Chain of Gold By Cassandra Clare Book Review

“‘I am a Herondale. We love but once.’

‘That is only a story.’

‘Haven’t you heard?’ James said bitterly. ‘All the stories are true.'”

(pg 309-10)

About

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Series: The Last Hours Book 1

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Synopsis

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

Spoilers Contained Below

To all my Shadowhunters,

Another year, another Cassandra Clare novel to rip your heart out, am I right?

I have absolutely no where to properly begin because there are a lot of things to talk about, but let’s start with how I absolutely love how we get to see life after Will and Tessa got married. The Last Hours is honestly, my dreams and more, where we see all our favorite characters from The Infernal Devices and their kids. It’s like a fun reunion of sorts. When I was reading, part of me was like, “I want to know what Tessa and Will feel,” or “What are Cicely and Gabriel doing?” or “Where are Gideon and Sophia?” But this book wasn’t about them 😆. But it goes to show how much I miss their characters, truly.

I did enjoy the little moments we did see with them because they were just sooo precious. I loved how all the husbands adored their wife, because they rightfully should. I loved the moments between Cicely and Will when they would have their little brother-sister, making faces at each other moments. I love love loved seeing Will and Tessa as parents because heck, they are the best parents anyone could ask for. I also found it cute how lovey-dovey embarrassing they were. A lot of parents aren’t like that anymore, so it was sweet that they still kept that spark alive. I also liked the fact that they read or told stores of their past to James and Lucie because it was sweet. I genuinely believe the greatest lesson that Will passed down to his kids is his fear of ducks or anything bird-like 😂. I kid you not, I can count all the times a duck and fear was mentioned in the same sentence!

But you know what just warmed the heart even more? Will and Tessa’s love for Jem. That’s something I know will never fade with time and it just brings me so much happiness and joy to see such love in their relationship all this time. If there’s anyone who is Will and Tessa’s biggest fan, it’s Jem, and if there’s anyone who’s Jem’s biggest fan (beside Lily Chen), it’s Will and Tessa. And the support and love they have is so pure and so brilliantly done, that you just feel it to the core of your bones. There is no love like Jem, Tessa, and Will in ANY book I have ever read and they are such a special group of people.

The Last Hours also has a cast of special people who I grew to love in an instant.

First, there’s my man, Matthew Fairchild. Words cannot describe how utterly charming, supportive, and comical he is. I want to just wrap him in a blanket to shield him from the darkness of the world. I mean, I don’t want to look too into the Shadowhunter lineage because I might spoil myself to the love plots, but Matthew has Herondale humor in him for sure. His golden hair also reminds me a lot like Jace’s. I wonder where he gets his humor from when Charolette doesn’t have that much snark in her, but she sure does have finesse. I know Matthew gets his caring heart from both of them. His heart is truly one that is beyond loving. He would do anything for James and the people he loves. But there’s something about Matthew that we all know is hurting.

And that just breaks my heart because I feel like he covers his sorrow with sarcasm. But also with the alcohol. As someone as young as he is, there is something kind of highly concerning about how much he drinks. I get that runes make him more sober, but I think his friends should be more concerned as to how much he drinks and why he drinks. I mean, I know. You might know if you read Ghosts of a Shadow Market, which I highly recommend you do before reading this book. But Matthew’s keeping the secret that he accidentally poisoned his mother and caused her to lose his future baby sister. He never told a soul. Jem knows because he was there.

For me, it’s like Matthew is a Will Herondale in the making with this secret. I know at some point, his secret is going to come out because the truth always does, but I know it will pain Matthew beyond words to do so. I just feel like Matthew needs to get that off his chest to move forward. Because drinking his life away because of his guilt, isn’t helping him.

There was this moment at the end when my other man, Magnus Bane went up to Matthew and was concerned about him. Magnus truly knows if something is up. And he’s also the type of person who likes to rescue/heal broken people. Matthew reeks of broken and hidden secrets. And it bred this whole conversation that really ached my heart in the wrong way because Matthew was angry at James.

Matthew liked Cordelia to some extent. Or so I think because Matthew knew James didn’t love Cordelia. So I don’t know if that anger at James was him being mad at James for playing Cordelia or because Matthew was starting to like Cordelia and he knew she deserved better. I am interested to see how this plays out in the next book. Is there going to be a friendship love-triangle there?

Because of everything going on, Magnus told himself that he would stay for a year to understand everything better, which I LOVED! I was just waiting for Magnus Bane to pop in. Honestly, it wouldn’t feel like a Shadowhunter book without Magnus Bane there; the first half or so of the book felt oddly strange because Magnus wasn’t there.

Then there was the Lightwoods.

If I’m being honest, I really confused the Lightwood kids and who was who’s parents, but then I got it. For a second, I really thought Thomas and Christopher were actually brothers, but instead their cousins. Thomas is Sophie and Gideon’s son, along with Barbara and Eugenia.

Thomas, Thomas, Thomas.

If Matthew is Jace in the making, Thomas is Alec in the making and I am here for it. Thomas reminds me of a big friendly giant, just like his dad. I kind of don’t remember him in the Shadowhunter Academy novellas, but I do know from the constant teasing that he used to be part of the itty bitty petite community. When he came back from his year trip to Brazil, he became the BFG or something and ungoshly tall. It was funny how he would ride in the carriages and Cassandra Clare would describe how he was squished and had to hunch over. My BFT (Big Friendly Thomas) 💚. That is what I shall call him.

I also enjoyed the flashback chapters Cassandra Clare included because it added to the storyline. There was one flashback of Thomas when he went to Paris and he saw Alastair, Cordelia’s brother, there. Alastair was the infamous bully of Thomas and the Merry Thieves, so the last thing Thomas would have would be respect for him. But my BFT has a heart of gold and tried to move on from that and I loved that. It was kind of awkward at first because he saw Alastair and didn’t know whether or not he should say hi or avoid him. I think we’ve all been there with someone we would rather not see.

