Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Book Review: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Publish Date: December 6th, 2012
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pages: 502
Series: Infernal Devices #2
ISBN: 9781416975885
Source: From publisher for review

Goodreads Synopsis:

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.

My Review:

To be honest here, I've been having a hard time writing this review. I have been done with Clockwork Prince since the day before it came out, and I've started this review at least half a dozen times but I just can't seem to get ny words to make sense. (Which is why I'm a reader, not an author!)
Here it is: I was disappointed with Clockwork Prince. I had high expectations going into the novel and maybe that was the problem. I read and loved Clare's Clockwork Angel so I was eager for the story to continue, but the story was dragged on for what seemed like too long. For the first part of Clockwork Prince I was downright not interested. The story line wasn't there to make me want to read and Will, Jem and Tessa though there in the story didn't feel there to me (you know what I mean, I'm sure).
Where Clockwork Angel ended I was expecting this one to follow it and be big and eventful, but I found it was lacking and dull. It wasn't until about page 300 (or somewhere around there) that the book seem to pull me in. The Shadowhunters continued their search for the Magister and the characters became alive again. All of a sudden the book was up to where I thought it was going to be and I couldn't put it down. Will and Jem have been 2 of my favourite characters and they were awesome from here forward! Will - the mysterious one who has secrets to hide and something to say about everything has a chance to finally get what he wants but we find out that he may be too late and girls, this will break your heart (Even if you aren't "Team Will".) Though if you are Team Will, you're in luck as a lot of Clockwork Prince was about him so there is plenty of time for Will to be swooned over! But Jem, the kind, well spoken of the two realizes that he can no longer hide his feelings and does something that I didn't see coming (until the moment leading up and I was like "No...NO way, this cannot be happening...") At first, I was shocked, I was concerned as to why Clare was taking this route for these characters, but I got over it, and it wasn't too bad anymore. Though I am so ready to find out more!
Tessa, Tessa Tessa...where do we begin. Her independence has just gone straight down the drain. She has become almost needy and selfish and it was a bit irritating to read at some points. Maybe there's reason behind this but I'm not sure. But, there are other characters back and as usual they are fascinating and well written. Jessamine is like you've never seen her, Henry and Charlotte have a revelation and Magnus is better than ever with his advice and one-liners.
Clare's writing, though I don't need to touch on that too much if you've read her work before or any of my reviews of her books for that matter, is just amazing. She can draw you into her world like there's nothing to it. She can paint pictures in your head as if you are right there watching the novel unfold through your own eyes. Clare really has a talent for writing!
That all being said, I guess my overall reaiting of Clockwork Prince is that it was a pretty decent read. If you can get past the first part, then you're in for something worth it in the end. Though there wasn't much Shadowhunter action going on, there was definitely some other action happening! Check it out for yourself if you haven't already, and be on the lookout near the end of 2012 for Book 3 in The Infernal Devices Series, Clockwork Princess.

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