Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy

Gr 9 Up—In these 10 coauthored stories (each about 100 minutes), Clare links characters from her "Mortal Instruments," "Infernal Devices," and "Dark Artifices" series, with the help of past collaborators and independent YA authors. Fans of Clare's arch humor, snarky banter among characters, handsome leading men, and whip-wielding heroines will not be disappointed. Simon Lewis is the mundane/vampire/Shadowhunter Academy student who carries the narrative thread from tale to tale. Readers familiar with Clare's earlier books will be privy to the inside jokes, but the stories are accessible to anyone. Simon and George Lovelace never take themselves too seriously and banter with just the right mix of sexiness and humility, bravery and self-doubt. Romantic sparks fly between popular couples from earlier books, as well as between some new interests, human and otherwise. Clary still kicks butt, Isabelle still commands attention when she enters a room, the Wild Hunt still rides, and Ascension is still a dangerous but worthy goal. Each entry has its own able narrator, who reads with a variety of accents. George Lovelace's Scottish burr is mastered better by some narrators than by others. The Shadowhunters all sound buff, beautiful, brave, and like someone you'd want in your corner when the going gets tough.