by Cassandra Clare
Published December 6th 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
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.
Rating: 5/5
Review:
Wow. Just plain wow. You ever come across one of those books where once you've read the last page, you're just like Wait, what? It's over already?! Yeah, this is definitely one of those books. I. Want. More. NOW.
Kudos, props, cheers, and many bravos to Cassandra Clare for writing such an ineffably amazing book! Believe me, I liked Clockwork Angel, but honestly? It's got nothing on Clockwork Prince! This book was absolutely magnificent. The whole Victorian London was impeccably described and extremely vivid! I'm normally not a huge fan of historical fiction. I'm rather finicky, but this rendering of London totally fascinated me!
And the characters! Oh, the characters! Oh, my goodness, all the characters in this book were wonderful. They all had such great personalities and depth and I loved every single one of them, major or minor, good or bad. Tessa was great! Courageous, loving, humble, and book nerd! Really, it doesn't get better than that! Then, there's Will, the object of much of my affection. Goodness gracious, I want to meet a real life Will Herondale! You get so much more insight into Will in this book, and I swear, if you are Team Will, you will undoubtedly fall even more in love with him! And then there's Jem. Oh Jem, he is just so gosh darn kind and and heart-breakingly sweet!
UNFORTUNATELY, Jem, you made me so freaking frustrated in this book! Literally, there was a Moment (if you've read this, you know what this Moment is) when you had me out of my seat screaming "NO!" at the book and stomping my feet. If you were Team Jem, then maybe you were screaming yes, but me personally? I was devastated. Gosh darn this heart-wrenching love triangle! I like both guys and I want them both to have a happy ending, but I just can't help feeling that one of them will get hurt in the end...
Also, the humor in this book is just fabulous! I am a huge fan of Clare's dry and witty humor! The things that some of the characters said had me quietly guffawing (quietly or else people next to me will think I'm crazy...) And can I just say, that the very fact that Cassandra Clare got me to fall in love with a book written in 3rd person is an achievement in and of itself? Normally, I stay the heck away from those types of books because I just have a hard time connecting with the characters and just...don't really like it. But this book! Oh my, the different changes in character POV made it absolutely perfect! I had no trouble connecting with every character--believe me, you will get emotionally invested in the story.
I seriously cannot think of enough good things to say about this book! And because I'm running out of good adjectives, I will end the review here. BUT SERIOUSLY. GO READ THIS!
SOME of my favorite quotes...
“I feel myself dissolving, vanishing into nothingness, for if there is no one in the world who cares for you, do you really exist at all?”
“Did you just kiss me?" Will inquired.
Magnus made a slip-second decision. "No."
"I thought-"
"On occasion the aftereffects of the painkilling spells can result in hallucinations of the most bizarre sort."
"Oh," Will said. "How peculiar.”
“His beauty did not blaze like Will's did in fierce colors and repressed fire, but it had its own muted perfection, the loveliness of snow falling against a silver gray sky.”
“We live and breathe words. It was books that kept me from taking my own life after I thought I could never love anyone, never be loved again. It was books that made me feel that perhaps I was not completely alone. They could be honest with me, and I with them.”
“Demon pox, oh, demon pox,
Just how is it acquired?
One must go down to the bad part of town
Until one is very tired.
Demon pox, oh, demon pox I had it all along—
No, not the pox, you foolish blocks,
I mean this very song—
For I was right, and you were wrong!”
“Will!” Charlotte shouted over the noise. “Have you LOST YOUR MIND? CEASE THAT INFERNAL RACKET!”
“She had never asked herself whether it cost him any effort. Any effort to stand between Will and the world, protecting each one of them from the other.”
Sounds fantastic. I love it when a book leaves me wanting more.
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