Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2)
Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Release Date: December 6, 2011
Pages: 497

Rating: 5 stars

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.

This series is beyond brilliant. Clockwork Angel started out good, but not amazing for me. That shortly turned around, and the amazingness I found in Clockwork Angel was simply multiplied in Clockwork Prince and was a just brilliant read that I was blown away by.

Cassandra Clare picks right up where Clockwork Angel left off, and dives right into a brilliant story that is fast paced and doesn’t let up for a minute. Clockwork Prince has it all: curses, betrayals, love, etc. It was brilliant. I had no idea where the plot was going, and it twisted and turned and then I would end up somewhere completely different. There was a perfect balance between everything that went on that worked perfectly. I loved that the story become more and more heightened until the books end, and I am very curious where to see Cassandra Clare will take readers in the next book. Though, there were also several scenes towards the books end that I was not as keen on, and that also has me curious where certain aspects will go in Clockwork Princess.

The characters are just marvelous. I first need to declare that within the first chapters of Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare my slight lean towards Team Will became 100%, as much as I love Jem, I am definitely Team Will. And as the book went on that only further solidified my choice. Tessa grew so much in this book from the character she was in Clockwork Angel. I was happy to see a lot more of Sophie in this one as she was such a great character. Charlotte and Henry are just too great, and there definitely was a lot more of the both of them in Clockwork Prince, which was something else I was happy about.

I am angry with Cassandra Clare right now. The ending of Clockwork Prince was so mean. I thought the ending of Clockwork Angel was bad, and then I read this one. There is so much going on and I am dying to know what is going to happen or where the story will go. I am officially counting down until Clockwork Princess’s release next year.

I may be a late comer to this series, but it is definitely a new favorite of mine. Cassandra Clare has just mastered this world and has delivered a brilliant story. I loved the characters, the world, and basically everything about it. The wait until next fall will a long wait indeed. Of all the Cassandra Clare novels I have read, Clockwork Prince is her best to date.