Chain of GoldChain of Gold
Score Modern
What it's about
In 1903, Cordelia Carstairs, a Shadowhunter with the blood of the angel Raziel, comes to London with her family, hoping to clear her father of a crime. She reunites with her childhood friends James and Lucie Herondale, while hiding her love for James, who is sworn to marry someone else. Then a wave of demon attacks unlike any before, by demons that walk in daylight, sweeps the city.
Why it's worth reading
It has spent 31 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. It opens The Last Hours trilogy in Cassandra Clare's hugely popular Shadowhunter universe.
You'll love it if you liked
City of Bones
Six of Crows
A Court of Thorns and RosesGood to know
It's best after Clare's earlier series, especially The Infernal Devices, whose characters' children star here. It's long and full of romance.
By the numbers
- Readers88 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller57 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #27 of the 219 young adult books we rank
- #59 of the 459 fantasy books we rank
- #241 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #481 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Epic
More by Cassandra Clare
If you like this, read next
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
A Dog's Purpose
The Golden Compass
Legendborn
Throne of Glass
Spinning SilverExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Chain of Gold worth reading?
Yes. It has spent 31 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. It ranks #481 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 78.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Chain of Gold about?
In 1903, Cordelia Carstairs, a Shadowhunter with the blood of the angel Raziel, comes to London with her family, hoping to clear her father of a crime. She reunites with her childhood friends James and Lucie Herondale, while hiding her love for James, who is sworn to marry someone else. Then a wave of demon attacks unlike any before, by demons that walk in daylight, sweeps the city.
How long does it take to read Chain of Gold?
About 16 hours (624 pages), or about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Chain of Gold?
If you liked it, try City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo or A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas.