|Review| Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Title: Clockwork Princess
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Infernal Devices #3

Published March 19th 2013 by Margaret K. McElderryprince

Genre: historical paranormal YA
Rating: A+

Goodreads summary:

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.

What. An. Ending. I mentioned in my mid-year favorites post that Clockwork Princess would definitely be in my end of the year favorites list once I read it and YEAH. This book is definitely a favorite because Cassandra Clare just killed it. 

I pretty much sobbed through the last 100 pages. A lot of books make me tear up but Clockwork Princess? Full out SOBBING and I pretty much never done that before. A trilogy has never ended more perfectly and hundreds of readers can attest to that. Somehow, Clare manages to equip this book with happiness, heartbreak and every emotion between that spectrum. Bittersweet? That's a real thing and it's this book.

In the Infernal Devices, Clare doesn't just make us fall in love with the main characters, Tessa, Will & Jem, but she makes us fall in love with a whole gang. Charlotte, Henry, Gideon, Gabriel, Sophie, Cecily AND Magnus and reading about these characters and getting to know them and following their story has been such a pleasure. I usually lose interest in a book after reading it for two days but I took my sweeeet time while reading Clockwork Princess because I wanted to savor every word of the journey that was coming to an end. I don't want to spoil anything but I will mention that the villain plot came to a pretty great end and the characters personal lives? I'll just say this: UGLY CRYING. I've come a long way from my Clockwork Angel review where I stated how much I hate Will's guts and vowed that nothing will redeem him in my eyes but Clare managed to fully redeem him in Clockwork Prince and by Clockwork Princess? I've come to love him as much as I love Jem and I LOVE Jem. Love love love love love love love him. I'm a Jem girl! I also love Tessa and seeing her kick physical ass in this book? I couldn't be happier.

So this book has the best love triangle that was ever written. Not the best triangle I've read but the best love triangle EVER. Yeah it's that good and that heartwrenching but my favorite thing about this series is Will and Jem's friendship slash parabatai brotherhood which is just so beautiful and so, so, so real. I've never read about two souls who care about each other more than anything in the world and Clare made me believe it. Will and Jem really would do absolutely anything for each other.

“They say you cannot love two people equally at once,” she said. “And perhaps for others that is so. But you and Will—you are not like two ordinary people, two people who might have been jealous of each other, or who would have imagined my love for one of them diminished by my love of the other. You merged your souls when you were both children. I could not have loved Will so much if I had not loved you as well. And I could not love you as I do if I had not loved Will as I did.” 

This quote describes the pair spot-on correctly. Jem and his violin and music and Will and his love for books and their one joined soul just wrecked me and there is a gaping hole in my heart thanks to them (rest assured though, my love for Hardy Cates is still beating strong). Honestly, I'll never be the same after reading this series. That's REALLY dramtic but it's REALLY true.

So I know this isn't a review-review but if you read Clockwork Princess, you'd understand. This is a hard book to review. There are so many emotions and not enough words to convey them plus, I don't want to spoil anyone who hasn't read it. If you're one of those people, do yourself a favor and read this series. It's worth the investment and time and overall, it's a beautiful and well written trilogy that I will revisit many, many times because I've come to just love these characters so much. Especially my sweet Jem. This is series you need to read because there is a reason so many people love it. It's this simple: The Infernal Devices series is utterly amazing.

Rating: [A+] An epic end to an epic series!

First:

"I'm afraid," said the little girl sitting on the bed.

Favorite:

“And now I need you to do for me what I cannot do for myself. For you to be my eyes when I do not have them. For you to be my hands when I cannot use my own. For you to be my heart when mine is done beating.” 

Just typing this quote for the review makes me sob. Oh my heart. Oh. My. Heart.

Teaser:

“At last, the wheel comes full circle” 

*I actually started crying while looking for these quotes. Guh. I'm a mess. 

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|Review| Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Title: Clockwork Prince
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series:  The Infernal Devices #2
Published December 6th 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
Genre: historical, paranormal YA
Rating: A
Goodreads summary: 

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.

I don't read many series so I'm not familiar with Second Book Syndrome (SBS) but I can safely say that Clockwork Prince does not suffer from SBS. I even dare say that Clockwork Prince is just as good, if not better than Clockwork Angel.

