Cassandra Clare’s latest foray into the Shadow World puts some old friends front and center. It’s a little thick at times, but a welcome shift of focus.
When you think of fantasy world-building, a few names likely come to mind. J.K. Rowling, George R.R. Martin, J.R.R. Tolkien are some of the big ones. But Cassandra Clare should be up there too.
With the Mortal Instruments series, Clare created a world where all the stories are true. Vampires, warlocks, demons, they all exist. It became so beloved that it not only got a movie adaptation, but a television series as well.
If Shadowhunters‘ three-season run has proven anything, it’s that Malec is the love story we need right now. The Red Scrolls of Magic was the perfect way to do really dive into it, and the perfect time to bring in Wesley Chu as a writing partner.
Admittedly, the first few chapters feel a bit like reading fan fiction. It opens with Alec Lightwood and Magnus Bane in Paris, the City of Love. It’s fitting, particularly for Magnus’ personality, but unfortunately his inner worries prove true — it’s a bit of a heavy-handed move.
Clare clearly loves her couples as much as her readers do, having created all kinds of extra content for Clary and Jace. It’s impossible to fault her for wanting to get Magnus and Alec to that next-level kind of intimacy. It just works better when there’s been a bit more time to establish it.
For fans of the show, that might sound odd, considering how far Magnus and Alec have come. But that’s one of the particularly nice things about Red Scrolls; Clare and Chu stick only to the canon that’s been written. The show bears no influence at all on this story, giving Malec fans – as well as Magnus and Alec themselves – the chance to get to know them as a couple all over again.
As they get to know each other, they also get to know the world around them – specifically the Downworld. Magnus obviously knows it well, being a centuries-old warlock and all. But as Alec explores his boyfriend’s universe, the reader goes right with him.
Up to this point, the Downworld could have been called the Dark World for all we knew about it. It always had this seedy vibe about it, but with The Red Scrolls of Magic, it becomes this vibrant culture, one that is more joyful than anything.
Alec has a particular moment of realization on this, and it does wonders for his character development. He’s always been kind, particularly to those who need help, but now he finally learns to see the true struggles of the Downworld, and he’s a better Shadowhunter for it.
The only real downside to the story is its central conflict. It’s not until about halfway through that the stakes truly feel high. Considering the problem starts as a joke (literally), it’s forgivable, and mostly just comes down to a pacing issue.
Once Magnus and Alec realize that things have gotten deadly serious, Clare is right back in her Shadowy sweet spot and she’s set up an intriguing new series. It’s spoken in the epilogue, (which also brings a surprising return for an important character); it’s time to learn about The Eldest Curses.
The Red Scrolls of Magic is on sale now wherever books are sold.