Review: Chain of Gold (The Last Hours #1)

Title: Chain of Gold (The Last Hours #1)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: March 3, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Chain of Gold, a Shadowhunters novel, is the first novel in a brand-new trilogy where evil hides in plain sight and love cuts deeper than any blade. .

Cordelia Carstairs is a Shadowhunter, a warrior trained since childhood to battle demons. When her father is accused of a terrible crime, she and her brother travel to London in hopes of preventing the family’s ruin. Cordelia’s mother wants to marry her off, but Cordelia is determined to be a hero rather than a bride. Soon Cordelia encounters childhood friends James and Lucie Herondale and is drawn into their world of glittering ballrooms, secret assignations, and supernatural salons, where vampires and warlocks mingle with mermaids and magicians. All the while, she must hide her secret love for James, who is sworn to marry someone else.

But Cordelia’s new life is blown apart when a shocking series of demon attacks devastate London. These monsters are nothing like those Shadowhunters have fought before—these demons walk in daylight, strike down the unwary with incurable poison, and seem impossible to kill. London is immediately quarantined. Trapped in the city, Cordelia and her friends discover that their own connection to a dark legacy has gifted them with incredible powers—and forced a brutal choice that will reveal the true cruel price of being a hero.

Review:

Cordelia Carstairs’ father was accused of a crime and arrested, so her mother and brother brought their family to London to start over their lives. Her mother wants Cordelia to be married, but Cordelia is interested in learning how to fight as a Shadowhunter. Cordelia is reunited with her childhood friends Lucie and James Herondale. The world of the Shadowhunters has been quiet for years, without demon attacks to train the younger generation. However, after Cordelia arrives, they encounter some demon attacks during daylight. These demons aren’t like ones they’ve ever fought before because they appear in the daytime. The new generation of Shadowhunters has to figure out how to defeat the new demons while also dealing with their personal relationship problems.

This is the first series I’ve read that follows different generations of a family. The Infernal Devices, which is about the parents of the characters in this book, is one of my favourite series. I loved this continuation of their story. I thought I would miss the parents in this story, but they were in the story enough. There were things the kids had to keep secret from their parents, including their demon battles, which made the story exciting.

Though there were about 6 primary characters in this story, they were all distinct people. It would definitely be helpful to read The Infernal Devices first, because the parents of these characters were introduced in those books. I actually had to make a family tree when I first started reading so I could keep all of the characters straight. However, they each had different personalities and storylines, so it was easy to keep them distinct in my mind.

I loved this start to the new Shadowhunters series!

What to read next:

Other books in the series:

• Chain of Iron

Have you read Chain of Gold? What did you think of it?