Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare
Genre: YA Fantasy
Blurb (on back of book): James and Cordelia must save London—and their marriage—in this conclusion to the Last Hours series from author Cassandra Clare.
Chain of Thorns is a Shadowhunters novel.
Cordelia Carstairs has lost everything that matters to her. In only a few short weeks, she has seen her father murdered, her plans to become parabatai with her best friend, Lucie, destroyed, and her marriage to James Herondale crumble before her eyes. Even worse, she is now bound to an ancient demon, Lilith, stripping her of her power as a Shadowhunter.
After fleeing to Paris with Matthew Fairchild, Cordelia hopes to forget her sorrows in the city’s glittering nightlife. But reality intrudes when shocking news comes from home: Tatiana Blackthorn has escaped the Adamant Citadel, and London is under new threat by the Prince of Hell, Belial.
Cordelia returns to a London riven by chaos and dissent. The long-kept secret that Belial is James and Lucie’s grandfather has been revealed by an unexpected enemy, and the Herondales find themselves under suspicion of dealings with demons. Cordelia longs to protect James but is torn between a love for James she has long believed hopeless, and the possibility of a new life with Matthew. Nor can her friends help—ripped apart by their own secrets, they seem destined to face what is coming alone.
For time is short, and Belial’s plan is about to crash into the Shadowhunters of London like a deadly wave, one that will separate Cordelia, Lucie, and the Merry Thieves from help of any kind. Left alone in a shadowy London, they must face Belial’s deadly army. If Cordelia and her friends are going to save their city—and their families—they will have to muster their courage, swallow their pride, and trust one another again. For if they fail, they may lose everything—even their souls.
MY OPINION: *****
Once again, Cassandra Clare has managed to capture my heart, twist a knife into it, and then leave me with a bleeding heart only healed by the wondrous happily ever after of our favorite Shadowhunters 800 pages later.
Yes, this book was nearly 800 pages. It took me around 2-3 weeks to read it (I gave up somewhere in the middle and then picked it back up and sped through the last 500 pages). I thoroughly enjoyed myself and this made me remember why I loved fantasy and Cassie specifically growing up. I've been an avid reader of the Shadowhunter novels since sixth grade and her first book was the first review I ever wrote about. I can't believe that in 2023, she still manages to enthrall me with her worldbuilding, characters, and love stories.
This wasn't my FAVORITE of her works but it was a close contender. Cassie's third books in her trilogies are always the best ones. They bring everything together, they're incredibly emotional, and they're honestly masterpieces.
James Herondale. I didn't love him in the start but over time, I definitely grew to love this boy. He is not quite at the level as his beloved father and my #1 book boy, William Herondale, but he definitely managed to capture Will's essence. Not only is he handsome and intelligent, but he also loves fiercely, exhibits incredible bravery, and is everything you look for in a book boy.
Cordelia Carstairs is a queen and an icon and everyone who knows her loves her. I can totally understand why two of the best book boys were fighting over her and I loved how strong and independent she was. She was also so self-sacrificing and admirable and I feel that she really grew into herself in this book specifically.
Matthew Fairchild. The absolute love of my life and my #1 book boy in this series. I was always Team Fairstairs in the earlier books and we had our fair share of moments in this one. While I obviously know the Team James girlies are much stronger, I saw Matthew as a boy in dire need of help, crying out for anyone to listen to him and help him escape the grip of severe alcoholism, spurred on by incredible guilt and festering secrets. He was so perfect and so beautiful and so broken.
Lucie and Jesse were cute but I again did not really feel that invested in their relationship. Jesse was honestly kind of a boring character but he definitely grew in this one. Lucie is brave and incredible but she was also creative and flighty and I enjoyed seeing these two sides of her.
Grace is still obviously not my favorite but I enjoyed seeing her grow. She was definitely a victim and she didn't deserve any of what she went through. I wish we had gotten to see more of her relationship with Kit, because he was the only one who seems to have seen her for who she actually was.
Thomas and Alastair will always be in contention for my favorite couple of this series. They're so perfect for each other and I'm so glad that they managed to find each other. They build off of each other and while they seem to be an unlikely match, they're each other's other half.
The tragic parts of this book were DEVASTATING. While I won't spoil anything, things came out of left field that I was not expecting and I was heartbroken several times. This, in true Cassie fashion, is full of twist and turns. Not sadder than Infernal Devices, though. I'd highly highly recommend this series to any fans of Cassie's work.
Main Character: James, Cordelia
Sidekick(s): Matthew, Lucie, Alastair, Thomas, Jesse, Grace, etc
Villain(s): Tatiana, demons, misunderstandings, etc
Fantasy Elements: This was based on a fantasy world.
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