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emilydinhtea's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Alcohol, Blood, and Death
em_davies7019's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Violence, Grief, Alcoholism, and Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Addiction, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Miscarriage
beckyyreadss's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I wanted to read this book because I absolutely love Cassandra Clare. The infernal devices is my favourite series to date and I loved the mortal instruments and it’s what got me into reading. When I found out that Cassandra Clare has written a series about the kids of the infernal devices, I was so excited! This first book did not disappoint, so I was really excited for the second book in the series.
This book mainly follows Cordelia Carstairs who we met in the first book. She seems to have everything she ever wanted. She’s engaged to marry James Herondale, the boy she has loved since childhood and London’s most eligible bachelor. She has a new life in London with her best friend Lucie Herondale and James’s charming friends, the Merry Thieves, she is also about to be reunited with her father who is now healthy again and she has her legendary blade of Cortana. But the truth is a bit different. James and Cordelia’s marriage is a lie, arranged to save Cordelia’s reputation. James is in love with Grace Blackthorn whose brother, Jesse, died years ago in a terrible accident. Cortana burns Cordelia’s hand when she touches it and her father has grown bitter and angry at the community that has shut him out. To make matters worse, there is a serial murderer that is targeting the Shadowhunters of London and then vanishing without a trace. Together with the Merry Thieves, Cordelia, James and Lucie must follow the trail of the killer through the city’s most dangerous streets. All the while, each are keeping a dangerous secret – Lucie plans to raise Jesse from the dead, Cordelia is sworn to a dangerous oath of loyalty to a mysterious power and James is being drawn further each night into the dark web of his grandfather, the arch-demon Belial. And that he himself might be the killer they seek.
This book hurt my heart, I didn’t like the tension or the secrets in this book. I like the gang working together against a bad guy, not the gang working alone and hiding their secrets. I hated the tension. I didn’t like love triangle aspect in this book being Cordelia, James and Grace and Cordelia, James and Matthew (thought for the second one I am now rooting for Matthew based on the end of this book not James!). I just really, really want Cordelia and Alastair to be happy they both deserve it. I enjoyed the storyline in this book and I know the next book is going to hurt my heart, I can feel it and I'm not ready for it, but at the same time, so ready for it.
Cassandra Clare manages to do it Every. Single. Time - you don’t have to read any of the other series to know what’s going on, some immortal characters make an appearance but you could read this series on its own without having to read The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, The Dark Artifices or The Eldest Curses.
This book mainly follows Cordelia Carstairs who we met in the first book. She seems to have everything she ever wanted. She’s engaged to marry James Herondale, the boy she has loved since childhood and London’s most eligible bachelor. She has a new life in London with her best friend Lucie Herondale and James’s charming friends, the Merry Thieves, she is also about to be reunited with her father who is now healthy again and she has her legendary blade of Cortana. But the truth is a bit different. James and Cordelia’s marriage is a lie, arranged to save Cordelia’s reputation. James is in love with Grace Blackthorn whose brother, Jesse, died years ago in a terrible accident. Cortana burns Cordelia’s hand when she touches it and her father has grown bitter and angry at the community that has shut him out. To make matters worse, there is a serial murderer that is targeting the Shadowhunters of London and then vanishing without a trace. Together with the Merry Thieves, Cordelia, James and Lucie must follow the trail of the killer through the city’s most dangerous streets. All the while, each are keeping a dangerous secret – Lucie plans to raise Jesse from the dead, Cordelia is sworn to a dangerous oath of loyalty to a mysterious power and James is being drawn further each night into the dark web of his grandfather, the arch-demon Belial. And that he himself might be the killer they seek.
This book hurt my heart, I didn’t like the tension or the secrets in this book. I like the gang working together against a bad guy, not the gang working alone and hiding their secrets. I hated the tension. I didn’t like love triangle aspect in this book being Cordelia, James and Grace and Cordelia, James and Matthew (thought for the second one I am now rooting for Matthew based on the end of this book not James!). I just really, really want Cordelia and Alastair to be happy they both deserve it. I enjoyed the storyline in this book and I know the next book is going to hurt my heart, I can feel it and I'm not ready for it, but at the same time, so ready for it.
Cassandra Clare manages to do it Every. Single. Time - you don’t have to read any of the other series to know what’s going on, some immortal characters make an appearance but you could read this series on its own without having to read The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, The Dark Artifices or The Eldest Curses.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Violence, Murder, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Miscarriage
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I am very excited to conclude my year long Cassandra Clare readathon and be caught up to read “Chain of Thorns”.
“Chain of Iron” picks up right where “Chain of Gold” left off. Cordelia is engaged to her dream partner: James. She has secretly loved him since they were children. She has the powerful blade of Cortana in her possession and she will soon be reunited with her father. Everything seems to be going perfectly for her. Unfortunately, nothing is as it seems. James is not in love with her, the Cortana sword burns her whenever she tries to hold it, and her father has grown bitter and mean. And, to top it all off, there is a serial killer targeting shadow hunters. Together with her friends, Cordelia works to uncover the truth behind these murders, and maintain her marriage facade.
This novel was action-packed, and I loved every second of it. With it being the second book in a trilogy, I do think it dragged a bit because there needs to be set up for the epic conclusion, but overall, I still enjoyed it.
I am so excited to see the chaos that ensues in “Chain of Thorns”.
