Book Review: Chain of Gold

Rudi
Jan 8, 2021
3 min read

Details

Name: Chain of Gold

Series: The Last Hours #1

Author: Cassandra Clare

My Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

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 and her friends discover that their own connection to 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.

Review

Chain of Gold is set in Edwardian London, and it manages to stick to its time period like its predecessor the Infernal Devices Trilogy. The main characters James and Lucie Herondale are the son and daughter of William and Tessa Herondale. The hopes were high, for obvious reasons. The series CAN be read by someone who hasn't read the Infernal Devices, although there are a few references to the Clockwork War and a few spoilers here and there which might ruin the former if you plan on reading it at a later stage.

One of the features of the book I particularly loved was the generous serving of poetry and quotes. Matthew Fairchild, one of the supporting characters is and avid follower of Oscar Wilde, which does turn out to be entertaining in the least. James Herondale himself is a lover of Shakespeare, and quotes him on multiple occasions, while Cordelia Carstairs leans. more toward the Sufi tale of 'Laila and Majnun'.

Again, like almost every other Cassie Clare book, there is always the prospect of a love-that-can-never-happen as well as the tragic case of unrequited love, which, although expected is not monotonous or sleep inducing in any way. Compared to previous books and series, Chain of Gold, seemed to be more concerned about societal life, marriage, and drama than the actual plot itself, which was a slight put off for me. The fight scenes were scarce and scattered apart, while the dances and picnics and tea parties were more frequent.(Also a special shout- out to all those amazing carriage rides!)

The one thing that I genuinely disliked about this book was the, dare I say, carelessness with the characters. For starters, there are way too many characters introduced right at the beginning of the book. Most of them belonging to the same families, which can make your mind spin at times. Not to mention the fact that the main characters- James and Lucie Herondale and Cordelia Carstairs- seem to have taken the backseat. On the other hand, characters of Anna Lightwood and Matthew Fairchild stand out brightly making the former seem dull in comparison.

Overall I do really love the book (duh! who am I kidding), but I would like to see more action in the next book, that is, Chain of Iron, which comes out on 2nd March 2021.

*insert high pitched squeal here*

“People are only invincible in books," said Cordelia.

"I think you will find most of the time, not even then," said Tessa. "But at least we can always pick up a book and read it anew. Stories offer a thousand fresh starts.”

- Cassandra Clare, Chain of Gold