Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare | Review *contains spoilers for The Infernal Devices*

Hardback: 624 pages

Publisher: Walker Books

Published: 2020

Language: English

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

I've been waiting for this book for so long and it was so worth it. It turned out to be everything I have ever wanted from Cassandra Clare.

Chain of Gold is the first installment in The Last Hours series, which is a sequel to The Infernal Devices. Now, the latter is, and always will be my favorite series of the author's and one of my favorites of all times, so getting a sequel to that is like Christmas day came early this year.

The story is set in Edwardian England when fancy suits and dresses were still a thing and I love that so very much. There is a certain elegance to such formal clothes that I wish was still going on today.

The book follows the children of the characters from The Infernal Devices (so you should definitely read that one first) which, in my opinion, is not something we get to see in books often.

They are the next generation of Shadowhunters who, weirdly enough, don't have that much shadowhunting to do. I mean, demons don't just go on holiday for a couple of decades all of a sudden, right?

Cordelia Carstairs, our protagonist, comes to London with her family for a fresh start and to be closer to her future parabatai. Upon her arrival, she is swept into a world of glittering ballrooms and supernatural salons, all the while fighting to keep her secrets hidden.

James Herondale, one of my favorite characters ever written, has a special power due to his heritage: he can travel to the realm of shadows and demons. I really liked the idea, found it made him so much more interesting. 

However, as much as I would love to talk about James this entire review, the girl power is what I live for, as Cassandra Clare never fails to rock that aspect. So it really bugged me that Lucie Herondale, his sister, who has the same heritage, was left out of the supernatural special club. After all, it is not Cassie's style to do that.

My little fit over that was short lived though, seeing as the author had not abandoned Lucie as I initially thought, but had other plans for her. And I must say, Cassandra Clare never disappoints. 

One thing that I found very interesting about this book was that every so often there were chapters titled Days Past which told us little bits and pieces from our main characters' early lives. They were a great deal of help in explaining some aspects of the story that may have otherwise been overlooked.

A surprising part of the book is the female-female parabatai aspect, Lucie Herondale and Cordelia Carstairs. According to the Shadowhunters Codex, the parabatai are not just warriors fighting together, but warriors sworn to lay down their lives for one another, to travel where the other travels and be buried in the same place. The Marks the parabatai put on each other are so much stronger than the rest, the bond linking their souls enhancing their power. 

I might be wrong, but I do not recall, in any of her earlier books, a female-female pair, only male-male or male-female and it is nice to see a change. 

Cassandra Clare is a true artist when it comes to writing characters. While detailed descriptions are not my favorites, the author had me devouring every page of this book, searching for those very parts.

The characters' descriptions had me swooning and I am certain no others will ever have that effect on me. 

"He was beautiful, so beautiful that she forgot to breathe when she looked at him. He had wild, tumbled black hair that looked as if it would be soft to touch, and his long, dark lashes fringed eyes the color of honey or amber. He (...) was sleek and lovely all over, perfectly put together, like a marvelous bit of architecture."

I believe there is no better way of saying it than the author creates painfully beautiful characters. Though, they are not only beautiful, but brave, intelligent and creative as well. Determination hums with each heartbeat and recklessness might just be a common thing.

"I see you have decided to follow in the long Herondale tradition of poor decision-making."

They also feel everything so very deep, which I think might be a shadowhunter thing,

"'We do not get to choose when in our lives we feel pain,' said Matthew 'It comes when it comes, and we try to remember, even though we cannot imagine a day when it will release its hold on us, that all pain fades.'"

as well as their never-ending sass:

"'Obviously, I am sure,' she said. 'Which aspect do you think I am confused about?'"

I honestly think Cassandra Clare might secretly practice some sort of dark magic, for she always finds new ways of torturing our poor souls by playing with the protagonists' destinies the way she does. 

Chain of Gold shattered my heart into so many pieces and put it back together just to break it once more, leaving a bitter joy behind.

"He had never thought that the heart could hold a full measure of sorrow and happiness at the same time." 

I currently relate to that, after finishing this masterpiece of a book. There were no parts that I did not enjoy, which happens so rarely, yet it is so welcomed. The story was so captivating that I had a hard time putting it down. All I wanted was to know what happens next. 

It is by far my favorite read of 2020.

Cassandra Clare is truthfully the queen of fantasy and if you haven't read her books yet, I strongly encourage you to try them out, you will not be disappointed.