Better in Black: Ten Stories of Shadowhunter Romance

Gr 9 Up–“Shadowhunter Chronicles” fans will run to the shelves to read Clare’s exciting new collection of 10 stories featuring fan-favorite couples from that romantasy universe. The collection starts off strong, with a story taking place during Will and Tessa’s honeymoon in Paris. Their romantic getaway is interrupted when a medium pretending to channel Will’s deceased sister claims that she is suffering and stuck in the in-between. Distraught, Will uses one of his wedding gifts to erase the memory, accidentally leading him to temporarily forget Tessa and a good portion of his life in the process. In “A Surfeit of Annas,” Anna Lightwood has spent the last year grieving the loss of her brother. When she makes an announcement that she is happy in her monogamous relationship and is giving up the dalliances she is known for, a jealous mermaid tries to seek revenge by creating dozens of Annas to wreak havoc in town. Ari must figure out who the real Anna is to save her. The final story follows the romance of the Seelie Queen and Sebastian and the birth of their child, Ash. Each story is engaging and provides more context for the Shadowhunter world. The collection ends with an excerpt of the first book in the concluding trilogy of “The Shadowhunter Chronicles.” Though the characters’ races and ethnicities are not mentioned in these stories (it’s assumed that readers are already familiar with the protagonists and supporting roles), note that the characters are described as predominately white in the other “Shadowhunter Chronicles” books.