Addicted to YA discussion

This discussion will be lead by Angelina. The discussion leader will be here to help keep the conversation going. Look out for comments and questions the discussion leader might make and respond back to them!

If you've read all of the "series" by Cassie and then read this one, do you like these characters more or less than the others?

Did it feel weird to anyone else to go from 'present day' in the Dark Artifices to (at least) two generations earlier? Sometimes the "time jumping" with her series throw me off.

I've found that I'm loving Magnus more every time he pops up in the books and he's become one of my favorites!

I guess it feels weird, especially since that ending of QoAaD ends on an *iffy* note with a possibility of lots of things being screwed up...but I do LOVE these characters in Chain of Gold! It’s sad to know that they’re (mostly) all dead in TMI and TID and later TWP though.

Angelina wrote: "I guess it feels weird, especially since that ending of QoAaD ends on an *iffy* note with a possibility of lots of things being screwed up...but I do LOVE these characters in Chain of Gold! It’s sa..."

I agree with the 'knowing their gone' thing, as well as even knowing that some of the warlocks are gone in the 'future' books.

I actually love the shifting time periods. The Dark Artifices provided a breather into present day, but I enjoy the historical pieces more, and I've been eagerly awaiting Clare's return to London which is probably why I adore the characters. At first, I was afraid that I'd be disappointed with the older Will, Tessa and Jem, but the "new-younger" generation of shadowhunters have their own quirks and mysteries that make them so intriguing. Cordelia's Persian background was fascinating and I appreciated that the story of Majnun and Layla made an appearance. Also, I liked the variation of Cordelia's part in the story. Tessa is a downworlder with no knowledge of the shadowhunter world. Clary is a shadowhunter and had no knowledge of the shadowhunter world. Emma took a different direction where she was very much a shadowhunter. But Cordelia has a mix of being a shadowhunter and knowing some but not all. Finally, she wields Cortana and that sword is the best.

Magnus's appearance was also an exciting moment for me and I do hope that we get to see more of him in the other books.

Hi everyone, is this book series by Cassandra Clare if so I am reading her City of bones books at the moment, I would carry on reading her other series too .

Yes it’s by Cassandra Clare. I would definitely recommend reading The Infernal Devices trilogy before reading Chain of Gold since CoG provides a LOT of spoilers for that series!

Angelina wrote: "Yes it’s by Cassandra Clare. I would definitely recommend reading The Infernal Devices trilogy before reading Chain of Gold since CoG provides a LOT of spoilers for that series!"

Yep, totally agree! Make sure to read the Infernal Devices books first!

Janet wrote: "If you've read all of the "series" by Cassie and then read this one, do you like these characters more or less than the others?

Did it feel weird to anyone else to go from 'present day' in the Dar..."

I definitely like the charecters in the chain of gold as the the whole friend group is AMAZING and so is their dynamics and personality. I think this is because Cassie has put so much of her writing experience behind this book so the writing is just INCREDIBLE. Like i love how even though there is a lot going on we can still learn more about the personalities of the charecters.

The time jumping took me a few chapters to get adjusted but i love how we get to know a lot about their world. Like as soon as we think we finally understood something Cassie comes out with a new plot twist but think that makes it even more satisfying when things come together

I would just say that I loved this book a hell lot even though there were things that needed more time in the book. I love the merry thieves, I absolutely adore Anna Lightwood. Cordelia, Lucie, Jesse and Matthew definitely deserve more pages in the book. but I'm just glad that none of our characters were left behind. everyone had a role, even the parents Will and Tessa! ❤️

Cain of Gold was Cassie at her finest once again.
My only complain from it was..... I ended up coming out of it highly nostalgic for 1900s London shadowhunter society and no matter what I read nothing could fix the yearning.

Can't wait to read more about Anna Lightwood and Matthew Fairchild's backstory!

I feel like I might be hounded for my opinion on CoG as I am fully aware that I am in the minority here...

I love CC - she can do no wrong in my eyes; I love all of her Shadowhunter Chronicles books dearly. Perhaps my ardent love for her and ridiculously high expectations are the reason behind my being slightly (and I mean *ever so slightly*) disappointed by CoG.

