Blurb from Goodreads:
Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.
Tessa Gray should be happy - aren't all brides happy?
Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute.
A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa's heart, will do anything to save her.
Title: Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publication Date:
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
The Cover Contessa's Review:
That was.....*sighs* I really have no words to describe it. My mind must settle. This series is a MASTERPIECE!
I have sat for almost two weeks trying to find the words to do this book justice and they still do not come to mind. So, I will trudge on with my review of this most awesome book as I don't think my mind will get any more clear in the future.
To say Clare is a genius is probably undermining her. To say that her writing is beyond anything I have ever read is still not enough. And to say that she took a book I thought could not possibly have a happy ending and turned it into something so different and magical, is an understatement. I don't know if any other author could have pulled it off, could have satisfied those who were rooting for one side of the other: Will or Jem? Since I have always been team Will, I will say that I had my heart set on having him win the girl and be happy. But at the same time, my heart ached for Jem and all he had been through.
If you have not read book 2, you should stop here and come back when you've read the entire series. I cannot promise there will not be spoilers in this review because I just don't think I can write it without going into how I feel about certain situations. So with that, let me caution you that you will be unhappy if you read further!
From the first time I picked up Clockwork Angel I was hooked by this series. That's not to say I wasn't also hooked by The Mortal Instruments, but this one rang so much more true to me.
The characters in this series are flawless. They are passionate and dedicated. They love, they have loss, they cry, they fight. The books bring about such emotion it was hard to tell if I was coming or going, or both! This, however, was not a bad thing. I don't think any other series that I have read has really touched me this much or this deeply,
Tessa continues to be a strong independent woman who is just not able to tear herself from one man or the other: Jem or Will. And, while she is betrothed to Jem, she is constantly fighting the need to be near Will. Funny thing about the heart, it knows what it wants. For me, Jem and Will were the two sides of a coin. You could not really have one without the other. Jem brought his music and passion for love and understanding. Will brought his humor and his willingness to fight and protect. It was like these two men made up the one being that Tessa could love the most. So, it was understandable that she had a hard time deciding. At the same time, I just never felt the connection she had with Jem. I am not sure why. I never understood her willingness to marry him when she knew he would die. BUT I think that is what made her love for him so special. It transcended death. And I just didn't feel the pull towards Jem that she had for Will. She purposefully pushed herself away from Will, despite him laying his heart out for her to see, because she just could not make a decision on who to love. As much as I loved Tessa, I loathed her for hurting Will in this way.
And Will, oh my poor poor Will. Such a stoic creature. One who took whatever was shoved upon him. One so willing to sacrifice himself for his parabati that he would give up his one true love so Jem could be happy. That is sacrifice and devotion at it's highest level.
Yet in the end, both men did get what they wanted, and Clare made that possible with her epilogue. Now, while I was happy to see a HEA for all the characters, I did feel that the epilogue kind of pushed aside the love Tessa had for Will. I know, it was 80 years and she had mourned his loss, for he was mortal after all. But I still felt like her immediate reaction to Jem after all those years was a sort of betrayal to Will's memory.
So, I am torn as to how I feel about the ending. I am happy, but
And, as with her other books, this one is filled with action and suspense that keeps you on your toes throughout. I was never really sure of what would happen. I was surprised to see certain characters perish. But in the long run, I just kept wanting to turn the pages and get down to the bottom of the love triangle. So I pushed forward to see where Tessa's story would take me, and I was in no way unhappy with doing so. I had no idea what Clare would do, nor did I suspect what she could possibly have had in store for me. No wonder her followers are so loyal.
And to say that Clare knows how to write is an understatement. To write an entire series in third person the way she does, without slipping up, without changing direction. Truly amazing to read and watch it unfold. I really felt like I was inside each and every character's thoughts. I felt I went through the process, felt their pain and agony, their joy and understanding. To be the omniscient one was amazing, but frustrating at the same time. Since I always knew what was happening inside each of their heads, but they never saw it for themselves, I was often frustrated. But it wasn't in a bad way, it was just in a way that screamed "Hello? Can't you see what is going on around you? How can you be so blind?"
So, this book is a great ending to a great series. One that I am very sad to see end. But one that I know I will actually pick up and read again in the future (and I NEVER re-read books). This book had me laughing, crying, and clutching at my chest in surprise and with suspense. I didn't want it to end, but I knew it had to. And in the end, I am left very satisfied and humbled by a writer who truly has a passion for entertaining her readers. A writer who is able to make you feel so attached to the characters, you can't help but not want to let them go.
Well played, Ms. Clare, well played, indeed. So, it is here that we say goodbye to sweet Will Herondale, oh my sweet Will, I will never forget you. And it is here that I sit wondering why it is I have yet to pick up CoFA and finish what I started with TMI.
5/5 stars
"Cassandra Clare was born overseas and spent her early years traveling around the world with her family and several trunks of fantasy books. Cassandra worked for several years as an entertainment journalist for the Hollywood Reporter before turning her attention to fiction. She is the author of City of Bones, the first book in the Mortal Instruments trilogy and a New York Times bestseller. Cassandra lives with her fiance and their two cats in Massachusetts."You can find me online at
www.cassandraclare.com
I have a blog:
http://cassandraclare.livejournal.com/
and a Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/Cassandraclare
and a Twitter:
www.twitter.com/cassieclare
Great review! And, speaking as someone who read it, not easy to write. Oh, the feels!
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