Chain of Gold is a perfect opportunity to jump into the world of Shadowhunters

Cassandra Clare’s Chain of Gold offers a perfect entry point for new fans into the author’s long-running Shadowhunters series.

Confession time: I never got the big deal about Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunters series. Sure, I watched some of the Freeform television show – love you forever, Katherine McNamara! – but the entirety of the Mortal Instruments set of books ultimately proved too overly dramatic and messy for my taste, generally. (Clary and Jace are related? Now they’re not? Who precisely is a demon spawn? Etc, etc.) Eventually, I gave up even trying, and simply decided that this universe was probably not for me, no matter how popular it was among YA fantasy fans.

Happily, I stand corrected.

Chain of Gold is Clare’s latest novel, and it too takes place in her Shadowhunters universe. But, in many ways, it’s everything I was looking forward to back when I first tried to get into these books. It’s the first installment in a new trilogy called The Last Hours with a new set of Shadowhunters in Edwardian London.

Sure, there are doubtless small intricacies of the story that are going well over my head. Apparently adult characters Will, Tessa and Jem are all grown-up version of figures from Clare’s Infernal Devices series of novels, from what I can tell. And, of course, there are plenty of characters connected to prominent Shadowhunter families and figures, from Fairchild to Lightwood, Magnus Bane and more.

But there’s plenty to enjoy here, and for newcomers to this world, Chain of Gold represents the easiest and most seamless entry point yet.

Perhaps it’s the historical setting – there’s something fun and immersive about the idea of fighting demons in Edwardian London, even if it means that our female leads have to worry about things like “reputations” and finding an eligible man to marry. Still, there’s something about the era that feels as though if magic were real, it would definitely exist there, amongst its streetlights, sumptuous fashions and poorly lit taverns.

This saga follows sixteen-year-old Cordelia Carstairs, after her mother moves the family to London following her father’s arrest. Hoping to salvage the family reputation, she hopes her daughter might find an influential suitor to wed, but Cordelia is much more interested in mooning over James Herondale, brother of her future parabatai Lucie. Unfortunately, for her, James is fascinated by the mysterious Grace Blackthorn. Plus, there’s also the not insignificant problem of  the sudden arrival of a vicious demon that seems determined to kill all of their peers.

It’s a bit of a busy story is what I’m saying.

Chain of Gold is a dense story packed with twists and turns of both the relationship and demon-hunting variety. There’s a long and complicated plot involving the aforementioned demon specifically tracking and poisoning Shadowhunters, as well as the question of the Herondale children’s true heritage, which treads the line between light and dark. (They’re the children of a Shadowhunter and a warlock, who may or may not possess some serious demon blood. It’s a thing.) As the teens search for the truth and attempt to acquire an antidote to save their fallen brethren, things get increasingly messy for all involved.

The novel is a fun, fast-paced read, and you likely won’t notice it’s massive size as a result. It’s also helped by the fact that its central set of characters are so darn appealing. Cordelia is a wonderfully complex heroine, a society girl who also happens to be a warrior, capable of wielding a magical sword from legend. She walks a fine line as a woman in this time period – trapped between the physical ability she’s not supposed to acknowledge, her feelings for the boy she loves but can’t have, and her duty to her family – which means she’ll have to marry for money whether she likes it or not. Cordelia is gloriously complicated, and it’s impossible not to root for her throughout this story’s pages. (I can’t be the only one who kind of ships her and Matthew, yeah?)

The rest of the young Shadowhunters clique is appealing, if not quite as fleshed out, and dealing with issues of their own. Young Lucie has inherited the Herondale ability to see ghosts, while James regularly passes into an unidentified shadow realm without warning. Matthew drinks too much, and Cordelia’s brother Alastair wrestles with personal demons of his own. These kids have a lot going on. And yet, despite all the demons and darkness, the novel takes time to really show us this large, sprawling group of teens as real friends – they’re a family, as much as the various Shadowhunter “houses” are – and they’re charming and messy and deeply entertaining together.

It’s difficult to describe the book’s actual plot without spoiling, but suffice it to say that Chain of Gold contains more than its fair share of angst and surprises – and one of the most bittersweet endings I’ve seen in a while. I can’t wait to see what happens next. And that’s certainly never a feeling I’ve had before about a Shadowhunters story. Will wonders never cease.

Chain of Gold is available now.