Can you figure out who said each of these quotes? Take our quiz to determine how well you know the Herondale family from Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunters books!
All June, you joined us for the Shadowhunter Summer of ‘Ships where we voted weekly to narrow down which of Cassandra Clare’s #Shadowhunters ‘ships is the ultimate fan fave! Here’s a recap of the whole tournament!
The Shadowhunter Summer of ‘Ships
We started with 16 fan-favorite couples:
Those were narrowed down to eight ‘ships:
From there we found the final four:
And voted on the final two ‘ships:
To find the ultimate fan-favorite ‘ship:
Here is the final full bracket!
Share your feelings about the final results with #ShadowhunterShips!
You read Lisa Maxwell’s The Last Magician and fell in love with Esta and Harte and their magical and dangerous world. Then you read The Devil’s Thief and fell even further! Now you’re ready to read The Serpent’s Curse, but you don’t remember everything that happened. That’s where this recap of The Devil’s Thief comes in!
Find the ultimate recap of The Last Magician here.
The Ultimate Recap of The Devil’s Thief
Part I
1902: We jump right back into New York City, where Cela, costume maker extraordinaire, is looking after Harte’s dying mother and unbeknownst to her, one of the Order’s artifacts, a ring. As Harte’s mother takes her last breathe, Cela hears gunshots – her brother has been shot and her house is on fire. Thanks, Harte. Cela escapes and takes refuge at the theatre, where Evelyn bewitches her and steals the ring. Harte had instructed Jianyu to keep Cela safe, but he arrives too late to save the ring. And then poor Jianyu gets beat up.
Harte and Esta have breached the Brink and they’re off to gather all the Order’s artifacts, the stones, back together to keep them out of the Order’s clutches. They don’t fully trust each other and tension is high. Also, the Book is IN Harte and it wants nothing more than to consume Esta. Harte is trying very hard not to let that happen.
At the train station in New Jersey, they run into the WOAT (worst of all time), Jack Grew, and, in a total callback to book 1, Esta kisses him trying to get away and Harte sees it and obvi, doesn’t like it. Esta slows time and she and Harte try to escape, but her affinity feels wobbly and Jack catches up to them. He winds up with the Book and Esta and Harte jump time on the train, accidentally ending up 2 years in the future.
Stone update: Evelyn has the ring; Esta has the cuff.
Part II
1902: Jack is back in NYC and MAD. He’s visited by an old friend, Theo, and his fiancé, and he tells them all about the fiasco on the train, which exploded. The Herald publishes an expose on the Order, by an R.A. Reynolds, and Jack is told to put together a big shindig to distract everyone from their shame.
Jianyu ends up back in Nibsy’s hands (look, I could call Nibsy James Lorcan, but he doesn’t like to be called Nibsy, and I don’t like him, so that’s what I’m calling him!!). In a dramatic turnabout, Cela saves Jianyu from Nibsy’s clutches.
1904: Harte and Esta arrive in St. Louis, looking for Julien, a fellow performer whom Harte sent one of the other artifacts, a necklace: the Djinni’s Star. Julien, who is even more dramatic than Harte, informs Esta she’s infamous, known as The Devil’s Thief for blowing up that train.
A lot has changed in the past 2 years. The Defense Against Magic Act has made unregulated natural magic illegal. In response, the Antistasi, a group of anarchists, have been using magic to make trouble. Turns out, magic does live outside NYC and there’s a bounty on Esta’s head. Harte and Esta return to their hotel but the Jefferson Guard, hunters of magic, are there, and Esta has to hijack time on top of a moving elevator to get away. It’s pretty cool. The Antistasi have learned The Devil’s Thief is in town too, and with their help, Harte and Esta manage to escape.
While they remain anonymous to the duo, we meet the Antistasi: Mother Ruth, their leader, her sister Maggie, and Jericho Northwood aka North, who has a magical pocket watch.
Unfortunately, Jack Grew is in St. Louis in 1904 too. NO! He’s been taking a lot of morphine and getting really cozy with the Book these past two years. He narrowly misses Harte and Esta at the hotel. Phew!
Stone update: Evelyn has the ring; Esta has the cuff; Julien has the necklace?