My issues with it aren't major and I still thoroughly enjoyed the book. I'm left feeling perplexed as I've seen so many CC books Tier Rankings since CoG has been released, and people are putting this in their top/God tier!

In a nutshell, I am Will Herondale trash. So when I realised that James wasn't going to have the exact same personality as his father, I was unreasonably yet marginally disappointed. I feel like Matthew's character and behaviour is much more similar to Will's, especially since CC has effectively used the same trope in many ways (I won't say more as I don't want to give spoilers).

I didn't really warm to Lucie - there's nothing wrong with her at all, I just didn't really connect with her, unlike Cordelia, who is undoubtedly my favourite character. I think she saved this book for me.

I thought Christopher's character was underdeveloped (this will likely change as subsequent books are released as he is only a secondary character, after all) and felt fairly uninterested in Thomas. I am sceptical as to how Charlotte & Henry could've possibly produced an a** such as Charles, too.

I feel like CC played it quite safe with the characters this time - they do not feel as unique to me as in TMI, TID or TDA. I understand that obviously these are the children of the TID cast, so will possess many of their qualities.

The final thing I'll share on what bothered me about CoG is that CC's books generally make me laugh and cry, whereas with CoG I found myself feeling more frustrated and angry (here's looking at you, Grace Blackthorn).

I still have high expectations for the following two novels in this trilogy!

I very agree to the *slight disappointment* coz I was too but only slightly haha.

and again I agree about Matthew being similar to Will. I Even thought Christopher was similar to Henry and I think they more similar to other members of the family coz they're so close?

and of course. I want Lucie, Matthew, Jesse, merry thieves so much more in the next book coz there wasn't much in this one. I love Anna and Cordelia (I love all) but I think there should have been more.

I agree about Charles! I was like why do all generations have to have such corrupt people. it's people like Charles who further corrupt the Clave I feel and their kids and their kids lol.

I agree a little to your last point too. this book was great but just not enough to give me what cc book usually do. even after 600+ pages.

Beenish & Emma-
I agree with what both of you said and for me it almost feels like these characters weren't different enough from all the others we already know, to really stand out on their own.

@Janet, of course, coz they're like the kids and have traits of their parents or other close family members. James does so not seem like Will's son, Matthew does but I tell myself not all kids are like their parents just as Charles is not like either Charlotte or Henry. and James maybe has the effect of the *name* (can't believe I'm saying this but) maybe the impact of the name also has made him a little too sweet like Jem Carstairs

Someone mentioned Anna and I really liked her. Given the time period this was set, I loved that she broke all the cultural norms and said 'This is who I am. Deal with it.' Also, that she almost immediately took Cordelia under her wing and made sure she was included in things.

Yeah I agree with what you all said!
I think maybe part of why Charles is the way he is might be because both Charlotte and Henry are so busy, they barely have any time to spend with him. I know that’s no excuse (I mean Matthew turned out fine) but still. Also he probably has a lot of responsibilities.

And yes, I love the characters! I agree, James is a bit like Will but more kind and thoughtful like Tessa too! I’m glad he’s not just like a carbon copy of his father.

Yessss I LOVED these characters! Especially Cordelia and Lucie and James, but the rest of the Merry Thieves too.

Completely agree with everyone saying that James isn't a carbon copy of Will and that's a good thing, otherwise that would've just been laziness on CC's part. I found him to be more like Tessa than Will, which is fine except, as Herondale trash, I feel like I'm missing out a little! I did love James' line about 'ladies, lock up your daughters and greenhouses!' or however it went.

I'm sure there'll be some tragic backstory mentioned in later books as to why Charles is such a villain, or at least, villainized.

I'm also keen to see how CC de-villainizes Grace Blackthorn, too. I feel like it'll take a lot for most readers to forgive all of her actions up to the end of CoG.

