caught myself either laughing or smiling at each bit that went on that involved it. 

Then, there came the romance between Magnus and Alec. Gosh. My heart strings were really pulled during the scenes involving them. I just loved their relationship in The Mortal Instruments series and when I found out that there were stories involving those two together....let's just say I needed a few moments to stop and smile at the cuteness that overflowed from the pages.

Magnus's character went through noticeable character development, and I finally felt like I could connect to him on a deeper level after reading all of the adventures that he had in his life. I want to write so much more, but I don't want to reveal too much about the short stories because words cannot begin to explain how perfect each of them are. 4.5/5 stars for Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Maureen Johnson. You all deserve it!