Part III
1902: When Viola saved Esta on the bridge, she betrayed Nibsy and so is forced to ask her awful brother, Paul Kelly, for protection. Paul “allows” her to “work” for him and tells her to kill R.A. Reynolds. Surprise! It’s Ruby, Theo’s finance, and she’s cute, if rather rich and naive! Viola pretends to kill Ruby and Theo, and when she’s cornered by them later, agrees to work with them. Ruby wants to take down the Order by exposing them as working with Mageus. We like the goal, don’t love the method.
1904: All this wobbly time travel has taken a toll on Esta so Harte leaves Esta to meet Julien. Nobody leaves Esta in a corner! She joins them at the saloon, with her hair cut short and dressed as a man. But Julien doesn’t have the necklace! He sold it to the Veiled Prophet. Turns out, this Veiled Prophet Society is just like the Order back in NYC. Ugh.
Harte and Esta hide out in a boarding house where things get steamy. Harte FINALLY kisses Esta for real for real but as things are heating up, Harte has a vision from the Book, and pulls back to protect Esta. She is not pleased. I too, was not pleased.
The next day, Esta, Harte, and Julien visit the 1904 World’s Fair, where the necklace is being displayed in the Egypt exhibit. Harte has another weird vision from the Book on the Nile ride, and they agree they must steal the necklace back, despite the heavy security.
Stone update: Evelyn has the ring; Esta has the cuff; the Society has the necklace.
Part IV
1902: Logan Sullivan arrives in the past where Esta left him. Jianyu was supposed to intercept him, but misses him due to his injuries. So Logan is able to go to Nibsy and give him his new journal. Oh good, give the guy who knows everything more info! Nibsy still doesn’t trust Logan, and sends him to find the ring to prove his loyalty. Cela and Jianyu have gone to retrieve the ring from Evelyn too and they all three collide, and surprise! Cela’s brother Abel is alive! But no one gets the ring.
Viola meets Ruby and Theo in Central Park and they take a romantic boat ride. Ok, it’s not that romantic, and we learn that Ruby really doesn’t like magic.
1904: Harte and Esta have been casing the Fair and are ready to steal the necklace. Harte has another vision and realizes the power inside him has name: Seshat. Inconvenient, but what’s worse is the necklace is gone and they narrowly escape. This time, the Antistasi “save” them but also kidnap them. They take Esta’s time travel cuff, which you’ll remember is one of the stones, and we learn that Harte’s name was Ben O’Doherty! Hey Ben!
To prove themselves trustworthy to the Antistasi, Esta has to deliver a suspicious package to a socialist meeting, and she does so successfully, because her magic works just fine as long as she isn’t touching Harte. The package sets off a cloud of magic that “unlocks” people’s hidden magic. Harte really doesn’t like the Antistasi’s methods, but Esta thinks they may have a point in trying to protect those with magic.
Stone update: Evelyn has the ring; the Antistasi have the cuff; the Society has the necklace.
Part V
1902: Viola reluctantly meets Ruby & Theo again. Nibsy has Mooch set the Bowery on fire to send a message, and while Viola drops Mooch to stop the fire, in the ensuing commotion, Theo is shot. Viola uses magic to save him and exposes her magic to Ruby, who is horrified. Theo is unfazed, the dear. He talks some sense into Ruby, but she’s not sure if Viola will ever forgive her.
1904: Even though they’re locked up by the Antistasi, Esta sneaks over to see Harte, who explains about the power inside of him, Seshat, who got trapped in the Book by Thoth. If they can get the stones, they can use Esta to contain Seshat again. Esta wants to help the Antistasi; Harte does not. The Antistasi’s brewery hideout is set on fire (so much fire!), and Harte and Esta go to great lengths to save each other, my babies. Esta tries to rescue her cuff but can’t find it.
Stone update: Evelyn has the ring; the Antistatsi have the cuff? The Society has the necklace.
Part VI
Buckle up, things are about to go down.
1902: It’s time for Jack’s big shindig and everyone is attending. Evelyn is there with the ring and Cela and Jianyu have snuck in to get it back. Ruby is there to get her scoop, and accidentally lets slip to Jack that she’s Reynolds. Viola is there on Paul’s orders. They all realize there’s trouble at the same moment and try to save each other with mixed results. Viola rescues Ruby, who kisses her! Jack conjures some sort of creepy shadow monster from the Book’s power to attack Evelyn. Viola throws her knife at Cela, who is trying to get the ring from Evelyn, and Jianyu jumps in front of it. Everyone is divided in the chaos, and Jack may or may not have gotten the ring?!
