gmcgregor's review against another edition
5.0
Ms. Clare has done it again. Each book in the Shadowhunter Universe just keeps getting better and better. Love it!
the_banshee's review against another edition
5.0
I've been reading this for ages.
Not because it's unenjoyable, but I've been through a mega slump and have read nothing for over a month.
I finally picked this back up and I was able to fully get lost in the world of shadowhunters, once again.
I absolutely loved this and I am almost disappointed to have finished it, as the wait for the last book will be torturous
Not because it's unenjoyable, but I've been through a mega slump and have read nothing for over a month.
I finally picked this back up and I was able to fully get lost in the world of shadowhunters, once again.
I absolutely loved this and I am almost disappointed to have finished it, as the wait for the last book will be torturous
amediocreintrospective's review against another edition
4.0
I beg, I BEG, someone just put everyone into one room and let them have a proper conversation, all my problems will disappear
devin_magreyn's review against another edition
5.0
- Accidentally deleted from shelves, reposting review -
Where do I even begin? All I can say is wow. This blue absolutely blew me away!
To begin with, I found this book to be a lot more enjoyable than Chain of Gold. While this one took its time getting into the main focus of the story, like COG did, it was done a lot better. Before we got into the main plot the story was being driven by the characters in a very well done way. The story felt slow, but it was going by so fast. I'm not sure if that makes sense but that is how it felt to me.
Regarding the characters, I truly love them all. Cordelia, James, Lucie, Matthew, Thomas, Christopher, Anna, Alistair, Ariadne... I love them all so much! They are all written so splendidly! I never once dread any of their POVs, instead I look forward to what will come from them. Lucie and Thomas were my favorites in this book. Seeing some development on Thomas and a possible relationship with someone in the next book has got me all excited! As for Lucie, I am extremely excited to see how Chain of Thorns will revolve around her as it seems she will now finally play a bigger role. I can't help but wonder if after what she did in this book that Belial will take more of an interest in her. Either way I just want Lucie to be happy in the end. I want everyone to be happy!
Now as for Grace... I disliked her in COG as I'm sure many other people did. However, this book has really changed my view on her. Thanks to getting some backstory on her and seeing how Tatiana treats her I can finally understand why she is the way she is and her motives and actions. It all makes sense now. Also Grace and Christopher ship incoming? Hello? I will not lie, I am on board for that. I can only hope that in Chain of Thorns Grace will play a predominant role (she is on the cover after all in the third book) and that she will have some sort of redemption or hero moment.
That's all I really have left to say about Chain of Iron. I am super excited to read COT next, but also I am sad that this series will be coming to an end. I think this may be my favorite Cassandra Clare series so far, with TID being in second. Is it the characters? The story? The time period that makes me love these two series so much? Who knows, but I look forward to the epic conclusion!
Where do I even begin? All I can say is wow. This blue absolutely blew me away!
To begin with, I found this book to be a lot more enjoyable than Chain of Gold. While this one took its time getting into the main focus of the story, like COG did, it was done a lot better. Before we got into the main plot the story was being driven by the characters in a very well done way. The story felt slow, but it was going by so fast. I'm not sure if that makes sense but that is how it felt to me.
Regarding the characters, I truly love them all. Cordelia, James, Lucie, Matthew, Thomas, Christopher, Anna, Alistair, Ariadne... I love them all so much! They are all written so splendidly! I never once dread any of their POVs, instead I look forward to what will come from them. Lucie and Thomas were my favorites in this book. Seeing some development on Thomas and a possible relationship with someone in the next book has got me all excited! As for Lucie, I am extremely excited to see how Chain of Thorns will revolve around her as it seems she will now finally play a bigger role. I can't help but wonder if after what she did in this book that Belial will take more of an interest in her. Either way I just want Lucie to be happy in the end. I want everyone to be happy!
Now as for Grace... I disliked her in COG as I'm sure many other people did. However, this book has really changed my view on her. Thanks to getting some backstory on her and seeing how Tatiana treats her I can finally understand why she is the way she is and her motives and actions. It all makes sense now. Also Grace and Christopher ship incoming? Hello? I will not lie, I am on board for that. I can only hope that in Chain of Thorns Grace will play a predominant role (she is on the cover after all in the third book) and that she will have some sort of redemption or hero moment.
That's all I really have left to say about Chain of Iron. I am super excited to read COT next, but also I am sad that this series will be coming to an end. I think this may be my favorite Cassandra Clare series so far, with TID being in second. Is it the characters? The story? The time period that makes me love these two series so much? Who knows, but I look forward to the epic conclusion!
sarahshams's review against another edition
2.0
Most people who know me know that Cassandra Clare is my comfort author, and that although I’ve grown out of YA, I will always be the first person at the bookstore every time Cassie releases a new book. The world of the shadowhunters feels like home to me, and I always love returning to it in every iteration.
Not so with this book.
Oh, my dear Cassie. The expectations were so high. This series, after all, centres around the children of three greats: Will, Tessa, and let’s add Jem as well, because we know he’s an honorary parent to these exasperating little children. And let’s not forget Magnus, the Shadowhunter’s in-house babysitter, who just wants a break from all this drama!!!!
Anyhow. This is perhaps the first time I’ve been truly disappointed by a Cassie Clare book. It lacked a coherent plotline, depth, characterisations, and carried through with the same problems of the first book. The ‘Gracelet’ situation was ridiculous and should have been resolved in book one, as was the Mathew-Cordelia-James-Lucie-Jesse love triangle? Love web? At this point everyone is in love with each other and I dont know what is what. Although I did enjoy the murder mystery, Jame’s situation with Grace and her bracelet was extremely contrived, and furthermore, his relationship with Cordelia read like a glorified domestic AU, except the miscommunication between the two was not “slow-burn” as Cassandra Clare would like us to think, it was just ASININE. And it did not even get a proper resolution! You expect me to believe that James couldn’t be bothered to clear the air with Cordelia at the train station before he left to save Lucie?? And that his inability to do so conveniently allowed for Cordelia and Mathew to run off to Paris so that we could get another domestic AU in the third book, just this time set in a different city? Colour me shocked.
