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melanielocke · 4 years ago

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What if Paris was the first time we met?

Based on Thomas’ suggestion in the Sanctuary, a rewritten Paris chapter where Alastair had been expelled from school before the Merry Thieves arrived there and they don’t have the same bad history. It’s not actually the first time they meet, but it is the first time they spend time together and get to know each other.

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31938964

Paris, it turned out, while a beautiful city, was not enough to keep Thomas company on its own. He had taken a vacation from his travel year in Madrid and on Matthew’s insistence had gone to Paris, but since he didn’t really speak French and he didn’t know anyone here, it was rather lonely.

He’d gone to the Louvre, of course. But he’d had no one to share his thoughts with. And then he’d gone to see the Eiffel tower, but he wished he could have shared it with someone.

At Matthew’s insistence he was now at a book shop, an English book shop so he’d actually be able to read the books here. He wished he spoke some French, Thomas was good at languages and usually liked learning, but he’d never intended to go here and hadn’t bothered to study French alongside Persian.

And then he encountered someone he knew. Not a friend, exactly. He and Alastair Carstairs had only spoken a few times at parties, but he’d heard much about him and Thomas had always been intrigued.

Because of his frequent illness as a child, Thomas had gone to school a year late and Alastair Carstairs had been expelled the year before Thomas started. There had been rumors about him though. People said Alastair Carstairs had been awfully mean and clever, cutting people down with cruel words whenever he felt like it. People had said Alastair Carstairs had gotten into a fight and that’s why he’d gotten kicked out. Some said Alastair hadn’t been sent home for fighting at all. Instead, he’d been caught kissing a boy and both had been sent home.

Both Thomas and Matthew had been intrigued by him. Matthew had even considered kissing boys himself to get sent home, but had decided against it as it would also get another into serious trouble. Matthew had been absolutely insistent that James introduce them to Alastair at the next party the Carstairs would attend. James had never been fond of Alastair himself, he’d told his friends that Alastair was rather prickly and never wanted to talk to him, sometimes he was even mean. None of that had changed Matthew’s mind, of course. Not until he’d actually met Alastair, who had seemed haughty and arrogant and much more interested in Matthew’s older brother Charles. Matthew had soon lost any interest in him and had determined that the rumors about Alastair liking boys couldn’t possibly be true.

Thomas had stayed around though, trying to talk to Alastair whenever Charles was with someone else. He’d still been intrigued even if Alastair wasn’t quite what Matthew had hoped for. He’d seen Alastair a few more occasions, usually at parties, but Alastair had spent most of his time with Charles and other people like him, discussing politics and Thomas had realized perhaps Alastair was far too mature to spend time with people like him and Matthew.

Of course, that had been years ago. He wasn’t sure if he should say something to Alastair. What if Thomas’ presence would only annoy him as it had often seemed to do? What if he still thought Thomas too young and silly for him? He wasn’t given much of a choice though, because Alastair was staring at him, his eyes wide with shock and confusion.

‘Thomas Lightwood?’ he asked.

‘That’s me,’ Thomas said, smiling awkwardly.

‘By the angel, Lightwood, you’re gigantic,’ Alastair said. ‘What have they been feeding you?’

Thomas wasn’t sure how to answer that. He had grown rather a lot in the last year, towering over most people now, which was how he’d noticed Alastair in the first place.

‘Do you want to come to the Louvre, then?’ Alastair asked.

Thomas had already been, of course, but had no issue going again, especially if he now had company. He wasn’t sure Alastair had any interest in art, whenever Matthew had tried to talk to him about anything art related Alastair had just rolled his eyes and returned to speak with someone mature and serious, but if he didn’t like art he certainly wouldn’t be going to the Louvre.

‘Uh, yes, I’ll come,’ Thomas said. ‘Why are you in Paris, anyway?’

‘Why are you in Paris?’ Alastair shot back.

‘I’m on a vacation from my travel year in Madrid,’ Thomas explained.

On their way to the museum, Thomas talked a bit about Madrid, and although he feared Alastair would find him boring, he seemed to listen quite well and asked the occasional question.

‘I’ve lived in Madrid,’ Alastair said. ‘Although only for a couple of months and that was years ago.’

Thomas realized Alastair wasn’t going to tell him why he was in Paris, so instead he asked about other places Alastair had lived. He must be so worldly, Thomas thought. Thomas himself had only lived in London and Idris and now in Madrid.

‘It must have been lonely too,’ Thomas said. ‘Moving around so much, I mean.’

‘I have my sister,’ Alastair said. ‘And the Herondales visited sometimes.’

‘James said you didn’t really get along with them.’

‘James is closer to Cordelia’s age and he and I had barely anything in common. Besides, my mother was already planning his and Cordelia’s wedding in her head and that made any interaction with him rather awkward.’

‘It must have been nice when you got to go to school and finally could spend some time with boys your age.’

Alastair stiffened and Thomas realized he might have said the wrong thing. Of course, Alastair had gotten kicked out of school and Thomas realized his memories of school might not be so good.

‘Was it like that for you?’ Alastair asked after a silence.

‘Sort of. I mean, I already knew James, Matthew and Christopher before school, but we grew closer there. But other students would make fun of my height, James’ demon heritage, Matthew’s passion for art and Christopher’s experiments. I hadn’t realized until then how cruel people could be.

And then some students decided to set loose a vetis demon on James, and when we killed it, school decided to expel James instead of the boys who’d done it.’

Alastair looked horrified. ‘Why would anyone do such a thing? Don’t they know how dangerous a vetis demon is?’

‘One of the boys died. I’m not sure what they were thinking, but Clive certainly didn’t deserve to die.’

‘No, I guess not.’ Alastair’s tone indicated that he was sincere, but Thomas suspected he and Clive had a bad history. ‘I heard about you lot getting kicked out. That, together with all my efforts to get along with important people such as Charles Fairchild, made the rumors about me stop.’

Alastair looked sad in that moment, and Thomas realized Alastair always looked sad, although he tried his best to hide it.

‘So that’s why you were always speaking to him?’ Thomas asked.

‘It wasn’t just about the rumors,’ Alastair said. ‘I like Charles. He’s a good friend, and he likes my ideas on reforming the Clave. Mrs. Fairchild has done her best, of course, but there are still many old school people in powerful positions and they will block any good ideas the consul has, but Charles thinks she will consider my ideas. And if not, he will when he’s consul.’

Thomas wasn’t sure he liked the way Alastair lit up when he spoke about Charles. He couldn’t deny Alastair was beautiful when he did though, a bit different now that he didn’t look as sad. Not that Alastair wasn’t beautiful when he was sad, of course. He always looked beautiful, with his dark eyes and dark hair, which Thomas always thought was much more striking than blonde hair or light eyes.

‘Perhaps you should speak to my father someday,’ Thomas suggested. ‘He often assists the consul in her work and knows a lot about politics.’

His father’s role in the consul’s work had led to awful rumors about his father cheating on his mother with the consul. He remembered how his mother had cried about it, how his sisters had been shamed. Thomas had asked his father about it, who had assured him it was not true and that people were trying to undermine the consul with cruel rumors. That because they weren’t clever enough to argue against her ideas, they instead tried to destroy her person and had involved him in it because he always stood by Charlotte. Of course, Thomas guessed Alastair knew what it was like to be the subject of rumors.

Alastair looked amused. ‘If I ever visit London I might take you up on that offer.’

They reached the Louvre and Thomas shared his ideas of the art, things he’d written back in a notebook. The museum was crowded, which seemed to annoy Alastair, but he remained calm, and seemed rather satisfied just taking in a piece of art. Thomas found himself staring at Alastair, once again wondering if it was true he liked boys.

Thomas had not yet told his friends that he did too, but intended to tell them someday. Perhaps when he came home from Madrid. He knew it was silly to be scared of their reaction considering Matthew had already told them he liked both men and women. He guessed he just wasn’t ready for them to know, not yet. What would Alastair think, if he knew about Thomas?

They took a walk after the museum until they could see the Eiffel tower. Thomas had been up there, and had appreciated the view. The tower itself was unusual, he had never seen anything like it.

‘What do you think of the tower?’ Alastair asked. ‘I’ve heard many people say it’s ugly. They call it Eiffel’s folly. Charles has said many times that it is hideous.’

Thomas felt like Alastair was laying a trap, and wasn’t sure how to avoid stepping into it. ‘It’s not ugly. It’s just unusual.’

