Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

12/05/2014

True love is shrouded in secrets and lies in the enchanting second book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Infernal Devices Trilogy, prequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series.

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when it becomes clear that the mysterious Magister will stop at nothing to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, tortured Will and the devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal and fueled by revenge. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa is drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa answers about who she really is? As their search leads to deadly peril, Tessa learns that secrets and lies can corrupt even the purest heart.

Clockwork Prince had the elements in a Shadowhunter story that I was looking for that, sadly, I didn’t found in the Clockwork Angel. It had a lot of action and thrilling encounters, there were comedic scenes, and then there were blood curdling scenes, as there were also sad scenes and most especially those passionate and kilig scenes.

I like this book better than Clockwork Angel because gate-crashing in an enemy’s party is exactly what Shadowhunters do. I know they did that in the first book, but it was together with the Clave, and that was supposedly a bad move since they were made out to be fools by the Magister, letting them think de Qiuncey was the Magister. A lot of things happened, a lot of misadventures, and a lot of revelations- intriguing and mysterious- that just gets you to keep on reading.

Twice I shed tears for this book. First, when Jem proposed to Tessa. It was just so sweet and so honest. What got me was the part when Tessa said that she would not wish Jem to sacrifice his being a Shadowhunter in wanting to marry her, but for Jem it was that Tessa would be sacrificing more in marrying a man with one foot in the grave. It was just so touching how thoughtful they were of each other, knowing the consequences for them both, but they chose happiness instead. At first, I thought Tessa would decline the proposal, but as Jem went on delivering his declarations of love for Tessa, I myself was convinced with his proposal. I wanted Tessa to decline because of Will. Jem and Tessa planned to keep the engagement a secret; I was thinking that everything would be resolved between Will and Tessa before they got to announce the engagement. They did, sort of.

The second time I got the feels-attack was (you probably guessed right) when Will at last told his true feelings to Tessa after the meeting with Lightwoods. As I was reading, I said a silent prayer that Tessa would say she loved him back and that she chooses Will. But everything has to be complicated with love! The line when Tessa asked Will that would he still love her if she broke Jem’s heart in breaking the engagement, knowing that this was Jem’s greatest happiness and that it would crush, if not, kill him faster. Will was just so broken you could hear the cracking of his heart… So so sad, and he’s the one who has to be pretending that nothing had happened, that knowing that he was now free to love and show it to Tessa but it was all too late.

Honestly Tessa, act like a proper lady! Kissing two boys, and best friends at that! How could you love two boys? Obviously it’s Will you’re really inlove with. Thinking you and Will are never ever gonna be together, found love and acceptance through Jem- a total rebound! Lucky flirt.

I’m really excited to read the Clockwork Princess to finally find out how they will defeat Mortmain, after being absent in this book (please defeat him already, he’s only human. Reclaim your honor!); to find out how Will and Tessa ended up being together and Jem being Brother Zachariah.