The Bane Chronicles Audiobook Minis, Part One

Hi everyone!
First I'd like to thank you all for stopping by, commenting and for being so utterly amazing while I was sick and unable to visit back or reply. I appreciate you all SO much. You're the best.

For those of you who don't know, the Bane Chronicles are a series of short stories centered around Magnus Bane, a secondary character from Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instrument series and her Infernal Devices series. The stories were written by Clare herself and Sarah Rees Brennan.
I hope you'll forgive me for reviewing them out of order. Being very familiar with all the characters and the situations Magnus finds himself in in these stories made it possible for me to enjoy them in order that suited me. Each of these stories functions as a standalone.

The Midnight Heir

Author: Cassandra Clare
Narrator: David Oreyowo
Series: The Bane Chronicles, #4
Published: September 3rd 2013
Publisher: S&S Audio
Lenght: 1 hour and 31 mins
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Audible

In Edwardian London, Magnus Bane discovers old friends and new enemies…including the son of his former comrade Will Herondale. One of ten adventures in The Bane Chronicles.Magnus thought he would never return to London, but he is lured by a handsome offer from Tatiana Blackthorn, whose plans—involving her beautiful young ward—are far more sinister than Magnus even suspects. In London at the turn of the century, Magnus finds old friends, and meets a very surprising young man...the sixteen-year-old James Herondale.

It was clear right from the start, in City of Bones, that Magnus Bane will never be content to remain in the background. He is too fabulous a character to ever be called side, secondary, or anything else to that effect. The Bane Chronicles finally put this powerful, yet kind-hearted immortal front and center, right where he deserves to be.

The Midnight Heir takes place in Edwardian London, and it gives us an opportunity to reunite with Will, Tessa, and even Jem. It is a great introduction into the upcoming trilogy centered around Will and Tessa’s children and their peers. It was clear, even from this very short story, that we can expect a lot of pain and heartbreak from the lovely 17-year-old James Herondale. He is Will’s son after all, and judging by this glimpse into his life, he is just as tortured as his father used to be, albeit in a very different way.

Each of the Bane Chronicles stories is narrated by a different person, which I don’t really understand, but luckily, they’ve all been great so far. David Oyelowo gave a wonderful voice to Magnus Bane, laced with wisdom, humor and kindness. The audio version doesn’t really cost much more than the ebook, but it will give you 90 minutes with Magnus and the others, and reading the ebook would take no more than 10. If you don’t already have your copy, I highly recommend getting the audiobook.

What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (And Who You're Not Officially Dating Anyway)

Author: Cassandra Clare
Narrator: Jordan Gavaris
Series: The Bane Chronicles, #8
Published: December 17th 2013
Publisher: S&S Audio
Lenght: 1 hour and 4 mins
Source: Publisher for reivew
Buy: Audible

Magnus Bane may or may not be dating Alec Lightwood, but he definitely needs to find him the perfect birthday present.
Set in the time between City of Ashes and City of Glass, warlock Magnus Bane is determined to find the best birthday present possible for Alec Lightwood, the Shadowhunter he may or may not be dating. And he’s also got to deal with the demon he’s conjured up for a very irritating client...

My interest in the Mortal Instruments vanished completely right around the time the original trilogy ended. I resented Clare for milking the cash cow, so to speak, and dragging out something that ended quite nicely in book 3. However, my investment in some of the relationships, especially that of Magnus and Alec, never quite disappeared.

In this novella, we find them at their very beginning, shy and tentative, careful not to overstep the boundaries. It’s Alec’s birthday and Magnus wants to give him something thoughtful and memorable, something that says just how much he’s grown to care for the shadowhunter. Being who he is, he goes about it in his usual, outrageous manner. Seeing Magnus “officially besotted and revolted by himself” was hilarious and absolutely delightful! This is a fairly brief novella, but fans of the couple will certainly enjoy seeing Magnus so completely infatuated with Alec. Although we don’t see much of Alec himself, he is present in Magnus’ every thought.

Jordan Gavaris is my favorite narrator of these novellas. His voice is very light and humorous, with a barely discernible seriousness underneath, which fits Magnus extremely well. For this too, I highly recommend getting the audio version.

Copies of these novellas were kindly provided by the publisher for review purposes. No considerations, monetary or otherwise, have influenced the opinions expressed in this review.