Rating: 99% | A+ | ★★★★★ Warnings: + Violence + Implied Sexual Content Synopsis (from Goodreads): 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 London…and 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 hero…and falling in love. Spoiler-Free Section I picked up my first Cassandra Clare book back in 2015 and since then, her work has rarely failed to astound me with its depth of emotion and intricate plotlines. Chain of Gold is the newest addition to her Shadowhunters universe, and has quickly become one of its most notable. Because of the book's position in the Shadowhunter canon (chronologically, it is fourth out of the thirteen main books), readers should regard Clare's previously published books as prerequisites for this one. At the very least, readers should read The Infernal Devices series in order to understand the characters' relations to each other in Chain of Gold. There are also certain minor characters and subplots that will have more meaning to people who have read all of the books in the Shadowhunter universe. Chain of Gold represents Clare's writing at its finest: witty, sad, charming, and elegant without overcompensating. The characters are far from flat; instead, they radiate with the kind of soulful honesty that only results from a diligent author. My only complaint is that there are moments in the book where it's clear that Clare is juggling too many characters and plotlines. The frequent swapping of character perspectives between—and sometimes within—chapters creates a sense of discontinuity and disunity. (Click "Read More" for spoilers.) Plot (30/30)
Beginning (10/10), Middle (10/10), End (10/10) There is a natural thrill in reading about a fantasy world within the real world, and that thrill is only amplified by taking the reader back in time. A hundred and seventeen years ago, to be precise. Edwardian England, as the blurb notes, is a dazzling portrait of modernity and excitement, and it is no different for the young Shadowhunters living in London. The plot never slows down—precisely because it can't. The enormous cast of characters ensures that someone always has something to say. Though the characters with point of view chapters are united in the same goal—to rid James of Belial's influence—they also explore their own ambitions and personal troubles: Cordelia deals with her feelings for James; James struggles against his Belial's machinations; Matthew copes with the demons of his past; and Lucie attempts to acclimate to the realization that she can talk to ghosts. The pace of the plot is also constantly building because of the condition that Clare sets at the start of the novel: no demon attacks have occurred in London for decades. Thus, few of the young Shadowhunters know how to truly fight. This lack of skill makes otherwise unnecessary fight scenes brimming with risk and excitement. Clare has a tendency to stage dramatic showdowns in her books that are the first in a series. And while I (begrudgingly) admit that it isn't anything I can objectively deduct points for, I will say that such endings rely on the strength of the characters in persuading the reader to read the next book. While readers recognize these dramatic showdowns as so-called "fake-out" endings, that realization is not enough to reverse the strength of the safety found in the denouement. I wish Clare had chosen to end Chain of Gold less climactically, but there's s sufficient character complexity to continue reader interest into the next book. Characters (30/30) Development (15/15) and Lure (15/15) This book owes its success wholly to the strength of its characters. Clare's characters are funny, sincere, and three-dimensional without being unrealistically flawless. Alastair looked mutinous. "If you do not promise," Cordelia added, "I will not go home with you. I will stay out all night and be utterly ruined. I will have to marry Thomas or Christopher." "What ho," said Christopher, looking surprised. Thomas smiled. Alastair exhibits the most development out of any of the characters. He is initially presented as a two-dimensional, cruel character. However, over the course of the novel, he becomes more and more complex as more of his ambitions and hidden emotions are revealed. The Alastair at the end of the story—the one who painfully accepts Thomas's rejection—is unrecognizable from the Alastair at the start of the novel who resents the Merry Thieves. However, there is one frustrating thing about the character development in Chain of Gold--James's artificial lack of it. Hundreds of pages of character development are wiped away by Grace's betrayal (if it can be called that) at the end of the book and James reverts back to his detached self. Writing (19/20) Descriptions (5/5) The depth and detail of Clare's writing is, as always, flawless. The point of view variations between chapters allows her to not only describe her characters in the eyes of others, but to also establish and elaborate on relationships between various characters. Christopher, Cordelia could see his bright smile, his dented spectacles; she could hear his eager and excited voice in her ears, explaining some new aspect of science or Shadowhuntering. Flow (4/5) The only complaint I have about this book is the flow of the writing. In attempting to juggle a large cast of characters, Clare upsets the balance of the story by inserting too many point of view changes. This becomes especially troubling when such changes occur within chapters, forcing the reader to abruptly shift their focus from one plotline to another. World Building (10/10) A moot category for this book? Probably. Since Chain of Gold cannot be easily understood without first reading the preceding books in the Shadowhunter world, there isn't much to comment on in terms of world building. Even so, Clare transports the reader into a new era of London and a new era of Shadowhuntering in this book, creating a vivid picture of the intersection between the Mundane and the magical world. Her efforts pay off; this book is an absolute delight to read because of the intricate details of Edwardian London. Closure/Set-Up (20/20) Logic (10/10) and Lure/Closure (10/10) Prompting distress and fist-shaking from me when I'd read it, the ending is Clare at her finest—throwing all the characters under the bus (carriage?) in preparation for the next novel. With readers equally furious and anticipatory, Clare has secured stable interest in the rest of her series. Thank you for reading!
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