Someone mentioned Christopher being extremely similar to Henry, and I intended to mention that in my initial comment but forgot to, so thank you!

hehe. I agree to everything

I didn't think a mix of Great expectations and Daisy Miller with a fantasy touch would get me this much, but I needed to know how Tessa was doing after that epilogue, and read it in three days.

I fell in love with Cordelia. It's like she is the Clary I wanted Clary to be. So disappointed on James... He changed so much after he left the academy...
Good surprises were Anna (who I thought would be stereotyped but fortunately wasn't) and Alastair. I didn't know what to think of him, but now I just him to be happy. He's been through hell enough. Anyone else shipping him and Thomas?

Jem and Will (and James) make me happy-cry and Lucie... well, Jesse makes her interesting at least. I mean, parabatai keeping secret, not paying attention, many many things I didn't like of her behavior. Even thought she is young, Cordelia is the same age and has her in mind. Maybe it's just that, after reading about Jem and Will, the ultimate parabatai, these kids couldn't fill the shoes.

I think Emma is right about the de-villainization of Grace and the readers having a hard time forgiving her. Still, I just saw antoher Estella Havisham, so to me she is grey zone and I'm not as mad at her as I am with Charles and Tatianna.

Great touch everything Magnus goes throught in both TID and CoG now that we know he'll be back a century and a half later with husband and two kids ruling the institute. Couldn't stop smiling.

@Aurora I agree with a lot of youpoints but I just wanted to point out that Lucie and Cordelia aren't Parabatai yet and I like to think of it as each parabatai or would be parabatai relationship to be different as every person is different so u can't expect the relationships to be same. Saying that I do agree with you that Lucie's behaviour wasn't great or something I liked

Yes I agree there was something a bit “off” or maybe just “missing” about Lucie’s character, like her personality wasn’t consistent or...something. But I still love her, and I sympathized when she didn’t feel included since James was all “special” and nobody remembered that Lucie had demon blood in her too.

I am excited to see what happens next with Grace. So far she seems sneaky and cunning in a BAD way, but that’s subject to change I guess. Maybe we’ll get something in her POV later on.

I LOVE Anna and Cordelia. I love James, too, but he's not Will Herondale. Meaning that he's not perfect and amazing and the BEST BOOK CHARACTER EVER, which is a pretty hard standard to reach. James just let me down for being Will's son, and I know it's a pit picky, but I sort of miss Will's anxty personality. HE'S ALL GROWN UP!!! SO RESPONSIBLE!!!!! It's great that he's happy, but they're very different from who they were in TID.
I really hate Grace, but the Gracelet is a seriously great plot twist.
Cordelia and Anna have got to be my favorite characters. Cordelia is so different from everyone we know, and Anna just completely defies societal norms. I ship her and Ariadne, BTW.
Overall, I loved this book. It's not Cassie's best (cough cough TID), but I thought that the overall book was amazing.

Yes, Cordelia is literally the Clary we deserved! Personally, I can relate more to Emma Carstairs (not purely due to the fact that we share a first name), but Cordelia was instantly likeable and I didn't have an issue with her character throughout CoG. She was undoubtedly one of the most consistent characters, unlike James, unfortunately.

I wonder if CC is at a point in her career/writing process now that, after three successful Shadowhunter series, she feels obligated to include the previous characters that we know and love in her newer works. A lot of the time I felt distracted from the core plot of CoG due to the fact that we were being reintroduced to the Merry Thieves' parents (TID cast), Jem, Magnus, Malcolm, Hypatia, etc. Not saying this is necessarily a bad thing as I am sure readers will have their own individual opinions on this.

I agree with everyone! James is definitely not Will but you know, a soft spot for him. Cordelia is my favourite character and it just feels that Cassie tried too hard to make Lucie into, well, something that just doesn't fit her. I found her a little dull, to be honest. The necromancy thing has been already attempted by Ty and Kit, but I'm interested to see how Lucie succeeds in her attempts.

