Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare is the final book in the Infernal Devices spin-off series in the Shadowhunter world!

This review contains a lot of SPOILERS!

“Danger and betrayal, love and loss, secrets and enchantment are woven together in the breathtaking finale to the #1 New York Times bestselling Infernal Devices Trilogy, prequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series.

THE INFERNAL DEVICES WILL NEVER STOP COMING

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.”

Compared to the first two books in this series, this one explores more on the character development rather than focusing on the world of the Shadowhunters.

I think the main focus of this book follows Tessa and Jem’s relationship as they struggle with his disease process and their future together. Knowing that he may die very soon, they are on the hunt for the missing medicine. Because of this, the book has more of a darker, sadness to it that comes with terminal illnesses.

Once we discovered the missing ingredients, I knew right away that the Magister had something to do with it. Coincidence? I think not.

And of course, the best way to get Tessa on his side would be to go after her fiancé. Which was a smart move on his part, because for a hot second, it worked. She is captured multiple times throughout the book and all the while, Jem is getting closer and closer to death.

We get to follow the many POVs as they prematurely grieve his status which I thought was an interesting inclusion to this story. We don’t get to see much of this process in YA, and I think Cassandra did a good job in relaying all the emotions with this one.

There are a ton of plot twists that I wasn’t expecting in this book such as Jessamine’s comeback, Jem’s secret discovery, and Will’s fate by the end of the book.

I will say that the ending felt prolonged. I did appreciate that it gave a solid ending to the series, but for the last 100 pages, it seems to just draw out the inevitable.

We do get to also follow the struggles women have during this time period along with Charlotte’s journey in overcoming all the obstacles in her career. But perseverance takes control of her and she reaches to new heights she didn’t think she could realistically achieve.

Overall, I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I think all together, Cassandra’s writing style is entertaining, but it doesn’t leave that OMG feeling that some of my favorite stories leave me. But I will say that I think I enjoyed this spin-off more than I did with the original Mortal Instrument characters.

Published: 5 September 2013

Publisher: Margaret K. McEkderry Books

Genre: Young Adult Urban Fantasy

Pages: 567

How I Read It: Library Hardcover

What are you thoughts on this series so far??

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