Review: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Prince 

Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Infernal Devices, Book Two
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Format: Hardcover, 528 pages
Release Date: December 6, 2011
Source: Mid-Columbia Libraries
 

Synopsis: 
 
Tessa has finally found safety with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. But when members of the Clave begin to try and overthrow Charlotte, head of the Institute, Tessa fears that the protection will be short-lived. For if Charlotte is overthrown, Tessa will be out on the streets, easy prey for the Magister to get his hands on. In order for Charlotte to remain head of the Institute, they must discover where the mysterious Magister is and what his plans are.

Tessa, Will, and Jem set off on a journey to discover the truth. They find out that the Magister’s hate for Shadowhunters is deeply personal, a result of a horrible tragedy he suffered early in his life. In an attempt to unravel his past, the three friends journey to Yorkshire, the slums of London, and an enchanted ballroom where Tessa learns that the truth of her parents may be darker than she thought. When a clockwork demon appears with a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister knows their every move and that someone has betrayed them. Can they find the Magister in time to save Charlotte’s position? And can Tessa sort through her confusing feelings for Will and Jem?

My Review: 
 
I had kind of a hard time getting into this book. It’s not that I don’t like the Infernal Devices series so far, I do. It’s just that I think the Mortal Instruments is a better story. Since the two series focus on the same premise, I feel myself comparing them and so far, the Infernal Devices just can’t stand up to the Mortal Instruments. This book, as with the first one, seemed slow to me. There was not as much action as I wanted there to be and the story seemed to drag at certain points. That being said, there were also a lot of good things going on.

The love triangle is certainly intriguing, if not a bit cliché. This particular love triangle is impossibly hard for me to deal with though. I love Jem. He is kind-hearted, caring, and a perfect gentleman. He has a gentleness to him that you can’t help falling in love with and I certainly don’t want to see him get hurt. Then we have Will who is your typical tall, dark and handsome hero. He is cross and has severe mood swings, but Clare allows us to see the real Will in this book and that made choosing one of them so much harder. I hate this. I want Tessa to be with both of them. No, I take that back. I personally want Tessa to be with Will, but I want Jem to find a girl that he is madly in love with first so they can all be happy. Why can’t that happen?

I hate, no love, no hate, no love. Love, it’s definitely love. Sorry. I love how good Cassandra Clare is at foreshadowing. She drops all these little clues like breadcrumbs along the way for her readers, but you can’t figure out what any of them mean. Then, when the twist comes, you’re like “Oh! That’s why that happened! Why didn’t I figure that out? It was so obvious.” *Smacks self in face* I have never once figured out a twist in any of her books and it makes me so frustrated (I feel like I’m losing my touch), but also so happy. I love that she can trick me and probably most of her readers. Anyways, what I meant to tell you before I got distracted is that there are lots and lots of twists in this book. There are also several clues that are not resolved, making me itch to start reading the next book, Clockwork Princess, right now.

Tessa gets to start basic training in this book so she can properly defend herself which made me really happy. She has gotten tougher if that’s even possible. She also behaves most unladylike in a few scenes which I was dying for. Remember how in my review of Clockwork Angel I said that the romance was a little slow? Not in this one, there are some very steamy scenes for readers’ enjoyment.

We also learn more about the Lightwood family in this book which was great. I still don’t see where the family changed. In the Mortal Instruments series, the Lightwoods are a wonderful family and in this book it is scandal after scandal. I suppose we will probably find out in the next book.

Overall, Clockwork Prince was a great read. Although it was a little slow at times, there was still a decent amount of action and plenty of romance to spice things up. There were many twists to catch you by surprise. Characters were developed more, making you fall more in love with them, and also tear your heart in two as if you were Tessa herself. There were so many unsolved clues that I am now dying to start the next and final book in the series, Clockwork Princess. Happy reading all! 

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