Saint of Steel
romantic fantasy
Series · fantasy
The Last Hours
The Last Hours series by Cassandra Clare has 4 known books (4 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Chain of Gold (2020). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is A Sea Change. The next announced book, The Last King of Faerie, is due 3 November 2026.
- Books
- 4 known books (3 novels + 1 novella)
- Published
- 4
- First published
- 2020
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Fantasy
- Last checked
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
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.
If you like The Last Hours
Reading order last verified .