Book Reviews: The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare

 

The Red Scrolls of Magic takes you back in time. For fans of The Mortal Instruments, this is a chance to see the vacation that Magnus and Alec took during the series when the characters were seen via postcards and phone calls. The book can be read without the other books set in the world, but fans can spot several Easter eggs from cameo appearances to all of the fun references that Clare and Chu supply. This is the first book in the series and it's a great addition that delves right into the fun from the first page. As a longtime reader of Clare's books, this was a great treat and added a new layer to the characters. 

   

Magnus and Alec are one of the favorite couples in the Shadowhunters world and the tone is an upbeat romantic comedy with a swashbuckling adventure splashed in. The plot of the story goes back in time to the beginning of their relationship where readers only caught glimpses of before. Now, we're getting a chance to see how they began and how they first took those steps toward the loving couple we know today. New readers will love this even without knowing where the couple is heading. The romantic comedy tone is a fun genre exploration for this world. Each of the Shadowhunters books has a romantic plot within all the demon-fighting action, but Red Scrolls kicks off with the couple already together and has all the chaos of a romantic comedy with an action twist. 

While most romcoms have hijinks that foil the couple and the romance between them, Clare and Chu create a dazzling amount of chaos for the couple through the use of demons and an insane cult that Magnus started years ago. The romantic catastrophes add to the humor and the fun that make this an action-packed delight from beginning to end. The chaotic elements are what make the story so light, and upbeat with just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek and nerdy dialogue. You'll find yourself busting out laughing one minute at the couple crashing a hot air balloon, and swooning over the romance the next. 

The story also takes a deeper look into the Downworlder reality through the perspective of a Downworlder. Most of the characters in the Shadowhunters books are Shadowhunters so the Downworld and those that live within it are typically from their perspective, or in the case of Mortal Instruments' Simon, a human new to the world. The plot offers an engaging look into Magnus' history and the flippant way he has shrugged off some "minor" chaos he caused for amusement or boredom. In the case of this book, he started a cult back in the day that (without his knowledge) has carried into this present day. 

Each of the books within this world contains familiar faces and Red Scrolls is no exception. Throughout the course of their vacation, they experience one chaos after another, but they also run into a variety of familiar faces. Fans will have fun catching all the familiar faces with Tessa, Raphael, Kit, and Malcolm Fade. Magnus and Alec have a fun team up with Aline and Helen which leads to a few delightful sparks between the two. Red Scrolls is a can't miss, charming, funny, action-packed, and fast-paced thrill that blends the joys of romantic comedy with adventure.