1904: The Antistasi plan to use their magic serum on President Roosevelt, who is in town for the Fair (Jack’s busy cozying up to him ofc). Harte’s like, let’s get the stones and get out of here! Esta’s like, we must help them! Esta wins. So they have Julien sneak them into a parade where they swap the necklace with a fake, which contains the magic serum. But the Antistasi discover that their serum unlocks magic but then kills people, and suddenly, their necklace plan is not looking good. Everyone abandon’s Mother Ruth’s plan, and they go to the gala to try to stop the serum from being exposed. Esta gets her cuff back.
North’s pocket watch takes them back a few hours and they infiltrate the gala. Oh! More time travel magic! Harte and Jack run into each other, and the power in Jack, Thoth, confronts the power in Harte, Seshat. They get into a fight and Esta pulls on her magic to save Harte, and Esta gets pulled in to the darkness too. And despite all their best efforts, the magic serum is released.
Harte, Esta, Maggie, and North escape St. Louis on a train. When Esta regains consciousness, Harte and her cuff are gone and all she has is a bracelet with a secret message from him. That, and a new scar on her wrist, carved there by Nibsy in 1902 when she was a little girl. It says Redi, which means “return” in Latin. Nibsy wants her back. He’s in NYC and has gotten a telegram that says his agent in the West has two artifacts. This is excellent for this new task: leading the Antistasi. Gasp!
Stone update: Jack has something?? Where is the ring?! Harte has the cuff…and maybe the necklace?! Nibsy’s agent in the West has the other two??
TL;DR:
Harte and Esta escape NYC but blow up a train and end up in 1904.
In 1902, Jianyu and Cela unsuccessfully try to get the ring artifact back from Evelyn. Jack Grew causes trouble. Ruby, a reporter, works to expose him, and drags Viola into her schemes. Logan delivers Nibsy’s notebook from the future, and Nibsy’s power grows.
In 1904, Harte and Esta visit the St. Louis World’s Fair to try to get the necklace artifact back. They are stymied by the Society and sidetracked by magical anarchists, the Antistasi. Ultimately, they get the necklace and escape the city, but are divided.
Ready for more? The Serpent’s Curse is out now!
If you’re like me, you fell in love with Lisa Maxwell’s The Last Magician the first time you read it. I devoured the fantastical magic, the old-timey New York City, the rival gangs, the heist crew, and the Magician himself (*heart-eyes*).
In case you forgot anything that happened in the book before you read the next books in the series, The Devil’s Thief and The Serpent’s Curse, here’s a recap of The Last Magician!
There’s a short recap at the end if you need it! And here is your recap of The Devil’s Thief once you’ve finished this one.
The Ultimate Recap of The Last Magician
1902: The Magician stands on the Brooklyn Bridge, ready to jump.
Part 1
1926: Esta is at a party at Charles Schwab’s mansion. She’s running late but she manages to crack Schwab’s safe and extract a dagger, set with a mythical stone. She’s been tasked by her father-figure Professor Lachlan to steal the stone before it is given to the Order of Ortus Aurea, whose whole deal is that they use corrupt ceremonial magic while suppressing the Mageus, who are born with real magic.
Because of her delay, her partner Logan is shot as they try to escape, and Order members Charles and his nephew Jack, see Esta use her magic to disappear. Esta is a Mageus and her magic is that she can travel through time!
1902: Dolph Saunders waits outside J.P. Morgan’s mansion. His partner Leena had gone undercover there and hasn’t come back. The Order is definitely to blame. His crew-member Nibsy arrives with one last message from Leena and they follow a carriage carrying her to the Brink, the magical line that traps Mageus in Manhattan. They can’t save her- she falls into the Brink. Dolph uses all his strength to grab her, but she’s gone, and he and his magic are damaged.
Dolph is devastated. He devotes all his energy to Leena’s message that says “libero Libra.” It has to be about The Book of Mysteries, aka the Ars Arcana! The Order must have it, and Dolph is determined to get it before they can use it to destroy all Mageus.
“Liars do make the best magicians, and he happened to be exceptional.”