Alastair looked satisfied. ‘Quite right. Gustave Eiffel is a genius, and I’m sure one day he will be appreciated. Sometimes you have to stand back and let people do what they’re good at, even if it seems like madness at the time.’

They had dinner together at a bistro that Thomas thought was adorable, but Alastair didn’t seem that impressed. Of course, he had been in Paris for much longer, perhaps he’d seen much better places.

They talked about art, their travels. Alastair still wouldn’t tell much about why he was in Paris now, but he did tell him a bit about his travels from when he was younger, about the places he’d lived.

‘I was born in Tehran, Cordelia too, but I haven’t been there since I was four,’ Alastair said. ‘I don’t remember much from the city.’

‘Perhaps you should visit again someday,’ Thomas suggested. ‘Do you have any family there?’

Alastair hesitated. ‘I have some aunts and uncles, cousins. But I don’t really know them. I don’t think they get along well with my father.’

‘I have a cousin I don’t really speak to,’ Thomas said. ‘Well, had. Jesse Blackthorn died years ago and I never even met him. It might be nice to give them a chance.’

Alastair considered that. ‘I’m sorry about your cousin.’

‘As I said, I never met him. But I do feel for him, dying so young.’

Alastair then decided to change the subject, sensing some discomfort, perhaps? ‘Did you really get kicked out of school for blowing up a portion of it?’

‘No,’ Thomas said. ‘Well, I didn’t get kicked out, I mean. I left about a month after my friends did, Matthew and Christopher were the ones who blew up part of the school. I was alone and saw no point in continuing and figured I’d rather go live in London with my friends. Perhaps it would have been worth it to stay if you’d still been there though.’

Alastair looked sad. ‘I do not think it would have been. I was rather cruel when I was still in school, and I doubt I would have treated you any better than the other boys did. Perhaps it was for the best I got expelled before you came to school.’

Thomas wondered why, but wasn’t sure if he could ask that. He didn’t know Alastair that well, although he really enjoyed his company and could easily drown in his dark eyes.

‘You don’t seem cruel to me,’ Thomas said.

‘Believe me, I was. It’s the way things were at school. You were either cruel or the victim of cruelty and I did not much like being the victim of cruelty.’

Thomas was surprised Alastair was telling him this, open and honest. According to James Alastair was usually closed off and hostile.

‘Is that why you got kicked out?’ Thomas asked. ‘Because you were cruel at school?’

Alastair flinched.

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean… You don’t have to tell me.’

‘I’m sure you heard the rumors,’ Alastair said coldly. ‘They disappeared after a while. Of course, someone blowing up a portion of the school is far more interesting than gossip about what I might have done. You should thank Matthew Fairchild for me, he took a lot of attention off me.’

Thomas didn’t press, and realized the rumors might be true despite Matthew’s insistence that Alastair couldn’t possibly be like him. But that wasn’t any of his business and it would be cruel to ask Alastair about it. Thomas thought of the way Alastair lit up when he mentioned Charles, as if he got pleasure just out of saying his name. Did Alastair like Charles? The idea made him uncomfortable.

Thomas decided to change the subject again, telling Alastair about music he liked. He had tried to learn to play the piano when he was younger but had never been any good at it. He loved listening to music though. This prompted Alastair to tell him he used to play the piano, that he’d been pretty good at it, but Alastair wouldn’t tell him why he’d stopped. He seemed so sad when he mentioned that, and Thomas wondered why. Something must have happened to him, right? Something beyond what happened at school? Thomas wanted to know what it was, what had broken Alastair’s heart so much he’d turned to cruelty at school, so much he no longer enjoyed playing music. But he didn’t know Alastair that well, and couldn’t ask.

They talked for most of the night, not even noticing the restaurant closing down around them. Thomas told Alastair about the tattoo he was planning to get, describing the idea of a compass rose he had.

‘Where?’ Alastair asked, and when Thomas showed his arm, Alastair traced his fingers over it gently and without much thought.

It felt like fire against his skin, sending shivers down his spine and it made him long for more. He’d known for some time he was attracted to men, to Alastair in particular, but hadn’t realized he wanted him this badly until now. But Thomas no idea how to approach such subjects, how to tell if Alastair was interested. And what if Alastair really was in love with Charles? Would he still stand a chance? He couldn’t imagine Charles liking Alastair back though, and people forgot about a hopeless love eventually, right?

When they really had to leave, Alastair asked for the bill and paid for both of them.

‘Will you still be here tomorrow?’ Alastair asked.

‘I have a few more days in Paris,’ Thomas said.

‘Good. Meet me here tomorrow,’ Alastair said, giving him a note with an address and a time.

Alastair seemed unwilling to tell him where he was staying, so Thomas didn’t press. Instead, he went to meet Alastair at the street he’d given, and had begun to worry when Alastair was late. Could something have happened? Or had he simply forgotten? When Alastair arrived fifteen minutes late, he apologized for not making it in time. He looked flushed, as if he’d been in a hurry to come here. Thomas wondered what had happened, but didn’t ask. Perhaps Alastair was simply not great at keeping track of time.

‘You must see this,’ Alastair said. ‘It’s a film, a moving picture. I know we’re supposed to stay away from mundane things…’

Alastair broke off, a bit hesitant.

‘I’ve never seen a film before,’ Thomas offered. ‘It sounds brilliant. And I think it’s stupid we’re not supposed to like mundane art.’

At that Alastair smiled, and took him to the movie theatre. The movie was narrated in French by a man in the theatre, and Thomas didn’t understand much of it. Alastair seemed to enjoy it though, and Thomas had never taken him for the type to get this excited about mundane art.

Alastair’s hand brushed against his at some point, and Thomas instantly looked over at him. The other man seemed completely focused on the film though, unaware of the way their hands touched. Thomas felt like he couldn’t focus on anything else though.

Outside the theatre, Alastair was still enthusiastically explaining the film to him, telling him a bit about how mundanes made such a thing possible. Thomas commented on how it had seemed like magic.

‘It’s not magic,’ Alastair said. ‘But mundanes can do so many great things without magic, that’s what makes them intriguing.’

Thomas was surprised that Alastair didn’t hold the disdain for mundanes shadowhunters so often did. Thomas himself hadn’t been raised to look down on mundanes of course, his mother had been one until she’d ascended.

They took a bit of a walk after that, Alastair telling him that he was leaving Paris the next day and would need to get some things in order. Thomas was sad their time together was coming to an end, but perhaps he could invite Alastair to come stay in London some day when he was back.

‘You seem very curious about what really happened at school,’ Alastair said flatly at some point.

‘Well, me and my friends were kind of intrigued by the stories,’ Thomas said carefully. ‘Mr. Herondale always thought you had to be some sort of legend, although of course he seems to like everything that carries the name Carstairs.’

‘People often assume I’m violent,’ Alastair said. ‘That when I got into a fight, I must have started it. But I don’t do that. Even when I was mean and awful to everyone around me, I never hit anyone. I defended myself, and when the fight got out of hand everyone assumed I must have started it.’

‘Why would people assume you’re violent?’ Thomas asked.

‘Because of the way I look, I presume,’ Alastair said. ‘Most boys attending the academy were from white European families and I was the only one in my class who wasn’t white. Men who look like I do are often assumed to be violent.’

Thomas had always thought shadowhunters were above such prejudice, but he realized that wasn’t exactly true. The shadowhunter academy had been mostly white, mostly male, when he’d attended. Of course, many children were trained at institutes instead so he guessed most children who weren’t white must have gone there.

‘I’m sorry,’ Thomas said. ‘So you were expelled for fighting? But that makes no sense, so many students got into fights.’

Alastair shrugged. ‘It wasn’t the real reason I was expelled. But professor Fell was the one who wrote to my parents and he decided not to tell the truth. As a downworlder, he cares less, I think, and wanted me to be safe when I got home. The fight did happen, and professor Fell made it seem as if I was heroic for standing up for myself. My parents were still disappointed, of course, but my mother seemed at least proud that I did fight to protect myself.’

‘So you did kiss a boy?’ Thomas asked.

‘We were always very careful, but one day Clive Cartwright discovered us and told the headmaster. He must have been the one to spread the rumors, but he’s dead now. He’s also the one I got into a fight with.’

‘Did you at least win the fight?’

‘We both ended up bruised and beaten, but I can’t say I won. Professor Fell found us and broke us apart and while he took care of me, Clive ran off to the headmaster and told him everything he’d seen. Professor Fell tried his best to help, but even he decided sending me home was probably best since I wouldn’t be safe at school. Not that I ever was.’

‘Why are you telling me this?’ Thomas asked.

‘Because I noticed the way you looked at me the past days,’ Alastair said evenly. ‘I noticed how you started shivering and blushing when I touched your arm.’

Thomas turned red. ‘I guess that’s true. But I thought… What about Charles? I thought you were in love with him.’

Alastair showed little emotion when he responded. ‘Charles is getting married. I really need to get going, my mother needs me home and I can’t stay here much longer. But I would like to see you again someday.’

‘Perhaps you could come to London,’ Thomas suggested. ‘Once I’m back there. Your sister is to be parabatai with Lucie after all, and they should get to train together. And I would love to show you London. Have you been there?’

‘I have, but that was years ago,’ Alastair said. ‘I don’t know the city all that well. I’d love for you to show me once I can visit you, but I’m not sure when that will be possible.’

‘I’ll write to you as soon as I get home,’ Thomas promised. ‘And perhaps I’ll write you too from Madrid. You must be lonely at home. And I’ll miss you.’

Alastair smiled, and Thomas felt his pulse quicken. ‘I’ll miss you too,’ he said. ‘Spending time with you will be the best part of my time in Paris. Goodbye, Thomas.’

Alastair left, walking back to wherever he had been staying, looking back once before turning around the corner.

#Alastair Carstairs #Thomas Lightwood #Paris 1902 #tlh #the last hours #Thomastair

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rosereview · 4 years ago

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Chain of Iron Review

Like my Chain of Gold review (which you can find on my post list or here) this is going to be a hot mess of emotions and feelings with very many spoilers. If you’re wondering if you should read this book (a review without spoilers) my thoughts are go fricking read everything by Cassandra Clare and fall in love with me. Yes, I highly recommend everything that woman has touched with a pen. But besides that, let's get into this review.

Characters

James Herondale- first let's start with one of the main characters who was a big part of this novel. To be honest I don’t have much to say about him personally without getting into his relationships with others and the plot points in the book (which I will talk about later), but I guess I will talk about my love for him. I was unsure at first (before Chain of Gold) how I was going to feel about James and if he would be a typical Herondale boy and be very similar to his father or his descendant, Jace. I was worried that he would be too similar to Will and Jace that he would not stand out, but like in Chain of Gold, I was very happy with his individual character traits and personality. While he is like Will and Jace, James is also very different and his own person. He’s a typical heart throb Herondale, while still having this very reserved and responsible side to him that I love so much. His only flaw is something he can’t control, so yeah… strong character.

Cordelia Carstairs- Like last book, I LOVE Cordelia, although this book was harder to read because of what she went through. Multiple times I wanted to just give her a hug and let her cry on my shoulder. I wish she hadn’t had to go through so much trauma in this book, but I know she’ll become a better character because of it. The whole ordeal with being Lilith’s paladin hurt very much, her unrequited (not really) love for James was heartbreaking to see continuously played on (I JUST WANTED THAT DAMN GRACELET OFF), and the parts about her father also hurt. I need to read Chain of Thorns now, just to make sure that Cordelia is alright in the end.

Matthew Fairchild- talking about Matthew makes me sad because I absolutely love him as a character and I just need him to get better. I’m so happy that he opened up to Cordelia in this book, but I need him to start loving himself again. The pain I feel when reading about him trembling and drinking himself to honestly too much (especially since he’s just a fictional character). And that’s really all I want for Matthew, is for him to be okay one day.

Grace Blackthorn- this was very interesting in Chain of Iron because we got a lot of flashback scenes from Grace’s point of view and that made me not hate her as much anymore. I still am very annoyed at her, but I like that I can finally see more of her side and sympathize with her. I’m very interested to see more of her character development, especially individually without all the stuff with James obscuring my image of her.

Lucie Herondale- someone else that I found I loved much more in this book was Lucie. In the last book, from what I can remember, Lucie was a little interesting at parts (I kind of want to say annoying, although that’s a little too harsh of a word), but I loved her in this book. She had much more character development (I thought) and her personality came out more in a less hectic way. Her inner thoughts started to make more sense to me, and I loved learning more about her as not someone who is just James’s sister, or Cordelia’s future parabatai, but as her own person.

Jesse Blackthorn- Another character I loved to see more of although we mostly just saw him through Lucie’s eyes, and I also already loved him even before. He became a much more understanding and developed character in this book and I can’t wait to see more of him now that he’s alive!

Alastair Carstairs- I totally fell in love with him in this book too! Holy shit, all I wanted to do was hug him and tell him that it would all be alright. Because he is an older sibling I think I can relate to him a lot more now, especially with all this baggage that he was keeping and trying to protect Cordelia from. I found the scenes with just him in them (like when he’s thinking about the future while looking out the window in his house after his father dies and thinking about his new baby sibling that will be born) absolutely amazing and captivating. Obviously I used to hate him because of the short stories that he was in the Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy and other extra short stories, but now I need more of him and I’m internally hurting for him.

Thomas Lightwood- Another character I am hurting for and I just need him to be okay. I loved and hated the fact that he felt so hurt for James because of the killer and he wanted to unburden James by catching the killer. I was just so moved but also so angry that he was putting himself in danger that it was a very emotional time reading (like me clutching the book and shouting at Thomas to stop and go back). But I will always love Thomas and can’t wait to see more of him.

Christopher Lightwood- Last but certainly not least, is Christopher, who I am obsessed with. That one POV moment that we had from him was one of my favourites and now I need to hear from him more. I love all of his quirks and his inner thoughts are the most adorable thing but also makes me sad because he has no one but Henry to share them with and who fully understands and appreciates him for who he is. Also I still really find it wild that he’s the son of Cecily and Gabriel, who aren’t science-y people at all and who are both much more sarcastic characters, while Christopher is just so sweet and perfect. (Not saying Cecily and Gabriel aren’t perfect, but still never would have imagined them to have a kid like Christopher, but at the same time I find it so perfect that they did). Also I just love Christopher so much! I know I said that already, but I just can’t get over it. I need more of his inner thoughts and just more of HIM.

Relationships

Now we can finally talk about the characters in terms of their relationships with other characters and since I was just talking about Christopher I need to start with…

Christopher and Grace! — I loved that little moment they shared when they were in Henry’s laboratory and were bonding of the pithos. It was the best moment in the whole book and I keep thinking about it in my head. I know of the family tree from the Clockwork Princess inside cover, it says that Christopher and Grace will get married and have the Lightwood offspring, but I just hadn’t really realized that significance until now. They are so cute together and even though I have expressly said I hated Grace in the past, the way she understood Christopher and the way they could talk together, warmed my heart so much and was the most redeeming part of Grace’s character for me. I just need more moments of Grace and Christopher.

Now to the next most pressing relationship…

The James, Cordelia, Matthew love triangle!

Let's start with Cordelia and James— I love them together. Even with all the annoying shit with James and the bracelet, their relationship shone in this book and I was so happy about it. They are so perfect for each other and all of their moments together I was bursting with joy. Their chemistry, but also their solid foundation for their relationship is so well written that it’s impossible for me not to see them as together. This is their story and I’m in love with it.

Now Cordelia and Matthew— I also love them, but probably not as much. The thing is, I’m just obsessed with Matthew, so while I love the relationship just because I want Matthew to find happiness, I think James and Cordelia are better together. The problem is with Matthew is that he needs to work on himself first before he could ever hope to fully love someone else and share a life with someone else. I’m very happy for the moment though that Matthew has Cordelia at his side and that he even shared his biggest secret with her because I do think that Cordelia has the capacity to help Matthew (maybe even on this trip to Paris) but I also don’t want it to be too much for Cordelia since she already had to deal with similar issues with her dad and I don’t want it to bring up hard memories for her. But either way I just need the next book to see what happens after that VERY emotional cliffhanger. Cassie did me dirty with that one.

James and Grace— Well I hate the fricking bracelet (also side note, I absolutely love that the fandom nicknamed the bracelet, gracelet. I love that so much). But I also see why Grace felt like she had to put it on and why she couldn’t take it off, but it still makes me so mad. Especially the way she still felt she could manipulate James in the end because she had nowhere else to go. I hate that part of her, the part that her mother taught her that it’s okay to manipulate men. But I was also so happy how James went off on her at the end, it was very satisfying until Cordelia ran off, but still very happy that James got to yell at Grace like that.

