Review for Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2)

Clockwork Prince

Author: Cassandra Clare

Pages: 498

Genre: Steampunk/Paranormal Romance

Source: Borrowed from Friend

Summery 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.

The Good

I hate being such a slow reader cause with all the reading/writing I have to do for school and getting sick this past week it took me forever to get this book read but I must say I liked it better than the first one. I don’t know what it was, it could have been the flow, or it could have been that I already knew the characters or a million other things. The thing I noticed most about this book was the powerful scenes between some of the characters; I was in tears a couple times (and any book that can get my to cry automatically gets some brownie points). There was a scene between Jem and Will that was just so moving I couldn’t help but cry. Clare writes their friendship so strongly it’s just beautiful. I also liked that we got to see more of the maid Sophie and that the girls (Sophie and Tessa) actually started to train a little in self-defense and weaponry.

            One thing I love about how Clare writes this series is the way she spreads the information/mystery throughout the series, only giving you a little bit here and there. Than in the next book she reveals a little more and still some things are left a mystery for us to uncover in the next book. While I’m an impatient reader and want to know everything now I can appreciate the suspense she builds.

The Bad

            So, there were a few things I kinda sorta had a problem with in this book, mainly two. One is a technical thing and the other a personal annoyance. First, I thought that the use of multiple narratives bogged the story down a bit. While I loved hearing from all the characters there were just too many points of view and a couple of them we only hear from once or twice.

            The other problem I had was, and I think I’ve mention this before, the love triangle. I really dislike love triangles because it always kills me knowing that one character is going to get left in the cold. Now I didn’t really notice it in the first book until someone mentioned it on GoodReads, I really thought they could have done without it, but in the second book it just smacks you in the face. The problem is I really loved these two guys. One’s a sweetie and the other you can’t help but love (well, I can’t anyway.) This love triangle ripped my heart out, smashed it into tiny pieces, and ground it into dust. I was crying and shouting “NO! NO! NO!” Pathetic, yes, but the emotions were so high it was suffocating. Maybe that’s a sign of a good writing but it just annoys me. I was talking to the friend who lent me the book about it and she just laughed at my reaction (and my sister just rolled her eyes at me as she watched me read it). I can’t help it, I always feel sorry for the underdog. I want to cry when Barbosa (POTC) dies before getting to taste the apple at the end of the first movie. Despite all this I am still looking forward to the next installment of this series.

The Krazyness

I just have to ask: Who would you choose for Tessa?

A. Jem

B. Will

C. Neither; she's better on her own

 

Moral of the Story

Don’t drink the punch.

 4 Elf Cookies

HAPPY 200^TH BIRTHDAY TO CHARLES DICKENS

AND

HAPPY 145^TH BIRTHDAY TO LAURA INGALLS-WILDER