Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
Release Date: December 6, 2011
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Pages: 502
Source: Purchased Copy
Rating:  
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository

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. – Goodreads

Review:
With just Clockwork Angel, I already vastly preferred Cassandra Clare’s The Infernal Devices books to her Mortal Instruments series. The setting, the characters, and all the details just seemed to appeal to me more and this second installment, Clockwork Prince, was easily one of my most anticipated books of 2011. Boy, did it deliver! It would be very easy to make this entire review a love letter to one James Carstairs so, to avoid that, I will give my thoughts on each of three main characters:

Will: What a source of conflict for me! While I am adamantly Team Jem, I would be lying if I said that Will didn’t have his own pull on me. My heart breaks for him because of his misery and then it swells when he allows himself to be without restraint. Even though he can be, at times, selfish and rash, he’s a good person and such a devoted friend. His friendship with Jem is always a highlight, the two characters being a perfect balance to the other, and this book in particular displayed the length of love and respect that Will has for Jem. Gah, these two boys. It’s difficult to be happy for one when it undoubtedly means the other will break.

Tessa: I love her! She’s never one to back down and always puts on her brave face no matter the circumstance. I loved seeing her confidence and I’m still so excited to see her grow to her full potential as she continues to uncover the secrets of her past. Though some additional bits of information were revealed in this book, her identity is still very much a mystery. Then, of course, there’s the love triangle. I obviously have my preference, but it’s still easy to relate to the conflict that Tessa feels. It’s a love triangle done right with impossible choices to be made.

Jem: MY FAVORITE, MY PRINCE, ETC. I already fiercely loved him in Clockwork Angel, but this book had me wanting to tattoo I LOVE JEM to my forehead. Alright, maybe that’s too extreme, but my love for him definitely rose to new highs. His goodness was something I was already aware of, and he perfectly displayed that again in this book, but it was fantastic to peel back more of his layers: his insecurities, his anger, his desperation… Oh, and there was also some hotness in the middle of all of this. I was in a mental state of CAPS LOCK and “!!!!!!!!!!!!” Um, yeah, Will who? (Kidding…sort of.) Jem’s kind heart, his sweetness, hotness, and all over loveliness has made him one of my favorites ever and I will raise hell if anything awful happens to him and/or certain characters hurt him in any way. My heart would not be able to handle it, but I am already preparing myself for the worst in Clockwork Princess.

Clockwork Prince was an amazing sequel to the first book and, although I do love me some action scenes, I like that character development was at the forefront here. My attachment to these characters only grew and it’s going to be a torturous wait for Clockwork Princess. On one hand, I want to see how it all concludes, but on the other, as mentioned above, I’m preparing myself for the worst. One way or another, there’s heartbreak ahead and someone will have to hold me.