Title: Clockwork Princess
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Infernal Devices, #3
Publisher: Walker
Release Date: March 19th 2013
Rating:
Danger and betrayal, love and loss, secrets and enchantment are woven together in the breathtaking finale to the #1 New York Times bestselling Infernal Devices Trilogy, prequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series.
THE INFERNAL DEVICES WILL NEVER STOP COMING.
A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray.
Charlotte Branwell, head of the London Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. But when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever.
As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain’s clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?
Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.
– Blurb courtesy of goodreads.com
This review may contain spoilers for previous book(s) in the series.
My Thoughts On… …The Plot“THE INFERNAL DEVICES ARE WITHOUT PITY.
THE INFERNAL DEVICES ARE WITHOUT REGRET.
THE INFERNAL DEVICES ARE WITHOUT NUMBER.
THE INFERNAL DEVICES WILL NEVER STOP COMING.”
Despite keeping the London Institute in Charlotte Branwell’s care Tessa, Will and Jem are all too aware that Mortmain is still out there, and the fact that they haven’t heard anything from him or his automatons doesn’t mean he’s given up. Mortmain needs Tessa, she’s the key to the Shadowhunters destruction, and it isn’t long before he’s making his next move, launching an attack on the Institute and stealing Tessa away.
Where Clockwork Prince suffered from Second Book Syndrome, Clockwork Princess was an incredible finale. It’s not just the threat of Mortmain to deal with but threats from their fellow Shadowhunters; with the Consul looking for any evidence he can use to take the Institute away from Charlotte there are no safe choices to make for any of the characters.
“And to the devil with it if she is!” said the Consul. “One girl, who is not Nephilim, is not, cannot, be our priority.”
“She is my priority!” Will shouted.
With Tessa in danger and Jem out of the yin fen he needs to survive left to take Will is forced to choose between the woman he loves and his parabatai. The Consul is determined to ignore all warnings, and with Tessa travelling ever closer to Mortmain time is running out. For the first time since she was saved by Will Tessa is alone, and it’s up to her to stop Mortmain and save herself.
Reading a Clockwork Princess I can see why, more than I could with either of the previous books, why people love this series so much. This book made me laugh as Gabriel and Gideon ran the Consul in circles and cry as Jem grew weaker and weaker suffering from yin fen withdrawals, it broke my heart in so many places and had me on the edge of my seat as the Shadowhunters finally came face to face with Mortmain.
…The Characters“One does no question miracles, or complain that they are no constructed perfectly to one’s liking.”
Tessa has found somewhere she belongs with the Shadowhunters. She is nothing like the character we were first introduced to, stepping off the boat from America in Clockwork Angel, she knows what she is capable of and is willing to do what it takes. It’s clear, especially when compared to Tatiana Blackthorn, how far Tessa has come and how much she has embraced the Shadowhunters way of life, throwing herself into the fray and protecting the people she cares about with her life.
“If there is a life after this one,” he said, “let me meet you in it, James Carstairs.”
“There will be other lives.” Jem held his hand out, and for a moment, they clasped hands, as they had done during their parabatai ritual, reaching across twin rings of fire to interlace their fingers with each other. “The world is a wheel,” he said. “When we rise or fall, we do it together.”
Knowing he isn’t cursed changes Will, he seems more open, more willing to show care and concern for the people he’s come to love, and it’s something I saw most when Cecily looked at her brother. The parabatai bond between Will and Jem remains one of the best things about this series. Despite loving Tessa Will doesn’t pursue her when he knows Jem loves her, all he wants is for her to love Jem and make him happy and that’s enough. Will will bury his feelings if it means Jem can have the woman they both love.
Even in Clockwork Angel I knew Jem’s story would be heartbreaking, and I was proved right in Clockwork Princess. Jem has always known the yin fen he takes to survive would kill him one day, and he’s accepted that. He wanted to be strong for Tessa, wanted to marry her even if it was only for a short while, but later all he wants is to know Tessa and Will will be safe once he’s gone.
“And maybe you should stop pitying yourself,” he said. “Most people are lucky to have even one great love in their life. You have found two.”
Normally I hate love triangles, but I loved the one in The Infernal Devices series. Despite both loving the same woman Will and Jem love each other as well, and once Will knows of Jem’s feelings for Tessa he doesn’t try and persuade her to him, or try and change her mind. It’s a beautiful relationship that’s been written between the three of them, and I loved the way the love triangle was resolved in this book as well. It was a perfect ending for the three characters.
Now that I’ve finished Clockwork Princess I can say that I agree with everyone else who says The Infernal Devices is the best of Clare’s series. The plot was engaging and I enjoyed seeing the Shadowhunters London, but what I loved the most were the characters and the way their relationships with one another were developed. It’ll be a long time before I forget Tessa, Will and Jem.
What did you think of Clockwork Princess? Was it a favourite of yours or could you just not get into the story? Let me know.
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