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Best Victorian-Era Fantasy Romance Books to Start With — The Infernal Devices (My First Beloved Trilogy)
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items Some stories stay with you long after you close the last page — The Infernal Devices is one of those rare ones for me. I first read this Victorian-era fantasy romance years ago, and even now, after becoming a mom and growing through so many different...
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Sections
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Why This Trilogy Stays in My Heart
Who Will Love This Trilogy?
What to Read Next: The Last Hours Trilogy
The Dark Artifices — Love, Shadowhunters, and Forbidden Magic
The Mortal Instruments – The Epic Culmination
The Best Companion Reads: Better in Black
Why This Trilogy Stays in My Heart
This is more than a fantasy story—it’s a deeply emotional experience wrapped in Victorian charm. The characters feel human, the friendships feel timeless, and the romance is written with the kind of tenderness that lingers. The foggy London setting, ...
If you’ve never read The Infernal Devices, this is your sign to start.
It’s nostalgic, haunting, and full of heart — a story that connects fantasy with timeless human emotion. For me, it’s more than a trilogy; it’s the beginning of my lifelong love f...
The Infernal Devices Series by Cassandra Clare
Who Will Love This Trilogy?
You’ll love The Infernal Devices if you enjoy:
• Victorian England vibes
Foggy London streets, carriages, gothic buildings, old libraries — pure atmosphere.
• Soft, emotional romance
Not overly spicy, not flat — just beautifully heartfelt.
• A lov...
The emotional beginning — London, secrets, and slow-burn bonds.
This first book pulls you into Victorian London through a misty, mysterious atmosphere. The steampunk elements add a unique texture, while the characters immediately feel layered and re...
Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices Series #1)
The book where everything becomes more intimate, painful, and beautiful.
This is the emotional core of the series. Relationships deepen, tensions rise, and the love triangle becomes genuinely moving instead of dramatic. The character growth is breat...
Clockwork Prince (Infernal Devices Series #2)
A breathtaking, heart-shattering, beautifully written finale.
This final book is emotional in the best way — full of sacrifice, friendship, loyalty, love, and closure that feels both heartbreaking and healing. The ending is famously one of Cassandra...
Clockwork Princess (Infernal Devices Series #3)
What to Read Next: The Last Hours Trilogy
If you’ve just turned the last page of Clockwork Princess and feel that bittersweet ache — you’re not alone. The story may end, but the world of the Shadowhunters doesn’t. Here’s where you can go next if you’re still craving that mix of love, destiny...
✨Chain of Gold, Chain of Iron, Chain of Thorns
A direct continuation featuring the children of TID characters. Set in Edwardian London with soft romance, friendship dynamics, aesthetic vibes, and emotional storytelling. Feels like coming home to fam...
The Last Hours Trilogy — Legacy, Secrets, and Love Rewritten
“Sometimes the most dangerous thing a person can do is love.”
When Cordelia Carstairs moves to London, she dreams of heroism — not forbidden love. But soon she’s caught between James Herondale, who hides a dark curse, and a city haunted by demons un...
Chain of Gold (Last Hours Series #1)
“Lies have a way of catching fire.”
James and Cordelia’s fragile marriage is surrounded by mystery, deception, and danger. Every page burns with tension — between lovers, friends, and fate itself.
📚Why I recommend it:
Because Cassandra Clare write...
Chain of Iron (Last Hours Series #2)
“Some endings are just beginnings disguised as heartbreak.”
The grand finale where everything comes full circle. London trembles under new threats, love and loyalty are tested, and every character must face the ghosts of their past.
📚Why I recomme...
Chain of Thorns (The Last Hours Series #3)
The Dark Artifices — Love, Shadowhunters, and Forbidden Magic
I also recommend you to dive into The Dark Artifices trilogy by Cassandra Clare — a powerful fantasy about forbidden love, family bonds, and the cost of secrets in a world of shadowhunters. The trilogy that deepens the obsession.
After falling in lo...
The first book in the trilogy immediately grips you with its haunting beauty. Emma and Julian’s forbidden love as parabatai — bound by duty yet drawn by fate — makes this story electric.