When it comes to Clockwork Prince and the Big Major Plot that's spanning the series, nothing of extreme importance happens. a few things were set up for the climax that's sure to happen in the next book but really, Clockwork Prince was all about the characters and that worked really well!

We learn more about Tessa and same with Clockwork Angel, I still felt the barrier between Tessa and I because of the 3rd person POV. I like her and think she's awee-soome but to be honest, forgettable compared to other characters. Though I still like her! Anyways, we get more page time for Henry and Charlotte (YAY!), the couple who run the London institute Tessa is staying at and more of Sophie, a servant (but really so much more valuable than that) at the institute, which makes me happy happy happy since I LOVE Sophie. I could read an entire series with Sophie as the main character. Sophie simply is b a d a s s.

The book also finally reveals what happened to Will and I did say in my Clockwork Angel, that will is "rude to the point of cruelty" and while it's obvious that "there is  more Will than meets the eye but that does not change the fact that he was a jackass" BUT, and it PAINS me to say this, Cassandra Clare really sheds some light on Will's character and behavior and dammit, it is a freaking GOOD excuse to his behavior! I did not for one second think that I was going to let Will off the hook but grrrr, Cassandra Clare hit me with a good one and my resistance broke. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I feel for ya, Will Heronalde.  Do I forgive him? Not completely. I still stand by the "rude is rude" statement but yeah, Will is back on my good side. Watch out, Jem! (Yes, I still prefer Jem. Tessa could have Will. I can have Jem. Happily ever after.)

Like I anticipated, Magnus Bane DOES get a bigger role in this book and can I just say, I LOVE Magnus. LOVE him. Woolsey Scott is introduced thought he's a teenty tiny minor character but he did provide a few laugh out louds. Gideon Lightwood was also introduced and yup, another character I loved. Also, readers who read Clockwork Prince I have a Magus related question for you!

Pretty much, my reaction while reading this book is: "this book is perfect." I laughed. I was heartbroken. Things got intense at parts. I was shocked here and there. I laughed some more and I just enjoyed the hell out of Clockwork Prince and I took my sweet time reading because I wanted to savor it.  It was mostly character driven and Cassandra Clare made that WORK. The setting and time period are also just treat because steampunk is always fun to read and the paranormal world is definitely the best I've ever encountered (I've only read a few paranormal books but still!).

Rating: [A] An amazing, amazing installment. Read. This. Series. 

First:
The fog was thick, muffling sound and sight.

Favorite:
"In that case mine's 'genuphobia.' It means an unreasonable fear of knees."  
"What's the word for a perfectly reasonable fear of annoying idiots?"

Teaser:  
"I asked him why he did not end his life, and he said he still felt one thing, and that was fear-- fear of what lies after death."

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|Review| Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Title: Clockwork Angel
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series:  The Infernal Devices #1
Published August 31st 2010 by Margaret K. McElderry Book
Genre: paranormal YA
Rating: A
Goodreads summary:

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.

I'm not a big paranormal reader but I did enjoy the first three books of the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare and I've had Clockwork Angel sitting on my shelf for a few months now waiting for Clockwork Princess release so I could devour the series in one go. And what's not to devour? Steampunk + historical setting + great heroine + two great boys + well written paranormal world = a must read book & series. 

Tessa: she's strong and likeable but due to the 3rd person POV, I didn't feel 100% connected to her. There was a barrier between us but despite that, I liked her and rooted for her because she's quite the badass heroine.

Secondary characters: at first, Charlotte was so nice, she made me roll my eyes. However I really grew to love her when I realized she had other qualities besides being so kind and angelic. I also really, really loved her husband, Henry. I would not mind reading more about them! On the same note, I also loved Sophie and Thomas. I wanted more page time for all of the them. However, Jessamine is a horrible, sorry excuse of nephilim and she should drown in the Thames. But all in all, a great, well developed group of secondary characters. Magnus Bane is present in this book but it was very brief and I wouldn't even consider him a secondary character but more on the tertiary level. But It's clear he will have a bigger role in Clockwork Prince (book two in the series) and I'm looking forward to that. 

