Shadowhunters "Raising Hell" Review: The Demon Deceived Me!

Harry Shum Jr. as Magnus Bane in Freeform's Shadowhunters

See? Filler episodes can be fun! Filler episodes, for those of you who don't know, are normally put into shows that have over 20 episodes per season, where they have the time to slow down, explore characters, and set up new plot lines. These episodes are notoriously boring, and aren't common in shows that have limited episodes. The first season of Shadowhunters only has thirteen episodes to get through roughly the first book of The Mortal Instruments series so it doesn't make much sense to have filler episodes when every minute is crucial to the complicated world of Shadowhunters. So when a show like this gets a filler episode, it can make viewers wary. But of course, Shadowhunters continues to show viewers why it's one of the best shows on television: even when nothing happens, it's still gripping. Let's jump into this review! *minor spoilers for The Mortal Instruments books will follow*

The good:

• "Raising Hell" gave us our first real look at Magnus Bane - the High Warlock of Brooklyn. He'd had a few minutes of screen time up until now but this is when he truly arrived as massive improvement on his book and film counterparts (like pretty much every aspect of this show). He was kind of a dick, which he has every right to dislike Shadowhunters (if you know about his relation to the ideology of the Circle... it's really hard not to majorly spoil this). Magnus is a warlock who has spent hundreds of years putting up with a bunch of bratty Shadowhunters so it's understandable why he'd be so antagonistic towards them. But we also get to see that he has a soft side and is a protector of other warlocks, especially those younger than he is. He's funny, obviously very powerful, and surprisingly emotional, which brings him a step up from the sparkly caricature he often came off as in the novels. Harry Shum Jr is perfect in the role, giving subtle facial expressions, showing the swagger of an ancient warlock, and being over the top without being laughable. This version of Magnus is the fun guy that long time fans of The Mortal Instruments know and love, but there's an extra aura of intrigue surrounding him that is going to keep viewers that haven't read the books interested in his character.

• I've said it before and I'll say it again: the slow burn revealing about Alec is so well done. TV shows that have LGBT+ characters like to jump out of the gate with telling the audience the character is queer as soon as the character appears because they're pretty much trying to say "hey look at our representation, keep watching because we're progressive!" And while, of course, representation is important and shows are allowed to let the audience know early on that a character is queer, the way Shadowhunters is doing Alec's characterization is preferable to me because they're letting the audience like (or dislike) him as a person before bringing up the fact that he's gay. It's just important that in an age when fiction is trying to be inclusive of the LGBT+ community, writers understand that a character being queer is not more important than them being a person.

Emeraude Toubia and those other people as Isabelle
Lightwood and those other characters in
Freeform's "Shadowhunters"

• Clary and Isabelle continue to be cute and supportive of each other while making not-so-subtle comments about the other's naughty bits and, honestly, this show could just be a series of Clary and Isabelle flirting and I would be totally cool with that.

• I know that I talk a lot of shit about The Mortal Instruments books but one thing that is really nice about them is the humor. It's pretty hit or miss but when it does hit, it's very funny. So imagine my surprise when direct quotes from the novels started making their way onto my screen. It made me so gleeful, and the only things I typically get gleeful about are cupcakes and Chris Hemsworth.

• Speaking of novel references, there were a few easter eggs in this episode, and one in particular that likely gave a few fans heart palpations. First, we have the cautious warlock Elias, who meets a different fate in the book series. He isn't a major character but it was nice that they are using the book characters in new ways such as they've done with Elias and Maureen (she was a thirteen year old who was stalking Simon in the books). Second, that kid Kirk that Simon said Jace is like? In the novels, Kirk is the lead singer of Simon's band before he is replaced by an actual piece of shit named Jungle Kool-aid, which I'm sure is why the writers of the show gave Simon the "Kool-aid" line while he argues with Clary. Third, and this is the big one, Magnus name dropped Tessa, as in Tessa Gray, as in the protagonist of the prequel to The Mortal Instruments, as in the protagonist of The Many Adventures of Tessa Gray and Her Sweetheart Jem Carstairs The Infernal Devices. Word has been going around that if Shadowhunters proves to be a successful enough show, Freeform will start production on a spin off based on The Infernal Devices, which is pretty much Shadowhunters mixed with steampunk and automatons. So yeah, name dropping Tessa so casually may be a hint of a future adaptation of her story and that's something the world needs to be blessed with.

Emeraude Toubia as Isabelle Lightwood in Freeform's Shadowhunters

The bad:

• The show seems to be flipping between good and bad effects which makes it even more noticeable. If it's 100 degrees outside and someone drops a bucket of ice on you, you're going to notice. That's how I feel about the effects here. Magnus's magic looks amazing, the Portals look good, and I love it when demons and vampires die and they explode into the golden orange lava. It just looks aweseome. But the demons... could be better. The entire memory demon scene was unintentionally hilarious because the demon looked like a tornado and Jace's flying was strange. It just wasn't as good as previous effects on the show have been. However, this is a television series on Freeform, and it's just on the first season and doesn't have a huge budget, so I will give it the benefit of the doubt. It's still funny though.

• Simon's subplot was disruptive. It only happened two or three times but it was still so removed from the main action that it just didn't gel right. We had most of the episode being about Clary, Magnus, and Alec and how their development all goes together, but we'd take breaks to check in on Simon and his vampire drama. They have to get Simon's symptoms into the plot somehow, but I feel like that could have been saved for the next episode. 

• Clary is wearing a very tight, short dress, she doesn't have a bag to put anything in, so she doesn't have anywhere she could be hiding the handle of an unlit Seraph Blade yet she miraculously has it when they get to Magnus's? Alec's bow and arrows disappear after he kills Valentine's assassin? And then they reappear later? Weapons pop up when needed and it's confusing. Isabelle's whip is always on her as a bracelet and Jace has pockets he can hide weapons in but Clary and Alec don't have these luxuries so where are these weapons coming from? This is a minor thing and doesn't really affect the story but it's still irritating because while I could see perhaps Clary strapping her blade to her thigh, or Jace carrying it in his pocket for her, Alec can't strap a big ass bow and a bunch of arrows to his thighs. And they're certainly not going to fit in Jace's pockets. 

• Valentine actually sent just one assassin to find Magnus the first time. He sent ONE person after the High Warlock of Brooklyn. He did send more later on but still. He originally sent one person to kill one of, if not the most powerful warlock in the world.

Overall summary:

"Raising Hell" was a filler episode and nothing much changed in the plot except that Clary's memories are forever gone and Alec is almost completely out of the closet. But despite the lack of the plot moving a lot forward, and a few things not making much sense, there was still a lot of fun to be had in this episode. "Raising Hell" gets an 8/10 intricately drawn pentagrams stars from me.

Shadowhunters airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Freeform (formerly ABC Family)

"Shadowhunters" Casting: Jace Wayland

The Shadowhunter Chronicles is my favorite series, with my favorite of the series within them being The Mortal Instruments. You all know the story by now: the first movie flopped, the second movie got the ax, and just when all hope seemed to be gone, the Shadowhunters were back in black with a TV series. One of the biggest problems I had with the upcoming TV series was the casting. I LOVE adaptations, even if the plot lines get a little wonky, because what matters to me is the characters. If an adaptation has actors that are fantastic at being their characters, then I have no complaints. But with the City of Bones movie, sadly, I wasn't impressed with a few of the actors, including Jamie Campbell Bower as Jace. I love me some Jamie, I remember how fun and entertaining he was during the press tour for the movie, and how he had that lion-esque look to him. I was really feeling him as Jace... then I saw the movie. I thought that a lot of his lines were very stiff and awkward and didn't truly capture the essence of who Jace is. He sounded bored by everything and was deadpan, but Jace is an energetic character. He's got this Stiles Stilinski sense of humor with a Vampire Spike attitude. And I wasn't feeling that at all from Jamie.

