Book Review: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Prince
by Cassandra Clare

Genre: YA Paranormal / Steampunk / Romance / Historical

Ages: 14 and up

Sequel to Clockwork Angel, prequel to City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass and City of Fallen Angels.

Description:

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.


My Thoughts:

This book was absolutely positively AWESOME!!!! I read it in one sitting and finished it very early in the morning. And then spent several minutes sputtering into my pillow to avoid waking anyone up. For once, it wasn't the cliffhanger that was that bad, it was everything else! Clockwork Prince has replaced City of Glass as my favorite Cassandra Clare novel. It has been weeks since I borrowed it and I am still on a cliffhanger high!

Will, oh poor Will. You finally learn why he is like he is and it is utterly heartbreaking. You see sides to him you never saw before including one that can only be described as bouncy (and no, I am not telling you why. Plus there was that one hilarious scene with Magnus that still makes my sister and I giggle when we remember it.) The mysteries of his life are revealed...but is it too late to get the girl? You fall in love with him even more than ever. At least, I did.

Jem, the other side of this brilliant love triangle, is even more radiant than in the first novel. The romance between him and Tessa heats up until you honestly can't tell which boy she will choose. He is much more developed than in the first novel and you even see him completely furious at one point. I love him almost as much as I love Will, and it makes me sad to think that because of a...certain thing that occurred, he has been doomed. But then again, you can never tell with Cassandra Clare. There may be hope for him yet.

And then there is Tessa, caught between two wonderful, tormented young men who both love her desperately. One broke her heart, the other is slowly dying, which one will she choose? I came to respect her a lot in this book, more so than before. There is a particular thing that she did that turned out to be a mistake, but she acted with absolute honor and selflessness despite her regret. She has become stronger than she was, but will she be strong enough? More is revealed about her possible identity, but what they discover points in an impossible direction. There are so many ways she could go, and not all of them are pretty.

I think what makes this love triangle so unique is that not only do both guys love the girl, but they both love each other more than themselves. They have been more than fighting partners, more than even brothers, for much longer than either of them have known Tessa. But she may be the one thing that can tear them apart.

The plot is as convoluted and marvelous as ever, leaving you with more questions than answers and begging for more. I may go insane before Clockwork Princess.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).


Profanity:
I rate it a 4.10 for mid-level swearing and drug use.

Sexuality:
I give it a 3.10 for heavy petting and loss of some clothing.

Violence:
I rate it a 7.10 for murder, fights and bloody injuries.

                               Lieder Madchen