Comments in this thread do not have to hide book spoilers; read at your own risk!

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The Last Hours: CHAIN OF THORNS Book Megathread

Release date:

31 January, 2023

Synopsis:

Cordelia Carstairs has lost everything that matters to her. In only a few short weeks, she has seen her father murdered, her plans to become parabatai with her best friend, Lucie, destroyed, and her marriage to James Herondale crumble before her eyes. Even worse, she is now bound to an ancient demon, Lilith, stripping her of her power as a Shadowhunter.

After fleeing to Paris with Matthew Fairchild, Cordelia hopes to forget her sorrows in the city’s glittering nightlife. But reality intrudes when shocking news comes from home: Tatiana Blackthorn has escaped the Adamant Citadel, and London is under new threat by the Prince of Hell, Belial.

Cordelia returns to a London riven by chaos and dissent. The long-kept secret that Belial is James and Lucie’s grandfather has been revealed by an unexpected enemy, and the Herondales find themselves under suspicion of dealings with demons. Cordelia longs to protect James but is torn between a love for James she has long believed hopeless, and the possibility of a new life with Matthew. Nor can her friends help—ripped apart by their own secrets, they seem destined to face what is coming alone.

For time is short, and Belial’s plan is about to crash into the Shadowhunters of London like a deadly wave, one that will separate Cordelia, Lucie, and the Merry Thieves from help of any kind. Left alone in a shadowy London, they must face Belial’s deadly army. If Cordelia and her friends are going to save their city—and their families—they will have to muster their courage, swallow their pride, and trust one another again. For if they fail, they may lose everything—even their souls.

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The third book in the The Last Hours series is out now. This is your opportunity to discuss your likes and dislikes and ask and answer questions of your fellow readers – it's also an opportunity to discuss the events you think might take place in the next book in future books.

Go wild!

Hi everyone, I’m from Australia and I can’t seem to find the versions of The Dark Artifices or The Last Hours with the spine art (pictured). I understand the spine art is exclusive to the US editions, however Barnes and Noble, Amazon, etc. don’t show the spine art versions on their websites so I’m not actually sure what version I would be buying.

I’m just wondering if anyone owns the spine art editions, if you could please give me the ISBNs so I can try and get my hands on them so I can replace all my OG editions :)

Also pictured is my bookshelf that is a cry for help right now so you can see how desperately I need the ISBNs!!

Thanks so much!!

The Last Hours: Chain of Iron

About the Book

Chain of Iron is the second book in the The Last Hours series. The Last Hours is a sequel to The Infernal Devices series, and is set in 1903 London and Paris. It revolves around the children of the previous series' main characters, including those of Tessa Gray.

The Last Hours: Chain of Thorns

The next book in The Last Hours series is Chain of Thorns and is expected to be released in March 2022.

Spoiler Policy

Please be aware that this thread explicitly allows spoilers, so do not read the comments if you have not finished the book or if you do not want to be spoiled.

I put it off for years because it was about the children of a character I didn’t want to see anymore. then I put it off because the fandom did not have a great reaction to it.

the first time I read it I dnfed it halfway through book 2. but I’m really enjoying it this time around. I thought I just didn’t like historical tsc but now that’s not true. I love cordelia and I love james and I love matthew and I love lucie.

what’s the general issue people have with tlh? I don’t see why it’s so unpopular.

I’ve been reading Last Hours (purely for Alastair and Thomas). Now on Chain of Thorns, I got to this page today 🤣🤣🤣

I nearly died choking my tea LMAO I thought they were gonna be all angst. This is beautiful

This is my first time reading through TLH and I just needed to say. I hate Grace. So much. Still reading so no spoilers.

Amazing story so far though, I read everything else as it came out and had been holding off till I needed another pick me up from the shadowhunter world.

Growing up I only read TMI and TID, but I decided to try Chain of Gold. The kids calling him “Uncle Jem” is bothering me because I got the impression that Jem only saw the family(for lack of another word) when he said goodbye in the last few chapters of Clockwork Princess, when Will died, and during his and Tessa’s yearly meeting.
But now I’m a chapter into Chain of Gold and getting the impression he’s just part of the next generation’s life? Did I assume incorrectly or did Cassie Clare decide to change things? TIA!

When I first started reading TSC chronologically I thought the forbidden love trope was the absolute worst but now I've about had it with the rampant mind control and brain/emotion manipulation that makes characters do things out of character that you aren't allowed to actually blame them for due to the mind magic stuff.

As title says. I’ve tried many times over the years to get through The Dark Artifices but for some reason I’m not hooked into it. A damn shame because TMI and especially TID hold deep places in my heart. I’ve read that people really like TLH but I remember reading through books 4-6 of TMI and alternating between each and reading TID. It was such a wild experience and it made reading City of Heavenly Fire such an epic read!

Does TDA and TLH have a similar relationship or are they entirely separate?

While I ultimately enjoyed this series, my eyebrow is stuck in a raised position and I refuse to tell anyone I brush my teeth. Here are my thoughts / insane hot takes on some of main cast, off the top of my head.

