Chain of Iron - The Last Hours #2 (Clare)

Start Date

Mon, 09/27/2021 - 14:12

Cover of Chain of Iron, blue background, gold dress and lettering

4/5 Stars

This is now the 18th book I've read by Cassandra Clare. What's even crazier is that I have been reading about the Shadowhunter world for FOURTEEN YEARS. Her writing and her characters have been with me through some of my most formative years and these books have honestly been part of the reason why I am such a lover of long, drawn out series with books big enough to knock a person out (you know, if you were to use one as a weapon which I don't condone lolll). The Infernal Devices made me feel so many things back in the day that I honestly didn't even know books could elicit. Tessa was a kindred spirit who loved books as much as I did and Will Herondale was exactly the kind of broody boy with dark hair and blue eyes that I dreamed out endlessly. Once I was fully ensconced in this world, I knew there would never be a day that I wouldn't want to immediately read the stuff she puts out.

However, I have lately noticed that as I grow older, her books just doesn't hit in the same way they used to. In my opinion it's not on Clare's writing. I think that in itself has improved with each book. Her writing still CONTINUOUSLY has me aching for the characters and wanting more. I mean, at this point I don't know if there has been ONE single relationship that hasn't been fraught with angst and somehow each of them is angsty in a new way??? How does she even do that?

I think the biggest "issue" for me is that ~back in the day~ when I had WAY LESS obligations, I was able to re-read every single book that had previously come out beforehand, leading up to the new book. Now I have a full time job and two kids which leaves me with a lot less time, even with audiobooks on a faster-than-normal speed. At this point with The Last Hours, not only do we have references to things that happened in TID but also characters/ events we see again later in TMI and TDA. I can't keep any of it straight anymore. Mark my words though, I am doing a COMPLETE chronological re-read before The Wicked Powers come out...someday.

ANYWAY on to my thoughts on this specific book:
1. I love every single Herondale but why do they ALWAYS get themselves into such deep trouble?! I ask in the most loving of ways. ESPECIALLY when any kind of romance is involved. I'm truly starting to believe it's some kind of genetic trait

2. I just want Thomas and Alastir to be happy forever

3. And for that matter, Anna and a certain someone. (P.S. you should definitely read Ghosts of the Shadow Market before reading this)

4. I am genuinely NERVOUS for Matthew. The fact that everyone keeps brushing his growing alcohol dependency under the rug and telling themselves that he's not actually addicted...makes my heart hurt for ALL of them.

5. Cordelia might honestly be my favorite female lead of Clare's of all time. I was talking to a friend about this actually and I think it's because she is so different than almost every other lead we've ever seen. At the beginning of the series she is totally un-jaded to this world. She hasn't had a traumatic thing happen to her with some kind of crazy death or tragedy like LITERALLY everyone else, lol. She purely wants to be a Shadowhunter for the sake of ridding the world of evil--not any kind of revenge or even the glory. She is so pure of heart and heroic and literally is an amazing example of what (in a perfect world) Shadowhunters SHOULD all be like. I'm interested to see how her character reacts to certain events that unfolded in this book...