And I just don't know why, but that scene where Cordelia mentions that her mother loves gentlemen who drink tea or something akin to that and then James replies by shouting that he LOVES tea is just stuck in my head despite me not having read COG since march when it was released. It's just my favourite scene I guess. :)

I’m pretty sure Grace has siren-like abilities, which is why she could ‘possess/trick’ Matthew Fairchild into kissing her. The silver bracelet which was given to James by Grace definitely has an enchantment which seems to have made him ‘in love’ with Grace. It sorta suppresses his emotions and true feelings, especially towards Cordelia, to the extent where he seems disconnected around even his friends. When he wasn’t wearing the bracelet, he started to sorta gain his true self back, but he was still conflicted over the fact that it isn’t possible to love two people at once, or give up on live so easily, so he thinks that he loves Grace, when he really loves Cordelia. This was also when he kissed Cordelia, because he was starting to become more intact with his emotions. Buuut then it all goes to hell cause he puts back on the bracelet and returns to his usual self. And now I AM LITERALLY DYING BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT HE LOVE CORDELIA BUT HE DOWSNT KNOW IT HIMSELF.

Now, onto the second theory. According to the family tree, Grace marries Christopher. Which seems completely out of the ordinary. Now, one, this could either be a false marriage, as Cassandra Clare said the family tree was not entirely accurate. Or, two, it appears that Grace is not as she seems. So we know her as the girl who is messing up James' love life and pretty much that shy girl next door. But what if she is actually a really nice person, but so because she feels the need to please her mother, who, by the way, sucks, and compete with the favouritism over Jesse, who is dead (WE LOVE YOUUUU!). She’s adopted, so it makes sense that she would be the second favourite of Tatiana, and is most likely vying for her attention. So she pretty much listens to anything that asks of her, including overstepping what she thinks is right and messing with James to make him fall in love with her.

And, thirdly, as the family tree says that Jesse and Lucie marry, it is most likely that Tatiana and Belial succeed in bringing him back to life, or he comes back in another way (but the former is more likely).

Btw, these are probably not all correct, but it’s just what I THINK will happen, but, of course, we don’t actually know. Chances are there'll be a massive plot twist and everything will go to hell but ITS ALL GOOD *me trying to make myself feel better* :)))

I agree. it hurts that he doesn't even know who he really loves. in fact I agree to almost everything. all the theories :)

I like this book and characters at least as much as the others. I like the different time periods but I usually read in chronological order. Cordelia and James are my favorite characters so far, Cordelia especially reminds me of a mix between Emma and Clary. Simon is the greatest Shadowhunter character all time tho

So much love for Cordelia! I've wondered as I've read this book, if everyone else likes her. I do not. I can't say I dislike her, but she doesn't interest me. Sometimes she says something witty and I enjoy that, but otherwise I'm tired of her. I don't love Lucie, either, but I like her more than Cordelia. Jesse, Thomas, and Alastair are probably my favorites from this book. I loved Matthew in the beginning of the book, but my love for him has waned a bit as I try to figure him out. I want all of the characters to end up happy, but am not certain if I prefer Cordelia with James or with Matthew. I'm kind of exasperated with the characters that none of them question the bracelet, especially now that he's engaged to Cordelia, hello, someone suggest he take it off?
I look forward to seeing how the lives and relationships of these characters play out when the next installment is released. I hope to like Cordelia and Lucie more going forward, if they're to continue playing such central roles to the story.

Jessica wrote: "So much love for Cordelia! I've wondered as I've read this book, if everyone else likes her. I do not. I can't say I dislike her, but she doesn't interest me. Sometimes she says something witty and..."

I understand your hesitation with Cordelia and my issue is that I became so used to Emma being the one that had Cortana (in the DA books) and it basically being an extension of her, that someone else having it is weird, even though Cordelia is her ancestor.

Janet wrote: "I understand your hesitation with Cordelia and my issue is that I became so used to Emma being the one that had Cortana..."

I liked Cordelia fine in the beginning, and I want good things for her, but she became less pleasing to me as the story went along. She started annoying me. I also feel weird about her with Cortana even though I haven't even read the books with Emma! Maybe I needed an origin story for Cordelia and Cortana, to have them grow on me before being thrust into this story where they're just already together. There was a brief snippet from Cortana choosing her, but it wasn't enough to satisfy my need to see her connection with the sword. Overall though, I'd prefer to have less Cordelia in the story but I'm sure she'll be a strong central character for the series.

