Well, guys, it’s finally here!
Two months ago, Cassandra Clare—my favorite author—blessed the world with her newest release: Chain of Gold, which was the first book in The Last Hours series.
Disclaimer: in order to read this book and get the most out of it, I recommend reading Cassandra Clare’s The Infernal Devices first, as there are major spoilers for that series in this book.
Plus, it’s a really great series, so I think everyone can find something to enjoy.
From the first page of this book, I was absolutely obsessed. I was fully engaged the entire time and never found a problem putting away my quarantine show and picking up this book. Because I have never missed a Cassandra Clare release, I was fully prepared to get it, read it and love every second of it. Let me just tell you right now; I loved this book so much…even more than I thought I would.
Chain of Gold is the first book to a new Shadowhunter series, which follows the children of all our favorite characters from The Infernal Devices. They range in age from 15 to 18 years old. The main characters—James and Lucie Herondale, Thomas and Christopher Lightwood, Matthew Fairchild, and Cordelia Carstairs—live in London in 1903. Demon activity has been very light over the last few years. The Shadowhunters have been alert but enjoying the peace and safety that comes with minimal demon hunting. Suddenly, during a picnic in the park, there is a deadly demon attack. Many Shadowhunters are fatally injured and infected with a certain demon poison. This sparks questions because the attack occurred in the middle of the day and demons only hunt at night. James, Lucie, Cordelia, Thomas, Matthew, and Christopher begin to investigate the attacks, and the plot goes from there.
The nostalgia factor is definitely there, as there are hints, spoilers, and memories from the Infernal Devices. I was all for it! It was done so well and did not overwhelm the new story, which I appreciated. I love the parental relationships in the book because they are realistic but also strong. I particularly loved the relationship between Will Herondale and his children.
Like always, the romances are so well done. I’m a sucker for a good YA romance, and this one definitely hit it for me. The love triangle between Grace Blackthorn, James, and Cordelia is done wonderfully because it adds a new twist. I’m not going to explain what it is (spoilers!), but it’s amazingly done! If you read these books for nothing else, read them for the romances because they are relatable and realistic while still being absolutely epic!
I love that they deal with real issues that couples—in this time period—would actually face. Cassandra Clare is so good at finding new and awful ways to keep couples apart, and it keeps me sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the next event. I loved every second of it!
One character I hated was Grace Blackthorn. At first, she seemed like a sweet, innocent girl in a bad situation with her controlling mother. But then, something happened to make me hate her. She was revealed to be manipulative and conniving and power-hungry. She used James in a way that is just not okay. She may have actually loved him, but she did not treat him well at all, and it actually made me want to punch her in the face. She was horrible, but a well-done character.
Cassandra Clare has an amazing ability to make the readers feel sorry for the bad characters, which can be good and bad. Sometimes I love it because then I can see why they’re so terrible, but other times, I hate it because I don’t want to feel bad for someone who does such horrible things.
Overall, I loved this book to no end. I loved everything about it (except Grace Blackthorn), and I need the next book right now.
I can’t wait until next March.
I need it now.
I recommend this book to literally everyone because there is something for everyone to love in a Shadowhunter world. Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you in the next book review I write. Enjoy!