1902: We meet stage magician Harte Darrigan (heeeeey). He’s reluctantly meeting Dolph, who offers him a way out of the city (impossible!). He needs Harte’s help to get the Book, as Harte has befriended Jack Grew (remember him from 1926?), whose uncle is an important member of the Order. Harte has spent the last few years trying to get out of the gangs of downtown and make a name for himself, so he’s not interested (lol no he’s totally interested but doesn’t want to be).
Present Day: When Esta and Logan get back, they find they’ve changed the future. The Order has figured out that Esta has been stealing powerful stones through time. The Professor tells Esta she’s going to 1902 to join and double-cross a group of Mageus to steal the Book before it disappears. To do this, she must find the Magician and stop him.
As Esta pulls time around her heading to 1902, she see that her friend Dakari has been shot! She wants to go back, but the stone that helps her time travel has disintegrated. She’s trapped in 1902 and the only way to get home is to get the stone as it exists in 1902 and to do that, she’s got to join the heist.
Part 2
1902: Harte is meeting Jack for drinks when he feels magic. No one is dumb enough to use magic at the Haymarket, except a girl picking an old man’s pocket (it’s Esta of course!). Harte tries to subtly save her from notice and in doing so, kisses her. Smooth, Harte. She bites him, but in her escape, she’s trapped by a lecherous man, kicks him repeatedly in the face, and is taken captive. But Esta convinces her captor she’s useful, and is sent to Dolph.
Harte meets with Jack but it doesn’t go well when his snooty friends show up. Jack sulks off and we find out he’s building some sort of machine to impress the Order. It’s definitely going to be trouble.
Dolph isn’t impressed by Esta, but after she steals items from everyone on his crew (my loves Viola & Jianyu included), he agrees she might be useful. Nibs takes her to one of Harte’s shows. He has a feeling she might convince Harte to join their scheme. Esta is pulled on stage for the act – Harte’s show pretends his magic isn’t real – and lots of witty banter happens between my OTP. Harte still isn’t convinced but I sure am.
“The only way to go was forward, as always.”
Esta gets herself on Dolph’s Mageus team stealing items from the Order at an exhibit event. The heist goes sideways but Esta saves the day and more witty banter (swoon) happens between her and Harte, who is there cozying up to Jack.
Dolph now entrusts Esta with getting Harte on board with his scheme. Harte & Esta (Hesta? Daresta?) share another hate-kiss backstage at one of Harte’s shows. But! Harte was using his affinity for seeing into people’s mind during the kiss! He is confused by the modern images in Esta’s mind. Harte is *shaken* in more than one way.
Meanwhile, Jack has started up his machine and it creates a mini Brink. One of Dolph’s, Tilly, gets zapped and everyone is devastated when she passes away. Dolph is more determined than ever to get Harte on his team, and on Nib’s suggestion, gets Paul Kelly, another gang boss downtown, to put some pressure on him. We learn that Harte’s weakness is his mother, an addict.
Part 3
Always the schemer, Dolph sends Esta to live with Harte and WOW am I living for the romantic tension as they share a tiny apartment. Harte and Esta agree to work together to con Jack using the lost heir scheme. Esta pretends to be the long-lost daughter of Baron Franz von Filosik, an alchemist Jack would love to learn the secrets of. They prepare for their big performance and wow Jack with their stage magic.
“You can trust me…at least until the very end.”
After their show, Esta and Harte charm Jack back at the Haymarket but Esta gets distracted, and when the dance hall is raided, she’s taken into police custody. Jack takes Harte to see his machine, and Harte realizes just how vital it is to stop him and the Order. He’s not on-board with giving the Book to Dolph, but knows they need to take it from the Order.
Learning Esta is gone, Harte goes to Dolph’s but Nibs intercepts him and reveals his nefarious affinity for always being several steps ahead of everyone else. Nibs threatens Harte and get punched. It’s very satisfying.
Harte rushes off to save Esta, but she’s totally already saved herself! They share a tender moment, both inwardly torn that they’re planning on betraying each other. AHH!
Esta convinces Jack that she and Harte should be the entertainment at the upcoming Order shindig at their HQ Khafre Hall, and the heist planning begins.
Part 4
It’s heist time. Harte changes their stage act at the last minute and Esta is trapped on stage as he and Viola raid the secret chamber for the Book and the stones. Harte betrays them all and disappears with the goods.
While all this is happening, Dolph gets shot while visiting Leena’s grave. He deserved better!!