I thought things would have been tense or awkward between them given their past, but there was a different type of tension. A love tension if you know what I mean 😉. I could just FEEL Thomas starting to develop feelings for Alastair and I was HERE for it. And then all throughout the book, whenever Thomas was near Alastair, Thomas would tense up, get nervous, and all these things that I was like, Thomas likes him. HE LIKES ALASTAIR!!! My poor baby!

Because Alastair didn’t like him!!!!! He was in love with Charles, Matthew’s older brother. I was flipping my pancakes!!!!

Don’t even get me started!

First of all, I picked up early on that Alastair liked men. There was just something that gave me that vibe. And then Cordelia followed him to where Charles and him were meeting and Alastair said he loved Charles and I was like I KNEW!!! I knew! But then I was like, Charles is freaking getting married and this sucks because Thomas likes Alastair and Alastair likes Charles, but Charles is getting married to Ariadne who is sick, but now is getting married to Grace, and Ariadne loves Anna and Anna has meaningless flings and EVERYTHING IS A BIG FREAKING IRONIC MESS.

I CAN’T EVEN.

When you think Cassandra Clare romances can’t be any more screwed up or messy, you think wrong all the time. I am wrong.

She keeps messing with me 😆. Ugh, but it’s suchhh good content.

I can tell Charles loves Alastair too because there’s a part of him that wants to break off the marriage with Ariadne and I could see him wanting to, but he feels like he has a duty. That’s the thing with Charles, is that his status and power means more to him then being true to himself and in the end, it’s why Alastair chooses to walk away. And I am immensely proud of him for doing so because my gosh, it takes such a strong person to be like, “I want to live my truth.”

Alastair deserves better even if he was a jerk. I really have a love-hate relationship with Alastair. In the beginning, I really disliked him. He was closed off, he was a prude and he was mean. But as the story goes on, I understood Alastair a lot.

There’s a saying that I say all the time, hurt people hurt people. Alastair was hurt and he hurt others. Again, I don’t remember much from the Shadowhutner Academy book, so I don’t know if Alastair got teased at first for being the new guy at the Academy, but I could see it. I could see the Merry Thieves having a bond together and carelessly teasing Alastair, but not having been around a steady group of people his whole life—always moving around—I could understand why Alastair would feel attacked and would want to attack first. I get it. He had no friends and he felt like an outcast, so he hardened and became rude because he was scared of people rejecting him and he did it to himself first.

“‘For a while. I realized I had a choice. There were only two kinds of people at the Academy. the bullies and the bullied.’

‘And you . . .?’

Alastair said tightly, ‘Which would you have chosen?’

‘If those were my only two choices,’ Cordelia said, ‘I would have left and come home.’

‘Yes, well,’ he said. ‘I chose the one where I wasn’t made to feel like a laughingstock.’

Cordelia was very still and silent. Alastair’s face was impassive.

‘And how has that worked out?’ she said, as mildly as she dared.

‘Awful,’ he said. ‘It’s awful.'”

(pg 506)

Hearing Alastair say that, opened my heart to him. He knew what he did in the past wasn’t right—it was awful—but he did it because he felt like he didn’t have a choice. And that sucked. Because I see it from the Merry Thieves point of view how they took his rudeness as who he was and that’s why they never became friends with him. But I also know it was because they didn’t make it easy for him to go to them either.

Alastair isn’t a bad person. I think he’s just misunderstood and hurt. Once you get to know him, he really has a good heart underneath it all who wants to do right.

There’s also a lot of burdens on his shoulder as the older brother. He doesn’t show it easily, but he loves Cordelia. He wouldn’t just follow her around town if he didn’t care, and he certainly wouldn’t worry about her if he didn’t care either. I loved that moment when Alastair came back from the Academy and Cordelia wondered what changed. She tried everything to get him to talk to her and then they had that heart-to-heart where he opened up about getting bullied. But I also loved how in that moment Cordelia saw it through his eyes and he through hers. They were there for each other because they were all that they had.

And I also loved how Cordelia tried to talk to him about loving Charles. Yes, it wasn’t her place to eavesdrop, so I understood why Alastair was so angry at her. I would have felt betrayed and invaded. I just thought he needed time to process coming out to his sister and when he did, I loved how Cordelia stood by his side.

Alastair is also a good brother in the way he wanted to make sure that Cordelia never knew the truth of their father. I didn’t think that was for him to decide because she’s her own person, but he wanted her to have a clean image of their father. Their father, Elias Carstaris, was being tried for causing a werewolf attack. Elias couldn’t remember that day and Cordelia always wondered why. It was because Elias has always been drunk, but Alastair and Sona (the mom) never wanted her to know. It was a sweet sentiment, but she should have been told so she knew why he didn’t remember. And I think when you do know something about a parent that might seem bad, it does taint them in your eyes. So I get why he protected her, but it was wrong to disillusion her to the idea that her dad was alright when he wasn’t. He needed help.

Her knowing this also cleared up a lot about why her mom felt the need for her to marry and socialize—-so that she would be okay when everything blew up and her dad was found guilty. And that’s hard.

At the end of the book, Elias is being released because Cordelia is a savior in the Shadowhunter eyes. It would seem wrong to imprison the dad of the ‘savior.’ But this makes me wonder how Elias returning will impact Cordelia and Alastair? Will Cordelia be closed off to her dad now that she knows the truth? I could feel her beginning to feel angry or hurt by her dad. We’ll see how things change in the next book with him around.

But back to the Lightwoods. Thomas Lightwood’s sisters are Barbara and Eugenia.

In the midst of everything going on, Barbara was attacked by demons in the daylight, which was unheard of until now. She was poisoned and laid resting in the Institute, and later the Silent City. But I really would have liked to know more of Barbara as a sister because we only got those stolen moments before she was poisoned and then passed away. That just broke my heart for his whole family because she was so young! I also hurt for her husband, Oliver. They were in love 💔. Besides Barabara, there was Eugenia, whom I would also like to know more of. I like that we get to know Thomas and all, but why not the sisters? I think there’s something more to Eugenia than Cassandra Clare is letting on based on some hints she gave of how she was sent away, I think, or something mysterious. I hope we get to see more of her in the next book.

