Clockwork Prince (2) (The Infernal Devices)

As much as I enjoyed CLOCKWORK ANGEL, CLOCKWORK PRINCE is superior is almost every way. Everything is tighter, crisper, more dangerous, and the romance will warm your heart one moment and break it the next.

My minor complaints about the trio in this series being carbon copies of the trio in The Mortal Instruments is completely gone in CLOCKWORK PRINCE. Will, Jem, and Tessa are so brilliantly alive and distinct from any other characters that Clare has breathed life into that I can hardly believe I ever felt they were knock offs. I will say that the relationships between all three main characters are given equal weight, and that is something that has carried over from the previous series. So while we are torn watching the tortured romance play out between Tessa and Will, and then the touching and heartbreaking love that blossoms between Jem and Tessa, those relationships never overshadow the bone deep brotherly love between Will and Jem. Sometimes while reading about multiple relationships in other books, I will settle on a favorite and become impatient when the others get page time. Not in CLOCKWORK PRINCE, my heart was equally invested in all three.

CLOCKWORK PRINCE, while having a robust plot involving attempted coups, an army of automotons, and spies, is really real about the characters. We learn tantalizing clues about what Tessa is, the reason why Jem is the only one that Will will let himself get close to, and why Will is as tormented and isolated from everyone else (and wow is it a doosey). There is a lot of heartbreak in this one...a lot...like Jane Austen a lot. Honor and devotion and self sacrifice are the dominant themes and they all play out beautifully.

I blinked and I was reading the last page, that how fast CLOCKWORK PRINCE flew by, and I wanted more. The ending is ripe with bittersweet love and loss, and I almost don't know what to hope for since no matter what happens next, it will be devastating to at least one character that I've grown to love. I'm dying for and dreading the next book in the Infernal Devices series, CLOCKWORK PRINCESS, which hits shelves on December 1st 2012. After this fantastic set up, it's now one of my top wish list titles.

Sexual Content:
Kissing. Two scenes of sensuality

If someone were to ask me who my favorite current YA author is, I would say Cassandra Clare. She's received a lot of criticism for her Mortal Instruments series, especially the most recent addition City of Fallen Angels. However, I have been a devoted fan since first reading City of Bones. I love this world she's created. I love the Shadowhunters. I love her ability to create an entire cast of characters that are not only interesting but also engaging. I especially love Jace and his sharp, sarcastic humor. But do you know what I love more than The Mortal Instruments?

The Infernal Devices.

Clockwork Angel was my first venture into modern steampunk. (Technically, H.G. Wells and Jules Verne could be considered the founding fathers of the genre.) It totally changed my view of historical fantasy, and I fell so in love with the genre that it quickly became one of my favorites. But Cassie, more than any other YA author that I've ever read, has managed to totally capture the Victorian time period in her novels. I have never - NEVER - read another book that encompasses the culture, the literature, the art, the mindsets, and the twisted beauty of that time period as Clockwork Prince.

I'm a HUGE Victorian literature fan. It's all I read in high school, and it still holds a very special place in my heart. I'm fascinated by every part of it. Most books written about it now, however, just can't really capture the feel of Victorian England.

But this book does.

Cassie quite famously spent an extended period of time in England, walking the streets her characters walked and reading only books written during the Victorian Era. And you can totally tell! It's obvious on every page that she did her research. The language the characters use, the way they interact - it was all spot-on! I also loved the many literary and cultural references. I mean, we're talking both Brontes, Coleridge, Byron, Tennyson, Dickens. It was like walking through a literary wonderland. I'm pretty sure I squealed at least twice - once when Magnus quotes Swinburne's "The Garden of Proserpine" and again when I realized that the head of the London werewolf pack was part of the Aesthetic Movement and a disciple of Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Along the same lines, Cassie does an incredible job with Tessa, the protagonist. I love Tessa. Seriously. She's not all that physically tough, but she's spunky and brave. She also agonizes over her behavior and how the Shadowhunters break propriety all the time. This really rang true for me. She's been taught her entire life that she must be a "proper lady" and focus entirely on her virtue and decorum. So when she's thrown into the world of the Shadowhunters, which allows for a woman to run one of their Institutes and lets her fight alongside men, she's shocked. I absolutely adored her character arc and really just her as a narrator. She's level-headed and bookish, but she's not mousy or too wrapped up in the romance.

And speaking of romance, I've got to say that this book has an incredible one! Actually, it has two. I know, I know. A love triangle. But don't discount it just yet. I went to one of Cassie's signings last year, and she said that with The Infernal Devices, she wanted to create a love triangle in which the reader really doesn't know who the heroine will or should choose. So many times in YA, it's obvious who the true hero is. But it's much harder to tell in Clockwork Prince! Will and Jem were introduced in the first book, and I've got to say that I was definitely Team Jem. He's incredible nice, patient, courteous, and loyal. Will was reminiscient of Jace from The Mortal Instruments but a lot meaner.

Then I read Clockwork Prince, which was SUPPOSED to make us love Jem, but which actually converted me to Team Will. I don't want to give anything away, but there's a huge bomb dropped on us about his past in this book. And it totally changes the way you look at him. He's now my favorite character in the entire series. (And if Tessa hadn't annoyingly referred to him as "beautiful" or "angelic" on every other page, he might have become my favorite character from all of Cassie's books. Alas!) I don't want to give anything away, but I'll just say that I totally fell in love with his character. I was really happy to see that there were sections told from his POV, so we got to see into his head. Maybe that was why I ended up liking him more than Jem - I felt like I knew him better at the end of the book than I knew Jem.

This book as the love triangle to end all love triangles. It is perfect. I never once thought Tessa was being selfish or silly. Her choices are mature and well thought-out. And, my goodness, there are some swoon-worthy moments with both Jem and Will. Like...fan yourself swoony.

Cassie has this way of creating characters that you just can't help but feel bad for. I seriously wanted to reach into the book and give both Will and Jem giant hugs. They're both hurting like crazy. And their friendship? A-freakin-dorable! I now want a parabati. And I think my favorite quote from the book is...

Jem: "Whatever part you [Will] might act to the contrary, I see you as you really are, my blood brother. Not just better than you pretend to be, but better than most people could hope to be." (p. 481)

And while this was definitely a character-driven book for me, the plot is also fantastic and the worldbuilding is complex. One of my favorite parts of the book was the urban fantasy feel to it. The world of the Shadowhunters is so realized that I feel like I know as much about it as I did the world of Harry Potter. The politics of the Clave, the role of the Silent Brothers, the blood fueds among Shadowhunter families. #OMGILOVEIT!

This is my favorite Cassie Clare book. Of them all. The others entertained me, but this one really touched me. This wasn't a book I devoured like candy. This is a great book that deserved more time with me thinking about it. The characters are all so vivid and their pain so visceral that I felt totally connected to them.

I've read some great books this year, but Clockwork Prince reminded me why I love reading, why I wade through all those mediocre paranormal romances and hollow contemporaries - so I can get my hands on gems like this one.

This book is incredible. It's beautiful. It's exciting. It's romantic. And it's my argument against everyone who says that contemporary YA fantasy can't be literary.

I think it's time to admit to myself that The Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices series are just not for me. I suppose it's not a secret I'm not a huge fan of Cassandra Clare's work, but I won't deny that there were some things I did enjoy with each series. However, this was a disappointing read for me. I originally liked the premise of the first book in the Infernal Devices series, but this installment seemed to focus more on the character's relationships rather than the plot. It's the same problem City of Fallen Angels had, except I do think Clockwork Prince was LOADS better than that.

In Clockwork Prince The Shadowhunters in the London Institute find themselves in a serious bind. Due to the startling turn of events in Clockwork Angel, Charlotte is threaten to be removed as head of the institute unless she and the others can discover what the Magister is planning and capture him. The Shadowhunters immediately get to work diving into the Clave archives, searching for clues to the Magister's past. Unfortunately, it is not just his secrets that are exposed as the loyalties of the institute members are also revealed.

