Review: Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare
Publication Date: March 19, 2013
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Number of Pages: 568
Format: Hardback
Buy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Add to Goodreads

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy

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.

The conclusion to Clare's The Infernal Devices trilogy is probably one of most anticipated books of the year. The book picks up not long after the last one left off. Tessa is busy planning her wedding, while Will trains his sister Cecily to be a Shadowhunter. And due to tragedy, which honestly I thought was very clever of Ms. Clare, Gabriel comes to the Institute to live.

Even though it's been quiet, Mortmain looms over everyone's minds. Having brought all of the drug Jem needs and even stopped shipping, Jem doesn't have much time left. In which Mortmain makes his move and kidnaps Tessa. Jem, on his death bed, tells Will to go after her and bring her back safe.

I don't want to go into much detail, trying to keep everything spoiler free. But there are a few twists. Most of the theories out there are right in some way. I wished Magnus was in the book more than what he was. But he was amazing as always. And the couples that end up together! Everyone is perfect!

One of my favorite quotes, it's just perfect and I can't stop laughing everytime I read it.

"The next time one of our esteemed members turns into a worm and eats another esteemed member, we will inform you immediately."

Most of our questions were answered in the book. I was more surprised what Tessa ended up being, and thinking about it more raises a few more questions. I'm still not sure how I feel exactly about the ending. One part of me feels like it was a copout. But the majority what I feel is it's perfect ending.

This book was an emotional roller coaster.It will make you laugh, cry, even cuss and want to throw the book out the window. Which I will admit I had wanted to do a few times. Did I mention that it will make you cry? There were several times I had to stop reading because I couldn't see the words through my tears. YOU WILL NEED TISSUES WHEN YOU READ THIS BOOK. This book was just about perfect. A few issues I had, but overall amazing.

Rating: 4.5/5

 

Review: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2) by Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Walker Books
Publication date: December 6th, 2011
Number of pages: 496
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | The 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

In what was one of the most anticipated books of 2011, this one did not disappoint.
When this story picks up, it has only been a few weeks since the end of Clockwork Angel, and Will has been avoiding Tessa like the plague.
Tessa, meanwhile has been spending more time with Jem, and while the two of them become closer, Tessa still can't seem to remove Will from her head -- or her heart.

I read this book within 24 hours, and I loved it. This series just keeps getting better and better.
Tessa grows stronger emotionally and physically in this book than where she started off, in the beginning of Clockwork Angel.
The betrayal of her brother, Nate shocker her to pieces but that's nothing compared to what happens in this book.
Not only does Nate appear, but he seems to be in the middle of the whole mess with mortmain once again.

Will/Jem: I love their friendship, and we begin to understand more about the bond that ties them together. I just don't know how this triangle with Tessa is going to work and have their friendship not get wrecked.
Maybe if she chooses herself in the end and disappears? I don't know. I guess we won't know until Clockwork Princess comes out in 2012 to discover those answers.

There are so many questions that need to be answered in the final book in the trilogy. What is Tessa? Will she choose Jem or Will? her head or her heart?
Will they catch Mortmain?

There was a few people in this book who surprised me. One would be Sophie, who has grown into quite a strong young woman.
And the other is Jessamine. Now her, sometimes I wanted to wring her neck for being so niave and stupid, and sometimes I wanted to hug her for her innocence.
Charlotte and Henry. They really are a good team no matter what they seemed to think. There was definite progress and you begin to understand them and their marriage a bit more... and there is something that might just surprise you.

The triangle: Jem, Will and Tessa.
Yes, she has grown closer to Jem during this book.. but her heart is always been on Will, and that certainly does not change in this book.
Will has always kept Tessa at arms length for a reason and that reason just might tear them apart forever.
As much as Tessa may try.. she can't seem to remove her heart away from Will. He brings fire. heat and everything she has never had but always wanted before.
A mere touch sets her body alight. But he has always been this forbidden fruit, where she never thought she could be with him. Whether it was because there was no future there, or from Will's own doing.
Even when she is with Jem.. a part of her lies with Will and always "will" LOL

I enjoyed the friendship between Tessa and Jem, but romance? I don't know.. It kinda was a tad awkward for me to read about. I had an open mind (even though I am Team Will), but there was something about it that just seemed off. Like she was settling for something because she couldn't bare to hurt him.
And now she can't have the real one she wants, because she feels she can't hurt Jem. It's such a tricky situation. I don't envy Tessa, because whomever she chooses the other one will end up hurt.

Will,
Oh Will. What can I say? I have always loved him.. ever since he turned up in the first book. He captured my heart and there was always something about him that was kept hidden inside his heart.
And his secret finally was revealed. It wasn't what I was expecting, but it makes sense and you begin to understand where he is coming from.
There is so much depth to him, so much hurt and love in his heart, that you just want.. need him to be happy.. but the only person that does that is Tessa.


There was some shocks and some surprises in this book. Twists and turns.. And of course, a cliffhanger.
It was a wild journey Cassie takes us on, and one that will conclude in Clockwork Princess. Can it come out now? No? Darn.

If you are a fan of The Mortal Instruments series, and if you loved Clockwork Angel, the first book in this series.. then this second installment is a must read.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Review: Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Walker Books
Publication date: March 19th, 2013
Number of pages: 598
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

THE INFERNAL DEVICES WILL NEVER STOP COMING

A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray.

Charlotte Branwell, head of the London Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. But when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever.

As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain’s clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy

It all started with a girl from New York as she arrives into London....

The final book in the magnificent, amazing, breath-taking epic trilogy comes a conclusion we all have been waiting for. This might even be THE most anticipated, the most talked-about yet-to-be-released book over the past year or so.
After Clockwork Prince, which raised so many stakes in this thrilling world we find ourselves in, so many questions left up in the air --- I knew that the final book would be one massive adventure which would rock our world.
I was right..

This rocking conclusive book takes place just a few weeks after the end of Clockwork Prince. Everyone is dealing with their own things. Will's secret --- no longer a secret, and Tessa has been planning her wedding. Not everything seems to go to plan especially once it is evident that Jem's drug is running out and there is no more left to buy. Soon enough there is a race against time to find a cure for something that seems impossible. But in the end.... will it be too late?
Mortmain comes back into the story very quick and fast. He has a plan, and he needs Tessa for it. She will realize that she will have to be the one to save herself, even if it means leaving those she loves behind.

There was so much that happens in this book. I read it within the first 8 hours on the very first day of its release. I waited 2 hours at the bookstore. It baffles me that sometimes their books, like this one, don't come in until the afternoon.
Anyway.. I flew through this book like it was oxygen that I needed to survive. I flipped each page like it was hot coal. Read every word as it was burning the depths of my soul.
These kind of characters don't come around very often. They are one of a kind that challenge you. Inspire you and make you believe in many things. From love to faith to being who you are.
Tessa is such a strong heroine. For someone who just came into this world less than a year ago, who knew nothing beforehand about who she really was or what kind of world there was out there apart from what she thought she knew --- she turns into someone so completely selfless, strong, independent and someone you can admire.

William Herondale will always live on forever. Seriously. There is nothing I don't love about this boy. He is so flawed. He loves so passionately and intensely. He hurts just as much. And there is nothing he wouldn't do for those he loves.
We get so much character growth for our characters. And it's not just our main characters that we see a lot of. We also see the progressing relationships. Sophie & Gideon will surprise you.. and there is one other you just might adore by the end of the book. I shall not speak it as I am trying to make this as spoiler-free as possible. But let me say this... whomever you like, you shall not end up disappointed.

There are some expected, or unexpected things that happen. It all depends if you had been listening to theories and speculations over the past year. Some are true. Some are not. But in which the way it happens... will definitely take you by surprise.
We have heartbreak. Love. Sadness. Happiness, and an ending which will satisfy just about everyone  I would imagine.

While I am passionately TEAM WILL... the relationship between the three of them is something so complicated and deep that no matter who ended up with who... its such a situation where they all loved each other to a degree that nothing else would have made sense.
I admit... this is probably the best written love triangle I have read and even watched in ever. I'd suggest other authors of triangles in their books should take note.. THIS is how you write a realistic triangle.

Such a sad, bittersweet end of an amazing trilogy. There are many reasons why I love this series, even more than The Mortal Instruments, but it does go out with a bang and answers all the questions we have, and maybe even more. There is nothing that gets left unturned or unanswered. The wait between books has certainly been worth it. No doubt about that.

I would like to congratulate Cassie for writing a book series that can tear up your heart. For making
me for feeling for a bunch of characters who I didn't think I would care for. To make me love this genre. This era and everything about the series.
These characters will forever live on in my heart. Especially Will Herondale. 

5 thousand stars out of 5.

Review: Shadowhunters and Downworlders by Cassandra Clare (+ others)

Shadowhunters and Downworlders by Cassandra Clare (and others)
Publisher: Smartpop
Publication date: January 29th, 2013
Number of pages: 256
Format: E-Arc Galley via Netgalley
Buy: Amazon

Add to Goodreads

Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series, epic urban fantasy set in a richly imagined world of shadowhunters, vampires, werewolves, fairies, and more, has captured the imaginations and loyalty of hundreds of thousands of YA readers. Originally a trilogy (City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass), the series has extended to six titles, plus a prequel trilogy, the Infernal Devices, and a planned sequel series, the Dark Artifices. A feature film is planned for 2013.

