Mundie Moms

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan, Book Review





By: Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan
Published by: Simon & Schuster
Released on: 2/17/15 - TODAY
Series: Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy #1
Rating: 5 stars - I Loved It!
Source: purchased e-book
Add it to Goodreads

Simon Lewis never thought he’d become a Shadowhunter…and now he has the chance. One of ten adventures in Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy.

After living as a Mundane and a Vampire, Simon never thought he would become a Shadowhunter, but today he begins his training at Shadowhunter Academy.

This standalone e-only short story follows the adventures of Simon Lewis, star of the #1 New York Times bestselling series The Mortal Instruments, as he trains to become a Shadowhunter. Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy features characters from Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments, Infernal Devices, and the upcoming Dark Artifices and Last Hours series. Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy is written by Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan.

Like many of the tragic TMI fans I was bursting to read more of our beloved series. I was super excited when this series Tales of the Shadowhunter Academy was announced. So of course when the first installment "Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy" was released on ebook on Tuesday I had it downloaded straight away. 

*This review and series does contain spoilers for City of Heavenly Fire*

"Simon but not as we know him"

Welcome to the Shadowhunter Academy kicks off after City of Heavenly Fire. Here we find Simon starting to regain some of his memories but still coming to terms with the life he once led and what he will do now. After the loss of so many Shadowhunters, there is now a push for more mundanes to be trained to accend and for lost Shadowhunter families to be found. So the Academy is set up to train up all those willing and Simon joins them. He is feeling a little lost and hopes the Shadowhunter training will help him find his way again. 

I really enjoyed this story. I loved seeing a little of our old favourite characters even just briefly. I loved being inside Simon's head as he takes on this new role away from Clary, Isabelle and the others. The new characters introduced were awesome and I'm interested to see if some of these follow on in the new The Dark Artifices series. I would love to see more of George and how he may bring his family name back into the Shadowhunter world. I also enjoyed how not everything was perfect, the academy building was run down, the food terrible and not all the people nice. But seeing a little of Simon's bravery and I feel maturity come through he does cope with this set backs well. I just live in hope that things work out for him in the end, even if it's a different path than he may have thought.

Top Ten Bookish Problems I Have; Top Ten Tuesday #20

This weekly meme is hosted by The Broke & the Bookish

Hello &  welcome to this week's post. Last week's topic was Things I Like/Dislike When It Comes To Romances in Books. This week's topic is Ten Bookish Problems I Have. Here's the part where I get to say, I am so glad I am not the only one! Reading various posts from this week have made me feel so much better about my bookish problems, because so many of us have some similar problems. lol

1) Not Enough Space
Apparently no matter how many bookcases I have, it's still not enough space, because I will it, and anything I can with books. I love my library room, but I'm beginning think it would be so cool if I could build a mini library so I can share in the book love, and have an excuse to get more bookcases, and have a lot more books. lol 

2) Not Enough Time
There is not enough time in the day or the night to read all the books I want to read. Normally when I sit down to read I end up with 2-3 books next to me, and for some strange reason I have it in my head I can read all of them, when in reality I can only read one... unless I get some surge of energy and end up power reading through the night, then I can read two.

3) Getting Old Sucks
Yep, I said it. In getting old, my glasses that I once only wore for reading, I know have to read ALL the time. They stink! I hate wearing glasses, though I think others who wear glasses look cute, and often times by the end of the night take them off, because they're driving me crazy. When I take them off, I can't read. See why getting old sucks. 

4) e-Books
Truth. I have always despised e-books. 
Fact. Physical copies of books will always be better than any other form of books.
Fact. e-books take up less space.
Okay here is the thing, I, on occasion will read an e-book. In my "old age" haha, I'm beginning to see why so many people like e-books. They take up less space, and you can take all your books with you where ever you go. However, they will never compete with the touch, smell, and awesomeness of holding an actual book in your hand. And, being that I'm old (see reason 3), e-readers do tend to kill my eyes, another reason I don't read them. However, I do have e-books. I'm so bad at forgetting that I have e-books that need to be read. I wish I could file this under old age to, but really for me it's out of site, out of mind. If it's not on my shelves, or written down on my review calendar, than I tend to forget about it.

5) Book Buying
I can't say no! Bookstores, and online book shops are my crack. If you think I'm joking, I'm not. Even when I'm on a book buying ban (which is so stupid if you ask me, but sometimes it's needed. Yes, being a responsible adult isn't always all it's cracked up to be), I've been known to slip and accidentally buy a few books. *coughs* What? I admit I have a problem, and that's the first step. haha As I always say, you can never have too many books.

6) Series
Sometimes I really, really loves series, and some times I feel there are way too many series out there. Other times I feel that a book would have been better as a stand alone. The problem I have with a series, is remembering all the little details when a book is published a year apart or more. I don't always have the time to go back and re-read the first book. I love it when publishing houses publish the first book, and then 6 months or so later, publish the next book. I know that's brutal on the author, so I'm glad that it doesn't happen often. 

7) Cost
Let's face it, books cost money. It adds up quickly when you can't buy just one book. Sometimes it stinks when you're on a budget, and the books you want to buy are way over said budget. The other thing I have a problem with when it comes to cost is sometimes physical books, and ebooks are the same cost. I'm just going to say it, why in the heck would I spend the same amount on a physical book, on an e-book. The physical book will win every time. I have a huge problem when physical books and e-books are the same costs. There, I said it.

8) Having Too Many Books I Purchased, But Haven't Read Yet.
I am embarrassed to admit this, but I have one too many books on my shelves that I purchased years ago, and still haven't read. I get so distracted by all the new books coming out, and that other books just sit there, patiently waiting to be read. This falls under #2 on my list. There's not enough time to read all the books I want to read in the time frame I want to read them in. 

9) Not Being Able to Donate Enough
Back in the day I used to take part in book swaps, hosted many arcs tours, and a lot of giveaways, but when books went missing, got lost, or never showed up, I stopped wasting my money and time on it. I discovered a much more beneficial way to share the book love. For years now, I have donated most all of my arcs, and many books to my children's school library and class rooms, middle school libraries, high school libraries, and high school english teachers, my local public library, local shelters, and a few close friends. I get so inspired by those who do more than that, and actually do a book drives and go to places that kids don't have access to books, and get them books. If I had the means and a way to do it, I would totally buy and convert a van into a traveling library and hand out books to those in areas who don't have access to books. 

10) Not Utilizing The Public Library Enough
While I'm a huge supporter of libraries, I'm horrible at going to the public library. I even grew up on going to my local public library all the time as a kid. I've done the summer reading programs with my kids at our local one, but the older I'm getting, the more germ phobias I have, and I am trying to over come that when it comes to checking out book. Don't even get me started with germs in books from the public library..... Someone please tell me I'm not the only one who has this problem. 

What are some of your Bookish Problems? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment with a link to your post, so I can some leave you a comment. HAPPY READING!

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