Lucie and Jesse— another couple I am now fully invested and in love with. This book made me like Lucie more BECAUSE of her development with Jesse. I liked Jesse before, but this book, where we got to see lots of their development as a couple and be completely honest with each other, sealed the deal for me. I can’t wait to read more about Jesse and Lucie in the future because I am so happy for them and so in love with their love, it’s actually kind of ridiculous.

Alastair and Thomas— again, I just fell completely in love with them in this book. The scenes with them locked up together were some of my favorite scenes, but I was beyond sad when Alastair still broke it off with Thomas in the end. I needed one couple to find some sort of happy at the end of this book, but all of them ended badly! I was very mad, but I can’t wait for the next book to see them get together (because they have to get together).

Anna and Ariadne— I just love Anna so much and I want her to be happy, but in this book I also felt for Ariadne too. At first I didn’t like her because of the fact that she broke Anna’s heart, but now seeing her try so hard to make up with her… it just makes my heart break for the both of them. Also the only parts in this book that had these two in it, were scenes about their relationship, which is why I didn’t have anything to say about their individual personalities, but I would like to add that Anna is definitely one of my favourite Lightwoods and one of the best minor characters in the Shadowhunter universe.

Lucie and Cordelia— for these two I wish that we had more scenes of them as friends, but I think one of the most powerful parts of this book that made it so sad, was the fact that Cordelia and Lucie didn’t talk. The way the two girls were by themselves with their problems definitely was a huge factor of why everything went bad, and I’m very certain that if Lucie and Cordelia had talked more, things would have ended differently. So I see and understand why they weren’t able to be the parabatai pals that I wanted them to be, but I still am waiting desperately for more scenes of the two of them just being friends. Another reason I cannot wait for the last book of the series.

Grace and Jesse— because of all the flashback scenes of Grace, I was able to appreciate her relationship with her brother more. The bond that they have between brother and sister is so strong and beautiful that it’s another thing that redeems Grace as a character, and makes me sympathize a lot more with her.

The Merry Thieves— just want to say that I love them so much. I will always love them and I just need more scenes of the group of them plus Lucie, Anna, and Cordelia. That is all.

Plot

For plot details in this book, I just have a couple things to talk about, the first being: WHERE THE FUCK WAS THE REAL MAGNUS! Honestly, I know where he was, but I felt so betrayed when Lilith revealed herself to be a pretend Magnus. Every Shadowhunter book has Magnus helping to save the day, and my theory is that the reason everything went so shitty was because Magnus wasn’t there. Jem and Magnus are always needed for these Shadowhunter children who just keep getting caught up into shitty situations. He better help more in the next book (which I already know he will, since at the end of Chain of Iron he was there with Will). On that note, I also thought it was clever of Cassie to have Will and Tessa gone for the majority of the book, because I feel like if they had been there, shit wouldn’t have gotten that bad, both concerning Belial and the kids’ love lives. It wouldn’t have been believable if they had been there but all the events happened in the same way, because I’m pretty sure Will or Tessa would have given more advice to James and Lucie.

Secondly, that was some crazy business with Belial and Lilith, and also I’m so excited that Lilith is back. I think she’s such an interesting villain being Adam’s first wife and all. But also I don’t like who she’s a manipulative bitch, but I think that’s part of her charm.

Next, the gracelet. I hate it. Period. Glad it’s off.

Next plot point— all the stuff with Malcolm! Oh my goodness that was so interesting to see how Malcolm’s villain origin story started. I can’t actually believe that it was Grace that told Malcolm straight up about Annabel (I can actually believe it, I just think it ironic that she’s also a Blackthorn, and really only Blackthorns seem to have messed up Malcolm’s life). I’m very interested to see more of what he does with Jesse and Lucie now that Jesse is alive and Malcolm knows more about Lucie’s powers.

Lastly, I wanted to touch on the extra short story from the first editions of Chain of Iron, with Magnus and Jem. I think that it was an important scene concerning the future Eldest Curses novel, The Black Volume of the Dead, and maybe even the Wicked Powers series. It just made me even more excited for the future Shadowhunters books and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us moving forward!

And that’s all I have to talk about. Thank you if you read to the end and were able to sift through my thoughts. This is totally unedited, so sorry for stupid mistakes and such.

Until next time!

~Rose Reviews

#cassandraclare #shadowhunters #chain of iron spoilers #chain of iron #the last hours #james herondale #cordelia carstairs #matthew fairchild #lucie herondale #jesse blackthorn #grace blackthorn #alastair carstairs #thomas lightwood #christopher lightwood #anna lightwood #ariadne bridgestock #chain of iron review

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cassandraclare · 7 years ago

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Q&A TLH

free-elvves said: Can you say anything about the relationship Lucie has with Matthew, Thomas, and Christopher? It seems like they would be friendly, since Cordelia wasn't in London pre-series. Thanks!!

They are all very friendly! The boys are constantly hanging about the house: if Lucie finds one of them sleeping on the hearthrug she'll just step over them on her way to her writing desk. In some ways, Lucie treats them all as her brothers, and tells them off and loves them and worries for them and involves them in her madcap schemes. Lucie is the closest to Thomas, since Christopher is somewhat hard to get a grasp on and Lucie can tell Matthew is keeping something back from her. Lucie and Thomas get each other: they do lessons together, and Lucie and Thomas are both reeeeally stubborn.

Apprehension stole across Thomas’s face. “Lucie, you must not challenge Grace to a duel.”

“We shall see where the night takes us,” Lucie declared.

“Oh good,” said Thomas. “I see you intend to Herondale to the fullest.”

crimzielightwood said: Hi again! I know you probably get this a lot but I love the world you created!! I honestly cannot go a day without something relating to Shadowhunters in any way! I love all of your characters, but I am basically in love with your minor characters (Sophie, ahem)! I was wondering if we will get anything regarding Barbara and Eugenia? We know a lot about Thomas, Christopher, Anna, James, Matthew, ect.... (I don't know why but I had always hoped Charles and Barbara would have a thing...)

There was a Barbara snippet pretty recently you may enjoy — check the TLH tag on my tumblr. ;) Barbara and Eugenia aren't major characters, as they aren't part of the main TLH gang: they consider themselves very grown-up ladies. Barbara's the same age (23) that Charlotte was in TID, and Charlotte was married, running an Institute, herding teens and all sorts. They're Thomas's big sisters, and they think Thomas is a perfect baby, and Thomas's friends are a year younger than he is, so Barbara and Eugenia are both like “you are all tiny rascals! You are barely born and you are so much trouble!” They're fond of them, to an extent, but they worry Thomas is being led astray.

Barbara's affections are otherwise engaged when we start the book... but who knows what her ultimate fate may be. ;P A romantic entanglement of Eugenia's may surprise you! Barbara and Eugenia both like Charles (whether romantically or otherwise), for what it's worth--they think he is a fine sensible man and wish the wild foursome would listen to him.

princekierz said: Hi Cassie. Let's suppose that one ships Alastair and Charles, how happy that one would be with their relationship in TLH in a scale from 1 to 10?

(I see crimzielightwood and princekierz are going to fight! Who will win Charles Fairchild's heart... Charles is engaged when TLH opens, though not to Barbara or Alastair, but the ultimate fate of every TLH character is a mystery.) I have not disclosed the sexuality of most of the TLH characters: we are going to have more LGBTQ representation and relationships in the books, but between who, I will not say: I think it's more fun to find out in the story, and also that it is often not good to know things before the characters themselves do.

I see you, cunning spoiler hunter. Is 1 they distantly nod to each other from across a room, and 10 they roll in a torrid embrace beneath a piano? In any case, any number would clearly be a spoiler, and I'm not giving anything away — so I really couldn’t say whether you’ll be happy or not. Alastair certainly likes Charles (whether romantically or otherwise...), and that is pretty impressive going on Charles's part, since Alastair likes exactly four (4) people in the world. Alastair, Barbara, Eugenia, the Clave generally, they all like Charles—he is popular. Politicians, they have to be able to win hearts and minds!

#the last hours #tlh #tsc

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snarktheater · 7 years ago

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Ghosts of the Shadow Market — Every Exquisite Thing

Today, we’re still hanging out with the gang from an unreleased book trilogy. And to be fair, we’re in much less angering territory than the previous story. So there’s that—we’re back to “mostly okay, but also, why isn’t this just fanfiction rather than a published work you’re expecting people to pay you money for?” So, you’ve been warned, this is mostly lacking in any kind of proper fire.

