Book Review: Chain of Gold (The Last Hours #1) by Cassandra Clare

Rating: โ˜†โ˜†โ˜†โ˜†
Audience: YA Urban Fantasy
Length: 624 pages
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: McElderberry Books
Release Date: March 3rd, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Chain of Gold is the first novel in a new trilogy that stars the Shadowhunters of Edwardian London.

Welcome to Edwardian London, a time of electric lights and long shadows, the celebration of artistic beauty and the wild pursuit of pleasure, with demons waiting in the dark. For years there has been peace in the Shadowhunter world. James and Lucie Herondale, children of the famous Will and Tessa, have grown up in an idyll with their loving friends and family, listening to stories of good defeating evil and love conquering all. But everything changes when the Blackthorn and Carstairs families come to Londonโ€ฆand so does a remorseless and inescapable plague.

James Herondale longs for a great love, and thinks he has found it in the beautiful, mysterious Grace Blackthorn. Cordelia Carstairs is desperate to become a hero, save her family from ruin, and keep her secret love for James hidden. When disaster strikes the Shadowhunters, James, Cordelia and their friends are plunged into a wild adventure which will reveal dark and incredible powers, and the true cruel price of being a heroโ€ฆand falling in love.

OH THE TRAGEDY.

Let’s be honest, Cassandra Clare is fantastic at weaving high drama, high tragedy filled love stories. AND I CAN’T HELP BUT BE INVOLVED. So involved. That’s how this book snuck a four star rating out of me. I love how hopeless everything gets, and then how Clare gives me that happy ending I crave by the time the series wraps up. It’s addicting, so here I am again, reading another Shadowhunter series.

James and Cordelia. OH MY GOODNESS YES. I knew Will’s offspring would give me another guy to swoon over. I love the burgeoning sparks and the fact that a new plot/trope was added in that I haven’t seen before in these books? It really brought this up for me. I wanted to see some fresh things and got them.

I liked the plot and how everything flowed. Once again, I felt that things were luckily a bit different than others. This has peaked my interest. The combination of warlock blood, princes of hell, necromancy and ghosts have set up a series that I’m glad I decided to read.

Good news first: I looooove all the main characters: Cordelia, James, Matthew, Lucy, Jesse, Alastair, Thomas, Christopher, Anna…and I know I probably forgot someone because I’m going from memory. Which leads me to my other issue, the vast amount of characters. I had to resort to pulling up a family tree just to keep things kind of straight in my head. I appreciate a story with a great cast, but this is pushing my limits for keeping track of everyone. I can’t wait to learn more back stories and see more ships form!

And I feel inclined to say that there was plenty of Will and Tessa (and Jem) sightings that made my heart so happy. That was my initial inclination to pick up this book because I missed them so much. They were in the background more, of course, but were added in enough to make me smile.

Overall audience notes:

  • Young adult urban fantasy
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: kisses, intense make-outs; one no detail fade to black scene (between Will and Tessa)
  • Violence: demon battles, physical, fires, magic, near drownings

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books From My Favorite Genre (Fantasy, of course)

Okay, I DROPPED THE BALL LAST WEEK AND I AM SO SORRY.

I realized Tuesday afternoon that I never finished my Top Ten Tuesday post, so I am trying my best to get back in it here. I am really ahead of writing reviews (like I have the entire month of June already booked) so remembering to come and write other posts has fallen back a bit.

I’m really excited for this week because FANTASY IS THE BEST GENRE EVERRRR. And in order to try to get some different books added on here I wanted to say:

My top two choices are the A Court of Thorns and Roses and Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. I will forever love them, rave about my love for them, and try to convince everyone I know to at least give them a chance. I didn’t want to add them to the list today because I wanted to show off some other books I love.

If you want to see something funny and have read ACOTAR check out my Instagram where I have a highlight of my sister’s text conversations as she read them for the first time.

I’m also including the entire series if applicable, because YOU SHOULD READ THEM ALL.

Also, if you’ve read this far, know this is so hard because they’re too many good choices here.


Seven Realms Series by Cinda Williams Chima


The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson


Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Adren


The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare


Caraval Series by Stephanie Garber


Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo


The Winner’s Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski


The Bird and the Sword Chronicles by Amy Harmon


The Bone Season Series by Samantha Shannon (still in progress)


Arc of a Scythe Trilogy by Neal Shusterman
(a bit dystopian but enough fantasy to count)


BONUS BECAUSE I’M ON A ROLL:

Falling Kingdom Series by Morgan Rhodes


Have you read any of these series? Any on your TBR? If you’re a fantasy fan what’s a favorite series of yours? I felt like I could go on for days!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Couples in Books

Happy Valentine’s Week!

This weeks Top Ten Tuesday is all about couples. I have soย many favorites that it was hard to narrow it down! I at least kept myself to only one couple per book series since occasionally I happen to love everyone.

I could rave deeply about these couples, but here’s a highlight of my top choices:

Feyreย & Rhysandย (ACOTAR)

It is absolutely no surprise this is my favorite couple. My OTP.

Hanย & Raisaย (Sevenย Realms)

Thinking about them gets me every time. I love how strong they are independently, and how even better they are together.

Elizabethย Bennetย & Mr.ย Darcy

Need I say more? I am still obsessed. And still watch the movie every couple weeks (Kiera Knightly version, of course).

Vinย & Elendย (Mistbornย Trilogy)

While I wish there was a little more couple-ness between them they still make my day. Elend always supporting Vin makes me happy. Note: I have not finishedย Heroย ofย Ages yet, so NO SPOILERS PLEASE! I have faith they survive.

Cress & Thorne (The Lunar Chronicles)

This a series with multiple couples I adore, but Cress & Thorne are my top favs. I love how protectively sweet he is to her.

Aelinย & Rowanย (Throneย ofย Glass)

Some people may have mixed feelings towards them, I am not one of those. I absolutely adore these two and their unyielding faith in one another. This is another series where I have multiple favs (Elideย & Lorcan) being in that mix.

Kestral & Arin (Winner’s Trilogy)

I have been dying to do a re-read of these books. I don’t remember them well enough anymore. Other than the fact that I LOVED the way Kestral & Arin’s story played out. It made me so angry at times, and then so utterly happy in the end.

Vasya & Morozko (Winternight Trilogy)

Y’all, they care about each other so much but both are so used to not dealing with their feelings they can’t cope. AND IT IS SO CUTE. This was one of my favorite pairings to watch grow over the series. It was completely amazing.

Tess & Will/Jem (The Infernal Devices)

AH. These guys are so great. And the way the love spans decades and time because they all love each other so much they gave each pair an opportunity to be together. I can’t, I just can’t.

Lark & Tiras (The Bird and the Sword Chronicles)

This is such a sweet, slow-burn love. Their relationship evolved over helping each other through personal struggles. And together became a King & Queen worthy of their kingdom.

Lots more love on my shelves, because I love love.

Have you read any of these? Are some of these couples your favorite too? Or do you actually hate them? Let’s talk in the comments!

Top Ten Tuesday: Upcoming Releases Iโ€™m On the Fence About

Howdy readers!

Another Top 10 Tuesday coming your way! This one was tough for me. I had to really search out books I have considered to add to my TBR, but am still thinking it through.

The Red Scrolls of Magic (The Eldest Curses #1) by Cassandra Clareย andย Wesleyย Chu

After Queenย ofย Airย andย Darkness I am at a crossroads. Am I over CC? Am I over the Shadowhunter world? These are the questions that plague my book life.

Summary: From #1 New York Times bestseller Cassandra Clare and award-winner Wesley Chu comes the first book in a new series that follows High Warlock Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood as they tour the world after the Mortal War. The Red Scrolls of Magic is a Shadowhunters novel.

All Magnus Bane wanted was a vacationโ€”a lavish trip across Europe with Alec Lightwood, the Shadowhunter who against all odds is finally his boyfriend. But as soon as the pair settles in Paris, an old friend arrives with news about a demon-worshipping cult called the Crimson Hand that is bent on causing chaos around the world. A cult that was apparently founded by Magnus himself. Years ago. As a joke.

Now Magnus and Alec must race across Europe to track down the Crimson Hand and its elusive new leader before the cult can cause any more damage. As if it wasnโ€™t bad enough that their romantic getaway has been sidetracked, demons are now dogging their every step, and it is becoming harder to tell friend from foe. As their quest for answers becomes increasingly dire, Magnus and Alec will have to trust each other more than everโ€”even if it means revealing the secrets theyโ€™ve both been keeping.

Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard

I actually haven’t read any of the Truthwitch book series, but there seems to be a lot of hype around this one. So now I’m trying to decide if I should add the series to my TBR.

Summary: Fans of Susan Dennard’sย New York Timesย bestselling Witchlands series have fallen in love with the Bloodwitch Aeduan. And now, finally, comesย hisย story.

High in a snowy mountain range, a monastery that holds more than just faith clings to the side of a cliff. Below, thwarted by a lake, a bloodthirsty horde of raiders await the coming of winter and the frozen path to destroy the sanctuary and its secrets.

The Bloodwitch Aeduan has teamed up with the Threadwitch Iseult and the magical girl Owl to stop the destruction. But to do so, he must confront his own father, and his past.