The world-building is even richer here, and Clare’s prose feel...
Lady Midnight (Dark Artifices Series #1)
The second book deepens everything — the characters, the politics, and the heartbreak.
Clare takes risks here, exploring grief and loyalty with brutal honesty.
It’s a story that hurts and heals at the same time, reminding us that love always demands ...
Lord of Shadows (Dark Artifices Series #2)
The finale is breathtaking in scale — emotional, political, and deeply human.
It’s a story about war and family, but also about forgiveness — and what it costs to hold on to hope.
I remember finishing this book with tears in my eyes; it’s both devas...
Queen of Air and Darkness (Dark Artifices Series #3)
The Mortal Instruments – The Epic Culmination
New to the Shadowhunter universe? Here’s the easiest way to jump in and get hooked:
1️⃣ The Infernal Devices – Start with Victorian fantasy and clockwork magic. Meet Tessa, Will, and Jem, and fall in love with the origins of the Shadowhunter world.
...
The story introduces Clary Fray, an ordinary teen who discovers she is part of a hidden world of Shadowhunters—humans trained to fight demons. She’s thrust into danger, discovers family secrets, and meets key characters like Jace, Isabelle, and Alec....
City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments Series #1) – The beginning of the modern Shadowhunter world
Clary and her friends face deeper threats, from demons to betrayal within the Shadowhunter world itself. Secrets are revealed, loyalties tested, and relationships are strained. This book is about facing consequences and learning that in this magical ...
City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments Series #2) – The stakes get higher
The major conflicts come to a head. Clary confronts her past and the secrets of her family. Battles, heartbreak, and revelations make this a thrilling and emotional conclusion to the first part of the series.
📚Why I recommend it: The payoff is wort...
City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments Series #3) – The epic climax of the first arc
The adventure picks up with new threats and returning dangers. Characters deal with grief, revenge, and temptation. Romantic relationships become more complex, and the shadow of the past continues to loom.
📚Why I recommend it: You’ll want to contin...
City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments Series #4)– The story continues with darker twists
This book focuses on obsession, sacrifice, and difficult choices. Friends are forced to make impossible decisions, alliances shift, and the battle against evil grows more intense. It’s the most emotionally charged installment yet.
📚Why I recommend ...
City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments Series #5)– Love and loyalty under extreme pressure
All storylines converge for the ultimate showdown. Characters face their destinies, make sacrifices, and confront enemies both external and internal. It’s the emotional and action-packed conclusion to the full modern Shadowhunter saga, delivering clo...
City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments Series #6)– The grand finale
The Best Companion Reads: Better in Black
For Those Who Never Truly Left the Shadow World
If you still think about Will Herondale’s blue-eyed sarcasm or the way Jem Carstairs makes pain sound like poetry… welcome home.
This section is for every reader who isn’t done loving these characters ...
✨ Mood: reunion, love stories across time, nostalgia, Shadowhunter heartbeats
💬 Quote vibe: “Ten couples. United by love. Divided by danger.”
Ten stories. Ten couples. One world full of second chances, whispered promises, and magic that never fades...
Better in Black: Ten Stories of Shadowhunter Romance (B&N Exclusive Edition)|Signed Exclusive
✨ Mood: shadowy secrets, hidden magic, nostalgia, reunion + danger
💬 Quote vibe: “Every page turned is a rune drawn in the night.”
Why this world deserves a spot:
This anthology gathers short stories and unseen moments from across the Shadowhunter ...
Ghosts of the Shadow Market
✨ Mood: immortal wanderings, magical history, witty charm, hidden truths
💬 Quote vibe: “Stories never die — and neither do the shadows they walk.”
Why this world deserves a spot:
This collection dives into the life and times of one of the most belo...
The Bane Chronicles
✨ Mood: lore-rich, magical handbook, insider knowledge, world-building deep dive
💬 Quote vibe: “Every rune, every rule, every secret — now in your hands.”
Why this book deserves a spot:
Unlike the narrative novels, this one is the ultimate companio...
The Shadowhunter's Codex