Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Book Stats:  

Reading level:Young Adult
Genre: Steampunk / fantasy
Hardcover: 567 pages
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Release date: September 5th, 2013

Series:  The Infernal Devices #3

Source: Purchased

Reviewed by: Tynga

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

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.

I am very late to this party. I LOVED Clockwork Prince so much when I read it that I didn't want to read Clockwork Princess right away. I just couldn't face the fact that it was that last book in the trilogy. I was not ready to let go! It was a double-edged knife though because I had a hard time getting back into the story. In fact, I thought the first half was really dragging and it wasn't until Tessa was kidnapped that I finally felt engaged in this last installment. 

There are many aspects I liked and disliked about this novel so I am in a solid grey zone here. First, Tessa... I loved her a lot more in the previous books. In this one she really feels like a damsel in distress and does no fighting what-so-ever despite having some training now. And the romance killed me. I've always thought she should be with Will, and her engagement with Jem never made sense to me. And I won't spoil anything for you, but I am not happy with how things played out romantically. 

On the other side, we FINALLY got answers about Tessa. Who her ancestors are, how she came to be, more info about her clockwork angel and toward the end, she finally used per power. Something she should've done more instead of being a defenseless lady (which she shouldn't be!). 

Will. I love Will and always have. The poor boy is sooo tortured though, sometimes it's hard to read. I loved that he took matters in his own hands though and worked hard toward his goals. I also really like his relationship with Magnus and I wished there was more of it. Those two make quite the pair! 

One of the aspect I loved most is how strong Charlotte is. She is a natural leader and she is caring and compassionate for her shadowhunters. She works really hard to do what is best even if she has no support. The difficult trail in front of her doesn't make her shy away and I command her for that. Despite her own loses, I was happy for her at the end of this novel.

Even though I didn't like this novel as much as I wanted too, the epilogue really kindled my passion for the Shadowhunter world. I feel a urge to re-read The Mortal Instruments series to see if I overlooked the appearances of some of the immortal characters, or if my perspective on some other characters will change now that I know their ancestors.  I haven't read book 5 and 6 of that series yet, so I will pick them up very soon, that's for sure. 

In conclusion, the books in the world are much better than the movie and the TV show. I urge you to pick up 'em up for an entertaining ride! 

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Posted by Tynga at 06:08

 Cassandra Clare, Fantasy, shadowhunters, Simon and Schuster, steampunk, Warlocks, young adult  1 Person left their mark

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

City of Ashes is the second book in the Mortal Instruments series, so there will be spoilers in this review for the first book, City of Bones. You've been warned.  Also, this is kind of a "Throwback Thursday" type of review.  Here on Tynga's Reviews, we've already reviewed books #3, #4, #5, and #6; but not #2!  Here we go...

(A quick aside on the cover: the focal point is Clary's chest. Does that bother anyone else?)

City of Ashes opens with Jace being investigated and massive death and destruction in the City of Bones. A very harsh Inquisitor is investigating Jace because the Clave worries that Jace took the second Mortal Instrument, the Soul-Sword. Is Jace guilty? Did he help his father, Valentine, take the sword, which would still make him culpable? On top of the drama at the Institute, someone is killing NYC Downworlder children. Clary and Simon join up with the Shadowhunters to solve the mystery before any more Downworlder children die, and before Jace is locked up for a crime he may or may not have committed.

I was totally torn over this book. I loved most of the storyline, and I thought the pacing of the action was great. I listened to this book on CD, and even though it was much longer than some other books I've listened to recently it felt like it flew by. I also really liked how even though this is the second book in a six-book series, it didn't feel like a "bridge." It definitely had it's own conflict which developed and was resolved (for the most part). It's not a stand-alone; you'd want to have read City of Bones in order to understand how the characters fit together, but it didn't leave me hanging at the end. I appreciate that.

There is so much action in City of Ashes! A werewolf fight in a nightclub to a meeting with fairies to prison escapes... The reader never gets to sit still and catch their breath. I will say that Cassandra Clare did a great job of squeezing in a few feelings in between all the action, so that we can see relationships blossom between characters. But we never linger on feelings. The only down side is that in order to squeeze in those feelings, Ms. Clare did more telling than showing. As in, the characters state out loud or in their thoughts how they feel, instead of demonstrating those feelings. Oh well. Can't be perfect, and it's not terrible.

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 Action amp; Adventure, Audio, Cassandra Clare, downworlders, Fantasy amp; Magic, Library, Review, shadowhunters, The Mortal Instruments, young adult  4 People left their mark