Everything is in chaos. Nibsy takes over for Dolph and gets a note that from Harte promising the Book in exchange for Esta. This is Esta’s final chance to get the Book, and her time travel stone, back so she can return home.
“She had to make sure the past remained just as it should have been, or else who knew what her future might hold.”
All our players gather on the Brooklyn Bridge. Esta pulls time around her so she and Harte can talk in private. Harte has sent the stones out of the city to keep them out of Nib’s hands (he killed Dolph!!). Harte gives Esta the Book and her travel stone so she can escape and plans to take himself – as he now contains the Book’s power! – out so the Order can’t get their hands on him. Time resumes and the two share one final kiss. Harte jumps. Esta time jumps home.
“He hadn’t betrayed her in the end. He’d given her exactly what she needed.”
Present Day: Esta rushes back to save Dakari, but he’s okay! They return to the Professor who is eager to get his hands on the Book. But Esta isn’t so sure they should use the Book to destroy the Brink as the Professor intends. Harte shared that the Brink is there to protect the Mageus just as much as it contains them. Destroying the Brink might destroy magic altogether.
The Professor isn’t happy with Esta’s questions. He admits he had Dakari shot as incentive for Esta to return. In his evil soliloquy, he slips and Esta realizes that the Professor IS NIBS!! He wants the power of the Book to control the world! ALSO turns out Esta is Dolph and Leena’s secret child and Nibs has orchestrated everything, grooming Esta from when she was a child for his evil intents.
Professor/Nibs threatens to kill everyone Esta loves unless she take the Book back to his younger self. He sends Logan the guard her, and they travel back to 1902. Esta feels like she’s going home and I feel like sobbing.
1902: Esta knocks out Logan and rushes to the Brooklyn Bridge to save Harte. He’s alive! Jianyu helped him fake his death. Esta is elated and also very mad at Harte. He lied to her again! But he did it to protect her! These two!
They’re not safe yet. Esta knows if they let things be, the stones can still be gathered by the Professor and he can do his evil. They need to get them first. Esta thinks they can trick the Brink using the Book and get out of the city. They have a plan!
TL;DR:
Esta time travels back to 1902 NYC to foil the Magician and steal the Book, as directed by the Professor. She joins Dolph’s crew and works to convince Harte, the Magician, to join the heist team to steal the Book from the Order, before Jack, an aspiring Order member, blows up all the Mageus in the city. After much banter and kisses-with-ulterior-motives, Esta and Harte team up, then betray each other, then un-betray each other. Esta takes the Book back to present day NYC but! the Professor is Nibs, a shady character from 1902 who wants the Book to takeover the world. Esta escapes and returns to 1902 and she and Harte make plans to save magic and the world.
Want to know what happens next? Check out this recap of The Devil’s Thief!
If you’re like me, you could not be more ready for Chain of Iron to come out March 2. But before we read the next book in Cassandra Clare’s Last Hours series, we need to remember what happened to all our favorite characters in Chain of Gold.
The Chain of Gold Character Recap You Need Before Reading Chain of Iron
Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD for Chain of Gold!
1. James Herondale
Will and Tessa’s son, James, is uncommonly beautiful. He is the de facto leader of the Merry Thieves, which consist of his friends Thomas, Christopher, and his parabatai and best friend Matthew. James fancies himself hopelessly in love with Grace, who he met at 13, and wears a bracelet from her at all times (no one likes the bracelet). James has an unfortunate habit of disappearing into a shadow (aka demon) realm. It’s uncomfortable, but he’s trying to manage it, and figure out which Prince of Hell his grandfather is. He is briefly bracelet-less and free to fall in love with Cordelia and they have some *moments.*
James must have gotten the self-sacrificing gene from his dad, because he goes off to face his grandfather (spoiler: its Belial) in a hell dimension alone, tied to the real world by a rope attached to his two loves, Matthew and Cordelia. Belial wants to use James’s body to wreak havoc on the world, but Cordelia is thrown into the demon world and injures Belial with her sword Cortana. James is grievously injured in the battle and is a goner for sure, until ghost Jesse offers him his last breath. James is saved!
But then Grace goes and puts that bracelet back on him and he burns down her house for her. That’s, um, romantic? Not really, but what IS romantic is that Cordelia saves James from Clave censure by claiming he couldn’t have burned down the house because he was with HER! And then the two of them must get fake-engaged to save her virtue because this is 1903.
