Chain of Gold Review

Title: Chain of Gold
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Last Hours #1
Publisher: Walker Books
Publication Date: 03 March 2020
Source: Pan Macmillan South Africa
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 624
Rating: 4.75

Goodreads Synopsis:

Welcome to Edwardian London, a time of electric lights and long shadows, the celebration of artistic beauty and the wild pursuit of pleasure, with demons waiting in the dark. For years there has been peace in the Shadowhunter world. James and Lucie Herondale, children of the famous Will and Tessa, have grown up in an idyll with their loving friends and family, listening to stories of good defeating evil and love conquering all. But everything changes when the Blackthorn and Carstairs families come to London…and so does a remorseless and inescapable plague.

James Herondale longs for a great love, and thinks he has found it in the beautiful, mysterious Grace Blackthorn. Cordelia Carstairs is desperate to become a hero, save her family from ruin, and keep her secret love for James hidden. When disaster strikes the Shadowhunters, James, Cordelia and their friends are plunged into a wild adventure which will reveal dark and incredible powers, and the true cruel price of being a hero…and falling in love.

Book Review:

Pre-reading Thoughts:

I am not going to lie, I was quite sceptical about this book. I loved the Infernal Devices but I wasn't a fan of the Mortal Instruments. I am hoping that I will love it based on the fact that it follows the children of the characters that I loved. Wish me luck...

Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan South Africa for providing me with a copy of this book! Just a quick disclaimer for those reading this review, I have received this book for free. Please note that this does not affect my opinions in any way. All thoughts are my own.

Writing Thoughts:

The writing was something to get into when I started this book. It was more focused on the details rather than the description so it did sometimes make the writing heavy but once I got past the first 50 pages, things levelled out. I loved the dialogue and the inner turmoil, it helped to break up some of the heavier parts and honestly, the angst. It was amazing. 

Plot Thoughts:

The plot is pretty typical when you look at the story arcs that Cassandra Clare follows in the other shadow hunter worlds but I liked the unique turns it took when it came to the details. We are, essentially, following a group of friends as they are investigating some weird demon activity and things just get spicy from there. I will say that this plot was juicy from unreliable characters to some saucy scenes. It is a book you do not want to put down because you need to know if a certain something happens.

Character Thoughts:

This book is 100% character-driven. Without this group of characters, I do not think that this book would be as enjoyable as it was. I loved the different quirky personalities that the group has. And Cordelia is honestly one of my new favourite MCs. She was humble and doubted herself in certain social situations, which I could definitely relate to. But when it came to battle scenes she was something to behold. I also really liked James who was struggling with who he was and his powers. 

Final Thoughts:

Overall, when it comes to this book, you come for the hype but stay for the characters. I was so attached to see what would happen to them and if a single one of them got something as small as a paper cut, I freaked out. It has been a long time since I was this attached to characters and none more than I, was surprised that it was a Cassandra Clare book. The writing, once you got used to it, was easy to get through especially when the angst was added. The plot, although very generic according to Cassandra Clare's other books, was made unique when it came to the details such as the characters and their choices. Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan South Africa for providing me with a copy of this book!

Yours in Reading,

Melleny