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romantic fantasy
Series · fantasy
The Last Hours
The Last Hours series by Cassandra Clare has 4 known books (4 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with Chain of Gold (2020). A Sea Change is the latest book with a fully recorded publication date.
- Books
- 4 known books (3 novels + 1 novella)
- Published
- 4
- First published
- 2020
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Fantasy
Start here: Chain of Gold (2020)
— then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Chain of Gold
Chain of Gold, published 3 March 2020, opens Cassandra Clare's Last Hours trilogy at 656 pages, following Cordelia Carstairs to Edwardian London and a marriage of convenience to James Herondale, son of Will and Tessa from The Infernal Devices. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Chain of Gold - Book 2:
Chain of Iron
Chain of Iron followed almost exactly a year later, on 2 March 2021, slightly shorter at 592 pages, as the conspiracy around the demonic Lightwarden deepens. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Chain of Iron - Book 3:
Chain of Thorns
Chain of Thorns closed the trilogy on 31 January 2023, its longest volume by far at 752 pages, resolving the Lightwarden plot two years after the second book. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Chain of Thorns - Book 4:
A Sea Change
A Sea Change (28 April 2026, 112 pages, Titan Books) is a standalone follow-up novella set after the trilogy, not part of it: Matthew Fairchild, travelling aboard the ocean liner Majestic with his golden retriever Oscar Wilde, finds himself investigating a murder at sea. Optional reading, best saved until after Chain of Thorns. Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Sea Change
Key facts about The Last Hours series
Our list has 4 books in The Last Hours series. Since all 4 are out now, you can read the whole list today. 3 are novels, while the rest is a novella.
Start with Chain of Gold, since it opens the publication order in 2020. Chain of Iron is book 2, from 2021. Chain of Thorns is book 3, from 2023. A Sea Change is book 4, from 2026.
The list keeps the books in date order, while each title links to its own page. Each book page shows its dates and editions.
A Sea Change is the latest book with a full release date, out on 28 April 2026. Since the catalogue marks the series as complete, we list no next book.
The books came out between 2020 and 2026, while their length runs from 112 to 752 pages. That is a run of 6 years.
Cassandra Clare has 30 books on our list. Additionally, they write The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices and Shadowhunter Chronicles: Short Fiction Collections, plus 3 more series. We shelve the books under fantasy.
About The Last Hours
Set roughly a generation after The Infernal Devices, The Last Hours follows Cordelia Carstairs, the daughter of a disgraced Shadowhunter family, as she arrives in London hoping to restore her family's honor by joining a marriage of convenience to her childhood friend James Herondale -- son of Will and Tessa from The Infernal Devices. When a sinister figure called the Lightwarden begins turning ordinary weapons into instruments of a demonic plague, Cordelia, James, and their circle of friends (many of them children of Infernal Devices characters) are drawn into a conspiracy that threatens all of London's Shadowhunters.
Cassandra Clare returns to the Edwardian-era London of The Infernal Devices with a new generation of characters, letting longtime readers watch Will and Tessa's children navigate their own forbidden loves, family legacies, and demonic threats. The trilogy leans into the found-family warmth and tangled romantic entanglements that made Infernal Devices a fan favorite, while adding a mystery-driven central plot about the Lightwarden's true identity and motives.
Three novels tell one complete, continuous story, closing out the era of London Shadowhunters that Infernal Devices began.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in The Last Hours?
Three novels: Chain of Gold, Chain of Iron, and Chain of Thorns. A standalone follow-up novella, A Sea Change (2026), sits outside the trilogy.
What order should I read The Last Hours in?
Publication order: Chain of Gold, Chain of Iron, Chain of Thorns.
Do I need to read The Infernal Devices before The Last Hours?
Yes, strongly recommended. The Last Hours follows the children of Infernal Devices characters a generation later and spoils that trilogy's ending.
Is The Last Hours finished?
Yes, the trilogy concluded with Chain of Thorns in 2023.
What's next in the Shadowhunter Chronicles after The Last Hours?
The Wicked Powers, a new trilogy Cassandra Clare has confirmed as the sixth and final series in the Shadowhunter Chronicles. Its first book, The Last King of Faerie, is scheduled for November 2026.
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