Chain of Gold
Chain of Gold
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Thorndike Press
Just the Series: The Last Hours Vol. 1   

Series and Publisher: The Last Hours   

 
Reviews: 4
Catalog Number: #367346
Format: Library Binding (Large Print)
Special Formats: Large Print Large Print
Publisher: Thorndike Press
Copyright Date: 2022
Edition Date: 2022 Release Date: 11/02/21
ISBN: 1-432-89032-8
ISBN 13: 978-1-432-89032-2
Dewey: Fic
Language: English
Reviews:
ALA Booklist (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Following the events of 2013's Clockwork Princess, a peculiar absence of demons lent the London Shadowhunters a few years of relative peace, making them sorely unprepared for the sudden series of demon attacks that devastate their numbers. Cordelia Carstairs finds herself at the center of a mystery that's inexplicably tied to her friends James and Lucie Herondale. Working alongside London's young Shadowhunters and hoping to uphold the heroic legacy of their parents, the group seeks to uncover the dark force behind the attacks. YA fantasy powerhouse Clare returns with a new generation of Shadowhunters, once again taking on themes of love, friendship, and family to deliver a thrilling story that's nostalgic for longtime fans but accessible for new readers, with nearly 600 pages to get accustomed to the large cast of characters and immersive world. While the new cast includes more diverse characters xed race and queer ey have a concerning tendency to be the most flawed. Still, Clare manages again to introduce memorable heroes that readers are sure to love, ending with a tantalizing promise of further action.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: A new series set in Clare's familiar Shadowhunters universe means a surge of interest from fans old and new. Stock up.

Kirkus Reviews (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Clare's (Ghosts of the Shadow Market, 2019, etc.) latest is set in the Shadowhunter world in the 20th century's first decade (with frequent flashbacks to the previous one).Teenage offspring of the Herondales, Carstairs, Fairchilds, and other angel-descended Nephilim continue their families' demon-fighting ways amid a round of elegant London balls, soirees, salons, picnics, and romantic intrigues. James Herondale, 17-year-old son of Will and Tessa, finds himself and his "perfectly lethal dimple" hung up between two stunning new arrivals: Cordelia Carstairs, red-haired Persian/British wielder of a fabled magic sword, and Grace Blackthorn, an emotionally damaged but (literally, as the author unsubtly telegraphs) spellbinding friend from childhood. Meanwhile, a sudden outbreak of demonic attacks that leave more and more Shadowhunters felled by a mysterious slow poison plunges James and a cohort of allies into frantic searches for both a cause and an antidote. Ichor-splashed encounters with ravening boojums and even one of hell's own princes ensue—all leading to final hints of a devastating scheme to destroy the Nephilim in which James himself is slated to play a central role. Characters have a range of skin tones, but ethnic diversity adds no texture to the portrayals; there is a lesbian cousin who wears traditionally male clothing and two young gay men (one tortured, the other less so).Busy, busy, busy…with portents of doom. (Fantasy. 14-18)

Publishers Weekly (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

When Cordelia Carstairs-s father is arrested in 1903, her mother attempts to salvage the family-s reputation by moving them to London and encouraging 16-year-old Cordelia to find an influential suitor. Cordelia, however, prefers to focus her efforts on helping fellow Shadowhunters James and Lucie Herondale slay the vicious, seemingly unstoppable demons that recently began killing their Nephilim brethren. If, while saving the day, Cordelia can woo James-on whom she-s had a crush since childhood-all the better. Although Cordelia and James have chemistry, and James-s friends and family all adore Cordelia, he is strangely infatuated with Grace Blackthorn, who just arrived in town and whose mother despises the Herondales. Spun off from her Infernal Devices trilogy, book one of Clare-s Last Hours trilogy uses a large cast of deftly drawn characters of varying ethnicities, sexual orientations, and species (vampires, warlocks, etc.) to explore the intricacies of friendship and love. Although setup and backstory mire the tale-s start, Clare delivers a richly imagined fantasy rife with action, intrigue, and smoldering romance. A chilling cliffhanger sets up the sequel. Ages 14-up. Agent: Russell Galen, Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary. (Mar.)

School Library Journal (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Gr 8 Up-Clare fans will be eager to read the first installment in her new series featuring the children of the protagonists in "The Infernal Devices" series. James and Lucie Herondale, along with their friends, must save the world from a new kind of demon that is targeting Shadowhunters. Not only are these demons attacking during the day, they are also infecting Shadowhunters with a deadly poison. After being at peace for so long, the group must figure out why the demon attacks are starting up again and their connection to James and Lucie's grandfather. James is determined to figure out which demon prince is his grandfather, and when he does, he learns that his grandfather wants something only he can give him. Still grieving the loss of her son, Tatiana Blackthorn seeks out dark magic and continues to hold a grudge against the Herondales. Saving the world from evil is a big job for the next generation of Shadowhunters, but that doesn't mean there isn't time for budding romances, love triangles, and extravagant parties featuring Edwardian-era fashion. Readers familiar with "The Bane Chronicles" will recognize a few of the new characters. While prior knowledge of Clare's books is not necessary, this will be most enjoyed by those who have finished "Infernal Devices." VERDICT The first novel in a planned trilogy, this is a purchase for young adult collections where Clare's books are popular. Marissa Lieberman, East Orange Public Library, NJ

Reviewing Agencies: - Find Other Reviewed Titles
ALA Booklist (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)
Kirkus Reviews (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)
Publishers Weekly (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)
School Library Journal (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)
Word Count: 177,107
Reading Level: 5.8
Interest Level: 9-12
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 5.8 / points: 28.0 / quiz: 506654 / grade: Upper Grades
Days Past: Idris, 1899

DAYS PAST: IDRIS, 1899


Every year for as long as James could remember, he and his family had gone to Idris to spend the summer at Herondale Manor. It was a large edifice of golden-yellow stone, its gardens sloping down to the enchanted green space of Brocelind Forest, a high wall separating it from the manor of the Blackthorn family next door.