Similarly, miss Lucie Herondale, who happens to grace the very cover of this book, is a pale shadow of what she was in the first book, and spends the entirety of this story chasing after some ghost d*ck. Forgive my use of crass language, but there’s really no other way to put it. Lucie literally risks not just her own life and reputation, but also that of her FAMILY’S, to resuscitate her ghost boyfriend, whom I believe she has known for less than a year. I'm sure the intention was to make her issue seem whimsical and vaguely Gothic, but it really did not deliver in either of those categories. Perhaps this plot line would have worked better if Lucie had known Jesse as a child, and had truly felt the loss of his death- but as it stands, her obsession with reviving Jesse seems immature, and furthermore a little too eerily similar to the entire plotline of Meg Cabot's The Mediator series. (The ghost boyfriend in question even share the same name.)
Not only did this reflect badly on Lucie, but it also detrimentally affected her relationship with her supposed “best friend” and future parabatai Cordelia. I use best friend in air quotes because although were repeatedly told about the closeness of Lucie and Cordelia’s relationship, Cassie does nothing to actually demonstrate it. I can say the same thing about James and Mathew, but the central issue with Lucie and Cordelia is the amount of lies and miscommunication between them, which, by the way, is only necessary to keep the plot moving forward. In fact, if any of these characters would deign to tell each other the truth about their situations, the plot will quite literally unravel before our very eyes, and this, to me, is just poor writing.
I could go on, but I’ll stop here before I tire myself.
As for the good parts: Alastair is my sweet dispossessed wayward son who I will love and protect at all costs, Anna and Ariadne had a beautifully expanded on and complex love story, and the killer reveal was actually quite decent. Still, however these paltry moments of quality material fail to save the book, and for this I grant it a measly 2 stars. I’m sorry, Cassie, I really, really wanted to like this book but at almost 600 pages, it was sort of a bust compared to the stunning masterpieces you’ve given us in the past :/
Not so with this book.
Oh, my dear Cassie. The expectations were so high. This series, after all, centres around the children of three greats: Will, Tessa, and let’s add Jem as well, because we know he’s an honorary parent to these exasperating little children. And let’s not forget Magnus, the Shadowhunter’s in-house babysitter, who just wants a break from all this drama!!!!
Anyhow. This is perhaps the first time I’ve been truly disappointed by a Cassie Clare book. It lacked a coherent plotline, depth, characterisations, and carried through with the same problems of the first book. The ‘Gracelet’ situation was ridiculous and should have been resolved in book one, as was the Mathew-Cordelia-James-Lucie-Jesse love triangle? Love web? At this point everyone is in love with each other and I dont know what is what. Although I did enjoy the murder mystery, Jame’s situation with Grace and her bracelet was extremely contrived, and furthermore, his relationship with Cordelia read like a glorified domestic AU, except the miscommunication between the two was not “slow-burn” as Cassandra Clare would like us to think, it was just ASININE. And it did not even get a proper resolution! You expect me to believe that James couldn’t be bothered to clear the air with Cordelia at the train station before he left to save Lucie?? And that his inability to do so conveniently allowed for Cordelia and Mathew to run off to Paris so that we could get another domestic AU in the third book, just this time set in a different city? Colour me shocked.
Similarly, miss Lucie Herondale, who happens to grace the very cover of this book, is a pale shadow of what she was in the first book, and spends the entirety of this story chasing after some ghost d*ck. Forgive my use of crass language, but there’s really no other way to put it. Lucie literally risks not just her own life and reputation, but also that of her FAMILY’S, to resuscitate her ghost boyfriend, whom I believe she has known for less than a year. I'm sure the intention was to make her issue seem whimsical and vaguely Gothic, but it really did not deliver in either of those categories. Perhaps this plot line would have worked better if Lucie had known Jesse as a child, and had truly felt the loss of his death- but as it stands, her obsession with reviving Jesse seems immature, and furthermore a little too eerily similar to the entire plotline of Meg Cabot's The Mediator series. (The ghost boyfriend in question even share the same name.)
Not only did this reflect badly on Lucie, but it also detrimentally affected her relationship with her supposed “best friend” and future parabatai Cordelia. I use best friend in air quotes because although were repeatedly told about the closeness of Lucie and Cordelia’s relationship, Cassie does nothing to actually demonstrate it. I can say the same thing about James and Mathew, but the central issue with Lucie and Cordelia is the amount of lies and miscommunication between them, which, by the way, is only necessary to keep the plot moving forward. In fact, if any of these characters would deign to tell each other the truth about their situations, the plot will quite literally unravel before our very eyes, and this, to me, is just poor writing.
I could go on, but I’ll stop here before I tire myself.
As for the good parts: Alastair is my sweet dispossessed wayward son who I will love and protect at all costs, Anna and Ariadne had a beautifully expanded on and complex love story, and the killer reveal was actually quite decent. Still, however these paltry moments of quality material fail to save the book, and for this I grant it a measly 2 stars. I’m sorry, Cassie, I really, really wanted to like this book but at almost 600 pages, it was sort of a bust compared to the stunning masterpieces you’ve given us in the past :/
poppykins's review against another edition
5.0
"We have talked so much of travel. I wanted to give you the world." lay me down to rest ☝️
profpineco's review against another edition
4.0
My rage at this book and the misunderstandings. I love these books, but I am so frustrated, there can be some level of communication between characters that doesn't leave them all being stupid.
alyssa14086's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25