It’s also lacking in any kind of meaningful presence by one Jem Carstairs, which may be an interesting correlation. Then again, I didn’t hate Cast Long Shadows for Jem’s part in it, so…who knows, really.

Every Exquisite Thing focuses on Anna Lightwood. If you’ve been following, Anna is Gabriel Lightwood and Cecily Herondale’s oldest daughter. She’s also Christopher’s older sister, and as such, the modern-day Lightwoods' great-great-something-aunt.

Anna is also a nonbinary lesbian. I think that’s the best way to label her, seeing as she seems to still use she/her pronouns, is attracted to women and refers to it specifically in lesbian terms. But Every Exquisite Thing opens before she’s out of the closet. And I mean that both metaphorically and literally, seeing as she’s also in a closet at the start of the story.

Specifically, she’s in her brother Christopher’s wardrobe looking for clothes of his to steal and wear for herself in secret. See, she likes wearing men’s clothes and assuming a more manly presentation in general. This does come at the cost of criticizing the “girly” persona she’s forced to assume, and…you know, I’m not touching that one, because while rejection of femininity by women is its own problem, I feel like it’s excused for a genderqueer character.

Anna’s room was so different from her brother’s. Her walls were papered in a dusty rose […] Given her choice, the paper would be a rich, deep green, her decor black and gold. She would have a deep chaise longue on which she could read and smoke.

You get the gist.

Now, you may be thinking: “wait, she’s Cecily’s daughter, and Cecily couldn’t wait to be a warrior and use Shadowhunter fighting gear, so why is she even dressing up like a man in secret?” And if so: congrats, you spoiled yourself the end of the story. Thankfully, the conflict in the story isn’t really about her coming out as genderqueer, because otherwise this would be really dull to anyone who knows the previous generation of Shadowhunters (and Clare’s refusal to let her darlings show the slightest hint of modern-day intolerance, even if it would be justifiable in their own time).

So anyway. Anna retreats to her room with the stolen clothes to change. This is complete with telling us Anna doesn’t wear a corset ever, because feminism, and then describing her feelings on wearing men’s clothes.

Even in these clothes—stains and ham sandwiches and all—her confidence swelled. She was no longer a gangly girl who looked awkward in ribbons and flounces. Instead she looked elegant, her lean body complemented by more severe tailoring, the waistcoat nipping in her slim waist and flaring over her narrow hips.

She fantasizes about using Matthew’s clothes instead, since he’s the fashionable one, but even Christopher’s clothes, damaged as they are due to his one character trait being “mad science”, are good enough for now. She also fantasizes about charming young ladies in her attire, just so you know that yes, she is a lesbian, and then the plot kicks in in the form of Cecily calling her downstairs.

The plot, in this case, is Inquisitor Bridgestock and his family being in London, and since the Lightwoods are a big deal, they were invited for dinner to talk politics. Anna’s not pleased, but she has no choice. Cue meeting the Inquisitor’s family, and specifically, his only daughter Ariadne.

In the doorway of the dining room stood a girl, probably Anna’s age, in a midnight-blue dress. Her hair was jet black, like Anna’s, but fuller, more luxurious, deep as night sky against her soft brown skin. But what captured Anna were her eyes—eyes the color of topaz—large, the lashes thick.

Guess she’s our love interest for the evening.

Ariadne is from India, and was adopted by the Inquisitor after her parents died in a demon attack. She’s also involved in politics, even if her politics make no sense to me as she argues against a Shadowhunter currency…

“Shadowhunters are an international group. We must blend seamlessly with many international economies. Having our own currency would be a disaster.”

Like, it makes sense to use local currencies in the Institutes, but…what about Idris? What currency do they use there? Wouldn’t it make sense to pick a standard to trade in in your own country? Or do you just not need money in Idris? Is it a communist utopia where everything is free? Now that I think about it, I remember Clary getting weapons from a blacksmith in Idris, but I don’t remember her paying for it.

Anyway, back to Ariadne. She’s also very hot, hot enough for even Christopher to notice. If this seems like setup for something…it’s not. The book literally uses Christopher’s obliviousness as a way to highlight how hot Ariadne is. There’s a lot of purple prose about how hot Ariadne is. Plus some fantasizing on Anna’s part, who thinks Ariadne might be requiting her attraction, but isn’t sure if it’s her gaydar or her please-be-gaydar. And that’s pretty relatable, if I do say so myself.

After dinner, Ariadne shows Anna the library alone, just long enough to establish that Ariadne, in fact, is probably interested.

“I am modern and possessed of all sorts of advanced notions.” […] “Your brother’s eyes are quite extraordinary,” Ariadne noted. Anna heard this a good deal. Christopher’s eyes were lavender in color. “Yes,” Anna said. “He’s the good-looking one in the family.” “I quite disagree!” Ariadne exclaimed, looking surprised. “Gentlemen must compliment you all the time on the shade of your eyes.”

She also asks Anna to be her training partner, because she’s very late on combat training, and absolutely flirts with Anna in the process.

“You may find me clumsy.” Ariadne twisted her hands together. […] “You will have to be delicate with me, then,” Ariadne said, very softly.

The parents come in before this can go anywhere, and we soon cut to the Lightwoods on their ride home. It’s a fairly cute family moment, but there’s also a meaningful moment of Cecily asking her daughter what she thought of Ariadne.

And this is where I skip forward a little, because it turns out, most of the kids of Anna’s generations know about her being attracted to girls. So the conflict here seems to be mostly about whether her own parents know and what they’d think of it. But since it’s not brought up again until the very end (which I somewhat spoiled already), you can guess how tenuous this conflict is. Good thing we have a love interest to spice things up, right?

But first, this is where Brother Zachariah comes into play, as he’s still in the London Shadow Market. And yes, that includes referencing the previous story.

Tonight, he also glanced around to see if he spotted the vendor he had seen on one of his previous visits. […] She sold colorful potions, and Matthew Fairchild had purchased one and given it to his mother. It had taken all of Jem’s efforts to bring Charlotte back from death’s door. She had not been the same since, nor had Matthew.

I’m glad you’re finally acknowledging Charlotte’s grief…in a story where she’s not even present, and in a man’s point of view. Yeah, that’s a good way to treat your female character.

We also learn that Jem’s mission for Ragnor, which I’d assumed last night was looking for a cure for himself, is actually something else. He’s looking for the demon who sired Tessa, because now that her kids are manifesting powers of their own, she’s hoping that knowing the demon she’s descended from might help her…I don’t know, figure shit out.

Ragnor has made no progress, though. Oh, à propos of nothing, Jem also runs into Malcolm Fade, along with another warlock named Leopolda Stain. Who I’m sure is totally not a villain, by virtue of being friends with the villain from Lady Midnight. I mean, that’d just be ridic—

“Leopolda is a bit of an odd one,” Malcolm said. […] “She is … […] more connected, I suppose, to her demon side than her human side than most of us are.”

Yeah, no, she’s our villain for the evening.

But for now, let’s check back with Anna, who’s fixing the clothes she took from Christopher.

Anna was not a natural seamstress, but like all Shadowhunters, she possessed the basic skills to repair gear.

You…didn’t really need to justify that, but okay, I guess. If mentioning this may empower you.

While doing so, she muses about how differently people treat her when she’s wearing dresses compared to her wearing men’s clothes, which she’s only done twice so far. I’d say it doesn’t sound very statistically significant, but also I’m fairly sure it’s mostly hyperbolic on purpose.

[Women] looked at her soft lips, her long eyelashes, her blue eyes; they looked at her hips in tight trousers, the curve of her breasts under a man’s cotton shirt, and their eyes spoke to her in the secret language of women: You have taken their power for your own. You have stolen fire from the gods. Now come and make love to me, as Zeus made love to Danae, in a shower of gold.

I mean, maybe there is a secret language of women and this is how they all talk to each other in that language. I obviously wouldn’t know. But it does sound pretty hyperbolic to me.

Ariadne goes to visit her cousins at Gideon and Sophie’s house, mostly to stop angsting about Ariadne. This allows us to introduce Anna’s relationship to the other kids. By which I mean mostly just mention how hot James Herondale is, like all Herondale men.

Anna loved all of her cousins, but she had a very soft spot for James. He had been a somewhat awkward young boy, gentle and quiet and bookish. He had grown up into a young man Anna could see was extraordinarily handsome, like his father.

