Better in Black coming December 2nd, 2025 from Knopf Books for Young Readers; 464 pages
Content Warning: Violence, death, mild sexual content
About the Author: “Cassandra Clare is the author of the #1 New York Times, USA TODAY, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly bestselling Mortal Instruments series and the Infernal Devices trilogy, and coauthor of the Bane Chronicles with Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson. She also wrote The Shadowhunter’s Codex with her husband, Joshua Lewis. Her books have more than 36 million copies in print worldwide and have been translated into more than thirty-five languages. Cassandra lives in western Massachusetts” (Bio from publisher’s website).
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Cassandra Clare returns to her beloved Shadowhunter world with this collection of ten short stories. Each story features a new adventure from fan-favorite couples like Will and Tessa, Clary and Jace, and Emma and Julian. In each tale, the couples embark on a romantic escapade, growing even closer along the way. Follow Tessa and Will on their honeymoon in Paris, James and Cordelia as they help Lucie finish her novel, Simon and Izzy as they patch things up between two demons in love, and more. Along with these fun stories is a sneak peek at The Wicked Powers, the final trilogy in the Shadowhunter Chronicles.
Better in Black was exactly what it promised to be: nostalgic, romantic, and hinting at what’s to come. I’ve been reading Clare’s Shadowhunter Chronicles for a decade, and I’ve never been disappointed by one of her books. I have always said that her strength is her compelling side characters, and this story collection proves just that. In these stories, both her main characters and her side characters get a chance in the spotlight. You get a slice of what their lives are like after their series’ end, and, while some were better than others, I felt like they all provided something new and important. The last short story was by far the most interesting since it gives us new information about the Seelie Queen and Ash Morgenstern, building the foundation for the final series. There was only one story I didn’t completely love, and it was about my two favorite characters: Will and Tessa. The Infernal Devices is my favorite book series of all time, and I’ve read it over 20 times since first reading it at age 11. I know these characters like the back of my hand, so maybe that was the problem. I just felt like Clare was trying to imitate the original Will and Tessa, and they didn’t seem quite right. At times, it seemed like she was trying to adapt them to modern trends in romance books, simplifying their emotions in a way she never did in the original series. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed their story and Better in Black as a whole. If there’s one thing I can always count on, it’s loving a Shadowhunter book.
Better in Black releases on December 2nd, 2025.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Sam Yanis, Pine Reads Review Lead Writer