So then last week when we were told that we were getting the casting of the great Jace Wayland (and I'm using that name to avoid spoilers) I was obviously wary. There was no actor who would do a television series, who wasn't busy with other projects, and who had the talent to pull off Jace's character. I told myself I'd accept whoever they cast, and that I still had other cast members to look forward to if I didn't like the choice for Jace. But that all went away when in walked our lord and savior: Dominic Sherwood.
I don't know if you guys saw that awful Vampire Academy movie (though judging by the box office numbers, you probably didn't see it) but DOMINIC FREAKING SHERWOOD. He was the only good part about that movie. I went in thinking "Yes! Time for some Rose Hathaway ass kicking" and I left the movie screaming "I WILL FIRE MAGIC YOU INTO ASH!" Christian Ozera (played by Mr. Sherwood) in his small amount of screen time, completely stole the show. He was funny and sarcastic and even though he was dark and broody at times, there was still a commanding presence from him so that my attention automatically gravitated toward him.
And I think that's a really good thing for our new Jace to have because in the books, Jace is the scene-stealer. His presence on the page reels you in from the moment that he appears. And that's what Jace needs to be like in the TV series. With the movie, I felt like Jace/Jamie was kind of in the background and secondary to Clary/Lily and Simon/Robert, who had to carry most of the movie on their tiny shoulders. But with a TV series, Jace needs to be as compelling as Clary. We're automatically Team Clary because we're going through this journey as her companion. With Jace, we need to see why Clary is so fascinated by him and what makes him so special as a character. These stoic male heroes are so played out. We need an actor who can make Jace as interesting and fun as Jace should be. I know that sometimes the script can play a part in how a character turns out, but while I watched the movie, there were lines that could have had more pep in them, but didn't. I just used the word "pep" in a sentence describing the fiercest warrior in the entire Shadow World. Okay then. Moving along.
I know that it's too early to make big judgments on how Dominic will do as Jace, but as of now, I am extremely optimistic. The Shadowhunters TV series could be very well done if they get the actors and characterization right. Next, we are supposed to get our Clary (I have heard rumors of it being this upcoming week, before May first) and then in the couple of weeks after, we'll be getting other cast members as well and starting shooting! I'm excited for how this is all coming together so far.

If you'd like to see our new Jace in action, you can go watch Vampire Academy on Netflix (check here if it's not available on the Netflix your country has)
I will be making weekly to bi-weekly posts about Shadowhunters news and my feels and kitten gifs so stick around here for more of my thoughts and opinions!
For more updates as they're released, follow me on Tumblr at Silverforthedemontowers and Instagram at Silverforthedemontowers

"Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy" Novella Review

Title: Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy
Series: Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy (Novella #1) and The Shadowhunter Chronicles
Author: Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 8 out of 10 possums in the wardrobe

*WARNING: THIS REVIEW WILL SPOIL CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE*

What It's About: Simon Lewis has gone from being a mundane to a vampire to a mundane again and now he's training to become a Shadowhunter. He's lost his memories, and though a few of them are coming back, he doesn't remember this adventures, his heroics, or his friends. Simon is sent to the Shadowhunter Academy in Idris, where he's going to spend two years learning about Shadowhunter history and trying to become the hero he once was. This first novella introduces Simon and the reader to the Academy and the new cast of characters.

