Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

If I weren't so furious by what Cassandra Clare can do to a reader, I would be praising this book. BUT since I am so furious that she made me stay up late for four nights, making me lose my sleep and my sanity, I will be resorting to obsessive ranting and maybe a gush or two. 5 out of 5 stars!

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
5 out of 5 stars
Published in 2011
Summary from Goodreads: 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.

I am so confused. How can Cassandra Clare get a person to fall in love with two totally different people in the same book? You see, I somehow lost my mind trying to choose between Jem and Will, so I decided to like them both. Every time Jem came into the picture, I was Team Jem. Every time Will came into the picture, I was Team Will. I honestly can not choose right now. However, I felt really bad for Will. His secret made me cry for him. Because of the secret, he never had a chance to be honest. He was living a lie to save the ones he loved, and that ended up crushing him. I honestly admire him for his strength and humor through everything.
Jem was a different story. While his problem was not mental, I still could not believe how nice and kind he stayed. I really loved his constant kindness and how happy he made Tessa, but I still can't help thinking about Will...
That's why I'm mad at Cassandra Clare. I'm supposed to like only one guy, but she just has to make them complete opposites and both totally crush-worthy. Why does she have to make my heart split for them?

I was also extremely mad about the plot. I usually have a faint inkling about what's going to happen, but for Clockwork Prince, I totally did not. Is that a good thing? How was I supposed to guess the events when they were totally unexpected? I did not predict a thing correctly. All the traitors, liars and motives were just not predictable. My mind is still reeling from who the spy actually was... but you'll have to read the book to find out!
Since I was so surprised, it's obvious that there were lots of twists and turns. All the events had me gasping, especially when I found out Will's secret and why he visited Magnus...
There was also a ton of action, especially knife throwing. Don't you just love a book with knife throwing?

As usual, I loved and got really mad at Cassandra's epic writing. I was drawn from the first page, not the first half. I love how her writing draws you in immediately. Considering that it's in third-person, that's an even greater feat to accomplish. However, since I'm supposed to be mad, I'm just going to say that I'm extremely furious that she pulled it off. Even though it was set in historical London, I was surprised by how natural it seemed. Such narration usually seems a little unsettling for that timeframe, but she pulled it off. That proves to everyone that Cassandra Clare can write ANYTHING.

As for Tessa, she was a great character. She was strong enough to the point that I would have been crying while she was just thinking things over. She was relatable to the point that I got everything she did. She was likeable to the point that two totally different guys loved her. She was a kindred spirit with a wicked sense of humor, an amazing story and a pretty awesome talent! As usual, I have to blame Cassandra Clare for creating such a perfect main character. (I wonder if I'm actually angry or just trying to fake it...)


I was extremely furious with the details. Honestly, I don't think any other author could do it better. The regular details were all done well, such as your average carriage details and poetry and other regular setting things, but more importantly were the mental details. You have to keep in mind that Clockwork Prince is set in the 19th century, so behavior was a bit different than today's. Tessa was a pretty good character considering that she didn't seem like a modern heroine, yet she seemed like a Victorian heroine.
Wait, why do I need to write any more? It's completely obvious who rocked the writing, although I'm kind of reluctant to admit it...

So everyone needs to read this book before they wait like crazy until they read it and end up ranting like I just did! (This is possibly the longest review I've ever tried writing. And I mean EVER.)