Part of Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy, book 5
First published 2015
Simon Lewis sits in classes at the newly reopened Shadowhunter Academy, where the faculty has finally decided to break their silence about the school's troubled past. For years, no one spoke about what happened when Valentine Morgenstern walked these same halls as a student. Now Simon learns how Valentine formed The Circle, the organization that would later bring catastrophe to the Shadow World. The Academy's walls hold secrets about the early days of Valentine's movement, when idealistic students first embraced his vision of a new order. As Simon trains to become a Shadowhunter himself, he must confront the uncomfortable truth that evil often begins with people who believe they are doing good. The revelation forces Simon to examine his own motivations and the fine line between justice and extremism in the world he has chosen to enter.
Genres: fiction, fantasy, contemporary, young-adult
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Shadowhunter Academy
Period: present day
40 pages · Kindle Edition · Margaret K. McElderry Books
Content warnings: violence