I personally really liked Cordelia! However I never trust a character from the first book alone, there’s still a lot of room to develop or break my heart. I will say I was surprised by the James/Matthew love triangle because it seemed they were setting it up for a Matthew/Jesse with Lucie situation. I felt that Matthew and Lucie’ relationship was mentioned and built upon more than his and Cordelias. Maybe we have a wild love interest square thing happening?

Em wrote: "I was surprised by the James/Matthew love triangle because it seemed they were setting it up for a Matthew/Jesse with Lucie situation..."

Yeah, I'm not certain what's going on with any of them. Matthew didn't express much interest in either Lucie or Cordelia, I don't think. James plainly says that Matthew has feelings for Lucie and she doesn't return his feelings, but there was only one scene in which Matthew's behavior alluded to this; it didn't seem very convincing of any strong feelings, to me. His actions seem pretty vague, with hints of interest in each girl, but without solid proof. Until the end of the book when he was watching Cordelia with James in one scene, then I felt there was more of a solid interest there. I'm still not convinced, though, in either direction. I need more Matthew, I will say that.

In regards to favorite characters, this was one of the first times I could wholeheartedly relate to one of Clare’s characters! I know it’s fairly childish and I’m sure many others relate to Lucie Herondale as well, but reading the scenes that included her made me feel extremely giddy and oftentimes gave me secondhand embarrassment (because her and I share an extremely similar personality). 😂

I really wish the scenes between her and Jesse would’ve continued further! They literally kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

I agree with many of the comments expressing that there was a large opportunity missed with Matthew’s crush on Lucie. It felt very much like misguided love (or puppy love), cause it just wasn’t very bold or obvious. 🤷‍♀️

Ok
Chain of Gold
AKA Life Taker

I mean Seriously? I was broken. I just don't know how it would feel like when people said they were BROKEN. Like pieces? Are they dead? Maybe?
But now....WOAH. I know it now. It's vague. James....oh my god that brat. I mean, I like the guy at the same time. But he's wierd. How can he not understand Cordelia? And then I knew about the bracelet. Grace. She's a.......I don't know. I don't wanna swear here but the word GRACE makes me swear. Matt. He's SUPER cool. But I don't know what's bothering him. Something related to Daisy I guess. And Daisy....Oh she's SUCH a powerful character. She deserves more. And the family tree tells Christopher ends up with that filth Grace. I mean COME ON guys!!!! And Tom...I don't know what to say about him. I just feel sorry for him. I also loved Tessa and Will as adults (they were super cool but I always imagined them as new couples kind)Tatiana.... Shit that lady out. I hate her SO much. I always suspected that she's up to something. I knew it from TID. And Godly hells was I right. Belial? No words, thank you.

If you haven't read this book yet. I'm sorry but you're totally missing a SUPER AMAZING part of your life

I keep thinking about Chain of Gold even though I read it when it first came out, back in March. I've listened to the audiobook since then but it left me with the same feelings as when I actually read it, unfortunately.

I think that these are some of the main reasons why CoG let me down a little:

1) Characters
- James Herondale: More Tessa than Will. Which is fine. Except it's not, because I'm Herondale trash. I love reading CC's Herondale characters so much it's probably my favourite thing about her books. Will is what turned me into a true die-hard CC fan, so imagine my disappointment when James is hardly anything like his father. Jace is much more similar to Will in my opinion, even though there's a good four/five generations between them.
- Lucie Herondale: Seriously lacking in personality. There's no way this girl is Tessa and Will's child, I'm sorry. I never skim-read or skip a single word of a CC book; every page is precious to me. But my God, did Lucie's PoV chapters tempt me to read ahead! I just didn't give a damn about her relationship with Jesse, which is literally the only plot she had apart from her conveniently ignored ghost communicating gift. Also, love that she and James are BOTH Belial's grandchildren and she is just completely disregarded. I mean obviously this is strategic and intentional of CC (at least, it better be or wtf), but still it was just too glaringly obvious that I was constantly like erm, what about Lucie guys?
- Matthew Fairchild: Should have been Will and Tessa's child to be honest, he could've done with switching personalities with James. He even has the same trope as Will did in TID, which is just a cop out of CC's in my opinion. I really liked him but he isn't unique in any way. He is so Herondale that I just do not believe for a second that he is Charlotte & Henry's son and Charles' brother. Hell naw.
- Grace Blackthorn: P*ssed me off to no end. She made me so angry (which I suppose is at least the sign of a good villain) that I honestly don't know how I'm going to warm to her when she is inevitably forgiven and de-villainized at the end of TLH series. Her character made CoG a less enjoyable read for me as usually CC's books make me laugh and cry, regardless of the antagonist(s), not angry and frustrated, which is exactly how Grace left me.
- Christopher Lightwood: literally Henry without the wheelchair and ginger hair. Tell me I'm wrong, I dare you. He's so non-existent in CoG that I honestly don't think the plot would be much different if he wasn't in it. Which is such a shame, as I was determined to like his character. Another copy and paste on CC's part. Not impressed. I seriously think the same could be said for Thomas, too, if not for his romantic subplot with Alastair.
- Charles Fairchild: seriously? A child of Henry and Charlotte's turns out to be a (somewhat) villain? Zero believability there.

2) Plot
- What actually happened? Usually you can see the major plot points in CC's writing so clearly - there's a concise plot arc and chain of events. That did not happen for me in CoG. On reflection, even though I've technically read it twice now, I still can't remember half the stuff that happened. It just wasn't major in my opinion. The first book in a series/trilogy is normally action-packed to set up readers for the rest of the series/trilogy. And even with the plot points that I do remember, I'm struggling to recall the chronology.
- The romantic subplot(s) are all over the place. This might be a somewhat controversial opinion but as a general rule I quite like complex romance in a novel where there are multiple potential love interests. But I feel like in CoG a lot of the relationships were so unnecessary and downright confusing. Why on earth did Matthew go from liking Lucy to Cordelia? When did that happen!? I can't fathom why CC chose to do this as it's obvious that Cordelia is going to end up with James, with whom she is much more compatible. All I can think is that CC wanted to mirror the Tessa/Will/Jem love triangle from TID (and arguably Cristina/Mark/Kieran from TDA and Clary/Jace/Simon from TMI), which is honestly a bit disappointing. Also, I love how everyone has at least one established love interest except Christopher, even though he apparently is going to end up with Grace (speculation/unconfirmed). WTF!? There's just too much going on and it makes a lot of the relationships unrealistic in my opinion.

Just want to make it clear again that I am an absolute CC stan and love all of her books (CoG included), which is why this has preoccupied me since reading.

Emma wrote: "I keep thinking about Chain of Gold even though I read it when it first came out, back in March. I've listened to the audiobook since then but it left me with the same feelings as when I actually r..."

On some of your points I feel the same, and on other points I feel differently than you. But despite any difference of view, I wholeheartedly appreciate your lengthy and involved comment!
You didn't touch on Anna at all; do you have any thoughts on her?
I'd point out that I don't know many people in real life (if any at all) who actually take after their parents in any meaningful way, so to me it's realistic and plausible where the characters don't have the same qualities as their parents. That's one point we disagree on.
I do remember the plot for the most part, although there were a lot of things going on in it, for sure. I'm looking forward to the next two books to wrap up these characters' stories. I wish that Cordelia wasn't so prevalent in CoG, and hope to have less of her in the following books, but I don't suppose that will happen. She annoys me almost as much as Grace angers me.

Something that I'm confused about is when Matthew explains the flower (green carnation, I think?) that he's wearing, he said something about it representing one's right to love whoever they love, or whatever; indicating possible bisexuality? But he never in this book or in the short story that's centered around him indicates any feelings for men. So maybe it's in support of his brother, if he secretly knows Charles' secret? Not really sure what the point was of that flower or explanation, as it didn't really seem to tie into anything else that we know for certain about Matthew.