Courting Darkness by Robin LaFevers

This is about to come out, but I’ve never read anything by this author. Her previous series (and this one) have a summary that seems up my alley, but is it worth it? Because I think I’ll have to read the others first…

Summary: Death wasnโ€™t the end, it was only the beginningโ€ฆ

Sybella has always been the darkest of Deathโ€™s daughters, trained at the convent of Saint Mortain to serve as his justice. But she has a new mission now. In a desperate bid to keep her two youngest sisters safe from the family that nearly destroyed them all, she agrees to accompany the duchess to France, where they quickly find themselves surrounded by enemies. Their one ray of hope is Sybellaโ€™s fellow novitiates, disguised and hidden deep in the French court years ago by the conventโ€”provided Sybella can find them.

Genevieve has been undercover for so many years, she struggles to remember who she is or what sheโ€™s supposed to be fighting for. Her only solace is a hidden prisoner who appears all but forgotten by his guards. When tragedy strikes, she has no choice but to take matters into her own handsโ€”even if it means ignoring the long awaited orders from the convent.

As Sybella and Genโ€™s paths draw ever closer, the fate of everything they hold sacred rests on a knifeโ€™s edge. Will they find each other in time, or will their worlds collide, destroying everything they care about?ย 


Enchantรฉe by Gita Trelease

LOVE historical fiction, but also really picky about historical fiction.

Summary: Paris in 1789 is a labyrinth of twisted streets, filled with beggars, thieves, revolutionariesโ€”and magicians…

When smallpox kills her parents, Camille Durbonne must find a way to provide for her frail, naive sister while managing her volatile brother. Relying on petty magicโ€”la magie ordinaireโ€”Camille painstakingly transforms scraps of metal into money to buy the food and medicine they need. But when the coins wonโ€™t hold their shape and her brother disappears with the familyโ€™s savings, Camille must pursue a richer, more dangerous mark: the glittering court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

With dark magic forbidden by her mother, Camille transforms herself into the โ€˜Baroness de la Fontaineโ€™ and is swept up into life at the Palace of Versailles, where aristocrats both fear and hunger for la magie. There, she gambles at cards, desperate to have enough to keep herself and her sister safe. Yet the longer she stays at court, the more difficult it becomes to reconcile her resentment of the nobles with the enchantments of Versailles. And when she returns to Paris, Camille meets a handsome young balloonistโ€”who dares her to hope that love and liberty may both be possible.

But la magie has its costs. And when Camille loses control of her secrets, the game she’s playing turns deadly. Then revolution erupts, and she must chooseโ€”love or loyalty, democracy or aristocracy, freedom or magicโ€”before Paris burnsโ€ฆ

The Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson

Bookstagram has made me want this, but am I just in it for the gorgeous cover? Maybe.

Summary: Eragonย meetsย And I Darkenย in this thrilling new fantasy debut that follows a fallen princess as she ignites a rebellion to bring back the magical elemental crows that were taken from her people.

In the tropical kingdom of Rhodaire, magical, elemental Crows are part of every aspect of life…until the Illucian empire invades, destroying everything.

That terrible night has thrown Princess Anthia into a deep depression. Her sister Caliza is busy running the kingdom after their mother’s death, but all Thia can do is think of all she has lost.

But when Caliza is forced to agree to a marriage between Thia and the crown prince of Illucia, Thia is finally spurred into action. And after stumbling upon a hidden Crow egg in the rubble of a rookery, she and her sister devise a dangerous plan to hatch the egg in secret and get back what was taken from them.

TW: Depression

Circle of Shadows by Evelyn Skye

I liked her first series Theย Crown’sย Game, but have heard mixed things about this book. It might make its way to my TBR eventually. We’ll see.

Summary: A thrilling new fantasy series full of magic and betrayalโ€”from Evelyn Skye,ย New York Timesย bestselling author of the Crownโ€™s Game series.

Sora can move as silently as a ghost and hurl throwing stars with lethal accuracy. Her gemina, Daemon, can win any physical fight blindfolded and with an arm tied around his back. They are apprentice warriors of the Society of Taigasโ€”marked by the gods to be trained in magic and the fighting arts to protect the kingdom of Kichona.

As their graduation approaches, Sora and Daemon look forward to proving themselves worthy of belonging in the elite groupโ€”but in a kingdom free of violence since the Blood Rift Rebellion many years ago, itโ€™s been difficult to make their mark.

So when Sora and Daemon encounter a strange camp of mysterious soldiers while on a standard scouting mission, they decide the only thing to do to help their kingdom is to infiltrate the group. Taking this risk will change Soraโ€™s life foreverโ€”and lead her on a mission of deception that may fool everyone sheโ€™s ever loved.

Love, spies, and adventure abound as Sora and Daemon unravel a complex web of magic and secrets that might tear themโ€”and the entire kingdomโ€”apart forever.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Thrillers for me can go either way. I have a handful I loved and a handful that were just eh. This cover is super creepy though. Tell me, will I be freaked out!?

Summary: Promising to beย theย debut novel of the seasonย The Silent Patientis a shocking psychological thriller of a womanโ€™s act of violence against her husbandโ€”and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motiveโ€ฆ

Alicia Berensonโ€™s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of Londonโ€™s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

Aliciaโ€™s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivationsโ€”a search for the truth that threatens to consume him….ย 

Rebel (Legend #4) by Marie Lu

Do I want more!? I’m so nervous about continuation of series when they were originally finished!

Update: I literally added this to my TBR this morning. The author’s Insta post convinced me. I want a real, solid happy ending with my loves Day and June.

Summary: Eden Wing is a brilliant student. Heโ€™s about to graduate a year early from Ross University of the Sciences, with honors, and already has an internship lined up back in the Republic. But most people donโ€™t introduce Eden this way. Instead, they say, โ€œThis is Eden, Daniel Wingโ€™s younger brother.โ€

Ten years ago, Edenโ€™s brother Daniel was known as Day, the boy from the streets who led a revolution that saved the Republic of America. His name was spray-painted on walls, his profile splashed on both rebel pamphlets and wanted posters. He went from being a hunted criminal to a national hero in less than a year.

Day has spent the past decade piecing together his memory of his time in the Republic, pretending to enjoy life in Antarcticaโ€™s capital, Ross City , and quietly hiding out from the worldโ€”even if itโ€™s meant giving up June, the great love of his life. As long as he can keep his little brother safe, thatโ€™s all that matters . . .

But Eden isnโ€™t safe. As the two brothers struggle to accept who theyโ€™ve each become, they grow more distant from one another than they’ve ever been. Eden finds himself drawn deeper and deeper into Ross Cityโ€™s dark side, until even his legendary brother canโ€™t save him. At least not on his own.

When June suddenly steps back into Dayโ€™s life, rekindling the flames of their romance, the pair team up to do whatever it takes to rescue Eden. But like the rest of the world, they may have underestimated Edenโ€”what heโ€™s capable of, where his loyalties lie, and how hard heโ€™s willing to fight for what he believes.

With unmatched suspense and her signature cinematic storytelling, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu plunges readers back into the unforgettable world of Legendโ€”for the most thrilling adventure yet. A truly grand finale.

Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle #1) by Jay Kristoff

Will this compete with the glorious Illuminae series I LOVED? Will this instead be a DNF like Nevernight? Only time will tell.

Summary: From the internationally bestselling authors of THE ILLUMINAE FILES comes an epic new science fiction adventure.

The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the Academy would touchโ€ฆ

A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasm
A sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmates
A smart-ass techwiz with the galaxyโ€™s biggest chip on his shoulder
An alien warrior with anger management issues
A tomboy pilot whoโ€™s totally not into him, in case you were wondering

And Tyโ€™s squad isnโ€™t even his biggest problemโ€”thatโ€™d be Aurora Jie-Lin Oโ€™Malley, the girl heโ€™s just rescued from interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a war millions of years in the making, and Tylerโ€™s squad of losers, discipline-cases and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy.

They’re not the heroes we deserve. They’re just the ones we could find. Nobody panic.

Shadow Me (Shatter Me #4.5) by Tahereh Mafi

I reallyย really….really don’t like reading novellas unless they are necessary to the story and not some fluff piece or background story that I’m cool not knowing.

Is this necessary? Do I need to read this beforeย Defyย Me? I DON’T KNOW.

Summary: Fan favorite character Kenji Kishimoto narrates tย his gripping companion novella to Tahereh Mafiโ€™sย New York Timesย bestselling Shatter Me series, set during the explosive events inย Restore Me!

Juliette is still reeling from Warner’s betrayal, and Kenji is trying to balance his friendship with her withย his responsibilities as a leader of the resistance against the Reestablishment.ย Things get even more interesting whenย an unexpected person from Omega Pointโ€™s past surfaces.

The ending ofย Restore Meย left readers gasping, and this novella full of Kenjiโ€™s signature sass and big heart is the perfect story to tide fans over untilย Defy Me, the shocking fifth book in the Shatter Me series, hits shelves in April 2019.

Which ones should I add to my TBR? Because really, I need some help. Lets talk in the comments!