Jem: there is nothing NOT to love about Jem. #TeamJem for the win, okay? He genuinely kind, funny and he put up with Will which say A LOT about him. We learn a lot about Jem and his family which just made me want to jump into the book and hug him.

Will: I surprised myself by not falling in love with Will since EVERYONE loves him but why would I love him? Will is rude to the point of cruelty at some parts of the book. It's obvious and it's even stated that Will has not has the easiest life however, both Jem and Tessa have also been through horrific stuff but that doesn't mean they were mean.  

"Jem says you lie to make yourself look bad," she said. "And perhaps that is true, or perhaps he simply wishes to believe that about you. But there is no reason for excuse for cruelty like this."

That quote sums up exactly what I have to say about Will. Multiple times, we see that there is more to Will than meets the eye but that does not change the fact that he was a jackass. Do I hate Will? No, I can even say I like him but after everyone's praises about him I'm just shocked. I just find the whole "I'm a bad boy but not really I just have issues so I'm gonna protect people around me by being an asshole so they don't get close to me" routine pathetic pathetic pathetic. Grow a pair and man up, buddy boy. Don't think I despised Will, because I didn't. I know he's an extremely important character and hating him will ebb my enjoyment of the series so I'm trying my hardest to see the good in him. And there is some good. 

Romance: Sure I adore adore adore Jem but Will + Tessa had better chemistry. Tessa could have Will, I can have Jem, and we can live happily ever after.

Action + plot: Great and even grotesque at parts. There was a twist that I did not see coming at all so that was awesome! (I *always* read spoilers so I'm never surprised.)

Setting: I BEYOND loved the London, 1878 setting and the time period and it really made the book that much better however I felt that the dialogue felt to modern at times. But eventually, I got over that. 

Rating: [A] The Shadowhunter world is just so fleshed out so revisiting it again is just such a pleasure. Plus plain and simple, this book is extremely well-written and reading it was a real treat. If you haven't read this series, DO IT!

First: The demon exploded in a shower of ichor and guts.

---

Favorite: “Are you implying that shreds of my reputation remain intact?" Will demanded with mock horror. "Clearly I have been doing something wrong. Or not something wrong, as the case may be." He banged on the side of the carriage. "Thomas! We must away at once to the nearest brothel. I seek scandal and low companionship.”

---

Teaser: “There's plenty of sense in nonsense sometimes, if you wish to look for it.”

If you haven't read Clockwork Angel go buy it right now (it's a book worth buying!) and if you have read it, what do you think? I'm I being too harsh on Will?

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[Review] City Of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments #5)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Published: May 8th 2012 by Walker Books Ltd
Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads summary:

Jace is now a servant of evil, bound for all eternity to Sebastian. Only a small band of Shadowhunters believe he can be saved. To do this they must defy the Clave. And they must act without Clary. For Clary is playing a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul.

Clary is willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost?

What price is too high to pay, even for love?

Emma's thoughts:

Reading City of Lost Souls, an inexplicable feeling of longing came over me. At first, I was a bit miffed that we weren't seeing as much of Jace and Clary as in the previous books, but I ended up loving the perspectives of the other characters. I think, after reading all five books, having lived through the experiences of these characters, it feels as if some bond has formed. There's no other way I can put it, really. There's this part of me that loves the idea of Clary, Jace, Simon, Izzy, Alec, Magnus and etc... that all these characters, these people are forever linked by their stories. And that, even when their story ends after City of Heavenly Fire, they'll still bound by these memories. 

Well, at least by these novels. 

I kind of wish it would just never end, you know? We're one book away from the end, and argh. I'm happy there will be movies, but they better do the books justice. 

When I first started this series, I was doubtful and hesitant to begin due to the harsh comments about Clare's confusing metaphors and sorts of plagiarism, but five books later, IT DON'T MATTER ANYMORE. The Mortal Instruments has become it's own story. It's no longer just Cassandra Clare's. It's ours. 

What I love about City of Lost Souls is the deception and just wholly the idea of not knowing. Not knowing if Jace is Jace, not knowing Sebastian's intentions, Magnus's past, the truth in good and evil. Because while I don't believe myself to be a gullible person, I found myself believing in this book. I was always constantly hoping for the better, giving Sebastian the benefit of doubt, wishing that all would end well.

