Review of Cassandra Clare's 'Clockwork Princess'

 

Goodreads Description:

 

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.

 

 

About Author:

 

 

 

 

Cassandra Clare was born overseas and spent her early years traveling around the world with her family and several trunks of fantasy books. Cassandra worked for several years as an entertainment journalist for the Hollywood Reporter before turning her attention to fiction. She is the author of City of Bones, the first book in the Mortal Instruments trilogy and a New York Times bestseller. Cassandra lives with her fiance and their two cats in Massachusetts.

 

 

My Review:

 

I have read all of Clare's books in her two main series, The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices, and these books (The Infernal Devices) are by far my favorite. This book is the third and final book in this trilogy and I was a little worried about how everything would turn out with both the story and the characters. I must say I was pleasantly surprised on both accounts.

The story was engaging and at some points frightening. Mortmain's end game was finally revealed and it was definitely an interesting one. The ending of the story allowed all of the characters to step up and save the day. All of the main players had a part to play in the climactic ending. I was especially pleased to see Tessa have such an important role in the end. I have always liked Tessa, but she has never been a big physical presence to be reckoned with, but that all changes at the end of this book.

I was so scared how this would end for the characters because in the epic love triangle that is Tessa, Jem, and Will; I loved all of the characters equally. I was worried that it would end badly for at least one of the three, but somehow Clare managed to give everyone a happy ending. I won't giveaway the ending, but it's a good and satisfying one. The other characters in the book also all ended up with happy endings (well, except Jessamine, but she was doomed from the moment she helped Mortmain), some of which were pleasantly surprising. The Lightwood brothers had a larger role in this story as well, which made me happy. They started out as kind of obnoxious, small characters, but grew in both importance and character. All of the characters I've come to love and care about received pleasant and final endings.

The writing, of course, was as smooth and beautiful as the first two books in the series. I managed to tear through the abundant pages in one day. This book, like its predecessors, is nothing if not addictive.

Clockwork Princess perfectly wrapped up an amazing series. It managed to solve the mystery and problem that was Mortmain, along with all of the other smaller problems that arose throughout the books. And like I said, all of the characters got their happy endings. I couldn't have asked for anything more in the ending of a series so dear to my heart.

 

 

My Rating: