Book Review: Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Princess
The Infernal Devices #3
Author: Cassandra Clare
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Steampunk
Released: March 19th 2013
Review Source: Purchased
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy

Tessa Gray should be happy - aren't all brides happy?
Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute.
A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa's heart, will do anything to save her.

Cover illustration by Cliff Nielsen

I've done my best to keep this review Spoiler free! The final installment to The Infernal Devices was all I had hoped it would be and so much, much more. Cassandra Clare is well known for torturing her reader's. She has no problem what so ever with hurting your favorite character(s) or killing them off as we've seen in The Mortal Instruments. She is ruthless but it is that ruthlessness that keeps you gripping the book and flipping the pages and reading a little faster than you normally would just to find out if the character's come out okay and how what has happened to them will play out in the grander scheme of things.

This story opens up two months after Clockwork Prince. Tessa and Jem are preparing for their wedding,awaiting The Council's decision on if they may be married and Tessa is being fitted for the traditional golden Shadowhunter wedding dress. Will is still in love with Tessa but has committed to letting his parabatai be happy and is determined to keep his feelings to himself and never reveal them again to Jem or Tessa. Unfortunately the end of Jem's life is coming upon him more rapidly due to a more increased dosage of yin fen. Jem has been determined to give Tessa a better version of himself even if it means fast forwarding to his death. Will is furious with his parabatai. For when Jem dies it will kill a piece of Will's heart and soul.

Mortmain is still up to his old tricks and as more clues come to light about The Infernal Devices, the Shadowhunters of the London Institute find themselves all on their own without outside help from the Clave and the Council and have to place their trust in Will to save one of their own.

I loved Gideon and Gabriel Lightwood even though admittedly at times I wanted to smack Gabriel around. Will's sister, Cecily, is till living among them at the Institute and she is a welcome addition to Will's life even though he does not want her around and wishes she'd return to Wales to live with their parents. I also always love Henry and his wild inventions which really come into play in this book. More so, I loved Henry and Magnus' interactions in this story. Charlotte is always a rock and now that she is pregnant she has even more to lose and so much more to gain by being the leader of the Institute and will stop at nothing to defend her position amounts the London Shadowhunter's.

If I say much more I will give away too much of the story. What I can tell you is this was definitely by far and away my favorite story written by Cassandra Clare to date. Admittedly I wanted to throw my iPad across the room several times while reading and I expressed that on Facebook several times. Much like when Edward left Bella in New Moon, I didn't want to continue. I felt my heart had been ripped out of my chest and couldn't bear to move forward but I did and I was rewarded. The ending to the story is breathtaking and I don't just mean the Epilogue. The last few chapters are absolutely beautifully written and rocked me to my core. I have re-read the ending several times just to make sure I grasped all of Clare's subtle nuances that you need in order to piece together clues as to what we may see in City of Heavenly Fire and answers to things she has shown us in The Mortal Instruments.

Clare's books are so cleverly written and she is such an amazing story teller. I love the way she has built both series with their unique twists and turns and how everything points to something giving you that "ah ha" moment of clarity on a question you always had from another book. I will likely re-read this story a few more times before City of Heavenly Fire but more so for the fact that the characters are like old friends or distant family that you want to keep visiting even though their trilogy has come to a close. You never know when they will be popping up again in future!