Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3)

4.5 stars!
This was definitely one amazing series. Worth reading for those who liked The Mortal Instruments and even those who didn't because it's set in Victorian London, the love triangle was not your typical kind of love triangle and Magnus Bane was in it! I loved the bond between Will and Jem and the braveness of Tessa. There were also other great and caring characters to add to this series like Charlotte and her husband Henry who are the head of the London Institute and Sophie who works there. A great plot filled with shock, heart break and romance that will take readers on one unforgettable journey.

I would have to say out of all three books the third one was my favorite though I almost cried at the end but everything seemed to come together nicely. Through this series I have fallen in love with the characters so much that they almost feel real to me. And for this reason I give the Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare 5 Stars all the way will 50 more stars added on! I love this series and feel that anyone could read it and fall in love with it just as I have. If you like fairies,warlocks,fallen angels,demons,vampires, or werewolves YOU WILL LOVE THIS SERIES!

Don't regret crying my eyes during the epilogue...

Epilogue saved this book for me.
Jem Carstairs will always be my favorite character and if he isn't happy, I'm sure as hell not happy either.

Clockwork Princess has so much going for it – action, suspense, a beautifully tragic love triangle – but while I found myself enjoying the playful banter of familiar characters, I also found myself bored of professions of love and anxious for what I assumed would be an action-packed ending. And when I reached the ending, I realized that it was absolutely perfect. And I hated it for it.

So, to be completely honest, this review is mostly going to center around the ending of Clockwork Princess. Most everything that occurred up until the ending was predictable, yet enjoyable. I loved watching the various relationships grow, seeing Mortmain’s secrets unfold and finally learning the secrets to Tessa’s past. The tension surrounding Jem’s failing health and Will’s growing feelings for Tessa was palpable and having Cecily and Gabriel as new-ish characters added moments of unexpected humor and surprisingly touching loneliness.

And then the dreaded ending happened. Or, should I say, began to unfold. And this is where the spoilers start: final warning.

Throughout the vast majority of Clockwork Princess, it was like Jem was preparing his goodbyes. He asked for his friends to cease their search for a cure because he had made peace with death, and was ready to move on. I was ready for him to move on. But because no one was allowed to die in Clockwork Princess (I’m not joking – none of the major players die!), in his final moments, Jem becomes a Silent Brother. More on that in a bit.

Meanwhile, Will has been holding back his feelings for Tessa, out of respect for her engagement to Jem. He even went so far as to say that even when Jem dies, he won’t be able to be with her.

“If Jem dies, I cannot be with Tessa,” said Will. “Because it will be as if I were waiting for him to die, or took some joy in his death, if it let me have her. And I will not be that person. I will not profit from his death.”

So imagine my surprise that the day after he believes Jem has died, since he feels the sever of their Parabatai connection, he sleeps with Tessa.

And then there’s Tessa. Truly in love with both boys, I almost felt like she was looking forward to Jem’s passing so the decision would be made for her. While I never doubted her feelings for Jem, I also doubted she would have remained loyal to him had Will made a move on her. Which, I guess, mostly happened the night they slept together.

I could have found a way to justify both of these situations. Jem suddenly realized he didn’t want to die young, and sought out the Silent Brothers as a last resort. Will and Tessa truly believed that it was their last night alive, and so they acted on their pent up emotions and worked through their grief by being intimate with each other.

BUT THEN. Clare had to take everything one step further. As Jem leaves the Institute for the last time, having given both Tessa and Will his blessing, Will immediately begins to court Tessa. It’s a couple weeks later before they’re engaged. The epilogue speaks to their success and happy marriage. This is all great right? We have an answer – Tessa ends up with Will! Wrong. Years after Will’s death (due to his old age), Tessa is waiting to meet with Jem at the bridge where they first kissed, like she has met him every year since he became a Silent Brother. Except when Jem shows up, he’s no longer a Silent Brother – he’s back to being her Jem. A cure has been found, and he can live a full life – with her – if she’ll have him. Which, of course, she accepts.

Tessa literally got to have her cake, and eat it too. (I hate this expression, I mean, why wouldn’t you eat your cake if you had it? But it’s fitting, so whatever).

And all I could think was, you have got to be kidding me.

