Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare

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Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare
The Last Hours #1, Shadowhunters Chronicles
Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books on March 3, 2020
Age Group & Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Representation: brown main and side characters, gay main and side character, bisexual main character, genderqueer side character, lesbian side characters
Format: Physical
Source: Gifted/Giveaway

An inheritance of shadows. A love in chains. An unconquerable foe.

Cordelia Carstairs is a Shadowhunter, a warrior trained since childhood to battle demons. When her father is accused of a terrible crime, she and her brother travel to London in hopes of preventing the family’s ruin. Cordelia’s mother wants to marry her off, but Cordelia is determined to be a hero rather than a bride. Soon Cordelia encounters childhood friends James and Lucie Herondale and is drawn into their world of glittering ballrooms, secret assignations, and supernatural salons, where vampires and warlocks mingle with mermaids and magicians. All the while, she must hide her secret love for James, who is sworn to marry someone else.

But Cordelia’s new life is blown apart when a shocking series of demon attacks devastate London. These monsters are nothing like those Shadowhunters have fought before—these demons walk in daylight, strike down the unwary with incurable poison, and seem impossible to kill. London is immediately quarantined. Trapped in the city, Cordelia's friends discover that a dark legacy has gifted them with incredible powers—and forced a brutal choice that will reveal the true cruel price of being a hero.

Trigger & Content Warnings: alcoholism, death, gore, grief, loss of loved one, manipulation, miscarriage (past), sexism, trauma, violence

Out of all the books in the Shadowhunters Chronicles, The Infernal Devices (TID) is probably my favorite trilogy. I loved the characters, especially the main trio (Tessa, Will, and Jem), and finishing the series shattered my heart just a little a lot, actually, that’s a truth universally acknowledged. When Chain of Gold was announced, I was excited because there had to be more content (and also Easter Eggs) from some of my favorite characters.

Chain of Gold is the first in The Last Hours trilogy, featuring the next generation of Shadowhunters and set roughly 20 years after Clockwork Princess. In those years, it’s been quiet, with demon attacks few and far between in London. Cordelia Carstairs is the central character of this novel, arriving in London after her father is accused of committing a crime. She’s hoping she’ll clear her father’s name and preserve her family’s reputation during her time. But shortly after her arrival, there’s a new threat to the Shadowhunters when there’s a series of demon attacks throughout London, revealing a new type of demon that could walk in daylight and strike down with incurable poison.

With a new series and generation, Clare introduces us to a new cast, like Cordelia and Alastair Carstairs, James and Lucie Herondale, the Lightwoods and Fairchilds, etc. In the quiet years following the Clockwork War, this new generation of Shadowhunters hasn’t had as much firsthand experience battling demons as the generation before, who did so regularly. Most of them have known each other since childhood, with some relatively close, like the Merry Thieves with James Herondale, Matthew Fairchild, and Christopher and Thomas Lightwood. Despite her family frequently moving about the world, Cordelia is childhood friends with James and Lucie, and she quickly becomes a part of the group.

Character interactions and development are one of my favorite things in Clare’s books (at least from what I’ve read so far), and this was definitely a strong point in Chain of Gold for me. I loved the Merry Thieves’ close bond with each other, Cordelia’s and Lucie’s friendship, and Lucie’s and James’s sibling relationship; there were plenty of good and funny moments that I enjoyed reading.

It was also lovely seeing the cast of The Infernal Devices navigating the next chapter of their lives as parents and with families. There are plenty of references from the series that I loved seeing as they occasionally reminisce the past, and there’s likely more scattered from various short stories already published that I didn’t catch since I’ve only read Ghosts of the Shadow Market. (There’s probably some from The Mortal Instruments, but it’s been a decade since I dropped that series. Maybe I’ll come back to it later.)

Chain of Gold was enjoyable, but it was a struggle. There are a lot of characters here, and honestly, I couldn’t keep track of them all because, for a good amount of time, I thought there was an extra Lightwood somewhere, two different Christophers (why are there so many of them T_T), and Christopher Lightwood and Thomas Lightwood were brothers, to say the least.

Unfortunately, it also took some time for the book to pick up and truly grab my attention, but with the first book in a series, I usually try to give some leeway because first books are often a setup for future ones. It did feel far more overwhelming than Clare’s previous works (even The Mortal Instruments, which I never continued after not liking the second book), though, and I don’t think it’s because it’s been a while since I’ve read something from Shadowhunter Chronicles.

If you’ve read the other series set in the same world, you might find it a lot more enjoyable or fulfilling than I did because Clare is great at dropping subtle references throughout her books (and they’re fun to find). I didn’t hate or even dislike Chain of Gold, but I think I walked away a tad more disappointed than I wanted. With that said, I’m still looking forward to Chain of Iron, and hopefully, the sequel will be a much better experience.