She tells them about Ariadne, but only as a potential training partner, but she seems to be mostly here to make plans with Matthew. And if there’s a surefire way to make my mood go sour, it’s Matthew Fairchild.

He and Anna often spoke of gentlemen’s fashion together, but today Anna noticed that his hair was a bit wild, and one of the buttons on his waistcoat was undone. These were small things, to be sure, but on Matthew, they spoke of something larger.

Oh no, the poor guy caused his mom to have a miscarriage because he was too dumb to just talk to her! Weep for him and his angst!

I swear I’m not going to harp on this too much. Although I will note now, before the rest of the plot unfolds, that Matthew is also responsible for the bad shit that will unfold in the rest of the story. Well, most of it, anyway. Because fuck Matthew Fairchild.

Specifically, he suggests to Anna that they go out to a place in “a nefarious corner of Soho” at night, and that she’ll have to put on a disguise to go. Needless to say, she takes the opportunity to dress with Christopher’s clothes. And because Matthew is a great friend, he shows up already drunk when they meet.

He had been like this a lot in recent weeks—what was fun and light about Matthew had taken on an edge. On some level, she felt a bit of worry rising.

This is no cute, this does not inspire sympathy, and to be fair, Anna’s absence of reaction beyond “a bit of worry” doesn’t make her look much better.

Anyway. The place is a…club? I think? Frequented by mundanes and Downworlders, including Woolsey Scott (who everyone knows is the head of the Praetor Lupus, you know, that oh-so-secret organization that the TMI cast wasn’t sure was real at all) and Yeats (because real people). And Leopolda Stain, because duh.

Oh, and creepy cultists, too.

Next to them was a woman wearing a gold turban scarf pinned with a sapphire. “Are you two of The Chosen?” she asked Matthew and Anna. […] “[Leopolda]’s going to help us,” the woman said. “Obviously, we’ve had such troubles here. Why, Crowley wasn’t even recognized here in London! He had to go to the Ahathoor Temple in Paris to be initiated to the grade of Adeptus Minor, which I’m sure you heard about.” […] “I was an Adept of the Isis-Urania temple, and I can assure you that I was adamant that—”

I guess Matthew didn’t learn anything from the previous story after all, because not only is this not alarming to either of them, but Matthew actually acts like he and Anna are also part of her cult, and she invites them to a private ceremony the next week.

“The faithful will be rewarded, I promise you. The ancient ones, so long hidden from us, shall be revealed.” “Of course,” Anna said, blinking. “Yes. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” While she was simply making conversation, Anna found that she would like to return to this place.

As Matthew and Anna leave, we cut to Jem, who’s just…watching them leave the house and thinking about how much Anna reminds him of Will. And then we cut to one week later, when Ariadne randomly shows up at the Lightwood house to ask Anna to train with her, after not talking to her the entire time. The training scene itself is mostly just Anna being too gay to function, and noting that Ariadne is in fact not that great at fighting, and ends with Anna inviting Ariadne to come with her that night to the house where the creepy cultist invited her to come back. I guess she didn’t pick up on the creepy cultist vibe.

So Anna dresses up like a man again that night, goes pick up Ariadne at her house (she’s wearing a dress, because I guess we have to keep the butch/femme dichotomy)…and they get stopped at the door by the bouncer. Ariadne’s reaction?

“Now I am curious,” Ariadne said. “We must go in, don’t you think?”

They climb up a drainpipe to the roof, and suddenly Ariadne is showing a lot more skill than she did during training. And when they get inside, they find Leopolda summoning a bunch of demons and sicking them on the human cultists. The girls engage in combat, and Jem shows up as well, since he was obviously tailing Leopolda since they met in the Shadow Market. Also, Ariadne fights with an electrum whip, which…is notable for some reason, although I’m not sure what that reason is, because the story never explains it. Same with how Ariadne can suddenly fight at all. Maybe she was just faking to get an excuse to get close to Anna?

Wait, I’m getting ahead of myself again. During the fight, they manage to contain the demons, but Anna gets wounded. Jem wants to heal her, but Ariadne says she learned healing techniques from the Silent Brothers herself, and she offers to take care of Anna while Jem goes after Leopolda. Jem…does, in spite of having no idea who Ariadne is. Luckily, it’s true, and Ariadne takes Anna back to her home and heals her. Also, some romantic tension…

Throughout all of this, Anna was silent, breathless. She did not feel pain. She felt only Ariadne’s careful hands on her.

…and resolution.

“I would like to kiss you,” Ariadne said. […] “Please, Anna, may I kiss you?” Unable to speak, Anna nodded.

They kiss, and Anna in fact spends the night here, mostly because she’s too weak to leave. It’s not made explicit if they have sex, and I don’t think it really matters.

Before we cut to morning, I do have to check back with Jem, though, since this is also where his involvement in the story ends. Remember how he was looking for Tessa’s demon dad? Yeah, turns out Leopola 1) knows about this in spite of it supposedly being a secret and 2) claims she knows who it is, and will reveal it to Jem in exchange for Shadowhunter blood. Jem is at least smart enough to say “that sounds like an evil plan, so, no.”

Actually, he’s even smarter than that. This exchange happens before Anna gets wounded, so after that, he goes after Leopolda. But he’s not actually on his own: turns out he had Woolsey Scott and the Praetor Lupus on alert as well, since Leopolda’s actions revealed the Shadow World to humans, which could be detrimental to all Downworlders. So we return to Jem meeting Scott at his home, and sure enough, he has Leopolda in custody.

She reiterates her bargain, but Jem’s not swayed. Apparently, her request for Shadowhunter blood is only so she can continue Mortmain’s work…somehow. And he won’t allow that.

Her lip curled. “But you are kind,” she said. "You are famous for it. You will not hurt me. […] That was my Shadowhunter self, he said. I have killed with this staff, though I prefer not to. Either you tell me what I wish to know, or you die. It is your choice.

She tells him Tessa’s father is a Greater Demon—a Prince of Hell, in fact—and “the greatest of Eidolon demons”. Didn’t we already know that? I don’t feel like re-reading all of my TID recaps, but it sounds like something we already knew. She won’t tell Jem the demon’s actual name, though, and so Jem…lets Scott’s werewolves kill her. Admittedly, she did try to fight her way out of here, but that still feels very…um…

Leopolda screamed and whirled on Jem, wide-eyed. “You said you would let me leave! You swore!” Jem felt very weary. I am not the one who is stopping you.

It feels villainous is what it feels like. “Oh, sure, I swore to let you walk free, but the werewolves, whom I had come here on purpose, didn’t!”

So Leopolda is dead, and this whole subplot was essentially useless to this story, so I assume this is going to be our “main” story thread uniting all the short stories? Only took three stories to get to it.

Let’s wrap up with Anna, shall we? She leaves Ariadne’s house early in the morning before anyone can spot her, but she’s giddy because…you know. Gay love. Except when she goes to visit Ariadne officially later that day (after catching some sleep), guess who’s visiting but Charles Fairchild. You know, Matthew’s older brother, who was born during TID? Well, he’s our random eleventh-hour drama for the night.

See, he’s just been named interim head of the Paris Institute for a year, and he’s the Consul’s son. In other words, he’s a perfect match, and Inquisitor Bridgestock wants to marry Ariadne to him. Anna is immediately shocked by this, because she lives in Edwardian England but is baffled by the concept of political marriages, I guess.

“Charles is quite a good match,” Ariadne said as if she were discussing the quality of a piece of cloth.

Ariadne’s argument boils down to “I don’t love him since I’m a lesbian, but I do want to be a mom”. Also, she refuses to come out because she’s adopted and fears her parents would reject her. Her offer is to have a secret relationship with Anna for a year, after which they’ll be over because she won’t cheat on Charles after they’re married.

Anna is not interested. Which, fair enough.

“Good-bye, Ariadne,” she managed, and staggered from the room.

She goes home to cry, Christopher tries to comfort her in his own awkward way, as does Cecily (minus the awkward part…I think).

“She broke your heart, didn’t she? Ariadne?” Anna was speechless. So her mother did know.

So…yeah. Cecily knew, and she’s fine with it.

“Mama,” she said. “You do not mind—that I might not get married, or have children?” "There are many Shadowhunter children orphaned, as Ariadne was, seeking loving homes, and I see no reason why you might not provide one someday. […] As “for marriage …” Cecily shrugged. “They said your Uncle Will could not be with your Aunt Tessa, that your Aunt Sophie and Uncle Gideon could not be together. […] Even where laws are unjust, hearts can find a way to be together. If you love someone, I have no doubt you will find a way to spend your life with them, Anna.”

