Reviews with content warning for Murder - Chain of Iron

Chain of Iron picks up a few weeks after the ending of Chain of Gold. Now this being like the second in book in the current series but the like sixteenth book overall, excluding novella bind ups, it is going to incredibly painful to try and not spoil anything.

Now I will start off by saying this, Cassandra Clare has never had like stand out plots in her books. There have been some, but she is more characters first before plot kind of story writer. I would say that is entirely true when it come to Chain of Iron. This was a purely character driven story, with plot completely secondary. Again as I said before Chain of Iron picks up with the big event that Chain of Gold set up. Some of you who have read know what said event is, some of you don't. We spend a good majority of the beginning of this book on this event and never really anything plot wise happening, which is okay but I do wish Clare didn't spend as much time as she did on the event. Once we finally got away from said event, the plot got started and the story really took off.

I would say I am a reader who needs both plot and character focus in my stories. I can tolerate a story with a great plot and lackluster characters or even vice versa. But for me to really make the story shine I need both. With Chain of Iron it was definitely more character focused like I said, but the plot no matter how small it really was, compelled me. Sure at times it can be predictable, but if the author can still keep my interest, if they can keep me wanting to turn the pages for more, for me that is a win. That is exactly what Clare did with Chain of Iron. I adore these characters, I adore this world, I am so invested with the intricacies of this game board Clare has been weaving since City of Bones.

I have to say though, I think this story would have benefited from Clare's initial release plan. Which if I remember correctly she wanted to release it like she did with The Mortal instruments final three books and The Infernal Devices. There are some major plot points and history markers that would have hit differently had she done it that way, in my opinion. I know we would have waited longer for books, but I remember reading The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices that way and truly appreciating how the stories weaved together harmoniously.

Are the Shadowhunter books perfect absolutely not, no book is and I will die on that hill defending that argument. The Shadowhunter books however bring me so much joy and escapism and that is what truly makes this series shine for me. I am so looking forward to Chain of Thorns the final book in The Last Hours series. I will also continue to look forward to every Shadowhunter book that is yet to come!

Content Warnings

siobhanisreading's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

lyderz_'s review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Alright the “tagline” of this book is literally “You never forget your first betrayal” so I should have been prepared. I should have known I would not make it out of this without feeling… betrayed… but I was in fact not ready (especially for that ending). Without being spoilery, let me just say that the decisions these characters make, the secrets they keep, and the things they choose to suffer alone are so infuriating it literally makes it feel like there is a pit in my stomach. So, naturally I gave this book five stars. For me, if a book is able to incite such intense emotions and visceral reactions, then the author is doing a great job. In all seriousness, I sincerely enjoyed this book but I am so deeply invested in The Shadowhunter Chronicles at this point I'll snatch up every bit of content without a second thought. Jumping back into this universe and these storylines always brings me a nostalgic sense of joy and this book didn’t disappoint.

We have a dark and moody winter in London. We have Edwardian era fashion (I seriously had to look up what spats are). We have tea. We have a murder mystery. We have literal chess games and metaphorical ones too! What more do you need?

This book in particular felt very character driven, which I typically enjoy. There are obviously dangers driving things along, but it is so focused on the complex interpersonal relationships between the main characters that I found the mysterious murder plot secondary to all that for most of the book. It all did eventually gain momentum but I honestly thought the main showdown was a bit anticlimactic. I wanted more action, it’s strange because the threats in this book are very cosmic and impending, and yet they don’t feel very immediate. With all of that said, I understand that the vibe of this trilogy is focused on the drama, and let's be honest, that is what I am really here for. I love reading about all the social gatherings and the gossip. Every scene with the Merry Thieves all gathered together is so fun to read, I am obsessed with their group dynamics. These characters have such contradictory relationships because they are so closely entwined and care for each other so deeply and yet they can be very closed off from each other when they are struggling the most. Each have their own things going on, and their own juicy secrets as well. We got to see some new sides to these characters and I was surprised by how vastly my opinions of some of them have shifted since Chain of Gold, for better or for worse…

Like many Shadowhunter stories, the themes of this book are intensely centered around love. But in this case, we’re exploring the ways that love can be damaging. Or in the sense that harmful things can be disguised as love. We see time and time again these characters holding back, turning inward and keeping quiet because of their love rather than using it as a driving force for the goodness that they all strive for, which seems to perpetually remain out of reach. There are so many toxic and angsty things going on that it makes me want to scream but I’m looking forward to getting some resolutions in the next book, hopefully. In all honesty I’m sensing tragedy, I have some theories about what's next and I feel like I picked up on some foreshadowing. By the Angel I hope I’m wrong.

Content Warnings