Review: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

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.

Clockwork Prince is the second book of The Infernal Devices, here being my review for the first. I really enjoyed going back into the world of shadow hunters and discovering more about Tessa, Will, Jem and the other characters.

Firstly, I have to say that Cassandra Clare really knows how to write endings. The ending of Clockwork Prince was very much a surprise for me and had me yelling, “Wait! What?” which probably surprised my housemates. I am really eager now to get my hands on a copy of Clockwork Princess as soon as I possibly can.

I kind of felt that this book was kind of a fill-in book. I felt like there was no major event in the story just an accumulation of minor ones. I felt that the book is here to tie-up loose plot ends of Clockwork Angel, and to set-up the scene for Clockwork Princess. In saying that though, I still really liked the story and we did learn a lot about the different characters. The plot wasn’t predictable and it didn’t feel slow either, I just felt that a major event was missing.

I love the complexity of the world that Cassandra Clare has created. It is so vivid and convincing and half the time I feel like it could exist. It is very easy to picture the world that Tessa is walking through and I feel that there is so much detail about it, yet none of it takes away from the pacing of the story.

I love how complex the characters are. There were many times throughout the book when I thought that I knew a character and then something would happen and I would have to change how I thought about them. I love that Tessa is not a whinny character and the she is strong and fairly independent, and quite a bit stubborn as well. I love Jem’s steadiness and loyalty, Charlotte’s kindness and Henry’s eccentricity. I think most of all I love Will’s complexity, he is broken in so many ways yet yeah manages to stay strong and loyal.

I have to say that I really like the romance. I am not a fan of love triangles, but this one is really well written. I don’t necessary like that there is a love triangle, because someone will get hurt and I don’t want that to happen, but I like that Tessa really does love both of them and how the choice is going to be very hard for her. It is one of the few love triangles that I think is well done. I also love Charlotte and Henry’s relationship. There was one scene in the book between the two that I cried reading because of the gorgeous fluff between them. I really hope that they end up happy together.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story, and I think that I have to say that I like The Infernal Devices more than The Mortal Instruments, because I feel I can connect to the characters better. I give Clockwork Prince 4/5 stars!

I read this book for the 2013 Sequel Reading Challenge.

Bout of Books read-a-thon update.

Currently Reading: Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta
Pages read of current read: 90/593

Books read so far: 2

Goal: 4 books

Mel.

Up next - Seven on Saturday - Book Worlds that I want to live in

Review: [Audiobook] Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

For this week I planned to be review Beautiful Darkness today, but I ended up changing that and doing Clockwork Angel instead. This may happen occasionally because I only read a book that I feel like reading at a time instead of forcing myself to read another one. This means that I may not read what I had planned for the week.

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos. 

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own. 

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length... everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world.... and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

This is the first time that I have ever actually listened to an audiobook. I decided that it was time for me to try it because it would allow me to get through some more books and also because my library started allowing online audiobook borrowing. I really enjoyed being able to listen to a book whilst I was doing other things. In some ways I found it to be a little more graphic, because I couldn’t skim read or miss anything, which I tend to do when I am caught up in the plot. Clockwork Angel was voiced by Jennifer Ehle and I thought that she did a good job.

I really loved the story. It was interesting and kept me guessing most of the way through. I loved the mixture of the shadow world and steampunk. In some ways though I found the story similar to City of Bones. I found that Tessa’s introduction to the shadow world was somewhat similar to that of Clary’s. I also found the relationship between Will and Tessa similar to that of Clary and Jace’s relationship. The plot was different to City of Bones though, and I really enjoyed the twists and turns throughout. I also loved the additional involvement of Mortals.

Tessa really intrigues me and I really liked her character. I didn’t find her a whiny character and I felt that she was a fairly sensible character. I loved her dedication to her brother. It was interesting to see her open up to the shadow hunters and to see her character develop. I am very interested in finding out more about her, like what she is and where she came from.

I really liked most of the other characters too. I loved the determination of Charlotte and how she managed to stay compassionate and kind. I loved the quirkiness of Henry and I hope he makes a successful invention that saves the day. I loved incorrigible Will, who at times I wanted to strangle or slap, and I adored Jem, the perfect gentleman. The only character I didn’t really like was Jessamine, and that was because she annoyed me. I did feel sorry for her though.

I really enjoyed this story, and I am definitely going to listen to more audiobooks in the future! I give Clockwork Angel 4/5 stars.

Mel.

Up next: Seven on Saturday – Series I have yet to finish