Official Description: Magnus meets Valentine in battle as the Circle attacks the Downworlders of New York City.
In the time of the Uprising, Valentine’s Circle goes after Downworlders in New York…and the Shadowhunters of the Institute must decide whether to join him, or fight with Magnus and his kind. This is the first time Magnus sees Jocelyn, Luke, and Stephen—but not the last. It is not long before Jocelyn seeks him out…
We backtrack in time with the latest installment of The Bane Chronicles. The Last Stand of the New York Institute takes us back to Valentine’s first uprising and how Magnus Bane became involved in it. It was always alluded to as a dark time in Shadowhunter history, so I became very interested in this particular short story when I realized what bit of the story’s history it will chronicle.
Maureen Johnson, Sarah Rees Brennan and Cassandra Clare all team up to provide us with the most epic part of The Bane Chronicles. This story covers so many things that are integral to The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices and any future Shadowhunter series. It’s this kind of backstory that readers’ crave, something that builds up the plot even more, despite us knowing how it all eventually plays out. It adds another dimension that feels absolutely necessary, which sets this book apart from the previous books in The Bane Chronicles.
Jamie Bamber, known for Battlestar Galactica, narrates the audiobook. Bamber’s accent is surprising, seeing as this story is set in New York and so far they have matched the accent to the general region that Magnus was residing in. But honestly, it doesn’t really matter because Bamber did a fine job of narrating this epic little tale. He hits the right notes during some terribly emotional scenes and the right pacing for tense exchanges in dialogue.
If there is one story in The Bane Chronicles that I would call a “must-read,” it’s this one. Not to downplay how much I have enjoyed the previous installments, but The Last Stand of the New York Institute offers a new perspective on the past, while directly playing into both Shadowhunter series.
Rating: 9/10
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The Last Stand of the New York Institute by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, and Sarah Rees Brennan is now available wherever ebooks and Digital Audio are sold.
Publisher: Simon Audio (January 2014)
Length: Approx. 2 hours
Series: The Bane Chronicles #9
Source: Digital Audio Download (Provided by publisher)
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Action
Completed: January 2014
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