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.