Clockwork Prince Review

Yep, this series still holds strong. It only gets better with each book.

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, but 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. –goodreads.com summary

“Which one of you is older?”

“Jem,” said Will, and “I am,” said Jem, at the same time. They laughed in unison as well, and Will added, “Only by three months, though.”

While this was my second time reading Clockwork Prince, it was my first time reading it directly after Clockwork Angel, and this series just keeps getting better!

Just as I said in my Clockwork Angel review, Clockwork Prince is also full of memorable and realistic characters. As the series goes on these characters have their background explored and they become more fleshed out. As the reader learns more about each character it makes them grow closer to the story and become more invested. Upon rereading I found the relationship I was most engaged in (even more than the romance) was Will and Jem. The way these two are written, it truly feels like two boys who have known each other for year, who have been through hell together, and will always be there for each other. They are each the type of friend that puts the interest of the other before their own (and they make such sacrifices for each other many times throughout The Infernal Devices).

This is not to say that the romance is subpar or in the way of the plot— on the contrary, it stands out as one of the few books with a love triangle that I actually enjoy. The love triangle works because Clare makes all the characters likable— you can see Tessa ending up with either Jem or Will, and the fact that Jem and Will are so close only breaks your heart even more when deciding who you want Tessa to end up with. While reading Clockwork Prince you just want all of these characters to be happy but you know that it is not possible so it leaves you an emotional wreck at times.

Clockwork Prince continues the story from Clockwork Angel, now they must find the Magister under a time constraint. This is, of course, interesting and fast-paced; leading to tense moments and surprises. Clare incorporates characters that one would usually think to be minor side characters into the plot and begins fleshing them out making the reader excited to see more of them. Many characters that were introduced in Clockwork Prince get the beginning of development but I know that there is more development coming for these characters in the future and I’m excited.

Overall, Clockwork Prince was an AMAZING BOOK! The entire Infernal Devices series is something that everyone should read! It is full of amazing characters that feel real and one of the only love triangles that I actually enjoy!

Have you read Clockwork Prince? What did you think of it and the rest of the series? Did you love Jem and Will’s relationship?

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Meagan!