Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Prince

The Infernal Devices #2

by Cassandra Clare

498 pages

Library 2011

Book Jacket Summary

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 Thoughts

Gah! Cassandra Clare has a way of making a love triangle so tragic! This book is the second of The Infernal Devices series and I must say that I am enjoying this series immensely.  I enjoyed the Mortal Instruments Series but I have a special place in my heart for stories set in the Victorian period, especially Steampunk or alternate history. Cassandra Clare hits all the right notes in atmosphere for a world where automatons could exist because of magic.

The story picks up right where the last one ended. Tessa is still confused about her origins and if the Magister “made” her than what is she exactly? This slips to the back burner when the Clave orders Charlotte to find the Magister within a fortnight (two weeks) or loose the Institute to the devious Lightwood family. Tessa does her best and uses her shape shifting ability to ferret out information from the bad guys, including her own brother. Many of the side characters get more time and we see Sophie grow as a character. She is still very formal with Tessa but they make headway to actually becoming friends. She also gets over her pining of Jem and may have a love interest of her own. Jessamine shows her true intentions and may not come back. We learn more about the Lightwood family and I especially like Gideon. He comes over to “spy” for his father and teach the girls weapons training.  

We finally discover why Will is always pushing people away and (as always in a Cassandra Clare novel) it comes too late to fix his relationship with Tessa. Tessa and Jem grow closer and form a relationship but I cannot help but feel that Tessa does not truly love him. Well, she does love him but not with her full heart. I really hope that she does not break his heart because he has suffered so much. Those who do not like angst ridden love triangles better not touch this with a ten foot pole! I usually am hesitant to read them myself but Cassandra Clare makes it my guilty pleasure when she writes them. They are usually so tragic and everyone has such bad timing.      

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