Christopher Lightwood is Cicely and Gabriel’s son who has taken quite a liking to Henry. I love Henry and it’s good to see him. However, I don’t know if Cassandra Clare was writing for the time period or something, but saying that Henry was “confined” to a bath chair really rubbed me the wrong way. It still does. I don’t know, I love the inclusivity, but confined isn’t the right way because Henry used a bath chair, he wasn’t trapped and having that negative connotation of the word really makes him seem less than. Henry is anything but. But again, I don’t know if Cassandra Clare was writing to the time period, but I still don’t appreciate the word choice there as someone who took special education classes as an education major. But I digress. I also couldn’t stop eye cringing at how Christoper would say, “What ho.” Was he calling people a ho? 😂. I’m joking! I doubt he would call someone a ho, and that it was some old timey saying, but still the context of it now is kind of funny.

I really enjoyed Christopher’s character because he comes across as highly intelligent and like all he cares about is science and his work, but there’s a lot of heart and passion in him that I would love to see more of. I would love to seem more dynamic between Christopher and Anna because they are siblings. They are absolute complete opposites if you ask me, but they don’t lack that Lightwood finesse. When Christopher got stretched by a demon and was poisoned, I literally shouted, “NO!” HOW DARE CASSANDRA CLARE!! You better not take my dear Christopher away from me! Not after Barbara!

Thomas and Christopher’s relationship was pure brotherhood if you ask me; it’s why I thought they were brothers. They can read each other well and they know when the other needs something without the person actually having to say it. Like when Barabara passed away, Christopher knew Thomas needed to pour himself into his work, so he asked him to help him with the antidote. And can we say, as someone in the middle of a pandemic, I think we all need a Christopher to pop off and create an antidote as fast as he did! I mean, he lived in what, 1900 English without the technology we have and he was able to create a cure in what a week or so? MY GOSH! 😆But again, he had Shadowhunter magic and potion things to help him, so that’s why. Still, it’s crazy how brilliant Chrisotpher is.

I also really liked the scene between Thomas and Christopher when Thomas told him to hold on and Christopher told him he could finish the antidote without him. It emphasized how much faith he had in Thomas—-the trust.

Christopher’s sister, Anna Lightwood is someone who had my heart ever since the Ghosts of the Shadow Market. When Cassandra Clare described her as striking, she meant it because there really is no other word to describe Anna. She is just someone so fierce, bold, and sharp. I really love how in this book we see her comfortable with her sexuality. It’s also interesting that she lives in a flat by herself and how open/known her reputation is. Given Cicely and Gabriel, I know they trust her, but at the same time, that has to be kind of weird to hear your daughter having all these sexual relationships. I mean, I would feel weird.

But Anna is a heart-breaker and a charmer. I found it interesting too, how she could literally seduce or get anyone to like her. Heck, no wonder I like her 😆 (as a strong character). There’s also this mysterious air about her that keeps people at a distance, but still cares. She has that relationship with Cordelia and I actually really like the weird respect for each other that they form. I liked how Anna gifted Cordelia all these dresses because she knew Cordelia didn’t match with all the pastel frou-frou outfits. If Anna wasn’t a Shadowhunter, I think she would make a fine fashion stylist because I feel like she has a strong passion for it and an eye for clothes. I also liked how Anna went to Cordelia when visiting Ariadne. That’s not something she did without trust.

We all know how much Ariadne matters to Anna 😉.

Gosh, Anna and Ariadne can just rip my heart out because I know what’s up with them 🤪.

“‘People can be awful when they’re in love.”

(pg. 197)

Anna knows her true love is Ariadne but because Ariadne was marrying Charles, she knew she couldn’t have her. So to keep her mind off of Ariadne, Anna has relationships with anyone and everyone because they absolutely mean nothing to her when she knows her heart. She displaces her love onto these innocent people she uses because she can’t have Ariadne. And that makes me hurt for Anna 😢. I know Anna has a Lightwood heart because she loves with all of her. She also has a lot of Herondale in her too because she loves only one.

In the beginning of the book, when Ariadne was attacked and I thought she was a goner, I hurt for Anna. I was like, “Cassandra Clare CAN’T just get rid of Ariadne without giving them a fighting chance!” She absolutely CAN’T.

So it made sense when Anna enlisted Cordelia and Matthew to figure out what was going on with the demon attacks. Anna had insider information and could get them into the Ruelle place to get more knowledge to solve what’s going on. And the sooner that they could figure things out, the quicker it would be to create a cure to help Ariadne and she would be okay. Because as much as Anna might not admit it to herself, she still loved Ariadne and cared. There was that moment when she visited Ariadne at the Silent City and Cordelia was there as I mentioned before, and Cordelia picked up how there was something more there. The way Anna’s head was hung and the sorrow on her features. Something ached in my chest whenever they would talk about the attacks and Ariadne and Anna would subtly clench her fists or show that it bothered her. No matter what, Ariadne meant something.

When the cure was made and Ariadne came back, I was beyond happy! But when Ariadne went up to Anna at the end and was like:

“‘You made quite a name for yourself, Anna, as someone who does not believe in love.’

Anna spoke coldly. ‘Indeed. I think that romantic love is the cause of all the pain and suffering in this world.’

. . . ‘I know you are strong-willed, Anna Lightwood, but I am just as strong-willed. I will change your mind. I will win you back.'”

(pg .567)

I kid you not, I was sitting by my window and yelled to the rafters, “HECK, YEA YOU’LL WIN HER BACK!!” You go do that Ariadne! You FIGHT FOR YOUR WOMAN!!”

And I kid you not, I was mortified 😂.

Not about what I said though, because I am HERE for Anna and Ariadne making up because what they’ve both been through has been rough. I just think Ariadne kind of broke Anna’s heart in the past because Ariadne didn’t choose her. But I liked how Ariadne acknowledged she was wrong and that she wanted her now.

Better late than never, am I right?

I could talk about the Lightwoods all day, but we need to discuss the Herondales because that’s what we all live for. Or I do, at least. I would thoroughly love to be a Herondale. Someone get me a name change please 🤪.

I would honestly love to be friends with Lucie. She has such a loyal and kind heart like her mother and father—-the best of both worlds. I think we would be good friends because of how much she loves to write, which I love! It’s so cute how she creates short stories about their lives and how she used to send them to Cordelia. I love how she writes about James being moody or something and how she would describe him as terrible and then terrible, terrible. It’s cute.

I enjoyed the sibling camaraderie and how they had each other’s backs. I liked how James would get all older brother on her whenever she talked about boys. I also liked how open James was to Matthew liking her because he knew. I think if that was anyone else’s older brother, they would stave their best friend off from liking the younger sister, but he trusted Matthew with his whole heart, so that’s why I think he was fine with it. I also think James might have thought that there would be no one better for Lucie than Matthew. I am here for Matthew and Lucie because they would be cute, but I really don’t see it in some ways. Maybe that relationship will develop in the coming books, but I don’t know. I think Matthew has a lot to figure out for himself before he can pour his love into someone else.

It’s kind of sad, but I fully like Lucie and Jesse Blackthorn. But you know. . . Jesse’s a ghost 😂. So . . .ummmm . . . I’m not sure how that’s supposed to work 😆. They have a cute relationship and if Jesse wasn’t a ghost, I feel like that would be who Lucie would be perfect with. They met a long time ago in the forest and it’s nothing new that she could see ghosts—she was a Herondale after all. But no one else could see Jesse besides her and the other Blackthorns, which was strange for her.

Being the offspring of Tessa—a Shadowhunter and a warlock—she had different abilities like her brother that no one knows or understands. One of them that is delved into in this book is that Lucie can see ghosts because she has a unique connection with them. She sees Jesse years later at the ball where Jesse’s adopted sister, Grace, who I’m going to POP OFF about later, is. When she saw Jesse, she was shocked because she didn’t think she would ever see him again. The thing that was odd about the situation was that no one seemed to take note of him. And that was because he was a ghost.

Jesse served as such an interesting character, whom I would love to not be a ghost because he has a good heart.

Funny, given his mother. The whole time, I kept wondering though, how did he pass away. It wasn’t mentioned until later how he wasn’t well enough to withstand being ruled. But he kept asking to be tuned, so he was, but then later that night he passed away because the power of the rune got to him. That’s honestly really a horrible story because I thought it would have been something like he fought in a battle or something, but it was because of the runeing process. And like with all Cassandra Clare books, sometimes I forget things, but why is it again that some people can’t withstand runes? Why couldn’t Jesse?

That made my heart hurt for him. But you know who hurt more for him?

His freaking PSYCHOMANIAC MOTHER!

I would just like to do a full on scream of frustration and anger and sorrow for Tatiana Blackthorn who is a PSYCHO MANIAC.

Scream it with me now 🤪.

I just can’t.

In Clockwork Princess, she was newly wed until her husband got killed in a battle when Jem, Will, Tessa, and the Lightwood brothers were trying to kill big daddy Benedict demon-pox, scoundrel of the earth-worm Lightwood.

So ever since that moment, in the words of Darla from the Little Rascals, Tatiana has hated their guts.

She holds the Lightwoods, Herondales, and Carstairs responsible for all she lost that day. It turned her into a bitter prude. She retreated into herself in the Blackthorn more like some scary witch neighbor with the old, dark, run-down house. She was angry. And then she lost her only blood-son.

She was hurt.

She lost everything in her life and she placed her anger on others and that’s what drove her craziness.

And as much as I don’t like Tatiana Blackthorn, I understand her. She was in pain. She thought the only way to make herself happy and avenge her dad and her husband was to hurt those who took everything from her so they knew the pain and sorrow she felt. Throughout the book, everyone would say how creepy the manor was and make jokes about it and the clocks there. At the end, it was said how she turned the clock to twenty past nine or something because that was the time her world had ended. Reading that hurt my heart. She was misunderstood. She was in pain. I mean, why didn’t anyone check on her and ask her how she was? Maybe they tried, but couldn’t they have tried harder 😅.

So she was the puppet behind everything. Deep down I knew it. She was up to something because she had a lot of hate in her heart and it didn’t help how people pitied or talked bad about her.

You could just tell with how she constantly called out the Herondales, the Lightwoods, and the Carstairs. And how she kept Grace away from them all these years until now. I wonder why she chose now to do something? Then again, it wasn’t completely her. There was something also fishy with how she had that greenhouse with all those forbidden/illegal plants and the mandikhor demons there. I mean, the woman had an evil greenhouse, she’s ruining the greenhouse name!

There wasn’t something right with that. Or how she could control the demons because they supposedly protected her. It made me wonder if she intentionally called them to hunt Grace down the night she met James at the bridge or if Grace was in on the whole plan. I don’t know.

Because the plan was that she worked with Belial to exact revenge on the Lightwoods, Carstairs, and Herondales for all they had taken from her. So that’s why Belial had his mandikhor demons attack and poison people. Before that, for years demons hadn’t been around in England, which was strange if you ask me. People knew something was up and wrong, but they never thought much of it because hey, who were they to ask for a battle when they could live in peace. I’m here for that because gosh knows with everything going on now, it’s like they can’t catch a break. But it explained why the demons never hurt a lot of people on purpose. Because in the back of it all was Belial and he wanted to cause slow pain and actually get to James for some greater plan he has for himself. So he was biding his time, while also helping Tatiana achieve her goals. What really made me angry was how Barabara’s life was taken as a “gift” to Tatiana as to what was to come with her revenge. I was FURIOUS! This was a petty revenge and no life is worth her anger.

I could not.

But I say like mother like daughter because something is up with Grace Blackthorn and I do NOT LIKE HER.

She is a creep, she is manipulative, and she is enigmatic.

Let me list all the reasons why I am correct.

First, she’s deceiving James. The biggest FREAKING reason why I DETEST Grace.

I reallllly don’t know if she is playing innocent or dumb to Tatiana’s plans, I reallllllly don’t, but somehow I think she knows and she’s feeding into it. Because something is messed up. Tatiana within itself, should not have been able to adopt Grace because Tatiana is unstable and the way she holed Grace up all these years was unhealthy. The way she treats Grace and threatens her is unhealthy. I don’t know if the threats are actually real or part of their master plan, but it screams WRONG.

