Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu - The Red Scrolls of Magic.

Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu – The Red Scrolls of Magic.

Rating – 3 out of 5 Stars.

Hey Everyone. Today’s review is for The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu. I’m going to be completely honest, this isn’t even in my top ten favourite Shadowhunter books. I love the universe that Clare created, it is my escape and I adore everything about the characters in the books so I don’t know why this one didn’t grab me as much. It could be because I never really liked Alec’s character at the beginning, but he grew on me. Or it could have been Shinyun, I wasn’t a fan of this character either. But, that being said, I loved The Lost Book of the White, so it could just be that I didn’t like the story in this book, which is completely okay. So here we go, read on if you’d like to know why I gave this book a 3 out of 5 star rating.

Synopsis:

All Magnus Bane wanted was a vacation.

A lavish trip across Europe with Alec Lightwood, the Shadowhunter who, against all odds, is finally his boyfriend. It doesn’t seem like too much for the centuries-old High Warlock to ask for. But no sooner have they settled in Paris than an old friend arrives with news about a demon-worshipping cult called the Crimson Hand that is bent on causing chaos around the world. A cult that was apparently founded by Magnus himself. Years ago. As a joke.

Now Magnus and Alec must race across Europe to track down the Crimson Hand an its elusive new leader before the cult can cause any more damage. As their quest for answers becomes increasingly dire, Magnus and Alec have to trust each other more than ever – even if it means revealing secrets they’ve both been keeping.

The first book in the Eldest Curses series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Cassandra Clare and award-winning science fiction author Wesley Chu. The Red Scrolls of Magic is a fast-paced adventure that offers a fresh look at the world of the Shadowhunters.

A Little About The Author:

Cassandra Clare is an American writer who publishes mostly YA novels. She is most known for The Mortal Instruments series and has published a number of books based around the Shadowhunter world. Her most recent works being Chain of Gold and The Lost Book of the White.

A Little About The Story:

This story was about Alec and Magnus of course. It follows them after they (finally) got into a relationship. They wanted a vacation across Europe, time just for themselves after the turmoil that was going on back at home with the rest of The Mortal Instruments gang. However, in true Shadowhunter style they found themselves running head first into trouble, trouble that stemmed from a cult that Magnus jokingly formed many years before. We watch as Magnus and Alec work together to stop the evil around them, whilst also getting to know each other on a one-to-one basis. This story fills in the blanks in ‘Malec’s story and answers a lot of questions we all had about what they did in-between stories.

The main characters in the story were Magnus and Alec. Throughout The Mortal Instruments they were important and fan-favourite characters, so having a trilogy that was written about their adventures specifically was something a lot of fans wanted and needed. Also to have a same-sex couple as the main characters in a trilogy in a series as famous as the Shadowhunter one was also incredible and a book a lot of fans were waiting for.

In this story we begin seeing the main characters go away for some time together on an extended vacation. However very soon into this they run into problems and have to figure out how to solve them whilst figuring out how to be together as a couple. This book is every Malec fans dream.

As previously stated the problem that they run into in this book is the Crimson Hand (cult). In previous books where we have seen both Magnus and Alec, they were never the main focus, so it was very interesting to see how they solved a problem without Clary’s special runes, or Jace running head first into the danger.

Whilst there was a lot of turmoil in this story, it could indeed be seen as an adventure. These two people are soulmates, we all know this. If those even exist anyway. But they didn’t have the easiest of starts, so watching the dynamic between them when they are alone and having to figure things out as a team was beautiful. We saw the adventure that was the start of a loving, wonderful relationship.

My favourite character was Magnus. Without a doubt. I love him in every single Shadowhunter book. He swoops in, he saves the day. However, to see him in a much more vulnerable position that he previously was allowed us to view him as a more three dimensional character, not just the superhero that he was previously portrayed at. Everyone loves a hero, but even heroes have a weakness.

I find that I relate to very few of the Shadowhunter characters but that is okay. I love learning about all different kinds of people as I feel it allows me to more empathetic and understanding of people in different situations. Also, Clare is a phenomenal writer, so me not relating to the characters is never an issue.

Answering the question of whether or not I liked this book is a tricky one for me. I want to say yes. I love the main characters, I love Clare and the Shadowhunter world she has shared with us. But this book felt like a chore to read. For example, when Chain of Gold was released, it was delivered and I read it in one sitting. I couldn’t put it down. Same goes for all of the other books, this one however, took me weeks to get through. I honestly can’t put my finger on why though. I’m going to re-read it and see if that changes my opinion and if it does I will keep you all updated but for me this is the one Shadowhunter book that I wouldn’t re-read over and over again like I would the rest.

My favourite part of the book is at the very end and it is a sentence about Magnus and his wandering heart. “Magnus had always had a wanderer’s heart. Over the centuries, he had adventured in so many different places, always looking for something that would fulfil his restless hunger. He never realized how all the pieces could fall together, how home could be somewhere and someone. He belonged with Alec. His wandering heart could rest.” This paragraph is beautiful and it holds my heart. I struggled reading this book, but when I got to the end, this melted me. It describes the feeling of love and knowing who you belong with. Something that everyone is looking to find and hold onto. Beautiful.

My least favourite part of the book is easy. Anything with Shinyun in. Disliked the character strongly. Yes, the character played a crucial role and was written to be disliked in some way. So bravo, it worked.

I only gave this book 3 stars. But I would still recommend it. I have seen so many bookstagrammers and book bloggers that adored this book. So my opinion doesn’t seem to be a popular one. So for your own sake, if you love Magnus and Alec, you’re going to love this one too.

So there we have it, my full review for The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu. If you have read this book, I would love to know what your thoughts were. If you haven’t read this book, I hope my review encourage you to pick it up and have a read.

Stay Curious! J x