Thank you NetGalley and Daphne Press for the opportunity of reading this ARC! All opinions are my own.

An exquisite and captivating short story of one of my favourite charismatic Shadowhunters, Matthew Fairchild. (I am, admittedly, extremely biased towards him, but that is all Cassie's fault, for writing such a lovely character.)

The short story is relatively simple and quick to read, the plot being quite straightforward and with no nonsense. Which is definitely appreciated considering the length of the story. The murder mystery is engaging enough to keep one curious, and while the outcome is somewhat predictable, it's not unsatisfactory. In the end, the length of it would not allow for more. It is, however, reminiscent of Agatha Christie's works' atmosphere and I appreciated that very much.

The meeting between Matthew and Sylvain was delightful and funny, and you could feel their chemistry from the very first scene they're in together. I particularly liked that Sylvain enjoys Matthew's sense of humour very much. Their relationship progresses relatively quickly, but they're so compatible with one another and have a lot in common, so it's not unnatural in any way whatsoever. Once they go into more depth, their process of mutual healing is very endearing and delicate in a very gentle and sweet manner.

"When you care for someone, the idea that they’d share their burdens with you is not something you dread. It is a gift."

The prose is well-adjusted for a short story; short sentences, to the point, and the descriptions are detailed enough for one to understand the atmosphere and visualise everything else. I will always be a fan of the manner in which Cassie writes the more passionate scenes, and she definitely did not disappoint this time around either. You can feel the fervour. Furthermore, I have especially enjoyed the fact that through the prose I could very clearly see Cassie had fun writing this short story. It is always a detail to notice when reading, if the author enjoyed writing this or not, and the fact that you can easily tell from the way it is written — it just adds so much more to the overall experience.

A little treat for me, I am deeply enjoying the introduction of a Verlac so close to a major character of one of the main families. Iykyk.

Overall, a very fun read, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed not only The Last Hours, but The Mortal Instruments as well. (Again, iykyk.)

Last, but definitely not least, a special shout out for our precious Cupid, Oscar Wilde.

This book was a true treat! A Shadowhunter murder mystery vibe, on a ship with some epic characters? Yes please. Sign me up and throw away the key! It felt different from the other books but yet just the same with its central themes and characters we’ve come to know from other books.

I always relish a chance to venture back into the Shadowhunter world as it’s always so welcoming and exciting with its well woven stories. I loved the feel of this one and read it in pretty much one sitting! I will have fond memories of whipping this book out whilst I waited for an ophthalmology appointment - as I was dropped full of dyes, dilators and other likewise fun stuff and it certainly made the whole experience more enjoyable than having random goop shoved in your eyes ultimately would be. Thank you Cassie :)!

Little accompanying novellas like these I will always love and enjoy because they add more depth to other books and provide new opportunities to get to know certain characters as they get the spotlight. In this one, we follow Matthew on his travels and he finds himself in amidst a vampire theatre troop - surely nothing could go wrong right?

Absolutely loved and I enjoyed every page!