Two Reviews for the Price of One: Clockwork Prince & Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Prince

The Infernal Devices #2

In magical Victorian London, orphan Tessa found safety with the Shadowhunters, until traitors betray her to the Magister. He wants to marry her, but so do self-destructive Will and fiercely devoted Jem. Mage Magnus Bane returns to help them. Secrets to her parentage lie with the mist-shrouded Yorkshire Institute's aged manager Alyosius Starkweather.

Goodreads – Amazon

Clockwork Princess

The Infernal Devices #3

London 1873 shape-shifter Tessa Gray 16 is engaged to Jem Carstairs 17, dying of addiction to demon drug, all bought up by evil Mortmain. The "clockwork prince" controls an army of automatons to abduct Tess, kill the Shadowhunters, and blackmail Charlotte Branwell, head of London Institute. Will and Tessa hide their love, for love of Jem.

Goodreads – Amazon

Review

Ok, confession time.  I didn't like Clockwork Angel.  In fact, it was recommended to me not to finish the Infernal Devices series and instead read the Mortal Instruments series (I have read City of Bones).  Now, I'm glad I continued with Clockwork Prince because I REALLY liked it.  Like LOVED it.  I could fan-boy all over that book.  It was that good.  

 

I loved the character development, the plot line.  Heck, I even enjoyed the love triangle and the tension that it built.  I loved just about everything about it.  See?  I'm going all fan-boy over this one. {The only thing I do not love is that I didn't write a full review of Clockwork Prince before reading book 3--the two books become mingled as a single existence in my mind}

 

However, I did not like Clockwork Princess as a whole.  There were parts that I really enjoyed, parts that I could fan-boy over, but as a whole Clockwork Princess sucked.  Bad.  It felt drawn out and tiresome.  As if Clare just kept writing and writing without any direction or path to the end, or to simply have a lengthy book.  There were so many times that I didn't even pay attention to the audiobook (which is 13 discs long!) and used it purely as background noise while I got lost in thought.  And didn't care at all about what I missed.  Because it didn't matter.  The words I missed didn't move the plot along, nor were they essential for telling the story.  

 

To make matters worse, {Spoiler Alert!} all the story-lines are getting tied up nice and neat.  Gift-wrapped with beautiful, annoying bows.  In story-lines where there was perfection, you're left with muck.  Not everyone needs a happy ending.  It is perfectly acceptable to kill off main characters...and leave them dead.

 

As far as finales go it was very predictable and poorly thought out; this is worse than Mockingjay. {At the time of writing this I still haven't finished the entire book.  I don't normally review a book I haven't finished, but I don't think the ending will change my point of view.}

 

And with that being said, I'm scared to continue the Mortal Instruments series now...

 

Clockwork Prince:

Clockwork Princess: