Chain of Gold

3.5 stars
The plot in this one isn't the best, but the character work is pretty solid.

First of all, I was confused for a while because there were too many main characters. I think family trees should have been included. It would have helped me a lot!

Anyway, the main issue I had with it was the plot took a while to get developed. And even when more stuff was finally happening, it felt a little underwhelming.

But these characters... I was obsessed with the dynamics. Anna, Lucie, and Matthew were my favorite characters. I really liked Cordelia too. James was okay, he wasn't exactly himself during the majority of this book, and that's probably why I didn't connect to him at the same level. The core group was amazing and the friendships were so well done! Anna deserved more page time for sure!
Jesse is probably the most intriguing character. I want to know EVERYTHING about that boy.
I despised Grace. I don't care that she had a tough childhood. Nothing justifies her behavior. Unless she does a 180 in the next book and rights her wrongs.

Also, it was great to get Will, Tessa, Jem and Magnus in this book. I loved every single moment they were on page.

Overall, a solid first book in this trilogy. Very entertaining and emotional.