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secretlynumberonefan · 3 years

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Let’s Talk Books - Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare

Damn it feels good to be back in the Shadowhunters world. I loved the first book in this trilogy and going into it, I knew I would enjoy this one as well. It has everything you would want from a Shadowhunters story, action, romance, plenty of angst, and some really loveable characters. Cassandra Clare's writing truly seems to just get better as time goes on and this book was no exception.

Chain of Iron pretty much picks up where the last book, Chain of Gold left off. Following the children of Will, Tessa, and their friends from the Infernal Devices trilogy, this book takes place in Victorian London at a time where demons haven't really been attacking frequently, so when Shadowhunters start mysteriously dying and all signs point to another Shadowhunter being the killer, everyone is baffled by what is going on.

Plotwise I can't say much without spoiling it since it is a sequel for the first book but I really did enjoy it and I flew through the 656 pages in about three days. It's really fast paced, and I feel like it is much more character driven than the previous book and doesn't rely as heavily on action which can be a good or bad thing depending on your preferences. What I especially appreciated in this book is that each character very obviously has flaws and personal things that they are dealing with in a way that makes them seem very real. Also the dialogue between them is amazing. Cassandra Clare really does have a way of writing witty banter that makes the characters really come to life.

5/5 stars because it was just so enjoyable and really everything I could've asked for from a Shadowhunters book.

Now I do have some spoilery thoughts as well so read on if you're interested.

Alright, now that the boring non spoiler section is out of the way, let's really chat. I did not think that James and Cordelia were actually going to get married in this book!!! Like I know they get married eventually because the Herondale family tree gives that away, but I was blown away when the book opens the night before the wedding. I thought for sure that something was going to happen to stop it, and was extremely surprised when they actually got married and went along to their new house.

James decorating the new house to surprise Cordelia was the cutest thing ever. I love that they get to experience the companionship that comes with marriage and learning how to live with another person because that is just so real. I love my husband, but my favorite time with him is just sitting on the couch playing games on our phones while we watch TV, so watching Cordelia and James learn how to just be around each other was super fun.

Also another note on James, I love that he gets a gun!! Obviously it's the first gun that has ever worked for shadowhunters and I'm not sure WHY exactly his demon blood makes it work for him but I just found that super cool. It's also called "Peacemaker" which I know is the gun from Wynonna Earp that supposedly was Wyatt Earp's gun, which I'm pretty sure is the same demon killing gun from Supernatural too so I wonder if that is all related? Anyways it was really cool and I liked just picturing him with the gun just all epic haha.

I have to be honest for a second and say that I really don't like Lucie's storyline. Like c'mon girl you were raised in this world and you know that necromancy is a bad thing!! I just don't understand how she thinks that there could possibly be a good way to raise the dead. Even if it happens in the end, just feels like a dumb idea on her part and she should want absolutely nothing to do with Grace.

I really love the gay, bi, and lesbian representation in this book and I love that there is a wide variety, but I'm a little confused when thinking back to the original trilogy. Wasn't it like super awkward for Alec to be gay because Shadowhunters frowned upon it? Like how did they regress from having Anna who is openly a lesbian in the 1800s to the 2000s and Alec is scared of anyone finding out because of his culture. I'm not knocking it at all, just want to make sure I remember it right.

Thomas is such a teddy bear and I love him so much. He's one of those characters that I just want to tuck into bed with a glass of warm milk because he just warms my heart. And when he kisses Alistair it was so cute how they were taking it slow and he was super hesitant.

And finally, let's talk about that ending. I did not see Jesse's body being the killer coming at all, and I was THROWN when Lilith reveals that Cordelia is her paladin. That was such a shocker I had to put the book down for a few minutes. I'm so curious to see where all of that goes and how she ends up breaking the vows or whatever it is. Also, I'm pretty sad that no one really got a happy ending, but I'm really excited to see Matthew and Cordelia's adventures in Paris. I don't really like the James/Matthew/Cordelia love triangle just because it reminds me too much of Will/Jem/Tessa, but I'm all in on a fun Paris vacation.

So one final question...can someone explain to me why there are moths on the cover? Did I miss something??

Until next time.

#chain of iron #cassandra clare #books #review #reading #the last hours

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