CLOCKWORK PRINCE is the second instalment in the INFERNAL DEVICES series written by lovely american author, queen of teenage hearts, CASSANDRA CLARE. As you know I have problems with the second instalments. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer - a boring disaster. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - never liked the story, not sure why. But Cassandra Clare and her City Of Ashes gave me hope.
So as soon as I finished the CLOCKWORK ANGEL, I have immediately started to read its continuum. I have had so many unanswered questions in my head after reading the first instalment that my head was hurting. So I dived straight back into The Shadow World and the story of Tessa, Will & Jem ( our new love triangle).
The story started where it left off. We pick up only weeks after Tessa made the decision to stay with her new found family and group of friends. She is still hurt after the betrayal of her brother Nathan. She has plenty of unanswered question, which only The Magister has answers for. And to all this, she finally decided to tell Will that she is falling in love with him and he horribly rejects her. But Thank God for Jem. Jem is there to pick up the pieces and him and Tessa are starting to get close. He shows her how much she actually means to him on various occasions. In the meantime Will and his new friend, and our favourite warlock (future High Warlock of Brooklyn) Magnus, are trying to figure out what demon cursed Will when he was a child. Not only our Shadow-hunter friends have to deal with their own personal issues, but there is still the treat from The Magister to destroy the Shadow-hunters. He really holds a grunge against them. And there is someone in their close circle who is betraying them also.
I have to say I loved the CLOCKWORK PRINCE. It was exciting. Entertaining. Witty. Smart. Romantic. Adventurous. Clare has this amazing talent to write such an incredible story that I cannot put the books down until the story is completely finish. And compare to J.K. Rowling, all of her books are always entertaining and you swallowed them up that quick.
The thing I enjoyed in this book the most is the developing relationship between Jem and Tessa. You know I am a big fan of Jem and if it would be up to me, I would pick him anytime, any day, without hesitation. I just adore the fact that Jem is slowly finding a way to Tessa's heart. He is good to her. He is there for her. He talks to her. And he is a musician. God! What the hell is she waiting for? But Jem is finally getting his chance. I loved the chapter when Jem proposed to Tessa. My favourite quote is actually form this chapter:
“You speak of sacrifice, but it is not my sacrifice I offer. It is yours I ask of you," he went on. "I can offer you my life, but it is a short life; I can offer you my heart, though I have no idea how many more beats it shall sustain. But I love you enough to hope that you wil not care that I am being selfish in trying to make the rest of my life - whatever length - happy, by spending it with you. I want to be married to you, Tessa. I want it more than I have ever wanted anything else in my life." He looked up at her through the veil of silvery hair that fell over his eyes. "That is," he said shyly, "if you love me, too.”
And Magnus Bane finally got to be more than a character on the sidelines like in the last book. It's amazing that we finally found out that Magnus has never been in love with Will Herondale so Alec is jealous for nothing. I must say he is my favourite character through the Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices. I really hope that he and Alec will sort things out in the last book of Mortal Instruments. He deserves to be finally happy.
And there is also our favourite servant and aspiring Shadow-hunter Sophie who is slowly falling in love with Gideon Lightwood. And he likes her too!
As usual, and another reason why I like Clare's writing so much, the book is packed with witty smart exchanges between character. There is also a lot of inspirational quotes which a romantic like me is a sucker for. There are unexpected turns and betrayals. And we are getting closer to found out the secret surrounding Tessa and her origins.
All in all, I have nothing bad to say about this second instalment. I am sure that anyone who will read it, they will enjoy it as much as I did. And of course you are left wanting more.
The Clockwork prince is followed by third instalment and the last book in this wonderful series : CLOCKWORK PRINCESS.
Quotes I loved:
“Ah,” said a voice from the doorway, “having your annual ‘everyone thinks Will is a lunatic’ meeting, are you?
“It’s biannual,” said Jem. “And no, this is not that meeting.”
“When Will truly wants something,” said Jem, quietly, “when he feels something — he can break your heart.”
“Will has always been thebrighter burning star, the one to catch attention — but Jem is a steady flame, unwavering and honest. He could make you happy.”
“His beauty did not blaze like Will's did in fierce colors and repressed fire, but it had its own muted perfection, the loveliness of snow falling against a silver gray sky.”
“For that was love, wasnt it--to burn bright in someone else's eyes?”
“Jem’s knees gave out, and he sank to the trunk at the foot of his bed, still playing. He played Will breathing the name Cecily, and he playedhimself watching the glint of his own ring on Tessa’s hand on the train from York, knowing it was all a charade, knowing, too, that he wished that it wasn’t. He played the sorrow in Tessa’s eyes when she had come into the music room after Will had told her she would never have children. Unforgivable, that, what a thing to do, and yet Jem had forgiven him. Love was forgiveness, he had always believed that, and the things that Will did, he did out of some bottomless well of pain. Jem did not know the source of that pain, but he knew it existed and was real, knew it as he knew of the inevitability of his own death, knew it as he knew that he had fallen in love with Tessa Gray and that there was nothing he or anyone else could do about it.”
“He dropped his voice, so low that Tessa wasn’t sure if what he said next was real or part of the dream darkness rising to claim her, though she
fought against it.
“I’ve never minded it,” he went on. “Being lost, that is. I had always thought one could not be truly lost if one knew one’s own heart. But I fear I may
be lost without knowing yours.” He closed his eyes as if he were bone-weary, and she saw how thin his eyelids were, like parchment paper, and
how tired he looked. “Wo ai ni, Tessa,” he whispered. “Wo bu xiang shi qu ni.”
She knew, without knowing how she knew, what the words meant.
I love you.
And I don’t want to lose you.”
“For love is as strong as death.”