Recommended For: Fans of the Shadowhunter Chronicles

Review: I was not too thrilled with the Bane Chronicles because I felt like it was irrelevant to what was happening in the rest of the Shadowhunter Chronicles. But with The Shadowhunter Academy, we know that each story is going to tie into another part of the Shadowhunter books. I also feel like this series will be the perfect bridge between The Mortal Instruments and The Dark Artifices. I really like the new characters. George Lovelace is Simon's roommate (who hopefully meets a better fate than Simon's last roommate) and he immediately jumps off the page, Catarina Loss is a warlock who works at the Academy and she's just as fun as the other warlocks we've gotten to know. The Academy is very rundown and gross and the food is terrible, and the Shadowhunters are still a bunch of racist pricks. I like that this two year journey isn't going to be easy for Simon. But the one thing I do not like goes back to City of Heavenly Fire. Taking Simon's memories makes this a lot less fun. I feel like when he's going through training and learning Shadowhunter history, it'd be a lot more fun if we saw him draw comparisons to his past experience with Shadowhunters. When he only knows a tenth of all that he went through, there are a lot of missed opportunities for inside jokes with the reader. And it makes his interactions with his old friends seem... off. I can't enjoy Simon talking to Isabelle because it's not really Simon. I should be jumping for joy when Izzy shows up and shouts at everyone that Simon is her boyfriend, but I can't. The amnesia plot device takes a lot more away from the story than it adds to it. But anyway, I'm definitely going to enjoy reading the rest of the ebooks as they come out, and each one will somehow tie into The Last Hours and The Dark Artifices, which can help boost both series and provide more background than we currently have.

Links:
Amazon
Goodreads

Top Ten Tuesday #1

Hello everybody! I’ve decided to start doing Top Ten Tuesdays (credit to the creators of this weekly tag: brokeandbookish.com)

Today’s topic is the Top Ten Books On My Spring TBR List

One thing you should know about me is that I’m not good at sticking to TBR lists (I have commitment issues, okay?) so this list is probably going to go 75% unaccomplished. But I still want to do the tag.

10) Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods by Rick Riordan - This is the first book of a series (or maybe just a duology) where Mr. Jackson tells you all about the Greek Gods from his perspective. I've already started it but I would like to finish it soon. Amazon Book Depository

9) Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout - I love Jennifer’s books, but I've had a lot of trouble finishing up her Lux series. I’ve been about a third of the way through the book since AUGUST and I really need to go ahead and finish it. Amazon Book Depository

8) World After by Susan Ee - I read Angelfall a year ago, and I really want to finish the sequel so that I can get my hands on End of Days (book 3) as soon as it comes out. Amazon Book Depository

7) Welcome to the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare - I’m hoping that the Tales For the Shadowhunter Academy ebook series will go better than Clare’s previous attempt at an ebook series, The Bane Chronicles. With TBC, I felt like it was detached from what was currently happening in the Shadowhunter Chronicles, but with the Shadowhunter Academy, it takes place right smack in between The Mortal Instruments and The Dark Artifices and helps set up for not only The Dark Artifices but also The Last Hours (I feel like people that don’t read the Shadowhunter books are really confused by this entry) Amazon

6) Lips Touch Three Times by Laini Taylor - This book is a collection of three short stories that revolve around kissing. I’ve finished the first two, but I’ve been putting off the last story for way too long. Amazon Book Depository

5) An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir - This book is an upcoming release and it seems a bit complicated from the synopsis. Basically, it’s like a mash up of your typical “take down the man” dystopian, but mixed with high fantasy elements. As I, and a lot of other YA readers, transition from reading dystopians to reading high fantasy, I think this will be a good way to bridge that gap. Amazon Book Depository

4) Liars, Inc by Paula Stokes - This has not been released yet but it sounds so intriguing. It’s about a boy named Max who lies all the time and one day, his friend Preston is found murdered, with Max as the prime suspect. Not only do we have a moral story here (always tell the truth) but there’s going to be some Gone Girl-ish shenanigans because there’s an unreliable narrator. Amazon Book Depository

3) The Young Elites by Marie Lu - I LOVED her Legend series and I’m so excited to finally start The Young Elites. It’s the first installment of a fantasy series and I want to get through it before the sequel, The Rose Society, is released. Amazon Book Depository

2) The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon - This book is huge and I’ve had it on my shelf since last fall because I let myself be intimidated by its size. Amazon Book Depository

1) A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas -This is a new series by Maas and I know that I’m going to be reading it the day it is released. It is a fantasy, new adult series about fey, and the first book is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Fey + new adult + Beauty and the Beast + being written by Sarah J. Maas is a recipe for greatness. Amazon Book Depository