That sounds fairly interesting, right? So what's my issue? Why couldn't I love this book? Well, if I put it bluntly: It was boring. The beginning took way to long to pick up and if I had to guess, I'd say nothing exciting happens until around page 250. Um, I don't know about you, but that is way too long to keep me hanging. It took me 15 days to read this book. 15 days. At one point I just had to put it down for a few days and read something else because every time I picked up the book it would put me in the mood to go to sleep.

Sure the Shadowhunters did things, but every time they were about to go on a mission we are given unnecessary descriptions of what Tessa is going to wear or how Sophie did her hair or how silver Jem's eyes looked that day. Who cares? The suspense leading up to the mission died while Tessa was taking her sweet ass time getting dressed. Speaking of Tessa, she is a pathetic heroine. She is good for one thing only: changing her appearance. She's not a fighter and despite her being trained in this book, she was virtually worthless. Yet, they always had to take her along on missions. When they actually used her power she manages to screw it up. They attend a "bad guy's party" (Just go with it. I don't want to spoil it for you.) and Tessa screws up her disguise because she drinks some type of spiked warlock lemonade. Yeah. I don't know about you, but when I'm crashing a bad guy's party, I never drink the punch. So she's walking around as herself and none of the evil dudes seem to notice or care. HUH? But she's an idiot, so I don't expect much from her. However, Will drinks it too. At that point I'm thinking, "You've been a Shadowhunter for how long exactly?" That scene made no sense.

Even though the book was boring, that's not even my biggest issue with it. While I was reading I always felt disconnected to the characters. The only character I did care about was Jem and that's probably because he's the only one who didn't seem like a direct rip-off from the Mortal Instruments series. I felt flashes of these characters in Clockwork Angel, but now I'm fully convinced that (Draco/Harry) Will is Jace, (Hermione/Ginny) Tessa is Clary, ect.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice-Nope. I see what you did there.

Will (Jace). I hate this guy. He reminds me of the Jace in City of Fallen Angels. "I can't be with you because it will kill you! So I'm going to act like the crappiest person on earth so you will hate me!" Sound familiar anyone? Seriously, there are only so many times you can recycle a plot twist before you become predictable. I'm not sure you can even call it a plot twist anymore. So not only is he a carbon copy of Jace, but he goes through the same tortured character issue too? No, I'm not buying that. He was the reason why I almost didn't finish the book. He's such a prick and Tessa knows it, but she still loves him "because there is just something about him!" *eyeroll* Yes, I'm well aware of the curse, but that entire situation never seemed real to me anyway.

Will I read Clockwork Princess? I don't know, maybe. The only reason I'm remotely curious is because I want to see what's going to happen to Jem. I like that guy. Yeah, I know. The volcanoes in hell are freezing over because I actually really like one of Clare's characters. Amazing.

More of my reviews and other random things at my blog [...].

First off, I see that I may be an island out here on my own with this review, and believe me this is not the review I expected to write when I anxiously awaited my copy of CLOCKWORK PRINCE, but here it goes...

This book took me far too long to read, not that I read it slowly, but unlike its predecessor and the all of TMI series (of which I devoured each within a day's span) I was not so captivated with CLOCKWORK PRINCE.

Being that I so enjoyed CLOCKWORK ANGEL, I was surprised that my
interest in this second installment of Infernal Devices series was off to a painfully slow start. I kept finding myself distracted by other books and putting this one off to the side to pick resume at a later date. However, the story did finally catch hold for me around 170 pages in, but unfortunately it was not enough to awe me as Ms Clare's other books have.

Eventually there were a few big "moves" made in the story. Some betrayal and bad guys revealed, personal history explained and of course a love triangle plays out, most of which happened towards the end. The one really big thing I felt was missing was all the action you normally expect from Shadowhunters, but nope, not much of that at all in this book; which mostly focused on recon and "personal" stuff. I don't know it just lacked oomph... Don't get me wrong, I'm all for love and issues, but where did all the action go!?!

All in all, yes it's a good read and being that it took nearly 200 pages to get into isn't so horrible considering the book is 502 pages totaling, but still disappointing when you take in the high expectations commonly held when picking up a Cassandra Clare book. Despite my disappointments, I would still recommend checking out CLOCKWORK PRINCE to any fan who plans to continue on with the ID Trilogy because there are some major revelations that are eventually made (mostly at the end) that are of the utmost importants to the Infernal Devices plot moving forward. But, if you weren't all that excited about the first book, I'd advise you cut your losses before investing in this one.

