Book Review: Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Pages: 570

Genre: YA Fantasy/Historical Fiction

Pub. Date: March 19, 2013

Source: Publisher for review

Series: Clockwork Angel (#1), Clockwork Prince (#2)

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray. Charlotte Branwell, head of the London Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. But when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever. As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain’s clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army? Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy."

Bad guy Mortmain is still planning on unleashing his Infernal Devices on the Shadowhunters and this time he has created automatons that are even better than before.  He just needs one person to complete this plan and of course, that one person is Tessa Gray, whose mysterious lineage and unique abilities make her an important ally.  Meanwhile Charlotte is trying to maintain her hold on the London Institute despite her many opposers and the Lightwood boys are dealing with their own family drama, which also leads them to the Institute.  As readers learned in the last book, Will's sister, Cecily, enters the scene and shakes up Will's world. She is also staying at the Institute and let's just say she isn't a wallflower.  More importantly, we still have the epic love triangle between Will, Jem and Tessa, which somehow becomes more complicated when dying Jem asks Tessa to marry him.  Cassandra Clare's last book in The Infernal Devices trilogy, Clockwork Princess, is an edge of your seat read that includes Clare's trademark action scenes, a swoon-worthy romance, a friendship that will tug on your heartstrings and laugh-out-loud moments.  Fans of the series will not be disappointed by this fantastic conclusion.

Thankfully, readers learn exactly what Tessa is in Clockwork Princess, which I had been dying to figure out as Clare only hinted to in the other books.  In turn, we then learn why Mortmain wants to use Tessa in his destructive plan as before it seemed all a little unconnected, but Clare being the expert storyteller that she is pulls it all together wonderfully.  

The love triangle is still going strong in Clockwork Princess, but as I mentioned before, there are some new obstacles to the romance, one being Jem's health as well as Will's sudden epiphany.  Readers see another side to Will in this novel (swoon!) and just when you think you are Team Will, you are reminded of how darn good Jem really is. At times in Clockwork Princess the love triangle and teenage angst made my eyes roll a bit, but at that point I was just too invested in Jem, Will and Tessa's story.

Just as in the other books, there were some great action and of course a climatic fight scene that kept me flipping pages. There were even a few jaw-dropping moments that took me by surprise as I didn't see them coming at all. I love that about Clare's writing, especially her action scenes; there's always a surprise!

I am pleased with the ending to this trilogy and I will admit that I liked The Infernal Devices more than The Mortal Instruments series as all the books in this series are fantastic and not one let me down.  The setting is to-die-for, the writing is brilliant, and I adore how Clare combines the right mix of action, romance,  a tear-inducing friendship, and a plot with many twists and turns.  In sum, I highly recommend this series and will miss all the memorable characters.