Jace, being intrinsically bound to Sebastian, a half to a whole, we know that he's not the Jace we first met in City of Bones. And yet, he still is physically, apparently Jace. Clary knows that, but it's hard not to love both Jace's because they both love her. Sebastian's Jace is yes, a slave to the devil, but his love for Clary is true. 

And that, that is what conflicted me the most. I honestly just wanted to stop time, while Clary and Jace were on a boat in Venice, on a date, being a real couple, and just being in love. I wanted to stop there just so they could be happy in my mind forever, regardless the rest of the world is in chaos. 

But everyone deserves a happy ending, right? Simon and Isabelle, Alec and Magnus, Maia and Jordan. Even Luke and Jocelyn. As I said before, they're bound forever in my mind. There's no escaping each other. They're all so different, unique in impeccably odd ways. Each has their flaws and perks and each has found a place in my heart.

I never want this series to end, but I've never wanted a finale more. And even when all the books have come out, all the movies have been released, I don't think I'll be forgetting The Mortal Instruments for a long time...

Overall rating: 5 stars~ Left me anticipating the end.

First:

Simon stood and stared numbly at the front door of his house. 

Favourite:

His eyes softened. "But it doesn't change what we are to each other. It's like there's always been a piece of my soul missing, and it's inside you, Clary. I know I told you once that whether God exists or not, we're on our own. But when I'm with you, I'm not.” 

Teaser:

“Missing, one stunningly attractive teenage boy. Answers to 'Jace' or 'Hot Stuff'.”

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[Review] Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Title: Clockwork Prince
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Infernal Devices #2 (sequel to Clockwork Angel)
Published: December 6th 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
Rating: ★★★★★
 
Goodreads Summary:

 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.

Emma's thoughts:

I hate Cassandra Clare. But I love her so much. My first thought after reading the last page was to scream. Why, why, why must I wait a year for the story to continue?! Now I know I should wait for the entire series to finish before starting any. Clockwork Angel started off the series so well, but surprisingly, I like Clockwork Prince better (which for me, is a first, because let's face it, no sequels live up to the first). Well, when I first found out this had come out, I was so convinced I had to reread Clockwork Angel to remember the story, but after a few pages, it was like slipping back into an old routine. Everything just came flooding back. Tessa, Will, Jem, and the Institute! And oh, I love how Magnus with his cat eyes is a part of this series as well! He's certainly quite the charmer of a warlock.

But, aside from the niceties; my heart has shattered into miniscule pieces! I want to cry, and oh, why must Cassandra Clare do this to us?! This book definitely deserves the most heartbreaking tear-jerker novel I've read this year, as well as my favourite (and hated) love triangle. Don't get me wrong, I love Will, and I love Jem and it absolutely sucks that they are parabatai. But it has always been Will for me. His story is so tragic, I want to hold him, let him know that he is loved and he deserves better. And I am honestly surprised by how many people are pro-Jem! I shouldn't be, but me, I'm always pining for the dark, mysterious, haunted hero.

The actual mystery of who Tessa really is intrigues me. Clare doesn't answer many questions, and only leaves more hanging. She cracks me up with Will's witty comments. And although I'm not the biggest fan of reading novels set in the past, I couldn't resist Clare's work. Daunting enchanted clockwork machinery and blue skinned demons? I found myself gasping and gaping toward the end, and I know I will be impatiently waiting for Clockwork Princess to be released next December. Which, my god, I can almost say is this year!

Rating: 5 stars~ It made me laugh, cry and grip my iPad in utter fear for Tessa!

 

First line:

The fog was thick, muffling sound and sight.

Favourite: 

She couldn't have been named something awful, could she, like Mildred. He couldn't imagine lying awake at night, staring up at the ceiling while invisible voices whispered "Mildred" in his ears. But Tessa-...

Teaser: 

"You said he was blue. This one's blue." 

"He is blue," Will acknowledged, stepping closer to the circle of flame. "But the demon I need - well, he was really a cobalt blue. This one's more... periwinkle."

 

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