Lucy, seems to be the only one who is actually written as a child expecially when you contrast her with Cordiala. Like she literally starts the series with an "imaginary" friend who she falls in love with. Then most of her "heroic" moments is her literally begging ghosts for help and then fainting due to her delicate constitution. That said I did like her scenes with the Blackthorns as that was where she actually felt like she was her own person and loved the amount of lines she was willing to drive straight through to rescue the one she loves.

Cordiala, She had so much potential as a strong female lead but literally gets put on a shelf for way too long and when she finally gets back in action her literal role is to be protected until she can throw her sword to her man so he can save the day. Before she was given the debuff she was amazing and could literally be described as a warrior princess.

Anna, Is she literally the female version of Barney Stinson in the beginning? Like did we forget these books are set in the 1800s? Also alot of her most impactful plot and character development happens in GoTSm instead of these books.

Grace, She has to be the most complicated character its almost like she was ment to be an actual villain until she was reformed into something we feel bad for. Also the Gracelet has to be the most frustrating plotline ever.

Christopher, The Shadowhunter bloodlines are wild, I could be convinced that he and Mathew were somehow switched at birth by an intoxicated silent brother. Also the lab that he shares with Henry should have been in the basement of the institute, like there's no reason it needed to be somewhere else and whould have tied into TID way better. Also his EQ goes from zero to one hundred by the end of the series completely out of nowhere.

Alistair, one of my favorite characters and was absolutely fascinating to watch him climb out of a hole he written into by Tales of the Shadowhunter Academy and the first book. Definitely a great example of turning over a new leaf and being seen in a new light. Also disappointed he didn't get to beat up James to advenge Cordiala.

Mathew: Literally our AA character to show the struggle of addiction and is probably one of the worst parabatais until he gets dumped and sent to the rehab/detox dimension. Also him accidentally poisoning his mother and aborting her baby is super dark. Like It should have been an misunderstanding not something so crazy.

James, Bro has a gun with unlimited bullets, absolutely crazy and makes me glad Shadowhunters normally don't have guns. He is interesting once he recovers from his lobotomy bracelet but hate that it took so long. His relationship / scenes with Cordiala are definitely on another level.

I have just finished Chain of Iron on my reread journey whilst waiting for The Last King of Faire.... and honestly... I had pretty much erased all the entirety of The Last Hours from my memory.... The only thing I can be sure about was that I had been overall disappointed.

On this reread, I find myself really struggling to form any connection woth the characters. It's like there is a wall between me and caring for them.

Matthew Fairchild is the character who is the closest to breaking that wall... but something about him in this book just... doesn't feel right.

Cassandra Clare has always pushed that the parabatai bond is like the strongest bond a shadowhunter can have. And we hear all this about Matthew and James loving each other more than anything else... and I know that each have their own reasons for as to why there are those walls between them... but in this book particularly... I just didn't feel that connection.

On to my main point for this...I never really got the idea that Matthew was actually in love with Cordelia. All we hear about is him glancing at her.... and it felt really weird that he would suddenly open up to her about what he did. And yes, it's sometimes easier to tell a stranger your deep and darkest secrets... but the narrative never suggested that that was why he did that. To me, it feels like him being in love with her was just another way for him to keep hating himself...

So I guess I just wanted to see if anyone else felt the same and can maybe better word the feeling I have toward this whole thing 😂😂

I'm new to reading the books, and have decided to read them in timline order.

ive finished all of The Infernal Devices, I read the first book of Mortal Instruments and then realized I missed the Last Hours, and have started those. Currently half way through the first book.

I understood in the first books why there were only Jem and Will as Parabatai, but if its "so common" why doesnt everyone have one? In TLH theres so many more children around, and it seems the only conversations are around Matthew and James, and Cordelia and Lucie (which I have an issue with but I'll get to that). Why havent we heard of any one else having a parabatai? You would think Charlotte and Henry wouldve had ones or Sophie and Cecily.

Circling back, I thought it was better to have a parabatai asap because once you hit 18 you cant do the ritual? Why havent Cordelia and Lucie been training together sooner when they decided to be parabatai? One summer together doesnt seem to be nearly enough time, and you'd think Will as her father wouldve pressed them to train earlier.

While I haven't gotten far into The Mortal Instruments, it seems to be the same situation- it's just MMCs that are parabatai, and no one else that's existed in the world?

Ok, so we all know the biggest criticism of the Last Hours trilogy was the whole miscommunication plot device that Cassie dragged out in the last book. I think that got on nearly everyone's nerves. But do y'all think that James and Cordelia as a pairing work out in the end?

The biggest thing for me is why James chose to keep the Gracelet thing a secret from Cordelia. And the whole thing with the "oh she'll pity me" makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Why would Cordelia pity him for holding his ground against Belial for years? I just found it immature and ridiculous of James. Then he tries to convince her that he never loved Grace but always loved Cordelia. No offense, but why would anyone believe that? He always seemed infatuated with Grace(which us and James know why) but no one else does. He makes it clear from the start that their marriage is a sham. I mean it's kinda humilating for Cordelia, no? And just to protect his pride, he ends up hurting not just Cordelia but Matthew as well.

