Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Walker
Released: March 19th 2013
Pages: 568 (Paperback)
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 think that perhaps my heart has been torn in two from happiness and heartbreak and the Angel only knows what else. This review contains spoilers - and a lot of fangirling and tears.
I have literally finished Clockwork Princess a few minutes ago. I don't think I have ever come across such a beautiful and brilliant novel to end a series. Clare wrote in absolutely everything I ever wanted from The Infernal Devices, and she made sure that every fans dreams came true - no matter whether you were Team Will or Team Jem, you got your happy ending.
I have literally finished Clockwork Princess a few minutes ago. I don't think I have ever come across such a beautiful and brilliant novel to end a series. Clare wrote in absolutely everything I ever wanted from The Infernal Devices, and she made sure that every fans dreams came true - no matter whether you were Team Will or Team Jem, you got your happy ending.
I have been waiting for this book ever since May 21st 2012, when I finished the prequel to this novel, Clockwork Prince. After all this time waiting, I have thought up so many different theories as to how things would turn out, and I was certain none of them would be right - authors always surprise you.
In this book, Clare did surprise me - but I was even more surprised to find out that some of my theories were actually right! But instead of being angry that they had been so obvious to me, I was overjoyed - the endings I had thought up were things I desperately wanted to happen, and when it did...I cried. Lots, both from sadness and happiness. When Jem died (or should I say "died") I cried so much because I was convinced that he would turn out to be Brother Zachariah from The Mortal Instruments series - there had been hints as characters in those books; always commented and how he was different from the other Silent Brothers, and as I read The Infernal Devices, I was struck dumb as this thought occurred to me - could he be Jem? Does he survive? Does my ridiculous book crush survive?! But I was right, and when I found out, I was crying yet again - but with definite happiness. This novel broke my heart so much, I'm going to need duct tape to fix it back up again.
One thing I've always loved with this trilogy was the love triangle between Tessa, Will, and Jem. It was never insta-love, it was never forced - Clare wrote the love between all three of them so naturally and so beautifully that it was both realistic and idealistic in the best sense. Although I have always leaned towards Team Jem, I knew that Tessa would end up getting together with Will - don't the dark, mysterious guys always win out? I was expecting Will to win out, so I wasn't surprised when they got together - or angry, really, that Jem didn't get Tessa, because Will and Jem were parabati, so in a weird way it was like he had gotten her too? What I loved even more was how there was never fighting over Tessa and her love - they graciously stepped back for one another, and although I'm not a major fan of romance novels, I fell head over heels for this. Clare, you wonderwoman, you.
But just as I was getting used to the fact that Jem and Tessa would never get married, BAM! the epilogue happened - the BEST epilogue of all time! Clare fast-forwarded the tale to pretty much present-day, after Will had died and Tessa, his immortal wife, had survived him. And suddenly there, on the bridge, was Jem - not Brother Zachariah Jem, but genuinely Jem (okay, that sounded weird, but you know what I mean) - a cure to Jem's disease had been found, and he was unbound from his duty as a Silent Brother - he became Shadowhunter James Carstairs once more, and his love for Tessa was still there - AND SO WAS HER LOVE FOR HIM! And I could see it coming as I read it, but goddamn, JEM GOT THE GIRL! And so did Will! Both of the boys got the girl, and I didn't end up hating Tessa for being two-faced, because she wasn't! It was perfect; the most perfect ending to the most perfect triangle. I am dead from my feels.
As endings of trilogies go, although Clockwork Princess finished off the ongoing storyline of Mortmain and his automatons, his end wasn't really the end of the story - there was more pieces of the puzzle that needed to be fitted together, and Clare did that so wonderfully. Every loose end was tied up, and everyone got their happy ending. Slightly cheesy, but wonderful nevertheless. This has got to be one of my most favourite trilogies of all time.
This book was amazing - this series has been amazing! I adore the world that Cassandra Clare has thought up - entire generations of Shadowhunters, and as I looked at the back of my book and saw a family tree (all the generations connecting Jem, Will and Tessa, to Jace, Clary and Alec) it felt like a whole other - but real - universe to me. I don't think Clare could have ended this amazing trilogy on a better note. If you haven't read either The Infernal Devices or The Mortal Instruments, then please pick up the latter first. After you've finished them, move back to the prequel, and watch as the Shadowhunting history unfolds before you. It is magical.
Rating: 5/5
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