Shadowhunters and Downworlders, edited by Clare (who provides an introduction to the book and to each piece), is a collection of YA authors writing about the series and its world.


Authors Who Contributed:
Holly Black / Kendare Blake / Gwenda Bond / Sarah Rees Brennan / Rachel Caine / Sarah Cross / Kami Garcia / Michelle Hodkin / Kelly Link / Kate Milford / Diana Peterfreund / Sara Ryan / Scott Tracey / Robin Wasserman

First, I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for giving me this chance to review this title in exchange for a honest review.

This wasn't what I had expected when I heard about this. It might be something a fanatic would love, but even I who loves Cassandra's works wasn't sure what the point of this was.
This was basically a bunch of authors going and repeating what the books were about, and commenting on the characters, plots and relationships.
Sure, there was some funny parts, and essays on certain relationships and characters, but as a whole.. it was kind of boring, and I wasn't sure what the point was, as it didn't reveal any new information.

I am sure some others would love this book just to read what other authors comments on the characters are, but for me.. I guess I was a tad disappointed it wasn't more than it was.

Verdict: 2/5

Waiting on Wednesday.. [09]

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.


I'd imagine with this book is coming out within a few months it would be a quite popular choice, and I'm shocked I haven't chosen it.

 If the only way to save the world was to destroy what you loved most, would you do it?



The clock is ticking. Everyone must choose.



Passion. Power. Secrets. Enchantment.


Publication date -- March 19th, 2013

This book needs to be in my life like yesterday. The end of a beautiful trilogy that will forever be one of my favourites, and I have to say... if I had to choice between this and TMI, I would have to say this, even though I do like the TMI series as well.
I need to know what's going to happen to Tessa, and Will, and Will and Tessa. And Jem. Does he die? Does he not? Who will Tessa choose? *cough, Will, cough*
Will Cassie break my heart in two? Probably.

Cover Reveal: Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Publication date: March 19th, 2013.

The final book in the Infernal Devices trilogy. Isn't the cover gorgeous?
It seems the Tessa is holding the Codex. I wonder what the significance will be, and if there is one.

Who will Tessa end up with? Jem or Will.
What will happen to Jem? Questions.. and questions. 

April's review of 'City of Lost Souls' by Cassandra Clare

City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments #5) by Cassandra Clare
Publication Date: May 8th, 2012
Publisher:  Margaret K. McElderry
Number of Pages: 534
Format: Hardback
Buy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Description:  

The demon Lilith has been destroyed and Jace has been freed from her captivity. But when the Shadowhunters arrive to rescue him, they find only blood and broken glass. Not only is the boy Clary loves missing–but so is the boy she hates, Sebastian, the son of her father Valentine: a son determined to succeed where their father failed, and bring the Shadowhunters to their knees.

No magic the Clave can summon can locate either boy, but Jace cannot stay away—not from Clary. When they meet again Clary discovers the horror Lilith’s dying magic has wrought—Jace is no longer the boy she loved. He and Sebastian are now bound to each other, and Jace has become what he most feared: a true servant of Valentine’s evil. The Clave is determined to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. Will the Shadowhunters hesitate to kill one of their own?

Only a small band of Clary and Jace’s friends and family believe that Jace can still be saved — and that the fate of the Shadowhunters’ future may hinge on that salvation. They must defy the Clave and strike out on their own. Alec, Magnus, Simon and Isabelle must work together to save Jace: bargaining with the sinister Faerie Queen, contemplating deals with demons, and turning at last to the Iron Sisters, the reclusive and merciless weapons makers for the Shadowhunters, who tell them that no weapon on this earth can sever the bond between Sebastian and Jace. Their only chance of cutting Jace free is to challenge Heaven and Hell — a risk that could claim any, or all, of their lives.

And they must do it without Clary. For Clary has gone into the heart of darkness, to play a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing the game is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she even still trust him? Or is he truly lost? What price is too high to pay, even for love?

Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.

Since I read this book about a month ago, the book is a little fuzzy in my head. So this review will probably be a short one. 

CoLS picks up two weeks after CoFA left off. Sebastian has been raised from the dead, and Jace is missing. Search parties have been searching for him nonstop, only Clary isn't allowed to join them. Now that the secret that Clary had asked Raziel to bring Jace back to life, she is awaiting the Clave's decision if she had broken any laws and if punishment awaits her. Thankfully the Council had decided she was clear of any charges, but at the same time they decided that the search for Jace wasn't a priority anymore. Clary turns to the Seelie Queen for help, and in exchange the queen wanted her to steal something back from the Institute. During the act, Clary is stunned to see that Jace and Sebastian. Even more stunned to see that they were acting like the best of friends. After that it wasn't long for Jace to come back for Clary. And to get to the bottom of everything, Clary eventually goes with him. Leaving her friends to search for a weapon that would sever the tie between Jace and Sebastian. 

Even though I didn't think this book or even CoFA was up to par to the first three in the series, I still loved CoLS and thought it was a lot better than CoFA. Even though some parts really did bore me, especially the Jordon and Maia ones. I really have no interest in them at all. I've been back and forth with Simon and who I want to see him with. This book sealed it for Simon and Isabelle for me. Even though there were a lot of Jace and Clary scenes, I couldn't really enjoy them that much since it wasn't really Jace. Even though I love them, this book made me realize that my OTP of the series is Alec and Magnus. Magnus doesn't disappoint in this book. He has to be one of the greatest characters of all time. Even though Magnus does break my heart at the end. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry. 

I've known all a long that Sebastian is just plain evil. But for a while I really hoped that some part of him had change and wanted to be a brother to Clary. I think it's I'm a big sucker for sibling relationships in books. I do love the items that show up from TID series. And I'm pretty sure I know who Brother Jeremiah is. 

Rating: 5/5

 

Jen's review of "Clockwork Prince" by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2) by Cassandra Clare

Publishing date: December 6th, 2011

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Number of pages: 496

Format: Paperback

Buy: Amazon | The Book Depository

Description: 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.

In what was one of the most anticipated books of 2011, this one did not disappoint.

When this story picks up, it has only been a few weeks since the end of Clockwork Angel, and Will has been avoiding Tessa like the plague.

Tessa, meanwhile has been spending more time with Jem, and while the two of them become closer, Tessa still can't seem to remove Will from her head -- or her heart.

I read this book within 24 hours, and I loved it. This series just keeps getting better and better.

Tessa grows stronger emotionally and physically in this book than where she started off, in the beginning of Clockwork Angel.

The betrayal of her brother, Nate shocker her to pieces but that's nothing compared to what happens in this book.

Not only does Nate appear, but he seems to be in the middle of the whole mess with mortmain once again.

Will/Jem: I love their friendship, and we begin to understand more about the bond that ties them together. I just don't know how this triangle with Tessa is going to work and have their friendship not get wrecked.

Maybe if she chooses herself in the end and disappears? I don't know. I guess we won't know until Clockwork Princess comes out in 2012 to discover those answers.

There are so many questions that need to be answered in the final book in the trilogy. What is Tessa? Will she choose Jem or Will? her head or her heart?

Will they catch Mortmain?

There was a few people in this book who surprised me. One would be Sophie, who has grown into quite a strong young woman.

And the other is Jessamine. Now her, sometimes I wanted to wring her neck for being so niave and stupid, and sometimes I wanted to hug her for her innocence.

Charlotte and Henry. They really are a good team no matter what they seemed to think. There was definite progress and you begin to understand them and their marriage a bit more... and there is something that might just surprise you.

The triangle: Jem, Will and Tessa.

Yes, she has grown closer to Jem during this book.. but her heart is always been on Will, and that certainly does not change in this book.

Will has always kept Tessa at arms length for a reason and that reason just might tear them apart forever.

As much as Tessa may try.. she can't seem to remove her heart away from Will. He brings fire. heat and everything she has never had but always wanted before.

A mere touch sets her body alight. But he has always been this forbidden fruit, where she never thought she could be with him. Whether it was because there was no future there, or from Will's own doing.

Even when she is with Jem.. a part of her lies with Will and always "will" LOL

I enjoyed the friendship between Tessa and Jem, but romance? I don't know.. It kinda was a tad awkward for me to read about. I had an open mind (even though I am Team Will), but there was something about it that just seemed off. Like she was settling for something because she couldn't bare to hurt him.

And now she can't have the real one she wants, because she feels she can't hurt Jem. It's such a tricky situation. I don't envy Tessa, because whomever she chooses the other one will end up hurt.

Will,

Oh Will. What can I say? I have always loved him.. ever since he turned up in the first book. He captured my heart and there was always something about him that was kept hidden inside his heart.

And his secret finally was revealed. It wasn't what I was expecting, but it makes sense and you begin to understand where he is coming from.

There is so much depth to him, so much hurt and love in his heart, that you just want.. need him to be happy.. but the only person that does that is Tessa.

There was some shocks and some surprises in this book. Twists and turns.. And of course, a cliffhanger.

It was a wild journey Cassie takes us on, and one that will conclude in Clockwork Princess. Can it come out now? No? Darn.

If you are a fan of The Mortal Instruments series, and if you loved Clockwork Angel, the first book in this series.. then this second installment is a must read.