Newsletter Recap: a ‘Chain of Thorns’ snippet, a snippet from ‘Sword Catcher’, art and more

Happy Monday! Cassandra Clare sent a new issue of her monthly newsletter yesterday and today I’m sharing the most important information with you. There are snippets, art for a special holiday and a gift guide for the Shadowhunters fan(s) in your life.

I know I usually start with the snippets, but let’s change things up a little bit this time – here is some gorgeous Simon and Isabelle art!

I am seriously so happy to see some Sizzy art. I love these two and all the details in the background are pretty amazing. ❤ And happy Hanukkah to Cassie and our followers who celebrate this holiday!

Let’s move on to the snippets now, the first one is from Chain of Thorns, out in less than a year now (November 1, 2022)!

Thomas nodded, not really paying attention. It wasn’t his fault, entirely. He knew that Christopher was simply working through his own thought processes aloud, and Thomas wasn’t really expected to follow along. More just produce the occasional encouraging “Oh, indeed.”

From upstairs, the doorbell chimed. Christopher, interrupted in the midst of explaining the science behind fire-messages, put down his stele, muttered about the interruption, and went upstairs to answer the door.

It wasn’t Thomas’s intention to eavesdrop. But when Christopher’s voice drifted down to him, and he heard, “Oh, hullo, Alastair, you must be here to see Charles. I think he’s upstairs in his study,” he found he could focus on nothing else.

I wonder whether Alastair really dropped by to see Charles. 😉

The other snippet is from Sword Catcher; Cassie is currently working “on wrapping up the first draft of Sword Catcher (at 270,000 words this is no simple feat)”:

The Crown Prince was dressed in steel-blue, just like Kel, with white lace at the cuffs of his jacket. He was not wearing a crown, not even a thin gold band, but Kel would have known him for a prince regardless. He was slim and tall for his age, and there was a sort of bright flame behind his eyes and the laughing expression on his face. Though he and Kel were the same ten years old, he seemed far more adult. He said,

“How was it, then? Being me?”

An ache had bloomed like a flower behind Kel’s ribcage. I want to be like him, Kel thought. I want to walk through the world as if it will reshape itself around my dreams and desires. I want to seem as if I could touch the stars with light fingers and pull them down to be my playthings.

It was strange to want something you had never known you wanted.

I really like young Kel and look forward to meeting both versions of him in April 2023!

There’s more bookish news from Cassie:

We should be revealing the cover of Chain of Thorns in the early part of next year, and the cover of Sword Catcher a bit later. I have seen both and they are both gorgeous and wildly different from each other. Looking forward to you seeing them!

Oh, I cannot wait to see the covers – any guesses who could be on the Chain of Thorns cover?

Are you still looking for some gifts for the holiday season? Look no further, Cassie compiled a list with awesome Shadowhunters goodies:

• LitJoyCrate has a whole SHADOWHUNTERS Collection! Check out all the goodies here.
• Tell your fortunes on New Year’s Eve with Cassandra Jean designed tarot cards!
• Hebel Designs as always has wonderful Shadowhunter inspired jewelry, including Cordelia’s Globe necklace!
• And the very last few Fairy Tale Books are still in stock.
• You can order signed and personalized copies of my books directly from my local indie bookshop, Book Moon – just leave a note when you order!
• Remember, Bookstore gift certificates help out small businesses and they always are just the right size. You can get one from your local store or at Bookshop.org.

I already own a lot of Shadowhunters merch that’s currently sold – jewellery from Hebel Design, items from LitJoyCrate’s Cassandra Clare Collection, and a Magnus plushie from Topatoco – everything is great so I highly recommend these shops.

That’s all for now. Don’t forget to check the Secrets of Blackthorn Hall tumblr later today for the next installment.
Have a lovely holiday season and stay safe! ❤