I have no heart for Grace and James ever being a thing.

I GAG. I’d rather chew my eyes out and spit it on Grace. Because sis, that is not happening. Not today, not tomorrow, not in this lifetime. We say a big THANK YOU, NEXT.

Because if I’m being honest, James doesn’t love her.

“‘Men like the idea of a woman they can rescue.'”

(pg. 191)

James said I’m coming for you.

James befriended Grace years ago because he said he felt pity for her. I’m not sure if he was just saying that for Lucie’s sake so she didn’t question why he hung around there so often or if he really did pity her and that’s why he was. And if that pity translated to love? I don’t know. I know that what they had wasn’t love. It was indeed just wanting to save her from a bad situation and that’s why he helped her and was kind. That’s the Herondale heart for you too.

In a flashback chapter, it talked about this moment when James retrieved a bracelet from a box for Grace. In the box was something that belonged to her family line. So James, like the knight and shining armor he was. Hold up, in fact, in that dang creepy house he saw a knight outfit that resembled the automaton things that fought Will and Tessa in the Infernal Devices. And I would just like to say, if that doesn’t scream PSYCHO MANIAC and something’s wrong here, I don’t know what. Who keeps that kind of decor in their house years after a war which said person with the decor lost everything and is highly angry? Someone who wanted to use that automaton to wreak havoc on the Shadowhunters as a last ditch plan, which again, I’m not too sure of the truth of that because it came from Grace and she can’t be trusted. I mean, how can one knight take down all Shadowhunters. I doubt it. But still, I’m happy that house burned to the ground!

But back to the bracelet—-the biggest mystery I have.

On the bracelet is transcribed Loyalty Binds Me. Because Tatiana would know Grace took it before giving it to her, she asked James to wear it for her and he had never taken it off.

I may not have a PhD, but it doesn’t take a genius to know that that bracelet is controlling James. It literally is binding him. I BET MY DUCKS IT IS! I kid you not, that bracelet makes him lose himself and have only love in his heart for Grace. It clouds his vision or something because Cordelia always described James as having this “mask” on when he had the bracelet on. And she’s onto something. I would love for her to rip that dang bracelet off because gosh knows that thing is toxic.

But then there was a BEAUTIFUL moment when Grace took the bracelet off of James because gosh forbid he chose his family, friends, parabatai, and his whole FREAKING LIFE over her. Get off your dang high horse Grace because you are not everything! I was sooooo proud of James. Gosh only knows she wasn’t worth it 😂. He would be fine. You don’t love her anyway.

And don’t even get me started on how she made him feel bad about it.

“You would lose me.” Or “any man would marry me.” and “This is because you did not come to Idris.”

BOOO FREAKING HOO, Grace.

If any man would marry you, go ask any man because this man has the common sense to not give up his whole life for a woman he barely knows, yet alone feels sorry for 🤪.

When that sis took off his bracelet, I was like, good. Take it, no one needs her trash jewelry! Go away! I’m sorry, if you’re a big Grace fan, but I am not 😂.

I also didn’t like how she was like “this was a test to see if you chose me.”

Honey, in my eyes, James EXCELLED on this test because he knows his priorities! But also if Grace really love loved him, this wouldn’t be a test. And she also wouldn’t have asked him to give up his whole life for her.

It wasn’t love, it was magic.

When he didn’t have the bracelet on, he seemed lighter, freer. Even he thought he would have been more hung up over Grace, but no, he was happy. You want to know why? Because he wasn’t bound to a CRAZY PSYCHO MANIAC DAUGHTER! He could see again.

He had those feelings for Cordelia again and I was here for it. He wasn’t disillusioned.

And let’s all take a round of applause for the greatest chapter, the Whispering Room or should I say the make out room because gosh knows that’s the action we got!

I would just like to know though, how dancing with a sharp, gigantic, deadly blade is seductive? I mean, Cordelia was on that stage as a distraction and everyone stared at her moving with Cortana around her body. I’m sorry, but I can’t even dance properly with my two arms. How was she dancing with a sword? Someone give her a gold medal because I could not. But I also think, hey, this is Shadowhutners, they are attracted to different things like women dancing with swords.

As steamy as that scene was, what made me really mad was how when James had the bracelet on again, he chalked it up to just a distraction and what they needed to do. It was a “show.” But to Cordelia it meant more to her than just a staged kiss in a closet. She loved James. James thought he loved Grace. Everyone thought that. But James loved Cordelia and I knew that in my freaking heart.

I knew it from the moment Cordelia read to him when he was sick. He never forgot the Layla story. A guy doesn’t just think about that if it didn’t have an impact on him. The only reason he pushed it aside for years was because of this darn bracelet. And when he didn’t have the bracelet on, he admired Cordelia, he spent every second trying to be near her and to protect her. There was something there that wasn’t faked.

Then the freaking bracelet was put back on him.

“‘I never wanted to do this to you,’ she said. ‘But she insisted. And he insisted. It had to be you. My mother made me her blade, to cut every barrier raised against her. But your blood, his blood, is a barrier I cannot cut. I cannot bind you without his chain.'”

(pg. 514)

So does that mean Grace is in on the plan?

I don’t know. Looking back I think that her mother is threatening her to do her will or that James will be hurt, so she goes along with it.

Because I will say, I do think Grace loves James. I don’t think she loves him like James loves Cordelia, but she cares. That is why it hurts her to do this to him, but I think she cares more about herself and the chosen family she was placed in and that’s where her loyalty lies. That’s why she’s marrying Charles instead of James. Both love status and power.

Which brings me to the second thing about Grace: she can control people.

It’s how she got James to love her. There was this moment at the picnic in the beginning when she body said kiss me to him. And I was like, don’t kiss that witch! Thank gosh a scream broke out! My scream at how he shouldn’t kiss her 👉🏼👈🏼. But it created a hunch in my mind if she could control people because something was up.

But it also made me wonder, if she could control people to do what she wants, then how come she never controlled James enough to make him marry her? She could have. I’m happy she didn’t. But I’m still curious.

