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kiki6k's review
4.0
"Chain of Iron" picks up after the whirlwind romance of "Chain of Gold." Cordelia and James' seemingly perfect engagement masks a web of secrets and unspoken feelings. A dangerous mystery unfolds as a series of Shadowhunter murders plague London. The characters we know and love must navigate complex loyalties and hidden truths, making for a thrilling and suspenseful read.
mcharlotten's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
booklover_of_the_ages's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have to say, this may be my favorite of the trilogy, i was hooked especially in those last like 200 pages. The shocks were one after the other, I was like omgs omgs omg, and the ending ✋️😭 please. Some People are hurting others are happy, if there is one thing Cassie likes its messy love lives cause girl I ate it up. She absolutely slays the love triangle trope. So excited for the next.
siriuslyenya's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
belle_d_mort's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
marthauhlig's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
racecarnoise's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
My heart hurts. Ask me what the plot was and I don’t really have a solid answer, which isn’t ideal for a 600 page book…however, the book managed to keep my attention. I think the story mainly relies on the relationships between the characters, which I greatly enjoy. THE END. Oh my god the enddddddd. I just wanted James to make it to Matthew and Cordelia! Now instead of fixing the misunderstanding, they’re all just gonna marinate in it and it’s gonna get harder to reveal the truth. Ffs Grace!!!! Why have u ruined everything?!?
voldy's review
5.0
updates (08/09/2022):
bro that ending made me beyond angry. what. the. hell. why does cordelia blame everything on herself? it’s seriously so annoying and not brave at all. like girl get mad at james for once, he broke his promise. she’s such a mary-sue it pissed me off many times in this book. AND WHY IS EVERYONE SO BAD AT COMMUNICATING. i have never wanted to scream more. anyways, 5/5 stars the merry thieves, alastair, and lucie saved this book fr
review from march 15, 2021:
This book felt like home.
"Cordelia, you are a great heroine. Even in the realm of the dead they speak of you. You are the bearer of the blade Cortana, which can slay anything. You have spilled the blood of a Prince of Hell.
You could have saved me."
It felt like I was being captured in a warm, tight hug from my favourite people in all the world. Their happiness, my happiness; their sorrow, my sorrow; their pain, my pain; their tears, my tears.
And believe me, there were tears.
"And when her cheek the moon revealed, a thousand hearts were won: no pride, no shield, could check her power. Layla, she was called."
Cordelia Carstairs is the bravest woman to have ever walked this earth. She is determined and caring. To be falsely married to someone you love, and to think that they don’t love you...I don’t know how she managed it. She refused to give in to self-pity and she chose to be a heroine over and over again, all while her heart was breaking. I loved her friendship with Lucie and Matthew (yes, friendship), and her relationship with Alastair has developed tremendously. I absolutely adored their brother/sister bond. I am in awe of the courage she has shown throughout this book.
“'I believe the spirit of our organization is that we do want to be involved,' said Matthew, 'when it comes to each other.'”
Matthew is such a smol bean. He must heal and be happy. He always acts so frivolously and nonchalantly about everything. But it’s not even a fraction of what he feels so deeply inside of him. My heart was breaking for Matthew and his struggles with alcoholism and loneliness.
"only those we truly love can truly disappoint us."
James Morgan Henry Herondale...Oh, God. I was extremely frustrated with him, and I KNOW, I know it’s not his fault, but the hurt he caused Daisy, hurt me. The fact that three whole years of his life had been dimmed out by that stupid bracelet makes me want to scream at him and Grace and Tatiana and everybody. But despite my continuous exasperation with James, I couldn’t help but love him. He is such a sweet friend and husband (hehe) and brother. And that ending. THAT. ENDING. If everybody in Chain of Iron just communicated properly, there would be no need for all this angst, tbh. Not that I’m complaining.
Honestly, I don’t know how to feel about Lucie. I love her, I really do, but all the secrets she kept from Cordelia and the lies she told, I just can’t get past that. The fact that almost all of her POVs were about Jesse and how to bring him back didn’t help either. I understand that’s her ultimate goal in this book and she’s desperate, but it’s almost like that’s all she cares about. I don’t ship Lucie and Jesse anymore. It all just happened so fast and there wasn’t enough build-up for me to have any emotional reaction to it.
