The Last Hours Books in Order
The Last Hours is Cassandra Clare's Edwardian prequel trilogy - London, 1903, motorcars and corsets and demon-hunters - following Cordelia Carstairs and the children of her Infernal Devices heroes. Chain of Gold (2020) opens a new plague of demons that kills Shadowhunter children; the trilogy runs three bricks (each six hundred-plus pages) to Chain of Thorns (2023). It is the rare prequel that requires its predecessors - the emotional payload is watching what became of the characters readers met in the 2010-2013 trilogy, twenty years on. This page sequences the three, and places them inside the wider Shadowhunter reading order (2020–2023).
Where to start
Chain of Gold (2020), book one - but the honest entry point is The Infernal Devices first: this trilogy is built on its aftermath.
The complete list
Tick the boxes off as you read, or for the bookshelf.
| Year | Title | Series / type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Chain of Gold | #1 · Mar 3 2020 — start here (after Infernal Devices) | |
| 2021 | Chain of Iron | #2 · Mar 2 2021 | |
| 2023 | Chain of Thorns | #3 · Jan 31 2023 — the trilogy closes |
Does the reading order matter?
The trilogy, strict: Chain of Gold (March 3, 2020), Chain of Iron (March 2, 2021), Chain of Thorns (January 31, 2023) - complete, one continuous plot across three books with a full-cast cliffhanger between each. In the universe: The Last Hours sits third in publication order (Mortal Instruments, Infernal Devices, Dark Artifices, then this) and is best read after The Infernal Devices, whose characters' children carry these books. Chronologically it sits second in-world - after Infernal Devices (1878) and before Mortal Instruments (2007) - but the in-jokes, inheritances and one devastating lineage reveal only pay if you know both ends. Next in the universe: The Wicked Powers opens with The Last King of Faerie (November 3, 2026)
Which one is the best?
Chain of Gold (2020), the opener with the best ensemble; Chain of Thorns (2023), the landing; Cordelia herself, the trilogy's center.
Related guides
Readers finishing this shelf usually want the map next door: Cassandra Clare books in order, The Mortal Instruments books in order, Lunar Chronicles books in order. Every guide follows the same format — the shelf, the entry point, the honest answer about order.
Make it a project
Pick a session size and let the days accumulate — at the pace our reading speed test measures, most shelves above clear in a few weeks of half-hours. Every guide on the books in order shelf follows this same format, and when a book lands, its 8-question quiz is waiting on the original book quiz.
Frequently asked questions
What order should you read The Last Hours books in?
Chain of Gold → Iron (2021) → Thorns (2023), strict; read after Infernal Devices.
Where should I start with The Last Hours?
Infernal Devices first, then Chain of Gold (2020), #1 of 3.
How many The Last Hours books are there?
Three novels, complete (2020-2023) - a #1 New York Times bestselling opening in Chain of Gold - inside a Shadowhunter universe whose next era, The Wicked Powers, begins November 3, 2026. As of October 2026 this list is current.
What was The Last Hours's first book?
Chain of Gold (2020) — the first row of the list above.