2. Cordelia Carstairs
Cordelia arrives in London with her brother Alastair from their home in Devon. She is tasked with making a good impression on the London Shadowhunters, as her father is awaiting trail (turns out he’s an alcoholic) and her mother is quite ill (turns out she’s pregnant). No one is more excited that Cordelia is now in London than her future parabatai, Lucie.
Cordelia is hopelessly in love with the clueless James, who goes around calling her Daisy, which is about the most adorable and heartbreaking thing in the world. James and Daisy have quite the romantic moment while hiding in the Whispering Room at Hell Ruelle (PSA: it’s Chapter 15). Cordelia wields her family sword Cortana, and together, they save James from certain death several times. By the end of the book, she is engaged to James, and knows with heart-wrenching certainly that she’ll only get this one year to love him.
3. Matthew Fairchild
Oh Matthew. He has a reputation. He’s drinking about 60% of the time and beautiful and charming 110% of the time. He may be the Consul’s son (that’s Charlotte!), but that doesn’t mean he has to behave like his boring brother Charles.
He is very sad for reasons (that can be found in the short story “Cast Long Shadows“). At the ball when James abandons Cordelia for Grace (James, no.), Matthew is the one to step in and save Cordelia. Despite his self-destructive tendencies, he protects those he loves. Matthew loathes Alastair and loves James like no other. He is very protective of Cordelia.
4. Lucie Herondale
Lucie could not be more excited that Cordelia is in town, as she can share new chapters of her book, The Beautiful Cordelia, in person now. Unfortunately, her enthusiasm isn’t always properly directed, and she makes Cordelia think James is in love with her for a brief spell before demons attack in broad daylights (that’s bad) and Grace shows up (that’s worse).
Lucie has a special talent for seeing ghosts, and forms a special bond with Jesse Blackthorn. She also seems to have a strong pull over ghosts, summoning them to save Cordelia when she falls in the Thames in a demon battle. At the end of the book, she and Grace start conspiring about how to restore Jesse to his body.
5. Anna Lightwood
Anna is the most fashionable and cool person you’ll ever meet. She’s good friends with Matthew and the two of them enjoy casually scandalizing the Shadowhunter adults. The older Shadowhunters call her “improper and brash” while the younger Shadowhunters adore her. She often has her friends over to her apartment for tea (aka an excuse for a clandestine affair) and has left a trail of heartbroken young women in her path. She was once in love with Ariadne (find their story in “Every Exquisite Thing“), who at the end of the book, vows to win her back.
6. Christopher Lightwood
Christopher is curious about everything. He spends a lot of time in his godfather Henry’s laboratory working on experiments and inventions. He may be a little clueless at times but has a big heart. Christopher has almost created an antidote to cure all those in comas from these new demon attacks when he is wounded in…yet another demon attack. But his cousin and bestie, Thomas, saves him!
7. Thomas Lightwood
AT 18, Thomas is the oldest of the Merry Thieves and he’s tall. Like, really tall. He went off for his travel year in Madrid and had quite the growth spurt. In flashbacks, we see that while abroad, he took a trip to Paris, and there, ran into Alastair. They had a surprisingly good time together, but now Alastair won’t really acknowledge at him, and Thomas hasn’t told his friends about it.
His preferred fighting weapon is the bolas and he has a compass tattoo. He is heartbroken when his sister Barbara passes away from a demon attack. When Christopher is injured, he is the one to finish the antidote (with Alastair’s help!).
8. Jesse Blackthorn
Jesse describes himself not as a ghost, but as a manifestation of his soul. His mother hopes to restore him to his body, and he keeps present through illegal necromantic magic. Jesse’s soul wanders between the real world and spirit realm, and he hasn’t aged since he died at 17, 7 years prior. He only “lives” at night, and spends most his time reading.
He becomes quite close with Lucie, and finally fulfills his desire to be a life-saving Shadowhunter when he offers his last breath to save James. His strength begins to fade, but Grace continues to watch over his body, and Lucie can still talk to his spirit.
9. Alastair Carstairs
Alastair went to the Shadowhunter Academy with the Merry Thieves for a turn, but due to some events (see “Nothing But Shadows“), they hate him. He is half-Persian, like his sister Cordelia, and dyes his hair to try to fit in.
