Clockwork Princess - Cassandra Clare - UPDATED REVIEW

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
Genre: YA Fantasy

Blurb (on back of book): Danger and betrayal, love and loss, secrets and enchantment are woven together in the breathtaking finale to the #1 New York Times bestselling Infernal Devices Trilogy, prequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series.
THE INFERNAL DEVICES WILL NEVER STOP COMING
A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray.
Charlotte Branwell, head of the London Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. But when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever.
As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain’s clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?
Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.

old review

UPDATED REVIEW
MY OPINION: ******

I absolutely adore this book. It's been on my six-star shelf for over three years and it will stay there forever. This was my second time reading this book and I liked it even better than the first time, if that is even possible.

I laughed. I cried. I lived and loved along with these characters. They will always hold a special place in my heart since they were the first that I ever truly loved. When asked who my favorite book boy is, I always cite William Herondale first and foremost because of how much I adore that boy.

Tessa has matured so much. She's grown into the strong, independent, loyal Boadicea that Will has always known she could be. She's willing to sacrifice herself in the name of love and she cares deeply and passionately for both Jem and Will, pushing aside her own needs to try to protect them, Jem especially, because of his precarious condition. She still has a hint of naïveté around her but that only made her more endearing.

William Herondale is the love of my life. I adore that boy to the ends of the earth. Throughout the series, we see a huge amount of character growth and development in that boy and I found it so admirable. He first believes himself incapable of love because of the supposed curse on him and then when he realizes that he is in fact able to love without worry and fear, his heart is shattered by Tessa's announcement of her engagement to Jem, his parabatai and brother. I can't imagine what that must have felt like: the two people he loved most in the world fell for each other. My heart broke for my Will and I felt every bit of his pain throughout the novel. Cassandra Clare is unbelievably talented at making emotions and pain and heartbreak palpable throughout all of her novels, but in Will's character especially. He was forced to push aside his feelings throughout the entire book for Tessa, believing that she could never love him back.

James Carstairs was too good for this world. The first time I read this series, I distinctly remember strongly disliking Jem and his goodness and his kindness. I can't imagine why. I think I disliked the fact that he was getting in the way of my ship between Tessa and Will but that is hardly his fault. He loved her and she loved him and I accepted that, even though I didn't ship them. Jem was too sweet for a boy facing an immanent death. I knew what was going to happen since I had already read the book but I cried every time they mentioned his upcoming death, especially when they ran out of yin fen and Jem seemed to give up on life. SPOILER I hated that he became a Silent Brother. It changed everything about him that I and the characters had grown to love. While I'm glad he got to live I honestly would have appreciated it more if he had in fact died. I sound cruel but I felt that it made the author seem indecisive about who Tessa should end up with but that's just me. END SPOILER

Cecily and Gabriel were one of my favorite ships throughout this book. It seemed quite sudden since we hadn't known Cecily's character before this book all too well but I loved how the two were brought together and drawn to each other, despite Gabriel's reservations against the Herondale family. There was a line where he realized that Will and Cecily were two different people and he started to think of her eyes as Cecily's eyes rather than Will's despite them being the same. I loved Gabriel's character. He also showed a beautiful arc throughout the three novels, beginning as a jerk and rather conceited and arrogant and ending up as brave and loyal as any other Shadowhunter. The old me didn't like them but I must have been blind because their relationship was beautiful.

Sophie and Gideon were also so adorable and I loved their relationship as well. It was beautiful. Gideon saw past her scar on her face and instead saw her beauty both inside and out and I adored their relationship. Poor Gideon never seemed to be able to do anything right around her but I'm glad their relationship finally bloomed and grew into a beautiful romance. Apparently the old me shipped her with Jem which I completely disagree with now.

Charlotte and Henry were so cute. I loved how she was a strong independent woman but still sometimes needed the support of her husband by her side. Henry was so strong despite everything that happened to him and I loved his creative spirit despite the criticism he received for it.

The final showdown with Mortmain was unique and interesting and I loved how it all led up to the clockwork angel. After that happened, there were still about a hundred pages left in the book, which was full of the drama and final conclusions to each relationship and romance which I personally loved. I wouldn't recommend it if you are looking for an action-packed series.

The ending brought me to tears. I full-out cried despite the fact that I already knew what was going to happen. I wasn't the biggest fan of how it all ended but it was at least satisfactory to every reader, no matter which boy they liked better. SPOILER I adored Will and just thinking about his death made me cry. END SPOILER

Overall, this book will forever and always be one of my favorites. It is definitely one of Cassandra Clare's best works and I love everything about it. I would recommend it to readers looking for a fantasy romance series.

Main Character: Tessa
Sidekick(s): Will, Jem, Cecily, Sophie, Gabriel, Gideon, Charlotte, Henry, etc
Villain(s): Mortmain, death, Consul, etc
Fantasy Elements: This book featured a lot of fantasy elements, such as characters like the automatons, and elements within the setting.