Jumping back into the world of Shadowhunters is very cathartic for me. I love this world and these characters as if they were more than words on a page and in many ways, it feels like a sort of reunion even though she introduces new characters. The stories of their predecessors or their progeny (depending on which series/trilogy, et al. you start with) echo in my mind as I read.
I love Clare’s writing style and the way she weaves words into feelings that take my breath away or make my heart ache. That is the magic of writing. That is what I want to create as an author, a world with characters so real it’s as if you met them face to face.
The first book of this, The Last Hours trilogy, Chain of Gold introduces us to the generation of Shadowhunters that followed Will, Jem, and Tessa for the Dark Artifices.
Secrets abound as James Herondale and the Merry Thieves navigate love, longing, and the darkness that festers within the characters as their various ancestral connections or complicated pasts make the present a challenge.
What I love about the world of the Shadowhunters is how even though it is full of magic, monsters, and fantastical mayhem, the relationships between the characters are relatable, even when the circumstances they find themselves in are not.
Also, Magnus Bane. Who doesn’t love him? He is in this book too and I think if he weren’t, the story just wouldn’t be the same. He is the constant for me that connects Clare’s books and makes me all the more invested. Like the steadfastness his character seems to portray, he keeps me calm whenever I know he is nearby.
With vivid imagery and well-researched history, this first book in The Last Hours Trilogy takes us through London at the end of the 19th century with characters who will steal your heart. It would be a mistake not to read these books, both for long-time Shadowhunter fans and newcomers alike.
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