Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare

Summary from Goodreads:

James and Cordelia must save London—and their marriage—in this conclusion to the Last Hours series from author Cassandra Clare.
Chain of Thorns is a Shadowhunters novel.

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.

Review:

I’ve had a weird relationship with this series. I didn’t love the first book in the series. But, then I did LOVE book 2. And I guess I should own up to being an avid Cassandra Clare fan. Until this book, I’ve purchased all of the books when they come out. I love the characters and the shippy romances. And I love the shadow world where supernatural creatures blend with humans.

Sadly, the plot of book 1 of this series felt so recycled to me that I almost stopped reading Clare’s books. It was literally half taken from City of Bones and half taken from Clockwork Angel….without a lot of new ideas. But, then I still went and read the sequel and I was glad I did. I needed to read something comforting at the beginning of 2021…Maybe it was a Covid security blanket? Maybe it was just a lot better. I don’t know. And the plot had a serial killer and the characters grew on me. There was a love story with a ghost….And lots of LGBT love happening.

And then this book happened. Maybe for the first time in all of my history of this author, I found myself skimming whole sections of the book….It did not need to be 778 pages (with bonus chapters after that). Again, all of the love stories felt old. The fight scenes felt old. It took what felt like hundreds of pages for James to find his sister and for anything to actually happen. I almost stopped reading because it felt like the book needed an editor.

When stuff finally did start happening, it felt more like a filler book (a book 2 between installments) and less like a finale. There was a death in here that felt unnecessary, almost like the author felt like someone had to go. Everything just felt forced, like Clare didn’t want to be writing it. Even the cameos of beloved characters from the past didn’t feel authentic. Their voices just didn’t ring true to me.

And again, normally I’m a huge fan. This is the first time I didn’t purchase the book (and I’m glad). Maybe this series just wasn’t for me. And maybe I’m just done with the universe for now. I don’t know. I still love this world. And I’ll always have my old favorite books to go back to. But, this one gets a 6/10.

Lockwood and Co 5: The Empty Grave by Jonathan stroud

Summary from Goodreads:

Five months after the events in THE CREEPING SHADOW, we join Lockwood, Lucy, George, Holly, and their associate Quill Kipps on a perilous night mission: they have broken into the booby-trapped Fittes Mausoleum, where the body of the legendary psychic heroine Marissa Fittes lies. Or does it? This is just one of the many questions to be answered in Book 5 of the Lockwood & Co. series. Will Lockwood ever reveal more about his family's past to Lucy? Will their trip to the Other Side leave Lucy and Lockwood forever changed? Will Penelope Fittes succeed in shutting down their agency forever? The young agents must survive attacks from foes both spectral and human before they can take on their greatest enemy in a climactic and chaotic battle. And to prevail they will have to rely on help from some surprising--and shadowy--allies. Jonathan Stroud once again delivers a rousing adventure full of danger, laughs, twists, and frights. The revelations will send readers back to Book 1 to start the series all over again.

Review:

So, this is how a series is supposed to be end. I can’t really begin to put to words how epic this book was. It begins with grave digging in a booby trapped tomb. There’s visits to the realm of the dead, there’s HUGE battles with ghosts all over London. There’s teaming up with old enemies. There’s hints or romance, explosions, answered questions about this well thought out world, and one epic throw-down between Lucy and Ms. Fittes.

So much happens in this book, plot and suspense-wise, it’s hard to believe that the world-building and the character development continue to climb as well, but they do. Stroud is a master storyteller. He ties everything together, closes up loose strands of story you thought would go unnoticed, and circles back to concepts from book 1. To say I was impressed would be an understatement.

I felt like there were elements of the classic Children’s book heroes in here too.  I could almost see how Stroud was inspired by Philip Pullman, Rick Riordan, and CS Lewis. But, then he adds his own layer of darkness and creepiness that none of those others could do. This whole series has been a treat. The setting for these books has been so creepy and atmospheric. I’m glad Netflix picked up the story. And, the characters are just so real and believable, and flawed in just the right way.

I’m glad the finale didn’t sizzle out. It went out with a bang. I highly recommend these books to fans of YA, middle grade, fantasy and horror. They were fantastic. 10/10.

Lockwood and Co 4: The Creeping Shadow by Jonathan Stroud

Summary from Goodreads:

After leaving Lockwood & Co. at the end of The Hollow Boy, Lucy is a freelance operative, hiring herself out to agencies that value her ever-improving skills. One day she is pleasantly surprised by a visit from Lockwood, who tells her he needs a good Listener for a tough assignment. Penelope Fittes, the leader of the giant Fittes Agency wants them--and only them--to locate and remove the Source for the legendary Brixton Cannibal. They succeed in their very dangerous task, but tensions remain high between Lucy and the other agents. Even the skull in the jar talks to her like a jilted lover. What will it take to reunite the team? Black marketeers, an informant ghost, a Spirit Cape that transports the wearer, and mysteries involving Steve Rotwell and Penelope Fittes just may do the trick. But, in a shocking cliffhanger ending, the team learns that someone has been manipulating them all along. . . .

Review:

It’ been a while since I’ve written a book review. I’ve been focusing on my work and my art. But, considering how I’m moving again in just over a month, I need to get some reviews out, so I can start packing my books away again! It’ been a while since I read this book, so my mind is a tiny bit foggy on the finer details. I know I LOVED it. I honestly think this is one of my all time favorite middle grade series.

I remember being a little hesitant to start reading this book because Lucy branches out on her own…And so much of the magic in these books stems from the relationships between the characters.  However, this thankfully does not last long. And believe it or not the character with the most guilt trips for Lucy’s leaving is not Lockwood; it’s George! I love Lucy and George’s friendship so much. This book definitely had a strong focus on friendship and the bonds between all of the characters, and I was all for it. It reunites Lucy with her chosen family. It solidifies Holly as part of their team. And the skull becomes one of Lucy’s closest allies whether she wants to admit it or not.  Okay, I guess the details are mostly coming back to me…

I don’t remember a ton of the details about the ghost story/mystery plot. I do know the Fittes Agency got Lucy back involved with the team. And I remember the ending to this one. I wish I could say I was shocked by it, but I had my suspicions for a while about a whole bunch of things. Let’s just say I’m glad the characters are all more in the know by the end of this book, and it’s literally impossible not to jump from this book to the last one if you have them all in your possession.

This book was great for character development. It was was good for much needed answers. It was definitely great for setting up the plot for the final installment. I remember flying through this book despite being a little nervous about it. All in all I give it a 9/10.