I love,love,LOVED this series and I finished the Clockwork Princess last night and was really sad then really happy. I have become so attached to the characters of this story that it almost feels like they are are people that have lived at one point in time.
FOR FULL REVIEW PLEASE VISIT MY BLOG: http://callievamp.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-infernal-devices-series-by.html

WOW! I guess Cassandra was saving the best for last. This book definitely took me on an emotional roller coaster. I have had to stop a couple of times while writing this review to compose myself. The ending was bitter sweet for me, but I felt that in the light of things it was for the best. Although I was not as impressed with the last two books, this one sold the series for me. I was swept right into this book from the beginning. It was such an action packed, emotionally gripping, mind blowing ending to this series. I must say I have to hands down agree with what people have been saying about this last book. It was, quite frankly, an amazingly heart wrenching story.

***This review contains spoilers***

I was put off from the beginning by the love triangle going on with Will, Jem, and Tessa. I felt that it so closely resembled the one from TMI. It seemed a bit repetitive. Then I realized what made it so different; Jem and Will were as close as two people could possibly be. They were technically one and the same. Two souls connected to become one. As difficult as it may seem, Tessa loved two completely different people who were entirely the same, but for two completely different reasons. I myself was in favor of her ending up with Will. He is a person I could see myself falling for. I was extremely happy when they ended up together, yet at the same time I was upset that in order for them to be together someone had to end up hurt. Although Jem made his choice, I am sure it was still hard to bear the loss of one’s loved one. I still tear up just thinking of how this series ended!

Throughout this book, I have been a huge fan of Henry. He is just the comical humor this book needed. When I thought he was killed in battle, I had to take a moment to compose myself before I could continue reading. Then to be further upset with the hand that fate dealt him! I was shocked, upset, bewildered, and mortified that Henry was left in such a condescending state. He was a Shadowhunter for goodness sake! Afterwards, I felt relief that he was alive. I am not sure how Charlotte would have carried on if she had lost him just when they had found out each others feelings. Not to mention the fact that she is about to have their baby! Their relationship also added a lot to this series. It was quite refreshing to see two complete opposites fall for one another.

There was a lot of loss and heart ache in this book! I was extremely overcome while reading this final installment. Although Mortmain is considered the “bad guy”, I can sympathize with his anger. I mean imagine someone killing off your family and finding no justice. Then to top it off, this “killer” is parading their remains in a showcased room. Although his anger has escalated beyond that of a sensible person, he sees his motives as a justification for his families deaths. I by no means agree with his execution of his revenge on the Nephilim, but I can understand where his vengefulness sparked from.

I thought the floor was going to open up and swallow me whole when I read the first implication that Jem had died. I was so upset! Although I was not a fan of Tessa and him, I still really enjoyed him as a character. I was astonished when I realized what had really transpired. I could not believe what I was reading! Jem was always so wise and understanding. He was the shoulder you could lean on and the strength you needed in times of need and despair. I never imagined he would choose the path in the end that he did. ***AHHH you will just have to read the story to find out what happens***

With so much going on in the story, I found myself falling more and more in love with Gideon Lightwood. He was such a strong character to me that really stood out. I respected his strong morals and loyalty. I was also quite delighted to find out he was enamored by Sophie. She was also one of my favorite characters. I was anxious to see them both have a happy ending. After having to deal with the loss and betrayal of his father, Gideon really needed the determination and strength Sophie could offer him. I was so relieved when Charlotte propositioned Sophie about becoming a Shadowhunter! I had to put the book down and merrily clap my hands like a giddy child. But theirs was not the only relationship that blossomed in this book! Cecily and Gabriel also found an adorable budding attraction to one another.

The ending of this book was a heart wrenching roller coaster for me. It was so bitter sweet reading about Tessa and Will’s life together, and then how she had to watch him die. I could never imagine living past the lives of the ones I loved over and over. It is stressful just imagining it. I loved how Cassandra incorporated the places they visited and the things they shared with one another during their life together. The final song performed for Will was also what sent me into a bout of tears. I could only imagine what Tessa had to of gone through when she made her final choice to leave. Yet, it was the very end of the book that left me feeling disappointment and relief. Tessa finally gets her second chance at love. It was just so tragically romantic. I am not sure it would have been so devastating wonderful if it had ended any other way.