Getting a perspective from Grace was interesting. I don’t like her, per se, but I don’t hate her, either. I understand her and her situation and the loneliness she has felt. That’s all.
"It was Alastair Carstairs, striding into the room like he always did—as if he’d bought the place and sold it at a handsome profit."
ALASTAIR. I love him so much. He is an amazing big brother and person, even though he is very flawed. That’s why I loved him so much. He’s trying so hard to become better and improve and I just love his character development. I really hope he heals his wounds from his past. HE IS SUCH A SOFTIE INSIDE.
Also, Matthew calling Alastair by his first name towards the end is a big improvement, whatever the circumstances may be.
"These are my brothers, he thought, all around me; I would do anything for them."
The Merry Thieves’ friendship is such a sweet, precious part of this book. I loved how James was engrossed with books and poetry, how Matthew was passionate about fashion and waistcoats, how Christopher was determined to combine science and runes, and Thomas’s hunger for revenge for his sister. I loved their friendship and how supportive they were of each other, and in my opinion, Chain of Iron succeeded in making the friendship so raw and real and full of flaws.
I have never in my life felt so deeply for a set of characters more than I did (and still do) for the cast of Chain of Iron.
"Love is not always a lightning bolt. Sometimes it is a creeping vine. It grows slowly until suddenly it is all that there is in the world."
The plot had the perfect amount of mystery, suspense, secrets, angst, and drama. They balanced flawlessly, contrary to Chain of Gold, where the drama took up most of the space. But I would have happily accepted a novel about how Matthew takes his tea and zero plot. There was not a moment where I was bored while reading this.
Chain of Iron was a portal to 1903 London. The setting was so atmospheric and the historical aspect was done perfectly. I was there, in London. I don’t know how Cassie did it, but it was beautiful. And by the end, I was ravenous for more. I had never ached for something as much as I ached for more of London 1903.
And can we talk about CCs writing? It was so mysterious and suspenseful and rich in its descriptions. I could get drunk on her mesmerizing way of telling a story. Not kidding. And I want more.
The casual mentions of art added so much to the setting, in my opinion. It was in the way Matthew randomly quoted Keats, Filomena finding a vampire to talk with about the Art Nouveau, Jesse being compared to sculptures of angels, Persian delicacies being mentioned. These little details helped to build the setting and atmosphere in the best possible way. It shows how the smallest details can make the biggest changes. I was utterly hypnotized and bewitched, my love of art being re-evoked tenfold.
Reading Chain of Iron felt like downing a sweet, delicious goblet of poison, even with the knowledge that it will kill you in the end.
Me after I finished Chain of Iron:
Yes, I am dead, and yes, I am the ghost of the person I was before reading COI.
Also, Christopher saying “what ho” to literally anything is my reason to live.
bro that ending made me beyond angry. what. the. hell. why does cordelia blame everything on herself? it’s seriously so annoying and not brave at all. like girl get mad at james for once, he broke his promise. she’s such a mary-sue it pissed me off many times in this book. AND WHY IS EVERYONE SO BAD AT COMMUNICATING. i have never wanted to scream more. anyways, 5/5 stars the merry thieves, alastair, and lucie saved this book fr
review from march 15, 2021:
This book felt like home.
"Cordelia, you are a great heroine. Even in the realm of the dead they speak of you. You are the bearer of the blade Cortana, which can slay anything. You have spilled the blood of a Prince of Hell.
You could have saved me."
It felt like I was being captured in a warm, tight hug from my favourite people in all the world. Their happiness, my happiness; their sorrow, my sorrow; their pain, my pain; their tears, my tears.
And believe me, there were tears.
"And when her cheek the moon revealed, a thousand hearts were won: no pride, no shield, could check her power. Layla, she was called."
Cordelia Carstairs is the bravest woman to have ever walked this earth. She is determined and caring. To be falsely married to someone you love, and to think that they don’t love you...I don’t know how she managed it. She refused to give in to self-pity and she chose to be a heroine over and over again, all while her heart was breaking. I loved her friendship with Lucie and Matthew (yes, friendship), and her relationship with Alastair has developed tremendously. I absolutely adored their brother/sister bond. I am in awe of the courage she has shown throughout this book.
“'I believe the spirit of our organization is that we do want to be involved,' said Matthew, 'when it comes to each other.'”
