Light Spoilers. Major Spoilers for TID!
When to read: Do NOT read until at least finishing TID, as all of these (even back cover) contains MAJOR SPOILERS for TID. I also recommend reading TMI and TDA as some of these contain major spoilers for those. If you want to split them up, as I recommend, or if you are reading TSC for the first time, check out my Shadowhunters Guide & Reading Order under the “more” tab.
Cast Long Shadows: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5
This one was cute at first and then ended up being heartbreaking. It was a cool first look into the Merry Thieves. I was so mad at Matthew but also felt so bad for him.
Every Exquisite Thing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5
I could really relate to this character, so I really ended up enjoying this one. However, I felt like her parent’s reactions were too good; I find it hard to believe anyone was that understanding back then, but I am very happy for her and excited to see more of Anna.
Learn About Loss: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 /5
I liked seeing a iron sister, I feel like we have little insight into them. The end of this destroyed me 😢 – it’s bitter sweet because you know it isn’t real. I would like to know why Belial owed Jem.
A Deeper Love: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 /5
It was cool to finally really see Caterina as a nurse and a bit of Tessa’s life after Will. However, being right after Will’s death and the setting (that kind of takes over the story a bit) made it really depressing. Also the timeline seems a bit off bc I thought Tessa left London right after Will’s death.
The Wicked Ones: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5
This one had a lot of important info for Kit’s background but it’s slow. It completely changed how I look at Jace’s mother- I feel worse for her now but I also blame her more now that we saw how she took a more active role than I originally believed. Trauma, though absolutely terrible, doesn’t excuse this. She might honestly be worse than Stephan.
I think these later ones overall were better. After “Son of The Dawn”, Jem is human again which gave the stories a bit more life and makes it to that every story isn’t completely depressing.
Son of The Dawn: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Alec’s little crush on Raphael is so cute and I really enjoyed getting some of Izzy’s POV since we don’t get that often. I liked seeing Jace when he first meets the Lightwoods but Jem’s POV of this was a bit dull besides Lily’s names for Jem.
The Land I Lost: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
This was the one I was talking about when I said there was one that is my favorite story from TSC so far. It was absolutely amazing from begining to end – seeing Alec struggle with wanting to be married to Magnus makes the Malec wedding so much more rewarding. The ending was so adorable it hurt. 🥰
Through Blood, Through Fire: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
This was another dull one with important info. There’s a few cute Jem + Tessa scenes though and it was interesting to see the lead up to the end of LM.
The Lost World: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
Reading this right after finishing Queen, I really enjoyed it. (Though we’ve officially given up Jem being the main character and having the shadow market in each story😅). This story is completely about Ty and Livvy, so it’s both cute and sad. I finally got some ghost explaination I’ve been wanting since the ghost popped up in CP!
Forever Fallen: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Baby Mina with Kit is so cute.😍 Alec and Magnus with their kids in the park is adorable too; I want to kill Janus. I honestly kind of like how’s there’s this juxtaposition between cute Malec and Jessa families and then Thule Jace (Janus) is a looming evil in the background. I liked getting to see a bit of what he’s up to before TWP, but I enjoyed the Kit/Jem/Tessa/Mina sections more than his parts.
Overall:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
These were mixed. Some were really great, one being my favorite story in TSC, but some were just ok and a few slow. It’s interesting to see what it was like for Jem as a silent brother. Hearing how he can’t feel like a human was interesting, but also got depressing and repetitive.
These a a bit all over the place, both is quality and in what they are about (some are barley about Jem or the shadow market). But overall a good read.
If you are a Shadowhunters fan, also check out my Shadowhunters Stories Chronological Timeline!
Life Is Just A Blur 