He had a secret affair with Charles, who has gone and gotten politically engaged with Ariadne (who we might remember had a secret affair with Anna!). He still loves Charles, and Charles breaks if off with Ariadne (while she’s unconscious- oof) and becomes engaged to Grace?! But sidebarring all that drama, Alastair gets to have a really nice moment at the end of the book where he tells Charles he better move on, because he’s not going to be Charles’s secret any longer!
10. Grace Blackthorn
Grace has just arrived in London from Idris and the drama sure does follow. Her very unpleasant adoptive mother Tatiana has brought her to London for murky purposes, which might involve revenge on the Lightwoods, or on ALL Shadowhunters, who she hates. (Find Tatiana’s bad deeds in “The Midnight Heir.”) Grace seems to only care for her brother Jesse.
She pulls along James, and when he says he won’t run away with her, she becomes engaged to Charles. At one harrowing point, she makes Matthew kiss her for blackmail! How dare! But turns out, she engaged herself to Charles to try to get out from under her mother’s control. Or did she? Because she puts that bracelet back on James to control them all! And turns out, her mother has been working with Belial this whole time! That can’t be good.
Now that you’ve read the recap, take the quiz to see how well you know these characters!
Want a peek at Chain of Iron? Watch Cassandra Clare and friends read an exclusive scene!
Want more recap? Check out Christine Riccio’s Chain of Gold recap video!
Art in header image by Cassandra Jean. Character cards by Novarentale, except Grace and Jesse character art by Charlie Bowater.
If there’s something you’re looking for in your next read, there’s a large possibility that Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter novels have it. After many years and many books, the Shadowhunter series maintains a huge following of fans and readers of all kinds. That’s because they have so much to offer! If you’re looking for a reason to dive into this extensive and magical world, you’ll find five big ones below.
5 Reasons You Need to Get into the Shadowhunter World
1. The Shadowhunters come from a world within our own world.
Shadowhunters are warriors with angelic blood, appointed to preside over demons and other supernatural creatures in our world that can’t be seen by regular humans. And don’t you just love a hidden magical realm within our own? This set-up has something for everyone, with references to real places and modern society alongside fictional locations, magic, and legendary beings. In the Shadowhunters world, you’ll find creatures and characters straight out of ancient fairy tales and myths, but that rogue vampire is still so relatable because he’s also just your typical teenager.
2. The characters and their relationships are complex and real.
Are you looking for a ship to go to the ends of the earth for? The Shadowhunter novels contain SO MANY GOOD SHIPS. There are love triangles, star-crossed lovers, and every other kind of riveting-yet-complicated romance you could hope for in a book. There are also so many meaningful and wonderful friendships throughout the novels, some even spanning decades! In the end, these characters’ ties to each other are what get them through every challenge they face.
3. These books showcase the global community in both fantasy and real-life.
This expansive, multi-trilogy series includes a wide variety of magical beings, creatures and monsters inspired by myth, folklore and fairy tales. The human and Nephilim characters are also racially and ethnically diverse, with many different cultural backgrounds, religious traditions, sexual orientations, and gender identities represented. The inclusivity in these novels is a big reason why they remain fan-favorites.
4. The witty writing will engross you.
If you’re looking for a book that will make you seriously LOL (and also cry at the same time), you’ve found 15+ of them. Cassandra Clare’s writing, especially in the dialogue between her characters, is bound to make you cackle at least three times a book. These characters understand that they have to save the world, but they aren’t going to do it without complaint or worry. And isn’t that relatable?! The smartness of the writing will pull you deep into these books, until suddenly it’s 3am and you’ve just queued up the next book in the series, because you HAVE to know what happens next.
5. The Shadowhunters universe has a deep catalog of content.
The Shadowhunter novels started with one: City of Bones. Now with several spinoff series, multiple books with hundreds of pages, and an ever-expanding world, you’ll never run out of new material to read. That said, there are plenty of breaks where you can take time off and come back in when needed, so don’t feel intimidated. This universe is huge, but it takes place across centuries, across continents, and across series. It’s wholly worth your time, and you can take as much time as you’d like with it.
Not sure where to start reading? Check out 4 Ways to Enter the Shadowhunter World!
Which of Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter families do you belong to? Which auspicious family should you call your own? Take the quiz to find out if you are a Herondale, Lightwood, Blackthorn, Lovelace, Carstairs or Fairchild!
Which Shadowhunter Family Do You Belong T0?
