Review: Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

The Infernal Devices #3

Release Date: March 19^th, 2013

Number of Pages: 568

Publisher: Margareth K. McElderry Books

Source: Bought

GR - Amazon - BD - Chapters

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.

I was terrified to read Clockwork Princess, as I knew I was bound to cry (I did.) I didn’t really want to leave these characters behind, leave this story behind, especially since I knew many characters would get their heart broken. Cassandra Clare can sure take her characters (and readers) on an emotional rollercoaster, and she is not afraid to break her readers heart. Be warned, you should probably keep a box of tissue at our side, especially as you approach the end. And you should probably finish it at home. I was happy I was, since I was crying like a baby by the epilogue.

One of the reasons I couldn’t help getting emotional while reading Clockwork Princess were the characters. Tessa, Jem and Will are three characters you can’t help but love, each to a different level. Will’s sense of humor charmed me form bok one, and his strong love for Jem made me love him even more. Jem was the synonym of kindness and strength, and you can’t help but feel for him as he is slowly dying because of the drug. And then there is Tessa. I think Clockwork Princess really shows the extremes she would be ready to go to for those she cares about, both Jem and Will. The love those three characters share is the reason why you can’t help but be heartbroken over what they have to face.

Clockwork Princess does have a few predictable moments, but there were many surprises to keep you on the edge of your seat, waiting to see what would happen next. As the final book in the series, I found it more than satisfying. Cassandra Clare ties the loose ends left from the main story, but leaves us an opening large enough to wonder if we will see Tessa again in Cassandra Clare’s other series. Overall, I was more than pleased with this ending. Clockwork Princess will leave you with your emotions all over the place, but it will give enough to leave both the Team Will and Team Jem satisfied to a certain extend. Now I simply need to find someone who has read it to talk about all the spoilery stuff I can’t really share here. I may be sad over seeing this series come to an end, but I’m happy with the way things ended for Tessa.

About the Author

From GoodReads

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.

Her Website

Her Twitter

The Trailer

In My Mailbox 35

In My Mailbox is a Meme hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren. It is a way to share with other bloggers what you got during the week.

Here is what I got this week!

Bought:
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (My Review)

From Publisher:
Legend by Marie Lu (My Review)

From NetGalley:

Slide by Jill Hathaway

Thanks to HarperCollins and Penguin!

What did you get?

Review: Clockwork Prince

Title: Clockwork Prince

Author: Cassandra Clare

Series: The Infernal Devices #2

Release Date: December 6^th, 2011

Number of Pages: 497

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Source: Bought

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

Wow. Wow. Wow. I have to issue a warning for this review. It will contain some fangirl excitement, as I’m still unbelievably shaken by this book.

Seriously, Cassandra Clare, I don’t know if I should praise you or completely hate you. HOW CAN YOU TAKE ME ON THAT KIND OF EMOTIONAL ROLLER-COASTER RIDE!!! This book left me speechless at first, freaking out, begging for more… I felt everything a book could make me feel. I’m completely satisfy with what we were offered by Cassandra Clare, which means a lot considering how long I had been waiting for it.

I think this book gave us so much more from the characters. I love Tessa, as she is strong and she tries to take control of her life more than some girl in her position would. She doesn’t simply stay there, waiting for Will to show his affection. He doesn’t seem to feel anything for her. Let’s move on. I liked that. Now, Jem and Will made my heart break. I can’t decide which one I prefer. Jem is so kind, so sweet. He is so much better with Tessa than Will is. Still, we learn so much about Will, and the reasons behind why he acts the way he does. He made my heart break for all he went though. I simply adore him more now than before. Yet, I can’t decide between those two!

Of course, I can’t forget about Magnus Bane. How can one not ADORE him? He is funny and simply amazing. I want more Magnus. MORE! Now, there were also a few really cute moment with Charlotte and Henry, which made my like those characters even more. Finally, I preferred Jessamine in this book than in the first. She may have made some questionable choices in this book, but at least she did something to change her faith. I really liked that about her.

Now, the story really got me addicted. I simply couldn’t put it down. I had to know what would happen next. I did end up reading it until 3am. Cassandra Clare simply has a gift when it comes to making the reader go through every kind of emotions possible. It was amazing. I loved it. I’m already dying for the sequel. If you haven’t read this series yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!!!! Cassandra Clare never ceases to amaze me. She is an incredible author.

Review: The Pledge

Title: The Pledge
Author: Kimberly Derting
Series: The Pledge #1
Release Date: November 15th, 2011
Number of Pages: 323
Publisher: Margareth K. McElderry
Source: Bought

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

The premises for this book really got me intrigued. A world where the classes are delimited by language? Seriously? I thought it was a really great idea. Okay, I may be slightly biased, as I’m taking linguistic classes and I love languages, but still, I just had to read it. Plus, I love dystopian!

I was really excited at first to read it, but I have to say that it took me some times to really get into the story. There are so many things to set to make the world believable that it made the first few chapters a little slow, but one it got really started; I simply couldn’t put it down. The only downside to that is that the story ended being a little too short for me. I want more, I still want more (can’t wait to read the sequel). The ending was a little rushed for me, but I still love it. I just wished it could have a few more chapters to satisfy my thirst for this world.

The characters in this book all seems to have hundred of secrets. They all seem to be much more than what they may appear like. I really like following Charlie. I love her devotion to her family, especially to her little sister. She showed so much strength to protect it. I liked her two friends, Aron and Brook, but I have to say that I preferred Aaron at first, but Brook got more interesting as the novel went on. Max really got me curious, as he was such a mystery to me. I didn’t really guess the truth about who he is.

I really enjoyed this book. This is the kind of book that will please most dystopian lovers, as it is a great new idea of a dystopia. It was addicting for me, and I think that once you are past the first few chapters, you won’t be able to put it down.