She also knew about Anna crossdressing, and she’s fine with that too, going so far as to give her a specially tailored suit for her. So did Gabriel, as it turns out when Anna puts the suit on and joins the rest of her family for a walk in the park.

Of course, this begs the question: why now? If Cecily and Gabriel knew, why did they buy Anna dresses and decorate her room in a girly way that she hates? And if they had that suit, why wait for the most dramatic time to reveal it? Well, it doesn’t matter, because that’s not the point, I guess.

“I have always known you, my love,” Cecily said.

And…I mean, I’m sure this is empowering to someone who will read this. I personally feel like narratives where the parents (or other closed ones) already knew and were fine with it, while they certainly reflect a truth, really should be toned down at this point. Most queer people’s families don’t know, and don’t react positively to the announcement. But hey, I guess this is fiction, and it is a fantasy, and there are worse fantasies out there.

So Anna puts on her suit, and cuts her hair short, and she’s a new person. Oh, and Cecily also gives her the family necklace. Well, it’s not a family necklace yet at this point in the timeline, but…you know, the necklace that detects demons? Yeah, that one. I’m not sure why it’s there except to remind readers of a thing in the rest of the series, but it sure is there.

That was Every Exquisite Thing. As I said in my intro, it’s mostly okay, honestly. The Jem stuff feels even more extraneous as before, and I’m back to feeling like Anna’s story could have just been alluded to in her own books and left up for fans to actually write about, but it’s not the worst thing out there. And that’s really all I have to say about this.

#every exquisite thing #cassandra clare #maureen johnson #ghosts of the shadow market #young adult #ya books #books #young adult books #book reviews #ya #reviews #book #book review #review #st: ghosts of the shadow market

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lexacourtney · 5 years ago

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Title: Chain of Gold (The Last Hours #1)

Author: Cassandra Clare

Pub. Date: March 3, 2020

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Welcome to Edwardian London, a time of electric lights and long shadows, the celebration of artistic beauty and the wild pursuit of pleasure, with demons waiting in the dark. For years there has been peace in the Shadowhunter world. James and Lucie Herondale, children of the famous Will and Tessa, have grown up in an idyll with their loving friends and family, listening to stories of good defeating evil and love conquering all. But everything changes when the Blackthorn and Carstairs families come to London…andso does a remorseless and inescapable plague.

James Herondale longs for a great love, and thinks he has found it in the beautiful, mysterious Grace Blackthorn. Cordelia Carstairs is desperate to become a hero, save her family from ruin, and keep her secret love for James hidden. When disaster strikes the Shadowhunters, James, Cordelia and their friends are plunged into a wild adventure which will reveal dark and incredible powers, and the true cruel price of being a hero…and falling in love.

This will be a spoiler free review!

I’m going to start with, I can’t believe that I got to read this book early. I don’t know how I won a giveaway for this book, but I did.

It’s been a hot minute since I last read a Shadowhunter book, or anything set in this expansive world. I mean, it’s been since Lady Midnight…yeah, I haven’t finished that trilogy yet. It’s been even longer since The Infernal Devices (my favorite books in the whole Shadowhunter series) …since Will and Tessa.

I keep meaning/wanting to re-read them, but it still feels like it’s too soon. It’s only been like 7 years…but I start thinking about that scene at the end where Tessa rolls over in bed to tell Will something and he’s not there.

And, now I’m crying.

See, I’m not over it.

Will I ever be over it?

I don’t know.

It’s why I haven’t gone back and re-read that trilogy, even though I really should and really want to.

But Chain of Gold is fun because I get more Will and Tessa…married Will and Tessa and their children + friends! It’s like the best of both worlds! I get to visit some old friends, make new ones, without the sad ending. If you’re a fan of The Infernal Devices – like if they’re your favorite books in this world, then you’re going to love this book. Same feeling, same characters and the stakes are higher than ever. I really enjoyed this book and its characters. Matthew Fairchild might just be my favorite character. Though, with that being said, I really loved the whole band of Merry Thieves – Thomas, James, Christopher and Matthew. Thinking about it, they kind of gave me Marauder vibes, and honestly, I’m here for it. But before I jump into the characters, let me talk a bit about the book.

I was excited to go into Chain of Gold, but for the first quarter of the book or so, I was a bit unsure and a bit confused. Maybe it was because I’d been gone from this world for so long, or maybe it was just the massive info dumping and time jumping, but I found myself procrastinating when it came to picking up the book. Once I managed to start reading again, I was nearly instantly hooked and hated to put the book down for anything, but then I’d put the book down and the cycle would start all over again. It wasn’t until about the 50% mark that I became really invested and therefore really annoyed that I had to stop reading to do things like make dinner and eat dinner.

I blew through the second half of the book and I kind of regret doing that because now I’m stuck waiting for book 2 – Chain of Iron – and this one isn’t even properly out yet.

I guess I forgot how lengthy Shadowhunter book tend to be – even thought I look at the like 10 feet of shelf space they take up on a daily basis, but this book was long. A lot gets repeated in this book and I don’t quite get why. I understand that all of these various Shadowhunter series are meant to stand alone, but also build upon each other, but don’t require you to have read the previous series, but I don’t need to be told over and over and over and over by every other character the same sort of information. I lost count of how many times I was told about the Silent Brother’s and Iron Sisters and what they did. I don’t know how many times I was told about the stele’s and seraph blades.

I get that some of this is to inform new readers who might not have any of this background knowledge from multiple past series, but it still doesn’t explain why every other character explains it in their own way.

I’m just saying that it was repetitive and had me groaning with annoyance.

But honestly, I think that’s probably my biggest complaint – the length and repetitiveness. And due to its length, I do think that the second half of the book is strong and more interesting. Major things were starting to happen, and it wasn’t just a bunch of info dumping and setting up the world. Overall, like I said, I really enjoyed this book and found it to be a pretty good read. I definitely think that I’m more of a Victorian/Edwardian Shadowhunter world over the more modern/current day one. I always thought that the Infernal Devices were the better books, so it stands that I’d choose this new trilogy over the other books.

Granted, I haven’t actually finished The Dark Artifices yet, so maybe I should do that before I make any claims.

But let’s move onto the characters, because there are so many to get through.

Like, so many.

Maybe almost too many.

Between familiar faces, to new characters, it’s a full cast.

And apart from the main core set, it was hard to keep track of everyone, and who they were related to, and how they were related, and finally, who was dating/liked who. I needed a freaking map to just keep everyone straight.

Since there were so many characters, we’re just going to focus on the main ones – Will, Tessa, James, Lucie, Matthew, Christopher, Thomas, Cordelia, Alistair, Jesse, Grace, Anna and Charles – otherwise I’ll be here all night…hell, I might be here all night with just the core group.

Okay, let’s keep this brief.

Will and Tessa

It was so fun being back with Will and Tessa and seeing them older, as parents. I don’t remember everything about them from The Infernal Devices, but I do remember absolutely loving them. I loved how in love with each other they still were, and how they made Lucie and James uncomfortable, in only the way parents can. I just loved being back in this world with them.

*Art by Cassandra Jean

James and Lucie

Ugh, I loved them, but I wish there had been more one on one time between the two of them. I just wish there had been more about their sibling bond, thought I suppose there are two more books to get that from. James is fiercely loyal, and Lucie is a dreamer and wants to experience the world. For being Will and Tessa’s kids, that seems to fit pretty damn well. They’re also fiercely protective of each other and I love them. I also love how Lucie is writing a book and everyone she knows in real life is in it in some capacity.

*Art by Charlie Bowater

Matthew, Christopher and Thomas

The other three who make up the Merry Thieves. Like I said before, very Marauder-esque. Matthew is probably my favorite of the four boys, he’s suffering, and I think, in need of a hug. Christopher is brainy and likes to tinker around with things, to mash mundane science with angelic tools. Thomas is like the gentle giant, loyal to his friends without fail, but also open to seeing other sides of things. Together they all complement each other very well, and I just want all of them to be happy.

*Art by Charlie Bowater and Cassandra Jean

Cordelia and Alistair

Cordelia is a bad ass, and Alistair needs a hug as well. I really like the two of them, I liked Cordelia from the beginning, whereas Alistair took a long time to feel for. They’re both dealing with so much, individually, personally and as a family. I really liked their bond though, even when it seemed utterly stretched taught at times. You could tell that Cordelia loves her brother, despite his faults. I didn’t actually anticipate feeling anything for Alistair, but by the end of the book he was one of my favorite characters. We all make mistakes, and I think he’s one who will actually grow into a better person because of them.