What the hell was the hype all about???

1. There was no plot.
2. It was a romance disguised in a Steampunk novel.
3. You would think that this was e-novella (like The Infernal Devices #1.5) because it did NOTHING to add and continue Clockwork Angel`s story. This is nothing but a freakin' filler!

I didn't like Clockwork Angel so I didn't expect Clockwork Prince would be better, and it's NOT. Why am i even bothering with this series??? Cassandra Clare is stealing my money!

4. It's BORING.
5. The drama-rama between Tess-Will-Jem is NEVER ENDING.
6. Tessa is worse than Clary.
7. One measly action scene involving ONE automaton.
8. The Magister didn't even appear for hell's sake!

I felt little love with the characters. Well, maybe with Will. But that even went down the drain when I realized what an idiot he was about his curse. *slaps Will at the back of his head* Are you even thinking?!? And Magnus, too. He's the only reason I finished reading this.

500 pages long and Clockwork Prince is nothing but a bore and a sore.

I said it before and I will say it again: Cassandra Clare, you should've stopped the series at City of Glass. Really.

So Clockwork Princess to be released on 2014? So fine with me. Tessa doesn't deserve either Will or Jem. I'm hoping Tessa Gray will end up dead in the end, but i'm hoping too much. It will be a kindness to kill her, so i hope she suffers. *crossing fingers*

Wow just wow! Clare has definitely outdone herself Clockwork Prince was INTOXICATING!..Epic Page Turner... Exhilarating...well you get the picture. Way better than Clockwork Angel which I also gave 5 stars to. Which is why when I compare the two this book deserves much more than 5 stars.

I am torn between Jem and Will. Especially after the big revealing of Will's secret I love them both, everything makes sense about Will now. Than there is the love triangle between Jem, Tessa and Will...I am not a fan of love triangles but I am a fan of this one, if you want to talk about heartbreaking this is it. There were parts where I dreaded to turn the page because of what I knew was coming and since I love all three characters just the same it was hard to see their heart get crushed.

Anyways so much happens in the lives of all the characters in this book, from Henry and Charlotte, Jessamine and Nate, and of course Will, Tessa, Jem, and then there is Sophie who plays a bigger role as well. We also see more of the Lightwood brothers Gabriel and Gideon. And of course Magnus Bane who is just awesome.

I'm also still trying to emotionally collect myself after the ending of Clockwork Prince. Such heartbreak I can't believe I have to be tortured for a whole year before I can get my hands on the next book in the series. Cassandra Clare also leaves us with a major cliffhanger, one that I was not expecting at all!

Overall go read it NOW! I still can't get the charcters out of my head it's like they have been weaved into my soul. Clare I have no clue how you do it but you are amazing.

"Tessa’s brother, Nate, had once promised her everything in London—a new beginning, a wonderful place to live, a city of soaring buildings and gorgeous parks. What Tessa had found instead was horror and betrayal, and danger beyond anything she could have imagined."

The Shadowhunters of London are still out looking for Mortmain and stop him from achieving his plan with the Internal Devices. However, what they have found is even more betrayal.

I love this series, but the love triangle just hurts my soul so much! You all know how much I despise love triangles, they are messy, and the one in this one... I hurt. I just love Jem and Will both for different reasons and... love triangles suck, okay? And what hurts even more is the brotherly love Will and Jem have towards each other. They have these deep, emotional conversations that just make me want to cry, but those conversations show how much love they have for one another. And the thing is, they never really fight over Tessa. Neither one of them would do that. I particularly love how sweet Will is towards Jem because it shows he’s not all bad. Speaking of which, we learn why he’s been such a jerk all these years and keeping everyone who try to care for him at arm’s length... except Jem, that is. It’s all incredibly sad and I felt so awful for him! My poor Will! And as Wills draws farther away from Tessa because of reasons, she and Jem start to grow closer. Jem is the sweetest thing ever and I adore him to pieces! He and Tessa share some intimate moments that just melt your heart! I really do love him, but as much as I do, I actually feel like Tessa belongs with Will. There’s something big that goes down in the book the surprised the hell out of me, and while I wasn’t into it, I’m happy that Jem is happy.

