In true Shadowhunter style, Chain of Iron is an addictive story filled with steamy romantic tension, epic battles against demonic forces, and bonds of friendship that can warm even the coldest of hearts.
Navigating a sham marriage was never going to be easy, but Cordelia Carstairs and James Herondale find themselves having a harder time than they imagined. Between James’s restless nights, Cordelia’s uneasy feelings with Cortona, and a growing attraction neither can deny, the newlywed Shadowhunters have a lot to deal with. And then the murders happen. Something is killing Shadowhunters and James, Cordelia, and the rest of the Merry Thieves endeavour to bring the culprit down themselves. But soon the secrets between these friends become complications that endanger the lives of those they love the most: each other.
On the surface, Chain of Iron, the second book in Cassandra Clare’s The Last Hours trilogy, is a good read. It is a classic Shadowhunter story, one that will delight long time fans of the Shadowhunter universe and ensnare new readers. To have a series that has remained so popular for so long is a fantastic accomplishment in writing. But where do you draw the line in your critique of a story when it comes to enjoyment vs innovation?
Reading Chain of Iron felt like reading any other Shadowhunter novel. There was drama and passion and snark and betrayal. As a long time reader of the Shadowhunter Chronicles, I couldn’t help but notice little twists and plot devices that have been used before in the Shadowhunter series. I will be the first to admit that at this point in the Shadowhunter mythos, nothing feels wildly new or fresh. But I will also be the first to tell you that it is not necessarily a bad thing.
The thing that Clare excels most at in her writing is creating a sense of community and belonging. Every time I read a Shadowhunter book, it feels like being welcomed back home where all my friends have been waiting for me. Reading this novel while the world struggles through a deadly pandemic that keeps us separated from our loved ones felt like a warm and much needed hug. The scenes where the Merry Thieves spend time together, chatting and joking and just being friends, nearly brought me to tears. Not because anything overly dramatic was happening in the story, but because they are so familiar and it felt like being able to see my friends again. Clare’s ability to evoke such depth of emotion through her characters will always be her greatest writing strength.
And while it was nice to be back with all my Shadowhunter friends, let’s talk for a minute about one of the downsides to having such a long running series with multiple crossovers. Chain of Iron is so heavily saturated with nods to Shadowhunter past and set ups for previously released Shadowhunter novels that are set in the future, that readers may feel a bit overwhelmed. Contending with past and future Shadowhunter plots leaves little space for our current band of Shadowhunters to claim for their own. And with so many characters, trying to keep family trees straight in your head as you read is nearly impossible.
The actual plot of Chain of Iron was engaging, and while there were some twists that were genuinely a surprise, the overall structure of the story was very similar to previous Shadowhunter novels. Yet, what drives the story is the drama of it all. While the structure may feel repetitive, you just can’t help but be sucked in. Clare has this ability to fill her novels almost to bursting with plot and drama, yet somehow it never feels too dense. To put it in a personal perspective, I read Chain of Iron in just under two days which is the fastest I’ve read a 350+ page book in probably two years.
In the end, there isn’t anything groundbreaking about Chain of Iron, but there also isn’t anything truly wrong with that. More often than not, if you are reading a book series that has been running prolifically for over a decade, you aren’t there for innovation. You’re there because it feels like home. That’s what the Shadowhunter novels are. They are familiar and comfortable and utterly engrossing. And I wouldn’t have them any other way.
Chain of Iron is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of March 2nd 2021.
Will you be picking up Chain of Iron? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
The Shadowhunters must catch a killer in Edwardian London in this dangerous and romantic sequel to the #1 New York Timesbestselling novel Chain of Gold, from New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Cassandra Clare. Chain of Iron is a Shadowhunters novel.
Cordelia Carstairs seems to have everything she ever wanted. She’s engaged to marry James Herondale, the boy she has loved since childhood. She has a new life in London with her best friend Lucie Herondale and James’s charming companions, the Merry Thieves. She is about to be reunited with her beloved father. And she bears the sword Cortana, a legendary hero’s blade.
But the truth is far grimmer. James and Cordelia’s marriage is a lie, arranged to save Cordelia’s reputation. James is in love with the mysterious Grace Blackthorn whose brother, Jesse, died years ago in a terrible accident. Cortana burns Cordelia’s hand when she touches it, while her father has grown bitter and angry. And a serial murderer is targeting the Shadowhunters of London, killing under cover of darkness, then vanishing without a trace.
Together with the Merry Thieves, Cordelia, James, and Lucie must follow the trail of the knife-wielding killer through the city’s most dangerous streets. All the while, each is keeping a shocking secret: Lucie, that she plans to raise Jesse from the dead; Cordelia, that she has sworn a dangerous oath of loyalty to a mysterious power; and James, that he is being drawn further each night into the dark web of his grandfather, the arch-demon Belial. And that he himself may be the killer they seek.