Matthew is such a smol bean. He must heal and be happy. He always acts so frivolously and nonchalantly about everything. But it’s not even a fraction of what he feels so deeply inside of him. My heart was breaking for Matthew and his struggles with alcoholism and loneliness.
Spoiler
Him revealing his truth to Cordelia broke me to a thousand pieces, as did his argument with James, in which James said, “look at me in the eye and tell me there’s something you love more than that bottle in your hand.” It made me feel like my lungs had been shoved into a long, narrow tube. I’m not even kidding. I couldn’t breathe."only those we truly love can truly disappoint us."
James Morgan Henry Herondale...Oh, God. I was extremely frustrated with him, and I KNOW, I know it’s not his fault, but the hurt he caused Daisy, hurt me. The fact that three whole years of his life had been dimmed out by that stupid bracelet makes me want to scream at him and Grace and Tatiana and everybody. But despite my continuous exasperation with James, I couldn’t help but love him. He is such a sweet friend and husband (hehe) and brother. And that ending. THAT. ENDING. If everybody in Chain of Iron just communicated properly, there would be no need for all this angst, tbh. Not that I’m complaining.
Honestly, I don’t know how to feel about Lucie. I love her, I really do, but all the secrets she kept from Cordelia and the lies she told, I just can’t get past that. The fact that almost all of her POVs were about Jesse and how to bring him back didn’t help either. I understand that’s her ultimate goal in this book and she’s desperate, but it’s almost like that’s all she cares about. I don’t ship Lucie and Jesse anymore. It all just happened so fast and there wasn’t enough build-up for me to have any emotional reaction to it.
Getting a perspective from Grace was interesting. I don’t like her, per se, but I don’t hate her, either. I understand her and her situation and the loneliness she has felt. That’s all.
"It was Alastair Carstairs, striding into the room like he always did—as if he’d bought the place and sold it at a handsome profit."
ALASTAIR. I love him so much. He is an amazing big brother and person, even though he is very flawed. That’s why I loved him so much. He’s trying so hard to become better and improve and I just love his character development.
Spoiler
It pained me so much when he felt guilt for not mourning his father.Also, Matthew calling Alastair by his first name towards the end is a big improvement, whatever the circumstances may be.
"These are my brothers, he thought, all around me; I would do anything for them."
The Merry Thieves’ friendship is such a sweet, precious part of this book. I loved how James was engrossed with books and poetry, how Matthew was passionate about fashion and waistcoats, how Christopher was determined to combine science and runes, and Thomas’s hunger for revenge for his sister. I loved their friendship and how supportive they were of each other, and in my opinion, Chain of Iron succeeded in making the friendship so raw and real and full of flaws.
I have never in my life felt so deeply for a set of characters more than I did (and still do) for the cast of Chain of Iron.
"Love is not always a lightning bolt. Sometimes it is a creeping vine. It grows slowly until suddenly it is all that there is in the world."
The plot had the perfect amount of mystery, suspense, secrets, angst, and drama. They balanced flawlessly, contrary to Chain of Gold, where the drama took up most of the space. But I would have happily accepted a novel about how Matthew takes his tea and zero plot. There was not a moment where I was bored while reading this.
Chain of Iron was a portal to 1903 London. The setting was so atmospheric and the historical aspect was done perfectly. I was there, in London. I don’t know how Cassie did it, but it was beautiful. And by the end, I was ravenous for more. I had never ached for something as much as I ached for more of London 1903.
And can we talk about CCs writing? It was so mysterious and suspenseful and rich in its descriptions. I could get drunk on her mesmerizing way of telling a story. Not kidding. And I want more.
The casual mentions of art added so much to the setting, in my opinion. It was in the way Matthew randomly quoted Keats, Filomena finding a vampire to talk with about the Art Nouveau, Jesse being compared to sculptures of angels, Persian delicacies being mentioned. These little details helped to build the setting and atmosphere in the best possible way. It shows how the smallest details can make the biggest changes. I was utterly hypnotized and bewitched, my love of art being re-evoked tenfold.
Reading Chain of Iron felt like downing a sweet, delicious goblet of poison, even with the knowledge that it will kill you in the end.
Me after I finished Chain of Iron:
Yes, I am dead, and yes, I am the ghost of the person I was before reading COI.
Also, Christopher saying “what ho” to literally anything is my reason to live.