Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

So, it was beyond difficult for me not to run into Barnes and Noble the day this beauty came out. It came out after I had all my books packed and I kept telling myself it made no sense to pack yet another book when I could just get it once I moved. Of course, I had to find a bookstore as soon as I moved. And well, I got this one on my first weekend. I read the whole thing today, on my day off. I may have read over 500 pages in a matter of hours. That’s how hooked I was to this story.

I have loved Cassandra Clare’s books since I was a teenager. And I already decided two books ago that The Infernal Devices series is way better than her other series. What can be bad about shadowhunters, warlocks, love triangles, werewolves, automatons possessed by demons, steam punk, and Victorian England?

Clare keeps writing these action-packed stories with such loveable, believable characters! I’m so involved in the characters’ stories that I sometimes actually moan in annoyance when a fight scene interrupts things! The fight scenes were rather far between in this one though. It was definitely more about conclusions, acceptances, and answers. The same big bad is after Tessa, and yes, in ultimate creepy fashion still is interested in forcing her marriage to him. However, there are more pressing concerns for the shadowhunters.

There’s the upcoming wedding. There’s the discovering of a certain character having demon pox and turning into a giant worm…And then there’s the whole time thing. Jem is running low on time. He’s been taking more of his “medicine” to seem less sick for Tessa. And unfortunately, his “medicine” is getting harder and harder to come by. Someone is buying it all before Will can get to it.

Will and Tessa clearly both still having feelings for each other, but Will can barely look at Tessa straight on any more. Will’s sister takes more of a starring role, by joining the ranks of the shadowhunters, and learning to love to fight and train. There’s a lot of political drama with a shady consul. There’s new inventions (like portals!), more Magnus Bane, more sizzling romance, and more creepy automatons.

Tessa does have a nasty habit of getting kidnapped. And the longer the book goes on the more it becomes painfully clear that Jem is running out of time. There’s an epic Clave/automaton battle. There’s a full out attack on the clave. There’s spying. There’s love with the help. There’s bar brawls and wedding dresses. And there are a lot more answers. I was actually surprised by a twist at the end! I genuinely went, “What now??” out loud at one point!

Everything ends after a big surprise twist and a huge battle scene! And I loved the ending. It worked. Was the epilogue a little corny? Are they ever not? I enjoyed it though. I seriously enjoyed this author’s take on the classic love triangle. Clare seems to genuinely believe that a girl can love more than one guy in her whole life! Possibly even at the same time. What a crazy notion!

Again, Clare writes such amazing characters that you not only feel like you know, but that you just want to rip them from the pages and give colossal hugs to sometimes. I loved getting to know characters from the previous series even better in this one! What’s not to love about Magnus? I super loved seeing Will’s interactions with his sister. It provided a whole new side to him.

I also loved seeing the Silent Brothers in action! They are just so interesting to me. And I loved getting to know a little more about them. Tessa has become so much more than the ignorant American damsel in distress that she was in the beginning! She runs into battle, weapon or not. She fights with the boys. She stands up for what is right. And she truly becomes a force to be reckoned with.

And again, the book is loaded with Victorian London snippets of literature! There’s Dickens quotes thrown around all over the place. And each chapter starts with a piece of something or other. I find it interesting to see how similar the shadowhunters are in the past to the ones of the present. And even more interesting is how different they are. The ones of the past seem a little less conservative actually. The characters actually have lives, somewhat, beyond the demons they are fighting and it’s so interesting to see this difference.

The setting is wonderful. Some of this one actually takes place in Wales, which was a lot of fun! I also just kind of feel that with each book she writes, Clare becomes a stronger writer. I’ve never seen so much character development, so much world building, so much well written grief and sadness, and actually beautifully written romance from her ever! I loved the romance. There’s a scene in Wales that so had my eyes glued to the page!

The epilogue was a little cheesy, but I’m so glad it was there. It really tied up all the loose ends. It was romantic, eloquent, and just plain right for the ending. I give this one a 10/10. And if you haven’t gotten to this series yet, what are you waiting for?