As for Tessa, I really like her and totally feel for her and what she’s going through. Being plunged into this whole other world and realizing you’re not even human is not easy for her to grasp. We still don't know exactly what Tessa is. In the last book it was though she might be a warlock, but she doesn’t have a mark, so that’s unlikely. In this book we do get some little hints toward what she could possibly be, but nothing confirmed yet.

As for the other characters, I have totally fallen in love with them too! Magnus, of course, is a favorite across all of the series! He is so funny, caring, and just so much fun to be around! Magnus’s friend Scott Woosley is another character I enjoyed getting to know—he is so funny! And Charlotte and Henry have this super cute moment that shows how much they care for one another, and it was just really sweet! The Lightwoods is another story, which is totally shocking because I love the Lightwoods, Alec and Izzy, from TMI. But in this series I can see why Will is not a fan of the Lightwoods. I can see why Gabriel is the way be is. But I like that Gideon is changing and seeing things for what they really are, not seeing them for how his dad is telling him how to see them. Speaking of... Gideon and Sophie... yes please! There is definitely some chemistry there and I am just so happy for Sophie! I really hope something comes out of this chemistry.

As for Jessie, she’s a real piece of work. I liked her and enjoyed the bickering between her and everyone else at the institute—I thought it was quite funny, but I also really feel for her because she grew up in the Shadowhunter world without say about her future in it. So I get why she’s so bitter about it, I really do. But she does something so idiotic and selfish—I just couldn’t believe it!

And speaking of idiotic, Nate is back and crazier than ever! He is seriously more insane than I thought he was! It wasn’t enough to betray his sister, but then he goes and does something even worse! The worst part is, I can understand why he does some of these things and why he is so mad. But it does not excuse his actions.

We also learn a bit more about Will’s family and we find out which of the character’s in this series is an ancestor to Clary from TMI!

Clockwork Prince was an amazing, heartbreaking sequel filled with equally amazing characters! Of course, after reading TMI, why am I even surprised that I loved this, lol. How much do I love this book? So much! I am very excited to see how things wrap up for all of these beloved characters.

I was got an ARC of this book from the lovely Jen from Rayment's Readings, Rants & Ramblings and I am so glad that I did. Getting the ARC actually pushed me to read book one in the Infernal Devices Series, Clockwork Angel. After reading book one and enjoying it, I immediately picked up the ARC of Clockwork Prince and dived right in. Seriously, I have no idea how I am supposed to wait for book three now.

All of the things that I loved in Clockwork Angel were brought right back and doubled in Clockwork Prince. The setting, the characters, the history and story were just developed so beautifully and at such a great pace. The story just unfolds effortlessly and hooks you right from the very first page. Clockwork Prince is definitely one of my favourite books of 2011.

Remember how in my review of Clockwork Angel I said that I didn't like Will? Well let me revise that statement to say that I didn't like Will in that book, but loved him in Clockwork Prince. I found that learning that there was a motivation and reason behind his behaviour made him much more likable. In fact, by the end of the book you actually begin to see him for what he really is; a seventeen year old boy trying to make the best of a bad situation to the best of his ability.

Tessa still annoyed me, but it was nice to see her experience some personal growth. Jess still made me want to light myself on fire every time she appeared. There really is no other character, that comes to mind, that has ever made me giddily anticipate the moment they finally get what is coming to them quite like Jess does. Jem finally showed some grit and determination. There was some steel in his spine and fire in his eyes and it really made me like him that much more. And of course Magnus Bane is still made of awesome and win.

Clockwork Prince is a fabulous follow up in the Infernal Devices Series. If Cassandra Clare keeps writing like this she will continue to cement her place in the hearts and imaginations of readers everywhere.