Jessica wrote: "Something that I'm confused about is when Matthew explains the flower (green carnation, I think?) that he's wearing, he said something about it representing one's right to love whoever they love, o..."

A difference of opinion is a wonderful thing - makes for a more interesting and productive conversation! It's funny that you realised I didn't touch on Anna at all because this occurred to me as well after I posted my comment. In short, I really liked Anna's character but I also wanted more from her! I think that she definitely performed as expected and fit nicely in with the overarching plot... she just didn't stand out for me as much as I expected her to. Wow, I feel like I'm being so critical of this book, but I honestly still loved it! I promise!

You make a very good point in stating that not many people reflect the same quality of their parents, and I'd be inclined to agree with you. Perhaps it was poor wording on my part, but I think the point that I was trying to make here was that it seemed like many of the main characters were extremely similar to TID characters, but not those that they were related to. If all of the characters were completely different to their parents then fair enough, but it almost felt like CC did a sort of shuffle around of personalities rather than creating completely new ones from scratch, as I feel she did with TID following TMI, and TDA following TID... I'm still not sure I've expressed myself here very clearly, I must admit.

Why do you wish that Cordelia wasn't so prevalent? I have to say, I think she was my favourite character! What was it about her that annoyed you in particular?

Regarding Matthew's sexuality, I think I saw CC comment somewhere (may have been in an interview or on her tumblr) that Matthew is openly bisexual and has had previous male partners. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm sure this was alluded to once in CoG. I don't think he knows about Charles' sexuality, I'd honestly be surprised to find out that he did.

Emma wrote: "Why do you wish that Cordelia wasn't so prevalent? I have to say, I think she was my favourite character! What was it about her that annoyed you in particular? "

So many people love Cordelia, I know. I felt, for one thing, that her insistence to talk to Jem in the middle of all that was going on was misplaced and selfish. I understood that she had pressing issues to deal with, but I felt it was really inappropriate timing every time she talked to him. Then, while I understand the importance of her being there with James when he went to the shadow realm or whatever, I didn't like that she'd insisted on accompanying James and Matthew to the cemetery in the first place. It turned out to be good she had, but when she wanted to tag along and they just let her, I thought it ridiculous; she really had no useful purpose in doing so, that they would have known of at the time. I guess overall it felt to me like she was getting away with imposing her own needs into situations with far more important and urgent matters to deal with. In addition to that overall feeling, I just plain didn't like her personality. I can't remember exact examples, just that I was rolling my eyes and annoyed with her repeatedly. I felt the same about Lucie in many parts, I remember, which I think was because she was bossy and rude. Maybe I felt the same about Cordelia, but I can't remember. I did absolutely love that Cordelia did the dance at that party and everyone was in awe, I was glad for her when she and James hooked up and then when they had to become engaged, and I was impressed by her announcement that she'd been alone with James all night in order to protect him. Just, mostly, I felt like she wasn't someone I'd want to be around, and I didn't want to be reading about her or have her around so much in the story.

Emma wrote: "A difference of opinion is a wonderful thing - makes for a more interesting and productive conversation! "
YES. It's good to be able to view things from other perspectives and perceptions.

Emma wrote: "Matthew is openly bisexual and has had previous male partners. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm sure this was alluded to once in CoG "
Maybe it was there and I just forgot it! I didn't notice any mention of it other than that one scene, but could very well be wrong.

Emma wrote: "I think the point that I was trying to make here was that it seemed like many of the main characters were extremely similar to TID characters, but not those that they were related to. If all of the characters were completely different to their parents then fair enough, but it almost felt like CC did a sort of shuffle around of personalities "
Makes sense. : o)

Emma wrote: "I feel like I'm being so critical of this book, but I honestly still loved it!"
You can definitely dislike certain aspects of a story but still love it overall. : o) I didn't love this book by any measure; I simply liked it. Even the books that I do love, though, have parts that I wish I could change.