James and Lucie would spend the days playing on the outskirts of the dark forest, swimming and fishing in the nearby river, and riding horses over the green fields. Sometimes they would try to peep over the wall of the Blackthorn house, but the walls were choked with thorny vines. Razor-tipped briars wrapped around the gates as if Blackthorn Manor had been long abandoned and overgrown, and though they knew that Tatiana Blackthorn lived there, they had only seen her carriage going in and out from a distance, the doors and windows firmly shut.

James had once asked his parents why they never socialized with the woman who lived next door, especially since Tatiana was related to James's uncles, Gideon and Gabriel Lightwood. Tessa explained diplomatically that there had been bad blood between their families since Tatiana's father had been cursed and they'd been unable to save him. Her father and her husband had died that day, and her son, Jesse, had died in the years since. She blamed Will and her brothers for her losses. "People become locked in bitterness sometimes," Tessa said, "and they wish to find someone, anyone, to blame for their grief. It is a shame, for Will and your uncles would have helped her if they could."

James had not given much more thought to Tatiana: a strange woman who hated his father unreasonably was not someone he wished to know. Then, the summer James turned thirteen years old, a message came from London to tell Will that Edmund and Linette Herondale, James's grandparents, had died of influenza.

If Will had not been so distracted by his loss, perhaps things would have gone differently.

But he was, and they didn't.

The night after they learned of Linette's and Edmund's deaths, Will had been sitting on the floor in the drawing room, Tessa in the overstuffed armchair behind him, and Lucie and James had been stretched upon the fireplace rug. Will's back had been against Tessa's legs as he stared unseeing into the fire. They had all heard the front doors open; Will had looked up when Jem came in, and Jem, in his Silent Brother robes, went over to Will and sat down beside him. He drew Will's head against his shoulder, and Will held the front of Jem's robes in his fists and he cried. Tessa bowed her head over both of them, and the three were united in adult grief, a sphere James could not yet touch. It was the first time it had ever occurred to James that his father might cry about anything.

Lucie and James escaped to the kitchen. That was where Tatiana Blackthorn found them--sitting at a table while their cook, Bridget, fed them pudding for dinner--when she arrived to ask James to cut the briars.

She looked like a gray crow, out of place in their bright kitchen. Her dress was worn serge, ragged at the hems and cuffs, and a dirty hat with a beady-eyed stuffed bird on it was tilted sideways on her head. Her hair was gray, her skin was gray, and her eyes were dull green, as if misery and anger had sucked all the color out of her.

"Boy," she said, looking at James. "My manor gates are stuck fast by overgrowth. I need someone to cut the briars. Will you do it?"

Maybe if things had been different, if James had not already been feeling restless with the desire to help his father but no idea how to do so, he might have said no. He might have wondered why Mrs. Blackthorn didn't simply ask whoever had been doing the briar cutting for her all these years, or why she suddenly needed this task accomplished in the evening.

But he didn't. He stood up from the table and followed Tatiana out into the falling night. Sunset had begun, and the trees of Brocelind Forest seemed to flame at the tops as she strode across the grounds between their two houses, up to the front gates of Blackthorn Manor. They were black and twisted iron, with an arch at the top that spelled out words in Latin: LEX MALLA, LEX NULLA.

A bad law is no law.

She bent down among the drifting leaves and stood up, holding an enormous knife. It had clearly once been sharp, but now the blade was such a dark brown with rust it looked almost black. For a moment James had the fantasy that Tatiana Blackthorn had brought him here to kill him. She would cut out his heart and leave him lying where his blood ran out across the ground.

Instead she shoved the knife into his hands. "There you go, boy," she said. "Take your time."

He thought for a moment that she smiled, but it might have been a trick of the light. She was gone in a rustle of dry grass, leaving James standing before the gates, rusty blade in hand, like Sleeping Beauty's least successful suitor. With a sigh, he began to cut.

Or at least, he began to try. The dull blade sliced nothing, and the briars were as thick as the bars on the gates. More than once he was stuck sharply by the wicked points of the thorns.

His aching arms soon felt like lead, and his white shirt was spotted with blood. This was ridiculous, he told himself. Surely this went beyond the obligation to help a neighbor. Surely his parents would understand if he tossed the knife aside and went home. Surely--

A pair of hands, white as lilies, suddenly fluttered between the vines. "Herondale boy," whispered a voice. "Let me help you."

He stared in astonishment as a few of the vines fell away. A moment later a girl's face appeared in the gap, pale and small. "Herondale boy," she said again. "Have you a voice?"

"Yes, and a name," he said. "It's James."

Her face disappeared from the gap in the vines. There was a rattling sound, and a moment later a pair of briar cutters--perhaps not entirely new but certainly serviceable--emerged beneath the gates. James bent to seize them.

He was straightening up when he heard his name called: it was his mother's voice.

"I must go," he said. "But thank you, Grace. You are Grace, aren't you? Grace Blackthorn?"

He heard what sounded like a gasp, and she appeared again at the gap in the vines. "Oh, do please come back," Grace said. "If you come back tomorrow night, I shall sneak down to the gates here and talk with you while you cut. It has been so long since I spoke with anyone but Mama."

Her hand reached out through the bars, and he saw red lines on her skin where the thorns had torn her--James raised his own hand and for a moment, their fingers brushed. "I promise," he found himself saying. "I will come back."


Excerpted from Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare
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