Now find out which Last Hours character you’re related to!
Not all of us are Shadowhunters like the angelic warriors in Cassandra Clare’s books. Some of us are total Downworlders, supernatural and hybrid creatures that inhabit the Shadowhunter world. But what type of Downwolder are you? Take the quiz to find out if you’re a vampire, werewolf, warlock, or faerie.
What Type of Downworlder Are You?
Want more of fan-favorite Downworlder Magnus? Take the quiz to find out how well you know Magnus and Alec!
Let’s be honest. If your thumb has even the smallest hint of green, your plant collection has most certainly doubled in the past few months. Maybe you went from killing succulents to filling every sunlit spot in your apartment with green. Perhaps your once-barren lawn now hosts an entire farmer’s market-worth of fresh veggies. Your transformation into a full-on Plant Parent is complete.
But what kind of plant parent are you? Take our quiz to find out, and while you’re at it, we’ll give you a book recommendation that pairs perfectly with your plants!
Find Out What Type of Plant Parent You Are and Get a Book Recommendation!
Next, choose your Taylor Swift aesthetic and get a book rec!
There are SO MANY AWESOME new characters to love in Cassandra Clare’s new Shadowhunters series, The Last Hours. We’ve rounded them up so you can meet these characters before you read Chain of Gold and learn how they are related to all of our favorite characters from the Infernal Devices!
Get to Know the Characters from Cassandra Clare’s Last Hours Series
Meet James Herondale
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James is Will and Tessa’s son and Lucie’s brother. He is best friends and parabatai with Matthew Fairchild. He loves reading, poetry, spending time at the Devil Tavern with Matthew, Christopher, and Thomas, and writing letters to Grace Blackthorn. He spends a good deal of time trying not to turn into a shadow. Seems like his demonic grandfather left him a bit of a genetic gift…
Meet Matthew Fairchild
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Matthew is the son of Charlotte (who is now the Consul!) and Henry and younger brother to the insufferable Charles. He is James’ parabatai and loves drinking and Oscar Wilde. He has an excellent Golden Retriever named Oscar, after Oscar Wilde.
Meet Lucie Herondale
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Lucie is Will and Tessa’s daughter and James’ sister. She plans on becoming parabatai with her best friend and penpal, Cordelia Carstairs. She is an aspiring writer, and has a special talent for seeing ghosts.
Meet Cordelia Carstairs
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Cordelia was born in Persia and has traveled the world. Now in London, she plans on becoming parabatai with Lucie. She is sister to Alastair Carstairs and she’s secretly in love with James Herondale. Her sword, Cortana, holds unique powers.
Meet Anna Lightwood
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Anna is Cecily and Gabriel’s daughter and Christopher’s daughter, making her cousin to James/Lucie and Thomas. She does what she likes and dresses how she wants and has broken half the hearts of half the young women of London with her looks and charm. She also loves clothes–if you need fashion advice, ask Anna.
Meet Christopher Lightwood
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Christopher is Cecily and Gabriel’s son, Anna’s brother, and cousin to James/Lucie and Thomas. He is obsessed with inventions and experiments and is the scientific one of the Merry Thieves (aka the fab foursome of Christopher, Thomas, James, and Matthew).
Meet Thomas Lightwood
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Thomas is Gideon and Sophie’s son and cousin to Christopher/Anna. Thomas loves history and spending time with Christopher in the lab. He is extremely tall and had quite a few adventures while abroad. He has two older sisters, Barbara and Eugenia.
Meet Jesse Blackthorn
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Jesse is a mysterious presence who isn’t visible to everyone in the book. His mother Tatiana Blackthorn and his sister Grace Blackthorn can always see him, and a few of the other characters can see him as well. He has green eyes and black hair, and is very pale, as he almost never sees sunlight.
Meet Alastair Carstairs
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Alastair is Cordelia’s older brother and son to Elias and Sona Carstairs. He was *the worst* to James and Matthew at the Shadowhunter Academy. He enjoys politics and collecting daggers.
Meet Grace Blackthorn
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Grace is the daughter of Tatiana Blackthorn (who is Gideon and Gabriel’s sister), making her cousin to Christopher and Thomas, although she’s been in Idris all this time and doesn’t know much about them. She met James while his family was vacationing in Idris and James is madly in love with her. Her brother, Jesse, met an untimely demise. Or did he…