Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

By: Unknown on Thursday, December 04, 2014

Title:  Clockwork Prince
Series:  The Infernal Devices #2
Author:  Cassandra Clare
Published:  December 6/11 by Simon & Schuster
Length:  502pgs
Format:   audio book
Genre:  YA paranormal
Shelf:  gift
Rating: ★★★★

Back Cover Blurb:

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, but 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.

My Review:

Although this story takes place in the past, it’s easy to picture yourself in it. There’s a feeling of timelessness about it, as if it could take place at any point in time. There is suspense and action around every corner. This is definitely one of those stories that keeps building until the very last moment. And holy cliffhanger batman! But this is the good kind of cliffhanger that leaves you wanting to know what’s next and trying to unravel how it will all end, rather than the kind that makes you feel like the author just stopped writing because they’d reached their word count.

Clare’s characters are brought to life in a vivid and big way. I enjoyed how well we get to know a variety of characters, rather than simply one or two. There are so many major players and intertwining stories and personal histories that I was swept away. I really liked getting to know Will better. He seems like so much less of a spoiled brat now that we can understand where he comes from. I also enjoyed the dialogue. It flows smoothly and is ideally suited to the time period at hand. It was the one thing that consistently kept me in the past. Also, I enjoyed the variety of dialects used. You can definitely see the difference in speech patterns based on the characters’ origins.

Although I enjoyed both narrators I would have preferred the same one throughout. Each time they switched I was jarred out of the story, even if only momentarily. It was just enough to break the flow of the story for me. I think that if I’d been reading the print version of this novel I’d have given this one 5 stars. I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline but the switching narrators didn’t really work for me.

Overall, this was a great read & a fantastic addition to the Infernal Devices series. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to others, nor to continue with the series.

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