*I reviewed this from an ARC copy provided in exchange for a fair and honest review*

What I Liked: 1) Tessa. I liked Tessa much better in this book than I had in Clockwork Angel. In Clockwork Angel, I mostly felt sorry for her, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But you definitely see more of her in Clockwork Prince, how she has grown and how she handles the struggles she's handed. 2) Parabatai. The blood brothers aspect of Jem and Will's relationship. I like the way they complement each other. I'm loyal to Jace, but I definitely see the appeal of both of these guys! Jem is sweet and sensitive, and Will is all passionate and broody. I'm Team Will, but my sister is Team Jem. I'm not going to say what happens at the end of the book, but my jaw definitely dropped! 3) Questions and Answers. This is one of my favorite things about Cassie Clare's books. Throughout the plotline, there are many twists and turns, and so many new questions popping up all the time. But she introduces all of these new questions without confusing the reader. It isn't predictable, but sometimes I think that authors try to keep readers engaged by throwing problem after problem at them, and things get too confusing. Not the case in Miz Clare's writing. 4) MAGNUS BANE! If you haven't read any of the Infernal Devices or The Mortal Instruments, then you are unaware of the fabulosity of Magnus Bane. He's one of my favorite characters! 5) Continuity. The Infernal Devices books generations before The Mortal Instruments but I love being able to pick out the family members of the characters that I love from The Mortal Instruments. I've found that I've learned a lot more about TMI from TID. 6) Emotional assault. Okay, that's a weird way to say it. But so many emotional things happened in this book that I felt like I experienced the rainbow of emotions. It's true, that was great!

What I Didn't Like: How long until the next book?

Overall thoughts: As expected, Cassandra Clare delivers another phenomenal addition to the World of the Nephilim. If you haven't read any of her books, I suggest you get on it, stat. The whole series captures you and lets you explore an incredibly imaginative and spellbinding world.

Clockwork Prince is the second book in Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices series. After the events of last book, the Clave is concerned that Charlotte can't run the Institute effectively. They tell her she has to locate Mortmain within two weeks or she'll lose her job. Meanwhile, Tessa has to sort out her old feelings for Will, who seems to be changing for the better every day, and her new feelings for Jem. Plus Jessamine is there, but not much.

This book is better than the first, I think. The plot is much easier to follow, and more interesting. Clare sticks to her guns (Tessa disguising herself is an excellent deus ex machina), but we learn a lot more about Will and his past. The writing is engaging and the plot is fast paced. She writes breathtakingly romantic scenes, helped of course by the time period. There's nothing more romantic than 19th century London, I think.

*SPOILERS*

Will really got a lot of development in this book, which I really liked. It's interesting to see the meaning behind the way he acts. We also got to see scenes from Sophie and Charlotte's points of view, which was great. I loved the scene when Jem got angry, because it's always great to see a character in a different light. Henry and Charlotte's development was so cute, and it was great to see Gabriel's struggle with familial obligation (he's rather a Draco Malfoy character, isn't he? Clare can't escape her roots, I guess.).

Jessamine really got the shaft in this book. I loved seeing her fall in love with Nate last book, but I did not want that to continue. I was not expecting her story line to play out how it did, and she better get redemption in the next book. I really want her to step up and doing something good.

My problem with this book is the love story. I don't mind that there's a love triangle, and actually the fact that Will and Jem have such a close bond but love the same girl adds a lot to the plot. As soon as Tessa agreed to marry Jem, I knew Will was going to have to repress his love to save Jem's happiness, and it's so heartbreakingly beautiful.

My problem is that Tessa loves them both and leads them both on. It's seriously painful to read about her almost sleeping with Jem one night and then making out with Will the next. Clare writes way too many make-out sessions in all her books, and while they make sense in the modern-day setting of Mortal Instruments, it seems untrue to the time period to write them in these series. Jane Austen's novels are the most romantic books of all time (if I do say so myself), and the characters never even kiss until their wedding days. The romance in this book would be just as appealing without the gratuitous kissing.

The thing that bothers me about this series as a whole is that it's pretty much the Mortal Instruments series. Same basic plot (and, of course, the same fantasy world), just a different time period. As I read this book, I kept thinking about how the characters were exact mirrors of those in TMI, which is the point, but I don't understand why it's the point. And really, I think this series and these characters are much better than that of TMI. I like this series a lot more.