Scan barcode
A review by maartabarrales
Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Historically, I tend to dislike the middle books of Cassie Clare’s trilogies, see Clockwork Prince, Lord of Shadows and ugh, City of Ashes. And while I did have higher hopes for this one I am not too disappointed.
My biggest issue is the same one you can find among most of her books, it is way too long. Now, I didn’t mind this in Chain of Gold at all because the running time was mostly evenly divided between characters and the mystery was compelling. But here at least a third of the book is just James and Cordelia longing and straining and simping without realizing that it’s a mutual thing. It was fine at first, but by the time I reached the middle point of the book and nothing else had happened I started sweating. I don’t dislike them per se (even though I do prefer Matthew to James) but I find that the relationships in these books work better when they’re framed by action, it adds some balance and puts the characters in interesting positions.
Also the decision to split Lucie from the rest of the main cast was unfortunate in my opinion. She loses a lot of her charm when she’s not able to interact with her friends. Having Jesse as a main companion puts the spotlight directly over their relationship which on closer inspection seems a bit… feeble. Jesse can only interact with his sister and Lucie, it wouldn’t be too out there to suggest he has a crush on the later because there’s literally no one else available. And Lucie fancies herself a heroine, it would be exactly like her to become infatuated with Jesse because he’s the sort of tragic romantic figure that would feature in one of her books. I don’t mind them too much, but I do wish there had been more development to their relationship if it was to become such an important part of the story.
And then there’s Grace. She used to be this kind of character you love to hate, but a lot of it had to do with how mysterious she was. In explaining her past I find that a lot of her villainous allure is lost. She’s more of a tragic if mean figure now. I have to say I do despise the attempt to pair her with Christopher, not everyone needs to have a romantic interest and Kit especially seemed like he could have been a good candidate for some aro/ace rep.
Now despite all this, I did enjoy this book. Cassandra Clare excels at two things, the vibes and the drama and this is pretty good drama. Granted, if you dislike the miscommunication trope perhaps you should skip this one. But if you don’t mind and wanna see some angst and yearning play out, please be my guest.
I very much look forward to reading the next one and will be keeping an eye out for the pretty pre-order editions.
My biggest issue is the same one you can find among most of her books, it is way too long. Now, I didn’t mind this in Chain of Gold at all because the running time was mostly evenly divided between characters and the mystery was compelling. But here at least a third of the book is just James and Cordelia longing and straining and simping without realizing that it’s a mutual thing. It was fine at first, but by the time I reached the middle point of the book and nothing else had happened I started sweating. I don’t dislike them per se (even though I do prefer Matthew to James) but I find that the relationships in these books work better when they’re framed by action, it adds some balance and puts the characters in interesting positions.
Also the decision to split Lucie from the rest of the main cast was unfortunate in my opinion. She loses a lot of her charm when she’s not able to interact with her friends. Having Jesse as a main companion puts the spotlight directly over their relationship which on closer inspection seems a bit… feeble. Jesse can only interact with his sister and Lucie, it wouldn’t be too out there to suggest he has a crush on the later because there’s literally no one else available. And Lucie fancies herself a heroine, it would be exactly like her to become infatuated with Jesse because he’s the sort of tragic romantic figure that would feature in one of her books. I don’t mind them too much, but I do wish there had been more development to their relationship if it was to become such an important part of the story.
And then there’s Grace. She used to be this kind of character you love to hate, but a lot of it had to do with how mysterious she was. In explaining her past I find that a lot of her villainous allure is lost. She’s more of a tragic if mean figure now. I have to say I do despise the attempt to pair her with Christopher, not everyone needs to have a romantic interest and Kit especially seemed like he could have been a good candidate for some aro/ace rep.
Now despite all this, I did enjoy this book. Cassandra Clare excels at two things, the vibes and the drama and this is pretty good drama. Granted, if you dislike the miscommunication trope perhaps you should skip this one. But if you don’t mind and wanna see some angst and yearning play out, please be my guest.
I very much look forward to reading the next one and will be keeping an eye out for the pretty pre-order editions.