Chain of Gold (The Last Hours Book 1)

Cordelia Carstairs is a shadowhunter who not only fights demons, but she will also do anything for her family and friends. After the arrest of her father, Cordelia travels to London to do what she can to save him and her family from complete ruin. Here, she spends a lot of time with the siblings Lucy and James Herondale, along with Matthew Fairchild, James' parabatai. While Cordelia loves James, he has eyes for Grace Blackthorn, so she tries to stifle her feelings.

But that's easier said than done.

As events start to unfold, the action and adventure picks up quick. Someone is trying to bring demons into London and it's up tp the young shadowhunters to save the day. Lucy can see spirits and finds herself in the company of Jesse Blacktorn on more than one occasion, even though he's supposed to be dead. Cordelia finds herself around James and Matthew long enough that her feelings for James continues to grow. Not to mention that they wind up in some steamy situations.

CHAIN OF GOLD is a fast-paced addition to the Shadowhunter novel family where secrets hide around every corner, even within the tight-knit group of friends. I adore Matthew Fairchild and his loyalty and he's probably my favorite of the bunch. Lucy and Cordelia are both strong and quick to take action rather than wait to be saved. James is adorable and is trying to find his place in the world due to his heritage. With so many characters to love, Cassandra Clare does an amazing job at giving them each their own personalities and growth. Not once did I find myself bored while reading this and I'm off to start the second!


Final Verdict: I would recommend this to all Shadowhunter fans, but also to those who love supernatural adventure stories with underlying themes of friendship and love.

What Worked: Cassandra Clare does such a superb job developing the world of the Shadowhunters. The characters form a tight-knit group and even the supporting characters have depth. I have read most but not all of the different books written in the Shadowhunter’s world so it was fun to see the references to characters I already know. As I was reading, I definitely felt like I wanted to re-read and to go read the ones I missed because while it isn’t necessary to understand the story, I think it would be more enjoyable to freshen up on the details and be fully immersed in the world.
The siblings and friends: James & Lucie Herondale, Cordelia Carstairs, Thomas & Christopher Lightwood, plus Mathew Fairchild uncover details of someone hiring a warlock to summon a demon that even the clave doesn’t know about. There are many secrets and mysteries that they uncover and some secrets they keep that lead to the partial success of their problems.
Along the way, Cordelia must face that James is in love with Grace Blackthorn. Yet after she ruins her reputation to save him, they are now engaged. It is everything she always wanted in a way that is heartbreaking and sure to have you picking up the next in the series, Chain of Iron.
Lucie discovers that she can command ghosts due to her part-demon heritage. Mathew has a terrible secret that causes him to be a drunk and even his parabatai, James, doesn’t know of it. Jesse Blackthorn gives everything to help Lucie save James, but I am not sure his part to play in the events is over. James learns the attacks are centered around Tatianna Blackthorn’s hatred of them all and his part demon ancestry is the key to raising a Prince of Hell. So much happens to keep this book moving and there is still so much that needs to happen to help people find happiness. In the end, James and Cordelia are firmly in the crosshairs of plots they aren’t aware of yet and will need their friends and family more than ever to overcome what lays ahead for them.
Final Verdict: Definitely a must-read for Cassandra Clare fans. For people new to her work, I suggest starting with The Infernal Devices trilogy to get the full enjoyment from this story arc. Then go ahead and grab a copy of Chain of Iron, because once you finish this book you are going to need to know what else is in store for our heroes and heroines. There are some steamy scenes that make this book most appropriate for older teen audiences.