The beginning was a little slow for me, because honestly it has been so long and only certain details stuck with me. I skimmed some of the book but was totally immersed in others.
I think that once I got into the action and figured out what was going on again, the reason I would be taken out of the story is that it felt choppy to me when it was switching between the characters. They should have been some sort of marker showing when it switched the focus.
The part that kept my attention the most was the Tessa/Jem/Will scenes. There is so much tension and I am smack in the middle of it with my heart. I don't know the right answer, because someone gets hurt, or Jem has to finally die. Which would suck. And may or may not be a part of this story. I don't know because when I wrote this part of the review I was only 200 pages in. Just a hunch of what will happen.
There were so many twists, hot scenes, amazing heart fluttering declarations that I didn't know what to do with myself for the last part though.
I think the ending was as perfect as I could possibly think of or imagine considering and it made me happy with the story.

Bottom Line: Slow in places but amazing ending.

Dani’s Review:
Clockwork Princess has officially become my favorite YA book. I have read all of Cassandra Clare’s books released to date, and Clockwork Princess is the best by far. Ms. Clare’s vivid descriptions of the setting and the characters, careful planned plot twists, and heart wrenching romance made this novel flawless. She plunged deep into the lake of each character’s emotions. So many secrets are finally revealed!

Clockwork Prince left off with the London Institute in disarray because of an attack by Mortmain’s automatons. Jessamine had betrayed her fellow Shadowhunters, Tessa’s brother Nate died, and in essence a shadow fell upon the inhabitants of the Institute. However, love brought a ray of sunshine into the darkness....To all except Will and Tessa. Jem proposed to Tessa and Tessa agreed to marry him. A few minutes later, Will declared his love to Tessa and poured out his heart to her. Sadly, he is literally minutes too late. Will is stricken with shock and grief when Tessa pretends she is indifferent to his feelings and tells him that she has accepted Jem’s proposal. Both Will and Tessa are torn--Will is fighting his feelings for his parabatai’s fiancé and Tessa is fighting her feelings for Will. What a love triangle!

I can’t even begin to try to write about Clockwork Princess’s plot without spoiling anything. Here are a few SEMI spoiler-free things, so read at your own risk!

The fate of demon pox ridden Benedict Lightwood is revealed

Will and Gabriel’s enmity for each other is resolved....somewhat
Cecily eventually stops trying to drag Will back to their parents
Jem comes EXTREMELY close to death

Amazing! I liked Clare's other series, The Immortal Instruments, but this series I love much, much more! I'm hoping that it will also be put into film, if The Immortal Instruments movies turn out to be successful. Clockwork Princess was just a great ending to the series, even though I was sad to see it end. I can't believe Clare made it all work! I wasn't expecting how things turned out. There was a lot going on in the last several chapters of the book and it made me want to cry and laugh all at the same time! :)

I love the shadowhunter world! I could envision how the landscapes, buildings, and characters looked like, and what was going on. The plot is fairly intense, but that alone wasn't what made this book intense or why I enjoyed it. What made it so fabulous were the characters and their relationships. I'm not referring to just the main characters either, but the supporting characters as well. Magnus, Sophie, Gideon, Gabriel, Charlotte, Henry, and Cecily are all each great characters in their own right and I loved each of them. I think what makes Clare's characters so great is that they aren't perfect. They don't always make the right choices (I was really upset with Tessa about one particular choice she made with Mortmain), but they do have many redeeming qualities and pull through in the end.

Of course I love Jem, Will, and Tessa! How could I not? I don't tend to like love triangles. This one was really tough too because I just about equally love Jem and Will. They are so very different! I think it helped that there wasn't all that animosity you normally find in situations like this that can come across so immaturely sometimes. They both have a deep respect and love for each other and for Tessa, otherwise it would never have worked. I'm not going to say who Tessa chooses or who lives or dies for those that haven't read it, but it worked and I am so happy that it did. I will tell you that it's not something I have seen done before.

The dialogue in this book was fabulous! Tessa, Will, and Jem all have great lines as well as some of the other characters. I also loved the inclusion of classic works, especially that Dickens' David Copperfield made a small appearance. It is my favorite of his books. I haven't read a lot of poetry, but this has made me want to read more of it and become familiar with the classic poets. One of the things that Tessa said from the first book is re-quoted in this one by Will and it is one of my all-time favorite quotes. "I recall what you said to me once," Will went on. "That words have the power to change us. Your words have changed me, Tess; they have made me a better man that I would have been otherwise. Life is a book, and there are a thousand pages I have not yet read. I would read them together with you, as many as I can, before I die-" I loved it the first time I read it, and even more so now with Will's addition. Then there are all the things said about different facets of love. There were so many phrases that I loved! This is one of my other favorites:

“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.” -Jem

I highly recommend reading it, if you haven't already!

Content: There is one instance of non-descriptive sex, some violence
Source: Library