I think she controlled Charles into marrying her because it just seemed weird how easily he dropped Ariadne for her. Sure, Ariadne was poisoned, and sure Charles was gay anyway, but still he didn’t even fully know Grace. I doubt a carriage ride could make them fully acquainted. And given Grace, the minimalist conversationalist , I doubt they talked a lot. So she convinced him to marry her because Charles’ mom was Council and that would give her more power for Tatiana’s plan and her role in it.

What really brought it home for me was when she told Matthew to kiss her.

She stared into his eyes or something, and he felt like it was a dream and before he knew it he was kissing her because she demanded it. And then later Matthew realized she made her do that. Then she had the utter AUDACITY to threaten Matthew that she would tell James and his brother that he kissed her if he told anyone that she was up to something. For all his drunkenness, Matthew knew Grace wasn’t sane in the membrane and knew she was planning something for all her marriages and how she didn’t really love James. I mean, a parabatai looks out for his parabatai, am I right.

“‘As if they do not already know I am a terrible person,’ he said, with a bravado he did not feel.

‘Oh, Matthew.’ her voice was cold as she turned away from him. ‘You have no idea what terrible people are like.'”

(pg. 312)

Oh, Grace, I know what terrible people are like. They’re like you and YOUR PSYCHO MANIAC MOTHER.

I think her saying that also came from a place, again, where she’s doing what she needs to do for her mom and this family she was adopted into.

But I just broke for Matthew. He already has so many secrets on his chest, he didn’t need another one 😢. If he told James about what happened with Grace, I think James would be mad, but he would believe his parabatai more. I really do.

After being blackmailed, Matthew went to find James because this was when she broke things off with him and he was hurting. Even though Matthew had every reason to dislike Grace, he still was there for James to comfort him when he was hurt by her. They really have a good bond. It was a precious moment between them.

The true and true couple of the hour was James and Cordelia as we all know and love.

James. James. James James. He’s more heart-breaking than his father if that’s even possible.

I mean, the kid’s literally been to heck and back, let’s give him a freaking break!

Like Lucie, James has unique powers because of his bloodline. For him, he takes Shadowhunter-ing to a literal level because he can turn into a Shadow or go between these realms. He was able to control it with Jem’s help, but recently it started to occur more frequently with the demon attacks. I find it interesting that he can see another world and then it shows him what might happen in his real world. I would love to understand his powers a bit more and if he will still be able to go to another realm after everything.

The biggest thing that surrounds Jem with the whole demon attack is that it’s somehow tied to him. All the demons go up to him and talk about how this is about him and how if he says the word, they’ll call it off. It brings out this whole mystery of who Jame’s demon ancestor is—-something Jem was trying to figure out in Ghosts of the Shadow Market. A lot of guesses were mentioned, and I really liked how Cassandra Clare set the scene with the different people, so we could have an idea who Jame’s Grandpa would be.

I still had no clue, but I did know that it was weird that they would back off at Jame’s word because then it did seem personal.

The whole moment when James went to the Silent City and the bodies there rose and started talking to him, creeped me the heck out. I would have done a big skeet skeet skirt skirt and ran the heck out of there instead of staying to see what everything was about. What made it even creepier was how they all started chanting James. Yea, no thank you! James, you should have run.

Going there helped him piece together the identity of his Grandfather though. It was said the “Prince/Lord of Thieves” was summoning him and that all this wouldn’t end unless they met. So it has always been about him.

Being the Herondale James is, of course, he confronts and meets with this “Lord of Thieves” because he didn’t want to cause any more suffering to his friends and family. What’s kind of bonkers was how a big freaking gateway was in the middle of the forest and James was called to it!!! James, James, James, I think you’ve read enough books to know not to walk into a creepy gateway in the middle of the forest! 😆 I thought it was a good idea that Cordelia and Matthew tied him to a rope so they could tug him back, but at the same time, it seemed kind of weird because how feasible would that be? This wasn’t quicksand, this was another dimension 😅.

Then we meet James’s Grandfather, Belial. Belial was mentioned in Ghosts of a Shadow Market when Jem was trying to find out who Tessa’s father was. Belial was the one who told Jem that there was a lost Herondale and I think he did that as a distraction from Jem finding out that he was related to Tessa. Belial can’t take on his true form in the mortal realm and always has to have a host body. When using a host body, it hurts him and the body becomes destroyed. But because he shares blood with Jem, James is the only host body that he can use that doesn’t hurt him. He could also use Lucie’s body, but Belial knew that it would get to James if he did that. It’s literally an over-my-dead-body kind of thing.

Belial was also the person behind everything with the demons not invading London until recently and how they could also walk in the sunlight. Because the Mandikhor was created in this other realm (Belphegor’s realm), they are protected. Belial was the one who made Emmanuel Gast summon the Mandikhor to cause havoc. And he’s also the one aiding in Tatiana’s plan.

When trying to find out who summoned the Mandikhor demons, all clues went to Emmanuel Gast who was known for doing all kinds of weird summoning-realm magic. When they went to his apartment, Lucie found his body, splayed out and bloody. I would just like to say that Lucie has the heart of a dove and the eyes of a warrior because I COULD NOT stand to look at that kind of horrific scene. She really is the best of both worlds.

What’s interesting about Lucie, was how in the moment it was the first time she summoned a ghost to do something. She made him talk about how he was hired to raise the Mandikhor and all that. Then later when they were fighting the Mandikhor on the bridge and Cordelia fell into the river, Lucie, unconsciously summoned ghosts to find Cordelia in the water. She was calling for Jesse to help, but in reality it was more of a command. And then when she felt something was wrong with James, she commanded Jesse to shadow travel her to where he was. It’s such a unique power that I hope we can explore more in the next book.

When Lucie gets to the gateway, only Matthew was there because Cordelia cut through the gateway with Cortana, allowing her to enter that realm. She was really out here, trying to save her mans 🤪. The battle between Belial, James, and Cordelia was nothing short of epic. The way Cordelia wielded Cortana was amazing, but then Belial was able to take it from her and I was like, I don’t think so.

Cordelia was like, “It’s very rude to take someone else’s sword without asking.” And she got it back and drove it into his chest like the kick butt warrior she was. The thing was, if she killed a greater demon, wouldn’t there be serious ramifications. I also thought it would be too easy if Belial was gone forever because he was a greater demon.

So it somewhat surprised me when he came back in the end, not as strong, but still there. Because he still has a plan with that crazy PSYCHO MANIAC.

I still don’t understand how James and Cordelia just fell out of the sky from the other realm, but by all means, anything to get them the heck out of there.

Cordelia was fine when they came back, but James was DYING. I knew he wasn’t going to because then there would be no other books, but still, the heart palpitations were through the roof! Not sweet James!

What broke my heart from love and sadness was Jesse Blackthorn. That boy was raised right, but not by his mother because we all know she’s insane in the membrane. But when Lucie called out to him on that bridge, he thought something bad was happening to her, and if that was the case, he would have given her his last breath. Psycho maniac mother Tatiana actually did something purposeful down the line, maybe not for her. But she bottled up Jesse’s last breath and Jesse carried it around with him. It was Tatiana’s way of keeping Jesse alive because she loved her son. I also found it strange that she just kept his body hidden in her house. But then again, I don’t think that was wrong of her because that was her son and the clave shouldn’t take him away from her if she wasn’t ready.

But because it was Cordelia in the river and not Lucie, and Cordelia ended up fine, Jesse didn’t have to give up his breath. It was truly the sentiment that mattered. So when James was on his dying breath, Jesse gave his last one to him 😢. He did it for Lucie. I KID YOU NOT, if he weren’t a ghost, I would totally be here for Lucie and Jesse. I really would.

When he disappeared, my heart plummeted because he was such a good person. He deserved sooooo much more.

Later on in the book, Lucie goes with Jem to the Idris to Jesse Blackthorn’s grace to honor him in all he did for her. He gave up his last breath for her brother. My heart really swelled because it highlighted how much Jesse has meant to her. And then Jesse was there! The tears were full on people, full on! Jesse wasn’t so much of a solid form though, more gas-like because he didn’t have his last breath with him. But I liked that he was still around and I hope that he can stick around for the rest of the series. Or maybe when we take down Tatiana and her crazy, we can lay Jesse to rest properly and he can find peace. Or maybe we can pull a Ty and Kit, and bring him back to life. Ty and Kit are the Blackthorn’s that made necromancy happen.

I just found it funny how when Tatiana mentioned necromancy, she was actually serious about it. I don’t know what it is with Shadowhunters and them wanting to bring people back to life. I guess, if people had the option, we would do it too. But they actually had the power to do so, so it made it more appealing and achievable so I understand it.

And of course, we had to have Malcom Fade in this book because he’s just as crazy as Tatiana. But he actually got somewhere with his journey. I swear, Shadowhunters and them wanting to bring people back to life are probably the main points of contention in Cassandra Clare’s book 😂.

Jesse was going to be okay, hopefully, and so was James.

I don’t fully know how Jesse giving James his last breath healed everything from him. Seems like a movie magic kind of moment, but again, anything to save my sweet James! I am not arguing 😂. I was just happy he was okay.

When he came back, I loved how Matthew was always by his side and how Tessa and Will didn’t bat an eye because they know how special parabatai are. I also liked how James was worried about Cordelia.

But I don’t know who’s bright idea it was to actually let Grace waltz right into the institute after she “broke” James’s heart. Like couldn’t someone say he’s getting better and he doesn’t want to see anyone. Anything to keep her out! But no, this was 1900 England and we don’t slam doors in people’s faces. Gosh, they should have. Or Matthew should have freaking stayed in the room with James as he talked with her. Honestly, James shouldn’t have even given her the time of day because gosh knows she didn’t deserve it after her last petty exit.

Because that’s when she slapped that dang bracelet on him again and he became gaga for her again. IT’S RIDICULOUS.

But again, I don’t know if she’s in on Tatiana’s plan or if she’s just doing it because she wants to be free of her. I don’t know what Grace is up to, but she can go kiss a duck for all I care.

When James was feeling better, they had this whole enclave meeting where everyone was allowed to come. I loved how finally we got to see Charlotte there! This whole book she was mentioned as being in Idris because she was working on official business and Elias’s case, but it was nice to see  Charlotte. Someone get her a face mask, some bath bombs, and rubbing salts because she deserves a high quality self-care time. She works so hard! I also want to know who’s grand idea thought it would be smart to have Tatiana at said meeting because no one really wanted her there anyway.

But at the meeting, she accused James of burning down Blackthorn Manor and being in cahoots with Belial—ironic for her. He kind of did burn the manor down, but he was innocent. She kept pressing and pressing and to prove that he was innocent, Cordelia spoke up, saying James was with her in her room the whole night. This ruined her.

Literally.

Something I love about Cassandra Clare wiring in 1900s England is just learning the rules of society. There were so many things back then that we consider normal now. There was the idea that a man couldn’t see you in your night clothes, not show too much skin, that you had to escort a lady, and never leave a lady alone on the dance floor. Another rule was that a man couldn’t spend time in a woman’s room all night before marriage. That would be seen as promiscuous of a lady.

It brings up this whole idea that Cordelia put well:

“‘When it comes to a woman’s reputation, if she is suspected, she is guilty. That is the way the world works’”

(pg. 544)

It’s ridiculous that it’s the girl who gets ruined because it’s both of their responsibilities. But somehow, it’s the girl who’s seen as “guilty” and that no one should marry her. Why wouldn’t James have that same fate? It’s because he’s a man and men have superiority and status. They still do.

But “that is the way the world works.” It isn’t right.

To save Cordelia from being ruined, James proposes something to her. Literally.

I LOVED that he proposed because I am here for James and Cordelia, or shall I say his Daisy. Can we talk about how cute that nickname is? I love it. Its origin story is kind of morbid, but the name is very cute. Because when Lucie was in trouble and Cordelia and James tried to save her, there was a field of daisies. So he took to calling her daisy ever since because he saved her sister. Cute nickname, horrible story. But it showed the bond and love he had for her. And while we’re on their bond, when he was getting better, he wanted Cordelia to read with him again and she was all prepared to read with him until she saw the bracelet back on his wrist. 💔 Girl, rip that sucker off! Take that Cortana and swipe swipe! 😂

I would love for her to do that.

