Ghosts of the Shadow Market by Sarah Rees Brennan

Ghosts of the Shadow Market (Ghosts of the Shadow Market)

by Sarah Rees Brennan

A collection of all eight Ghosts of the Shadow Market stories, along with two brand new ones, about characters from Cassandra Clare's internationally bestselling Shadowhunters series. The Shadow Market is a meeting point for faeries, werewolves, warlocks and vampires. There the Downworlders buy and sell magical objects, make dark bargains, and whisper secrets they do not want the Nephilim to know. Through two centuries, however, there has been a frequent visitor to the Shadow Market from the City of Bones, the very heart of the Shadowhunters. As a Silent Brother, Brother Zachariah is sworn keeper of the laws and lore of the Nephilim. But once he was a Shadowhunter called Jem Carstairs, and his love, then and always, is the warlock Tessa Gray. Follow Brother Zachariah and see, against the backdrop of the Shadow Market's dark dealing and festival, Anna Lightwood's doomed romance, Matthew Fairchild's great sin and Tessa Gray plunged into a world war. Valentine Morgenstern buys a soul at the Market and a young Jace Wayland's soul finds safe harbor. In the Market is hidden a lost heir and a beloved ghost, and no-one can save you once you have traded away your heart. Not even Brother Zachariah. The series features characters from Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments, Infernal Devices, Dark Artifices, and the upcoming Last Hours series.

Reviewed by Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub on

4 of 5 stars

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**Spoilers for previous books**

Phew! I’m breathing a giant sigh of relief here: after the disaster that was Queen of Air and Darkness, I was nervous to read any more books in the Shadowhunter world. Thankfully, both The Red Scrolls of Magic and Ghosts of the Shadow Market were much, much better.

This series is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. It contains pretty much every trope that I usually despise, but I love the world anyway. Plus…Magnus! He’s absolutely fantastic. While he’s in a few of these short stories, the collection is mainly told from Jem’s perspective, as he slips in and out of the various narratives throughout the books’ timelines. It’s a very clever way to cover a large expanse of story line.

I enjoyed all the stories in this collection, with the exception of the last one. I didn’t love that one simply because it continues where Queen of Air and Darkness left off and that was such a disappointment for me.

I have a few favorites, of course. I loved Learn About Loss, and the beginning of the lost Herondale storyline. The idea of a carnival covering up faerie mischief- and mischief of a more demonic nature- was a lot of fun to read about. Plus, having Jem interact with another character showed both his removal from human emotion, as well as his desire to hold onto what makes him human.

Son of the Dawn was also fantastic. This one tells the tale of Jem’s encounter with a very young Jace. He sees underneath the arrogance and self-possession to the scared child beneath. This was a wonderful pre-City of Bones introduction to Jace, as well as a window into his early relationship with Isabelle, Alec, and Mayrse.

Through Blood, Through Fire is quite possibly my favorite story in this collection. This one is actually told from Alec’s perspective, although Jem makes an appearance. It highlights both Alec’s strength and compassion, gives the origin of little Rafe, and has a story line that is, sadly, relevant in our world today. It was beautifully told.

This book is a worthy addition to the Shadowhunter books. Enjoy!

Have you read Ghosts of the Shadow Market? What did you think?

https://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.home.blog/2019/06/21/ghosts-of-the-shadow-market-cassandra-clare/

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 19 June, 2019: Finished reading
  • 19 June, 2019: Reviewed