Preteen girl looking at a cell phone with her parents

Personalized picks at your fingertips

Get the mobile app on iOS and Android

Get the app
Parents' Guide to

Chain of Thorns: The Last Hours, Book 3

By Carrie R. Wheadon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Fierce friendships shine in mature Shadowhunter finale.

Book Cassandra Clare Fantasy 2023
A blond-haired woman in a voluminous green gown dripping in light and pink flowers stares at a the ruin of a glowing gateway with a peaked roof

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

See all
age 15+

Based on 1 parent review

somanybooks solittletime
somanybooks solittletime Parent of 3-year-old
May 2, 2023
age 15+
Parents should know that this book is the last in a trilogy and part of the larger Shadowhunters works by Cassandra Clare. It follows the series "Infernal Devices" and is about the main characters children. These heros and heroines fall in love (and lust), fight hideously terrifying demons, and navigate complex relationships and feelings about their identities. This book has significantly more sex than its 2 predecessors.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

In CHAIN OF THORNS: THE LAST HOURS, BOOK 3, James is having dreams of dark places with voices declaring, "They wake." Cordelia, on a trip to Paris with Matthew to forget her heartbreak over James, hears the same ominous message at a cabaret from a warlock channeling her dead father. And when Cordelia and Matthew are confronted by Lilith, the mother of demons, on a Paris street, Lilith repeats the mantra while demanding Cordelia's allegiance -- they had a deal that Cordelia would be her paladin, a deal she sorely regrets. But what wakes? Surely it has to do with James and Lucie's power-hungry demon grandfather Belial. Cordelia and her London friends are determined to find out, even as things get complicated among them. James goes after Cordelia in Paris to win her back and finds her kissing Matthew. Matthew is discovered lying about his drinking after his promise to Cordelia to stay sober in Paris. Lucie, finally united with a live and breathing Jesse she helped raise, faints every time they kiss and is mentally transported to a pit of the restless dead who are desperately trying to tell her something.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (1 ):

This Shadowhunter series finale sticks to the best-selling formula: melodrama and sultry romance topped off with a world-saving demon battle royale. And because it's Edwardian London, toss in some gorgeous dresses and carriage rides and trips to historic places like Westminster Abbey and Cross Bones Graveyard. Unfortunately for fans of ye olde London, it's in pretty rough shape for much of the book because of one power-hungry demon -- Belial, aka James and Lucie's grandpa. It's only James, Lucie, Cordelia, and friends who decide not to abandon London when gramps comes calling; only they know about Belial's army, his nefarious plans, only they can figure out how to defeat him. And only they can travel to his depressing demon realm and come back alive. It's a blessed break from the usual infuriating Clave politics of the series -- the Clave that seems to exist only to impede and punish young Shadowhunters. Instead, when the worst goes down, James and friends get free reign to be fancy weapon-wielding, demon-fighting heroes together.

The young Shadowhunters are present for each other in other ways, too. Some truly thoughtful and touching scenes grapple with Matthew's alcoholism and how best to help him, and when Ari explains why she refuses to be anyone but herself, a woman who loves other women, all her friends rally around her. As usual, the main love story is full of complications, some of them that feel fabricated to keep the miserable couple apart just a little longer. But it does make their reunion all the sweeter. At 800 pages, Chain of Thorns is a long haul, but readers have plenty of demons, passionate kisses, and tender friendship moments to hold them to the end.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how friends look out for each other in The Chain of Thorns. How do they help Matthew with his addiction? How do they support their friends who come out as gay or lesbian? What holds some friends back from asking for help they need? How are those hurdles overcome?

  • Readers have been waiting the whole series for a couple to finally be together. So when they have sex after more than 1,500 pages or so of waiting, is there an expectation for intimate details? Should teen books be less overt about sexual content? Or does it depend on the situation?

  • Do you think another Shadowhunter spin-off series is in the works? Whom would you like it to feature?

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended book lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate