Review: The Clockwork Princess

If the only way to save the world was to destroy what you loved most, would you do it?

The clock is ticking. Everyone must choose.

Passion. Power. Secrets. Enchantment.

Danger closes in around the Shadowhunters in the final installment of the bestselling Infernal Devices trilogy.

Title: The Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices ~ Book 3)
Author: Cassandra Clare | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website
Publication Date: March 19 2013
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry 
Length: 592 Pages 
Add it to your TBR Pile: Goodreads
Buy It: Amazon US / Amazon UK

Source: Purchased (Kindle Edition)
Cover Love: Jem's cover is still my favorite but this is almost as beautiful.
Point of View: 3rd person, following multiple characters

My Rating: 5 Stars

By the Angel... how am I ever going to write a review that can get across how breathtakingly amazing I found Clockwork Princess to be?  It would be easy for me to simply gush and gush about how great it is and I could find hundreds of quotes and passages that I wanted to share.  But I do not want to spoil a single moment for anybody who plans to read it so I must refrain from going into a lot of detail so that I don't give too much information away.... oooOOOooohhh this is going to be difficult.

“Some secrets, she thought, were better told; some were better left the burden of the carrier, that they might not cause pain to others.”

I am a lover of Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instrument series but for whatever reason I wanted to hold off on starting The Infernal Devices until closer to The Clockwork Princess' release.  I am so very glad that I did this.  Not because I think those that did not wait will have loved this final instalment any less but for me it was all brand new and the feelings that I experienced during The Clockwork Angel and Prince were still very much at the surface.  I think this helped to enhance the emotions I was going through.

Tessa craned her head back to look at Will.

“You know that feeling,” she said, “when you are reading a book, and you know that it is going to be a tragedy; you can feel the cold and darkness coming, see the net drawing tight around the characters who live and breathe on the pages. But you are tied to the story as if being dragged behind a carriage and you cannot let go or turn the course aside.”

And man were there some emotions...  I laughed, cried, cheered, yelled, gasped and bawled my eyes out like a little baby.  I found myself in bed reading at 1:30am, ignoring the fact I had work the next morning, then I had to move back down to the living room because I was crying so hard.  I was up until 3:00am finishing, dead tired at work the next day, and I regret nothing.  I loved every single minuscule moment of The Clockwork Princess and the ending... *sigh*  The ending was beyond amazing.

“And maybe you should stop pitying yourself,” he said. “Most people are lucky to have even one great love in their life.  You have found two.”

There is no hiding away from the fact that this trilogy has always focused on the love triangle between Tessa, Jem and Will.  There are die hard supporters on Team Will and there are die hard supporters on Team Jem.  I am a proud member of Team Jem, this has not changed and at this stage I could probably even call myself the Team President.  I am head over heels in love with him.  This is not to say that I do not love Will, I do.  But he just doesn't touch my heart the way that Jem does.

“His eyes went soft and silver as she spoke. “Zhe shi jie shang, wo shi zui ai ne de,” he whispered.

She understood it.  In all the world, you are what I love the most.”

This in no way shape or form gives anything away about the book but I repeat that the ending is perfect and I could not have imagined it being any better.  This doesn't mean that as a card carrying Team Jem member that Tessa ends up with Jem.... this also doesn't mean that the Team Will members should be jumping up and down for joy.  I am giving away NOTHING, trust me.  I just think that both camps will be happy with the outcome of the ending and I would be hard pressed to change anything about it.

“If Jem dies, I cannot be with Tessa,” said Will. “Because it will be as if I were waiting for him to die, or took some joy in his death, if it let me have her.  And I will not be that person.  I will not profit from his death.  So he must live.”  He lowered his arm, his sleeve bloody.  “It is the only way any of this can ever mean anything. Otherwise it is only —”

“Pointless, needless suffering and pain?  I don’t suppose it would help if I told you that was the way life is.  The good suffer, the evil flourish, and all that is mortal passes away,” Magnus said.

I am quite sad that this series is over as I have come to love each and every character that graced the pages.  However, as much as I love them all I must give a special shout out to Magnus.  I absolutely loved him in The Mortal Instruments but that love grew ten fold in this series.  I really felt like we learned so much more about the man that Magnus is and the love he has for Tessa, Will and Jem is so very touching to witness.  Really the love he shows to all of the shadowhunters was a joy to read and made me love him even more.  If that was even possible...

“A very magnanimous statement, Gideon,” said Magnus.

“I’m Gabriel.”

Magnus waved a hand. “All Lightwoods look the same to me.”

So... I must end this review here. I do not want to get into specifics or carry on gushing because I am frightened to give away too much of what happens and it would be a shame for a single moment to be ruined for those of you who still have this spectacular book to finish.  I can only beg those of you that haven't read this series to please at least give it chance because it is truly something special.  And if you have started the series and haven't yet picked up The Clockwork Princess then please do not hesitate any longer.  Grab a box of tissues, curl up and enjoy the delightful journey that you are about to go on.

“And now I need you to do for me what I cannot do for myself.  For you to be my eyes when I do not have them.  For you to be my hands when I cannot use my own.  For you to be my heart when mine is done beating.”

...and don't be too sad that the series is over.  We always have The City of Heavenly Fire and The Dark Artifices series to look forward to and who knows who may show up in those...

“Atque in pepetuum, frater, ave atque vale,” he whispered. The words of the poem had never seemed so fitting: Forever and ever, my brother, hail and farewell.”

MORE QUOTES FROM THE CLOCKWORK PRINCESS