*Art by Charlie Bowater

Jesse and Grace

I love Jesse, not a fan of Grace. Like, I could do without Grace to be honest. I know we can’t just get rid of her because plot things, but I can wish. When I figured out what she was doing, when that little plot thing clicked…Ooo, let me tell you, I got so mad. Then at the end of the book…I groaned and raged, because what happened was what I didn’t want to happen. Jesse seems so soft and sweet, while his sister is like the opposite. So, I’m hoping we get more of both of them, because I’m pretty sure they’re a pair, and I can’t pick and choose.

*Art by Charlie Bowater

Anna and Charles

Loved Anna, she’s awesome. I loved how observant she is, and how knowing. It’s like she knows what you want before you do, and that comes with a cocky knowing arrogance that I love in characters. Oh, Charles. I’m still kind of on the fence about him. Like I don’t know whether to write him off or wait to see. He’s made some mistakes, he’s a bit power hungry, but I think his heart is in kind of the right place. I don’t think he’s a bad guy, he just does things for the wrong reasons, or in a wrong way.

*Art by Charlie Bowater

It’ll be interesting to see where all these characters end up in the next two books. I’m really hoping that Alistair gets a few friends, that Matthew stops being so sad and drunk all the time, that Lucie gets the experiences she craves, that Cordelia’s heart doesn’t break, that James can come to terms with his ancestry, that Thomas and Christopher continue to tinker, fight and be there, that Jesse gets the ending he deserves as does Grace, and that Anna gets to have her heart’s desire, and that maybe Charles learns that power isn’t everything. I also hope that we don’t have to live through a certain character death again, at the end of this series. You hear me Will Herondale, I can only live though it once!

Also, if you haven’t seen, Charlie Bowater did character art for most of the characters I’ve mentioned, and as always, they’re gorgeous. I actually saved them all down to my phone, so as I was reading, I could go look at them, and remind myself of what the characters look like. With a huge cast of characters and so much happening in this book, the portraits of the characters she did, were so useful.

Seriously, so much happens in this book, and while the plot was full of so many scenes, my favorite parts were the character relationships. The bonds they share and form and all the interactions. Ugh, I want to say more, but I also do not want to spoil this book for anyone. So, if you want to talk about this book – whether you’ve read it early, or after its release, feel free to DM me over on Twitter and I’ll be more than happy to talk. As it stands, I have no one to talk to and there’s this certain scene I want to talk about, and I can’t.

It’s torture.

I’m so excited for Chain of Iron and this wait is going to suck.

So much.

I have no idea what to expect, or how this trilogy is going to turn out, but I have a feeling it’s not going to disappoint. I have my predictions, my hopes for who is going to be endgame, but really, I have no idea what could happen plot wise. I know the books are going to be chocked full of action moments, sweet moments, gushy moments and probably heart breaking moments, but everything else, I have no idea, and I’m ready and quite terrified to find out. I love these characters now, and don’t want any more harm to come to them.

I’m excited and you should be too!

Chain of Gold is out March 3, 2020 and

“The entire first print run in the US and UK will be a special first edition. It will contain a beautiful portrait of the main characters by Cassandra Jean, and will also include the long-awaited short story Fairy Tale of London, about Will and Tessa’s wedding! Preorder your copy from any of the links below to make sure you get the special first edition.”

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Indiebound / Books A Million / Simon & Schuster

So make sure you order your copy soon!

Book Review: Chain of Gold (The Last Hours #1) by #Cassandra Clare I love these characters so much. #newpost #blogpost #bookpost #bookblog #books #blog #blogger #bloggerswanted #bloggerstribe #bloggingcommunity #bookish Title: Chain of Gold (The Last Hours #1) Author: Cassandra Clare Pub. Date: March 3, 2020…

#Book Blog #book review #book reviews #Bookish #books #New Post #Reading #TBR

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edwinspaynes · 2 years ago

Note

Tell us how you feel about each main TLH character.

Oh man! This is gonna be a lot of typing. But sure! Why not. I'll just listen to Fall Out Boy while I type.

Matthew Fairchild -> This man means the world to me. Like, he and I are intrinsically extremely similar Disaster Bis. We have a lot of the same quirks (extreme pettiness, obsession with a specific author's works, overdramatic demeanors, emotional volatility/instability, sensitivity). More than anything something I see in him that I have is what I call "Happy Armor". He acts so happy and bright to mask the fact that he's really struggling because he doesnt want to be a burden, he wants others to be happy, and he is scared of being rejected like I am. So we have this similarity. But in any case, Matthew is such a complex and interesting character, but he's also kind of my best friend too LOL. I'm so excited for his bindup. Like, SO excited. I manifested this for years.

Alastair Carstairs -> Deadass one of the most interesting and complex characters I have ever seen. Ever. He's so interesting to engage with and write about because he feels so real. He's compelling, and you just have to know everything that makes him tick and why. I love his storyline about learning to love yourself even after making mistakes and hurting people because I think it's something we can all relate to. And I DEEPLY respect his strength and resilience as well as his selflessness. He's a good man and one I am so proud of.

Thomas Lightwood -> Honestly probably the TSC character I'd wind up being good friends with if we met. We share a lot of similar interests like languages and travel, and it's cool to see my interests mirrored in him. But I also just really love how kind and good he is, which must be really challenging after losing two (2) loved ones in a 6-month span. I just want him to get a 10-hour-long hug. But I also love the quiet fortitude he always carries himself with. Like, he's gentle, but he's not afraid to speak his mind and will stand up for himself and his loved ones. Love that! I hate how most of the fandom just sees the "nice one" or thinks his personality is just "big,"

Grace Blackthorn -> An amazing, well-crafted morally gray character. I'm so interested in her, and I also feel really attached to her and protective of her. She was in a SHIT situation and literally there wasn't anything else she could have done. You can't convince me she's a monster. She's the one character whose ending I am so ridiculously unsatisfied with. She deserved better, not just as a person but also as the character Cassie crafted.

Christopher Lightwood -> SO pure. SO good. I love how he thinks about the world in ways unique to a Shadowhunter. I really with we'd gotten more scenes with him and Henry. And his death was SO sad. I feel very bad about it. I wish we'd gotten a funeral or something.

Cordelia Carstairs -> I get into her in depth here. But, in the end, I really do like her and admire her bravery. She's clever and strong, which I like. I just wish she'd been a more dynamic character and would like to shake some of the naivete out of her.

James Herondale -> I really do like him, but he's also a very static character. Not a lot of growth happens, but he's a good person. Still, I more enjoy him for his dynamics with those around him, specifically Matthew.

Ari Bridgestock -> She's so cool. I just wish she had some storylines independently of Anna. I'd be interested to see more of her with other characters like Grace or Alastair. I'd also like to see some moments with her family or where she connects with her culture. It's just annoying that we only really get her for ship reasons because I think she could do better than Anna. That's why she's so far down on the list. It's not her fault.

Lucie Herondale -> I'm super indifferent to Lucie at this point. She's nice and has her funny moments, but I don't find her super three-dimensional or compelling.

Anna Lightwood -> I don't like her at all, sorry. I DO like her dynamic with Matthew and enjoy seeing them together, mainly because I think of her as an interesting person for Matthew to talk with. But I'm just... disappointed? Because Anna was a character I looked forward to a lot and she turned out to kinda be the lesbian equivelant of a fuckboy. I'd have liked her better if she'd actually had some growth in ChoT or buried the ledger, but she "likes everything she has and approves of everything she's done," so. She's only above Jesse because she has some interesting interactions with Matthew.

Jesse Blackthorn -> He's down here because I don't think I enjoyed a single scene with him in ChoT. The way he treated Grace really soured me to him, and he fell really flat and one-dimensional anyway. Not a fan at this point :/

Bonus:

Charles Fairchild -> I'm having the exact reaction Cassie wanted me to and I simultaneously love that for her and hate that for me. She did a really good job of writing him. This character has 0 redeeming qualities and also has the added shittiness of having seriously mistreated one of my all-time fave characters. Like, I hate this man as a human being. And YET. Yet. I still manage to sympathize with him in ChoT. He was put in a really tight spot for something that he shouldn't have been targeted for and got a bad lot. No one deserves that.

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