Category: Historical Fiction

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:

Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Other books in the series:

• Chain of Iron

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

Title: Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: March 19, 2013
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray.

Charlotte Branwell, head of the London Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. But when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever.

As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain’s clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.

Review:

The Shadowhunters of the London Institute must find Mortmain before he can release his automatons on the world. Tessa and Jem are engaged to be married, but the countdown is on when his condition worsens. After a battle with the automatons, Tessa is kidnapped, leading the Shadowhunters on a mission to save her and stop Mortmain.

This was a fabulous finale to this trilogy! There was so much love and heartbreak. I felt like there were so many endings to the story. Halfway through, I felt like the story could have been finished, so I didn’t know what would happen next. The same thing happened with 100 pages left. The ending was quite drawn out but it completed each character’s storyline.

The ending of this book was both beautiful and heartbreaking. I didn’t see how the love triangle between Tessa, Will, and Jem could possibly end happily. There was a much more positive conclusion to that story than I could have predicted, even though it was still so heartbreaking.

I’m very curious to see what happens in Chain of Gold, which is the start of the series that follows this one chronologically. The Infernal Devices was such an amazing series!

What to read next:

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Other books in the series:

• Clockwork Angel
• Clockwork Prince

Have you read Clockwork Princess? What did you think of it?

Title: Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: December 6, 2011
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street—and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, but her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will—the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

Review:

The Shadowhunters of London still are not safe as the Clave wants to remove Charlotte as the head of the London Institute. To save her position, they must hunt down the Magister. Will, Jem, and Tessa have to visit the homes of other Shadowhunters to find the secrets to bring down the Magister. Tessa now knows she can’t trust her brother, but she may not be able to trust some of the other Shadowhunters either.

This series has quickly become one of my favourites. The characters are well developed and have many layers. I like that there are hints of a plot line given early, which ends up developing into an important part later in the book or the series.

There were some shocking twists, but I didn’t find the ending to be as much of a cliffhanger as the first one. There were some secrets that began in the first book and were unraveled in this one. Even though some parts of the story were solved by the end, there are plenty of questions I need answered in another book.

I also love the Victorian literature included in the book. Each chapter opens with a short passage of poetry. Tessa and Will communicate through sharing books. Books are an important part of my life, so I can relate to a character who loves books.

This is such a great series!

What to read next:

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Other books in the series:

• Clockwork Angel
• Clockwork Princess

Have you read Clockwork Prince? What did you think of it?

Title: These Violent Delights (These Violent Delights #1)
Author: Chloe Gong
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: November 17, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.

A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.

But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.

Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.

Review:

1926: Two rival gangs rule Shanghai: the Scarlet Gang and the White Flowers. Juliette Cai is the heiress to the Scarlet Gang. She has just returned from America to resume her role in her father’s empire. Roma Montagov is the heir of the White Flowers. When members of both gangs are found with their throats torn out on the pier, Juliette and Roma have to put their past behind them and join together to investigate what is infecting the city.

Romeo and Juliet is my favourite Shakespeare play. I’ve read it many times, since my class performed it in elementary school. This story is a loose retelling. It doesn’t follow the story exactly, and there were some changes to the original story. Juliette’s and Roma’s families are rivals but they have to work together to figure out who is targeting their gangs, rather than just randomly falling in love and running away from their families.

I liked the little references to people and places from the original play. There was a character named Paul who liked Juliette. At one point, she refers to him as Paris, who was Juliet’s suitor in the play. Roma and Juliette go to a bar called Mantua, which is where Romeo was exiled to in the play. These references to the original play made me smile.

Some parts of this story were intense. The victims were literally tearing out their throats. There were creepy bugs and people being mysteriously infected with a condition that made them kill themselves. These were some disturbing scenes, but they also made the story intense and suspenseful.

This is a great fantasy adaptation of Romeo and Juliet! I can’t wait to read the next book.

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Have you read These Violent Delights? What did you think of it?

Title: Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: August 31, 2010
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London’s Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What’s more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa’s power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm’s length…everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world…and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Review:

1870: Tessa Gray travelled from New York to London to find her brother after the death of their aunt. She was greeted by two women who said they were sent to retrieve her. The women, called the Dark Sisters, kept Tessa locked up until she learned how to use her secret ability, which was to transform into any person. Just before Tessa is sent to marry the mysterious Magister, she is rescued by the Shadowhunters. With their help, Tessa has to find her brother and help save everyone from the Magister.

I love historical fiction and fantasy, so this story was the perfect combination. It was actually quite creepy at the beginning, when Tessa was learning how to use her power. The setting of Victorian London had a dark atmosphere, which added to the fantasy plot.

This was such a great story. I wish I had read it sooner. I can’t wait to read the next one!

What to read next:

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare

Other books in the series:

• Clockwork Prince
• Clockwork Princess

Have you read Clockwork Angel? What did you think of it?