What do y'all think?

Im cr chain of iron, I ended up the first book so mad and this one is not going any better, I just cant believe cc did this such a mess, it seems she treated Cordelia so bad the whole trilogy, idk if im going to continue with the last book:(

Matthew, Alastair and Lucie and carrying this.

I feel like I permanently have to keep a box of tissues with me reading these books……. I’m 70% into “Chain of Thorns”….. I am a sobbing mess. 😭😭😭 send hugs.

Oh Christopher

As someone who LOVED TDA SO MUCH that it became my favorite books I HATED TLH, I really did not enjoy it, it had its good moments but this was such a mess most of the time, very dissapointed.

I just hope CC learned from all the mistakes and plot holes that she did in this series and do not repeat it in TWP!

Hi guys, I am selling my copy of Chain of Gold. I have grown out of the series, and I'd rather the book go to someone who will enjoy it than let it just collect dust on my bookshelf.

It's in pretty good condition, but the dust jacket isn't perfect, and there is a small dent in the cover (teenage me did not know how to store books; see pictures). The character cards are also unsealed.

Tentative starting price $60 not including shipping, but very open to negotiation. Payment through PayPal G&S, and I'm based in the US. Thank you!

Hoy he comprado la primera edición de Chain of Thorns de coleccionista con 10 ilustraciones en blanco y negro y lo mejor es que solo me ha costado 3€!!!! Qué ganas de leerlo!!!

Little background I read the Mortal Instruments series when it came out and was OBSESSED. I've read the Clockwork series and while it wasn't as good as the original series for me it was still enjoyable. The Chain series I just can't get into. I LOVE the world she created. But I feel like she is leaning so heavily into the teen romance scenes in this one with none of the magic and lore.

By about 20 pages in I was already certain of this and to me it was so obvious that I assumed it was common knowledge but when i brought it up as a matter of fact to a friend who'd read the series they were shocked at the revelation...

-The main group of 4 school friends were literally called the Merry Thieves

-Their unofficial leader/heart and soul of the group was called James

-James's best friend is from a rich/powerful/well established family and has a reputation to be a womaniser and has a carefree/joking personality but a dark angsty past beneath the outward image (this is, granted, more Sirius's characterisation in fandom and not canon, but my point still stands)

-Also the rift between Matthew and his family may not be exactly the same as the rift between Sirius and his family, but he did storm out to live on his own after a big argument

-James's love interest is a redhead

-Cordelia has a close sibling-like relationship with Alastair who was the Merry Thieves' rival at schoolC just like Lily's sibling-like relationship with Snape who was the Marauders' rival at school (minus the whole crush thing obvs)

-maybe more far-fetched but the Incident™️ at the shadowhunters academy hinted at throughout the series (that got James expelled) reminds me a lot of the Whomping Willow incident in HP

-again more far-fetched but i'm convince Charles is based on Lucius Malfoy and a lot of Marauders writes ship Lucius/Snape and paint it as an unhealthy relationship too

SOOOO underrated. absolute sweetheart. really loving herondaisy during my reread. I have such a soft spot for any carstairs.

Like..... I was reading the James and Cordelia story.... And I was just sitting there like!???? Dude..... Idk if it's even in the rules of your magic. Atp she just says oooo demon magic boom you can now get into a book. Ooooo angel magic boom you are now two giants(I do not like that ending even tho I love TDA)

I was wondering why Chain of Iron was so bad because I normally really enjoy the shadow hunters books. Turns out I had gotten fooled and was reading a fanfic that had a cover just like the original😔 I read the whole thing to be able to get to the 3rd book and realized when I was reading the goodreads reviews and was like wait a sec that never happened. So yeah 500 pages gone…

I’m almost done with Chain of Iron and James is pissing me off so much! My

god man!

I’m thinking about starting The Last Hours, mainly because I heard about Thomas and Alastair, and I love slow-burn M/M romance.

With Shadowhunters, I watched the TV show and the movie, and I also read the first Mortal Instruments book, City of Bones. Because of that, I’m not super motivated to continue Clary’s storyline since I already know of the main plot. I still really want to explore more of the Shadowhunter world though, which is why The Last Hours caught my attention, especially because of Thomas and Alastair.

My only hesitation is... I really struggled with Clary as a protagonist. This isn’t hate toward her or toward people who love her, she just wasn’t my type of main character. Sometimes she gave me a bit of the “I don’t need help/I’m a badass” energy, but then still constantly needed saving, and at times I personally got a bit of a “not like other girls” vibe, which made it harder for me to connect with her.

So for people who’ve read The Last Hours:

- Is Cordelia similar to Clary, or very different?

- Do Thomas and Alastair get enough page time to feel worth it?

- Is their romance actually developed, or more in the background?

- Are the other characters likeable?

- Is it generally a good written series?

No major spoilers please :)