Shadowhunters Codex Paperback – October 1, 2015

I've learned a lot about the Shadowhunter world with the Codex, there were many interesting things that one doesn't know by merely reading The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices. Also, it was nice to see Clary, Jace and Simom being goofy and having fun, it was like a much needed break for them. I loved the drawings and the sidenotes, it felt like reading their minds, so to say.The Codex is wonderful not only for those who entered the Shadowworld by reading Clare's novels and are looking to know more about it, but also for those that are new to it ans want to have a headstart before reading the novels.

I hadn’t intended to read this right now; I have so many other books I need to read. However, it was one of those times where you think you’ll just leaf through a page or two and the next thing you know, it’s three hours later and you’re half way through the book. Cassandra Clare’s world is totally captivating and I REALLY want to just sit and marathon my way through the rest of the Mortal Instruments series (I’ve only read the first book, City of Bones) but I have other books I must read and review first. The Shadowhunter’s Codex provides background information to the two series. I have seen some very minor spoilers in there – for example, I didn’t know about Simon’s status – but nothing that would spoil the series.Although I am an advocate of ebooks, this is one book I would strongly recommend buying in hardback format. Part of the fun of the book are Clary’s and Simon’s in-world notes in the margin of this Shadowhunter’s training manual. In the hardback format, this is represented by what look like handwritten scribbles. This has had to be translated into different fonts in the ebook and the formatting is often not quite accurate, leading to some confusion.

First, I want to start out with saying if you don't get a hardcopy of the book and get the Kindle edition you're going to be disappointed. Much of why we love the Shadowhunter's world and Cassandra's writing is because of the small details and touches that she puts into her work. I had read the series when it first came out between my middle school and high school years and, to be in college now it was great to see the TV series on Freeform. Though I had a bit of early confusion, as I remembered the characters and storyline but the details of her mythological world had been faded to me. The codex serves as a great reference and collectable to those who adore the series and the hardcopy is beautifully crafted. The hardcover copy has an embellished cover that has 3D detailing and a very unique look to it. The inside is neatly broken down and holds the same terminology and even images for some of the content to really showcase the fantasy world even more. There are some little 'notes' that look handwritten as if done by Jace and Clary and are a great touch to the overall book. If you get a Kindle edition instead of a hardcopy, you miss out on the effects of the notes and the overall craftsmanship that makes it such a neat book as it all becomes the same format text and lacks in many of the details.

Finally arrived and love it

"Welcome and Congratulations. You have been chosen to become one of the Nephilim."The Shadowhunter's Codex is a manual for new Shadowhunters. It is meant to guide them into their new, dangerous, usually short life. The life of a Shadowhunter is violent and often brief, but their role in containing rogue Downworlders and preventing harm upon mundanes by demons and the like is an important one. While most Shadowhunters are born into the life, some mundanes can ascend to become Raziel's soldiers. For those who have not been raised as a Shadowhunter, there is a lot to learn. The Codex is meant to guide those young, new Shadowhunters to prevent their even more untimely deaths.This is a brief little book that is mostly unnecessary if you have followed along with the series up to its most recent book. It details everything from the Mortal Instruments to a Shadowhunter's weapons to the different kinds of Downworlders. While I didn't mind all this information, and enjoyed this little manual, it is pretty repetitive and would make only the most die-hard fans happy. The most important information you get is the history in the last part of the book. The history of the Shadowhunters has been touched on in bits and pieces throughout the series, but it was good to have it all together in one place.The most entertaining part of this book wasn't the actual book itself, but the "notations" made by Clary, Jace, and Simon. They were funny little quips, especially about the parts where the Codex is lacking due to plot events from previous books. If I hadn't read the series, though, these little smart-guy comments wouldn't make much sense. I would use this book for a student who is going through the series but reads slow and might lose track of different names that are complex and unfamiliar. Using this as a dictionary/reference of sorts for those oddball items and names would help them keep up with the series at their own pace. It was a cute companion to the story, but if you read pretty steadily with the series, it isn't entirely necessary for your Mortal Instruments enjoyment!

The Shadowhunter universe makes me so happy that I don’t want it to end so to get any book with Shadowhunter is amazing

This book is beautiful and I know they will love it!