“Chain of Iron” picks up right where “Chain of Gold” left off. Cordelia is engaged to her dream partner: James. She has secretly loved him since they were children. She has the powerful blade of Cortana in her possession and she will soon be reunited with her father. Everything seems to be going perfectly for her. Unfortunately, nothing is as it seems. James is not in love with her, the Cortana sword burns her whenever she tries to hold it, and her father has grown bitter and mean. And, to top it all off, there is a serial killer targeting shadow hunters. Together with her friends, Cordelia works to uncover the truth behind these murders, and maintain her marriage facade.
This novel was action-packed, and I loved every second of it. With it being the second book in a trilogy, I do think it dragged a bit because there needs to be set up for the epic conclusion, but overall, I still enjoyed it.
I am so excited to see the chaos that ensues in “Chain of Thorns”.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Grief, Violence, Death, and Infidelity
deedireads's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Chain of Iron was a fine sequel to Chain of Gold, but I mostly just want the third book. I love the trilogy’s characters and premise, but this book’s reading experience was pretty slow and frustrating.
For you if: You have read Cassandra Clare’s other Shadowhunter books!
FULL REVIEW:
Chain of Iron is the second book in Cassandra Clare’s The Last Hours trilogy, which began with Chain of Gold. It’s the 14th book she’s written in the (core) Shadowhunters universe, which started with City of Bones. Timeline-wise, this trilogy takes place after The Dark Artifices, featuring Tessa and Will’s children. Our main character, Cordelia Carstairs, is a wielder of Cortana and Emma’s ancestor.
I thought CoG was pretty good, and I was excited for the premise (and trope) it set up for CoI. But I’m glad I waited until the month before the last book in this trilogy is coming out, because unfortunately I think that’s the book I was really waiting for. CoI was fine, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a pretty frustrating reading experience. All the tension and conflict in this book relies on the fact that every character is keeping secrets from everyone else, and so we as the audience know everything and are just waiting, waiting, waiting for the characters to FIGURE IT OUT already. And then she loves to give you what you want only to introduce some conflict that delays the payoff. So there was a lot of melodrama and nearly nothing was resolved, lol. Plus, I thought this book was way too long — all her books are massive, and I think she’s just gotten used to it, but this one could have used an editor. Nothing moved the plot forward in the first like 100 pages, lol.
Anyway, it sounds like I hated this book, which I didn’t. Once it finally picked up, the pace was pretty good. She writes great battle scenes and (of course) romantic scenes. But I’m going to need to wait and see whether the third book gives us enough of what we want before I decide how I feel about the trilogy overall.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Chain of Iron was a fine sequel to Chain of Gold, but I mostly just want the third book. I love the trilogy’s characters and premise, but this book’s reading experience was pretty slow and frustrating.
For you if: You have read Cassandra Clare’s other Shadowhunter books!
FULL REVIEW:
Chain of Iron is the second book in Cassandra Clare’s The Last Hours trilogy, which began with Chain of Gold. It’s the 14th book she’s written in the (core) Shadowhunters universe, which started with City of Bones. Timeline-wise, this trilogy takes place after The Dark Artifices, featuring Tessa and Will’s children. Our main character, Cordelia Carstairs, is a wielder of Cortana and Emma’s ancestor.
I thought CoG was pretty good, and I was excited for the premise (and trope) it set up for CoI. But I’m glad I waited until the month before the last book in this trilogy is coming out, because unfortunately I think that’s the book I was really waiting for. CoI was fine, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a pretty frustrating reading experience. All the tension and conflict in this book relies on the fact that every character is keeping secrets from everyone else, and so we as the audience know everything and are just waiting, waiting, waiting for the characters to FIGURE IT OUT already. And then she loves to give you what you want only to introduce some conflict that delays the payoff. So there was a lot of melodrama and nearly nothing was resolved, lol. Plus, I thought this book was way too long — all her books are massive, and I think she’s just gotten used to it, but this one could have used an editor. Nothing moved the plot forward in the first like 100 pages, lol.
Anyway, it sounds like I hated this book, which I didn’t. Once it finally picked up, the pace was pretty good. She writes great battle scenes and (of course) romantic scenes. But I’m going to need to wait and see whether the third book gives us enough of what we want before I decide how I feel about the trilogy overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Alcoholism, and Death of parent
Minor: Miscarriage
green_amaryllis's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism
andrikkk's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Stalking, Violence, Addiction, Deadnaming, Grief, Infidelity, Blood, Death, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, Confinement, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and War
Minor: Incest and Sexual content
_anna_esque_'s review against another edition
funny
mysterious
slow-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? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Death, and Child abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism and Child death
khloereads86's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Ughh the ending. I need to read the next book now but it doesn’t come out for another 6 months 😭
I love these characters. They’re so sweet and funny and supportive of each other.
The slowburn, will they won’t they, between James & Daisy was almost painful but they were still so sweet together.
Can’t wait for the last book in the series.
I love these characters. They’re so sweet and funny and supportive of each other.
The slowburn, will they won’t they, between James & Daisy was almost painful but they were still so sweet together.
Can’t wait for the last book in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, Death, Murder, and Blood
Minor: Sexual content
ali_debookness's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Alcoholism, Murder, and Addiction
Moderate: Infidelity, Blood, Death, Hate crime, Grief, and Violence
Minor: Pregnancy