Clockwork Princess

Clockwork Princess (Infernal Devices Book #3) by Cassandra Clare

Tessa Gray should be happy – aren’t all brides happy?Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute.A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa’s heart, will do anything to save her. (Goodreads)

So, where oh where are we in this lovely series?

Quick recap: Tessa is under the protection of the Shadow Hunters at the London Institute. She has this crazy shapeshifter ability but we don’t know how or why (meaning is she a fairy? Is she some kind of hybrid? What gives?) and there’s this insane guy named Mortmain who wants to use her powers. He’s creating this wacked out clockwork army and pretty much wants to destroy all shadowhunters. I mean, there’s way more to the story than that, obviously, most important being the love triangle. Tessa loves Will. She loves Jem. And they both love her ( I know! Why have I never had this problem?). And worse, the boys are parabatai (bonded as fighting partners, closer than brothers). When we left off in the last book, Will had finally, FINALLY, professed his love for Tessa only to find out that she’d just accepted Jem’s marriage proposal. (There is a world of wrong here because, sweet as he is, Jem is brother material. And I know that certain makeout scenes took the brotherly love out and all, but no. When Tessa agreed to marry Jem–I love him, really–it was truly a WHAT THE SHIZZ moment.)

And so the story continues in the third and final book:

Tessa is still engaged to Jem (wrongwrongwrong!!!!). Will is, not without pain and effort, trying to support Jem and keep a respectable relationship with the fiance of his parabatai (meaning : keeping it cordial, willing to protect her, trying not to make unnecessary eye contact or accidentally make out with her). Charlotte is pregnant (yay!) and Henry is busy being, well, Henry, maker of gadgets that don’t always do what they’re supposed to and general loveable nerd. Cecily, Will’s little sister, is training to be a shadowhunter, but her true motive is to get Will to return home. Gideon Lightwood is still staying at the Institute and he is quickly falling for our dear maid, Sophie.

I think that covers it.

The Problems (they are aplenty):

Jem is almost out of yin-fen–the addictive drug which keeps him alive–because, unbeknownst to everyone else, he’s been taking larger doses to feel healthier for Tessa. He knows they won’t have a long life together, but he wants to make those moments count. When Will, fearful for his friend, discovers this he tries to buy more of the drug only to discover that someone–a person who has instilled fear in everyone he encounters–has bought it all. Can you guess who? Yep, Mortmain, that big meanie! Mortmain offers to give the entire supply to Jem in exchange for Tessa. Of course Tessa is willing to go. Of course. She’s always been brave and self-sacrificing, but no one–not Jem, not Will–will let her go, so Mortmain finds other ways to force his will upon them.

Now obviously, if you’ve read a single Clare book know there are about fifty other stories going on as well, but this one, the one about Tessa and Mortmain, and the love she has for Jem and Will, is what carries the book. It’s where we started and it’s where it all ends. At the same time, there are portions about the Lightwood boys, about Cecily, about the future of the Institute (sexist Counselor Wayland still fighting to get it out of Charlotte’s hands) and all of it is resolved in the end. I fear that to tell you too much about these stories would spoil it.

Clare resolves the love triangle, though not in the way that I expected. In fact, I think few people anticipated the way she carried it through. There are answers for Jem and his illness, for Will, for Tessa and exactly who her real family is, and even answers for Mortmain. And finally we understand that clockwork angel necklace and what it’s meant to do.

There are some heart-wrenchng parts, some lovely parts and some things that made me cringe, but truly, I was satisfied. I think Cassandra Clare did a wonderful job in telling this story. I loved the characters from start to finish even though I didn’t love every moment or every decision. I cried–sobbed actually–during the Epilogue. And while the last page or two haunted me (I couldn’t sleep that night and had many a conversation with my blogging besties, who always have a way of talking me down from the ledge), I felt that everything Clare wrote was true to Tessa’s character.

Crush Intensity: 4.75/5 Well done. It goes without saying that I love this series, um, especially Will (hubba hubba). The threesome had fantastic depth. I loved the romantic love displayed, but I truly adored the friendship between Jem and Will. Even though I know certain characters pop up in the MI books and in possible future books, this series held more charm for me and I’ll definitely miss it.