Thank you Walker Books for this book in exchange for an honest review
Synopsis:
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
Review:
Chain of Gold brings back the spark of joy that you had while reading the first collections of the Shadowhunter world. While it features the return of some of your favourite characters, you get introduced to the next generation of Shadowhunters, with their new personalities and vibrant characteristics.
This book hits the mark with diversity and plenty of LGBT+ representation, which is great to see considering the book is based at the London Institute. So you get the old world mixed with new and modern situations and representation.
And you get to meet Anna, the daughter of Cecily Lightwood from previous books. Anna is relatable as a character, for me especially. Anna is the type of girl that is independent, doesn’t need a man to assist her in life and doesn’t believe in love. Could a character be any perfect? It high lights the true importance of how strong females are, and what it is to be young and battling the outside dangers of the world. Yet while Anna is amazeballs, I was a little disappointed she didn’t get more page time.
Anna and Matthew were only side characters, but they were really strong and defining characters that I wish the book was based around them a lot more than it was are Cordelia and James. I found them both a little too common and dependant on one another.
Clare is a in depth and wonderful author, and you can tell that her writing adapts over time and she takes notes of what is happening in the modern world and brings it to life in her books. I don’t think Clare will ever get old, or her books and style will go out of fashion.
Overall this was a wonderful read and I cannot wait to see where this series will go…
Rating: 5/5
Publisher: Walker Books
ISBN: 9781481431873