I just never knew how gut-wrenchingly sad and happy a proposal could make me feel. It was just an arrangement for a year and then she could divorce him and still have her reputation. It was a nice plan to save her from being ruined, but my heart just ached for Cordelia because she was marrying the man she loved who thought he loved Grace when I GUARANTEE you that by the end of this series—when that bracelet comes off—-he’s going to marry her for real or at least keep the marriage. I GUARANTEE you 👌🏼.

It was sweet though, how James said he wouldn’t betray her in their fake marriage, but I was soooooo upset when he said that they were just friends and he didn’t really love her.

Girl, he loves you!

James is just, you know, under a spell right now and can’t give his love 😂.

The engagement party broke my heart. It was so happy because Will and Tessa were excited for them. Will was over the moon because it would bound him to the Carstairs even more 😂. They were so accepting of it though given how quick it was, but that’s what I love about Tess and Will: they’re open hearts. When they first announced being married, Lucie was over the moon too because that would mean Cordelia and her would actually be sisters. But part of James and Cordelia’s agreement was to tell the Merry Thieves that it was only a marriage blanc (deal). Like Lucie, it made my heart hurt because I was happy, but not; she was happy for them, but also sad because James didn’t love her.

However, I think everyone was questioning who James loved. Lucie, Matthew, Anna, Magnus, etc. Magnus knows what’s up. He knows some things off. He better do what he does best: fix Shadowhunter’s problems and create young love 😂.

I really liked how Cassandra Clare parallels the last scene between James and Cordelia with how they were in the beginning. Because they have come so far. Cordelia felt like a pariah to the Merry Thieves who were all close as family, but now she was part of that family too. It was also wholesome because in the beginning, she tried so hard to fit in, put herself out there, and make friends. But she’s naturally such a good person that it doesn’t surprise me how easy it was of her to befriend people. It was a full circle moment when she danced with James again and that he didn’t leave her for Grace. At that first ball, the love-stricken-silver-braceleted James, left her on the dance floor because he saw Grace. Tsk tsk. I appreciated how Matthew stepped up to dance with her. They would make James jealous! Maybe that’s how we can get James to see that he really loves her! Jealousy does wonders 🤪.

Her dance with James was romantic as it was heart-wrenching. Cordelia was in love with him and James had to be like “We fooled them.” YOU’RE THE FOOL!

“She loved James; she always would. So many people loved without hope of return, without the dream of a touch or a glance from the object of their affection. They pined away in silence and misery like mortals starving for faerie fruit.

What fate was offering her now was a year of such fruit for her table. A year of living with Jame sea loving him might ruin her of any other love, but oh, at least she would blaze up in glory. For a year she would share his life. They would walk together, read together, eat together, and live together. They would laugh together. For a yardarm she would stand close to the fire and know what it was like to burn.”

(pg. 578)

I swear, someone needs to take me to get my heart checked out by the time this series is over because MY GOSH! 😰

Cordelia! 💔

Honestly, I get where she’s coming from. Because she feels like her love will never be reciprocated, but at least she would have him for a year even if it will be painful when it ends. It’s like tempting the fire and watching herself burn, knowing how bad it is. And I get it. I also know in my heart that she will get more than a year. I really do. We just have to take off that bracelet and James is hers. She can have that fruit for years. She won’t need to burn in the fire. The only thing that should burn in a fire is that bracelet.

I know things will work out for her.

But goodness, it hurts to know she feels like this.

It reminds me of Stephan Herondale and Céline. Céline pinned for him even if he was truly a married man, but she had the same ideas that she wanted to know what it would be like if he loved her. It’s also why she believed so much in Valentine because it would give her him—the love she wanted. But in Cordelia’s case, he actually loves her and knows it. In Céline’s case, I’m not too sure.

But Cassandra Clare really does make the most agonizing love stories and I love it and hate it at the same time. The love wins out, of course. Love always does.

I can’t wait for the next book because so many things are bound to happen and I want too many things to happen.

I want James to cut ties with Grace and say good riddance to that bracelet. Then he needs to beg on his knees for Cordelia’s forgiveness and her actual love 😂. But seriously, that would be GREAT.

I want to know what Grace’s role really is in Tatiana and Belial’s plan. I want to know if she actually goes through with marrying Charles or if Charles finds his truth.

I want Thomas and Alastair to be together. It would be cute if Alastair really grows and learns to be compassionate and honest because I know he has it in him to be a good person.

Then I need Anna and Ariadne to be together because DUH.

I want a Lucie and Cordelia parabatai ceremony somewhere along the way.

Matthew needs to confront his demons—-secrets and all. I don’t know too much of his feelings and whether it lies with Lucie or Cordelia, but I think Matthew figuring out Matthew is fine with me.

I want more Tessa and Will lovey-dovey parenting scenes. And all the old characters keep making appearances because I love them.

I want to know what’s going to happen with Elias back in the picture and how that affects Cordelia’s family. I also want to understand more about James and Lucie’s powers and how they learn to control it or use it.

And then have Magnus Bane make his appearances in between. He really is the star of the show 😆.

Anyway, what was your favorite part of the book? Least favorite part? Anything I mentioned that you want to discuss more about? Who is your new favorite character from this series? Let me know below in the comments as I love hearing from you all 💕

I hope you have a beautiful day whenever and wherever you might be reading this.

And as always, with love,

Rating

5 Full Bloom Flowers and Beyond

Characters: You’ll fall in love with the depth of everyone in this story—the good, bad, and the psycho maniac 😅

Writing: I will never stop screaming from the rooftops about how Cassandra Clare is one of the queens of fantasy and no one can tell me otherwise. She writes with such passion, love, angst, and action. She’s got it all.

Plot: You know when you think Cassandra Clare can’t do it again (which is a though I never had), she proves you wrong, time and time again with crafting stories that are gripping and heart-felt.

Romance: Cassandra Clare really does make the most agonizing love stories and I love it and hate it at the same time. The love wins out, of course. Love always does.

Action: This book is Cortana incarnate—–never a dull moment.