It’s another Shadowhunter Saturday! Where Ellie (Read to Ramble) and I are discussing our journey through the world of the Shadowhunters! If you missed our announcement you can find all the details about this collaboration and the links to all my reviews so far Check out my NEW Shadowhunters Saturday Page
The first section is my spoiler free mini review of what I thought of the book followed by my interview of Ellie and her Thoughts. If you would like to see my answers to the interview questions and Ellie’s mini review you can find it one her blog Here.
Title: Clockwork Prince
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Infernal Devices #4
3.5 stars
From Goodreads:
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, but 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.
My Thoughts
This was a really tough one to rate. I am really liking the more character focused plots in this series. We are getting a lot of character development and getting to engage with them more. I really struggled with rating this one as I was really leaning towards the 4 star mark but did know if I could really justify giving it that rating just for the last 50-60 pages of the book, which were heartbreaking.
While, I adored all the twists and turns in the various relationships there was not much else in the way of plot. I felt it did suffer from the second book syndrome where we didn’t really move the main plot forward. The whole book takes place in a two week period and it just seems a bit of a rush with very little achieved. There is isn’t much substance to the overarching plot, instead this takes the time to set up the love triangle, establish some other relationships, remove some others. Which was well done and I enjoyed but something could have actually happened as well. Again, there was also a lack of world building, not much more was established about the Downworld of this London than we already knew. I did enjoy finally meeting the Warewolves but only briefly, and we got slightly more on how the Clave works but again no real substance.
Despite all this it was still a damn fun read. I kind of forgot the lack of actual plot and got invested in the various relationships. I flitted between team Will or Team Jem and kinda lost my heart in it all. I was there for the romantic plot and I really really enjoyed it! i am enjoying the writing and characters more in this series than the Mortal instruments and I am really keen to keep reading. They are great books to just loose yourself in and just have fun reading them.
SPOILER ALERT! – The next section is full of Spoilers where I ask Ellie about what she thought of the book. We discuss key plot points and give away lots of detail so if you don’t want to read spoilers.
I ASKED ELLIE SOME QUESTIONS
Fi: What was your favourite moment?
Ellie: I think that even though it ripped my heart out, the ending was my favourite moment because so many things happened and I’ve got so many thoughts! The start was good but just a bit meeh for me and I wasn’t fully engaged, but as usual in all the Cassandra Clare books, the ending totally grabbed me and ran away with my heart (it’s still missing).
Who was your favourite character?
Ellie: This is probably really obvious, but I loved Will, he was a character we got to know so much about and I really felt for him, he turns out to be such a confused and emotional person, holding it all inside and hiding from everyone and when you learn all that about him, you can’t help but want to give him a big hug. Henry was also sweet, at the start his behaviour was a bit annoying to me but more because I was annoyed for everyone he never answered, but I also relate so he grew on me too!
Team Will or Team Jem?
Ellie: Team Will all the way. Jem is sweet, but Will is Will and that is all I have to say. 🙂
How do you feel about the timescale/pacing this book takes place over just two weeks?
Ellie: I hadn’t really thought about this, it honestly felt a lot longer right? I think all Cassandra Clare books have a little pacing issue for me, I don’t like long chapters and sometimes its so hard to just push through, especially at the start when it’s kind of slow and a bit boring depending on what trilogy it is, I think the long chapters drew this out for me a lot and I think had the chapters been longer, there would have been a bigger sense of urgency to find Mortmain in the two weeks set out by the Clave, I didn’t get this feeling at all.
How do you feel about the Lightwoods being the baddies?
Ellie: I couldn’t believe this, I was really not expecting it and I got really angry at them and then I thought about Alec and Isabelle and their parents in The Mortal Instruments and it made me wonder if there was some kind of bad streak in the Lightwood family because of their relationship with Mortmain here and with Valentine in the other series. I didn’t really like the Lightwoods, so I’m glad it was them instead of like Charlotte and Henry, but I still wasn’t expecting it.
How did you feel about the way everything wrapped up?
Ellie: It kind of ended on a cliff-hanger, and I was really surprised to not see an epilogue because we are used to really long ones coming from Cassie, but so many things happened! There was Jem’s proposal, Will’s whole speech, then Charlotte telling everyone she was pregnant and then Cecily walked in, I have to say, I can’t wait to see what happens in the last book of the trilogy because those last 50 pages messed with me and I don’t know what to do with myself anymore!
What do you think is going to happen next?
Ellie: I really want Will and Tessa to be together, that sounds really mean to Jem aha! Obviously there is going to be a showdown between everyone in the Institute and Mortmain and Cecily rocked up in the middle of everything. I think it’s going to be a packed and chaotic finale like City of Glass was and I’m worried that my heart is going to break completely.
Has your thoughts about the series changed?
Ellie: Uhmm, I still do think I like this trilogy better than the first Mortal Instruments one so far, I think it’s because I’m a big historical fiction fan and that makes up a lot of the enjoyment for me, it just has a certain vibe about it that I like. I did find the start a bit slow whereas book 1 didn’t really have that, but the ending totally made up for it. I’m really enjoying loads of things from this series and I’m excited for the last book!
What ELLIE Thought About the Plot
Council/Lightwood’s challenge Charlotte to find Mortmain in two weeks or loose the institute
I was so angry at this part, how dare they do that to Charlotte? There always has to be a snob pushing down women, gah! I suppose, however, that it did take the book in one direction that I wasn’t necessarily expecting from the end of book 1, I still think that there was a weird feeling throughout where everyone forgot the “important part” (a bit like when Clary, for three books, is trying to save her mother but actually only spends 10 minutes actively trying to help). It probably wasn’t the most exciting plot for me personally!
Will asking Magnus to summon a demon
I loved the fact that Magnus had such a big part to play in this book, I love Magnus so much and the fact that he is so present in each book in this world so far is just so great! This was so interesting, I wasn’t expecting this to be the thing that Will had to tell Magnus at the end of book 2 and it was honestly one of the best parts of this book, I really enjoyed it. I want more Magnus, and both he and Will have great banter and vibes.
Tessa and Sophie learn to fight
This was also a part I enjoyed, I love when in books set in the past, women are given the choice to defend themselves instead of just hiding in the corner. I didn’t like the fact that it was the Lightwood boys who were training them, I think it would have been cool for it to be Jem and Will, but I liked it, although I would have prefered a bit more of it if I’m honest.
Trip to York and the York Institute
Unfortunately, this part was a bit pointless to me, apart from the bit where Will saw Cecily at Mortmain’s manor. Aloysius is also really weird and I don’t get him as a character, yeah, I wasn’t really a fan of this part and other than the subplot about Will’s family, I don’t think it took the book anywhere very important.
Will’s Family
I thought that Will was going to reveal this his family were dead, so when we found out that they weren’t and that Charlotte had been checking in on them, was one of those “oooh” moments you get in Cassandra Clare books. I’m sure we will learn so much more about Will’s family and hopefully see more of them in Clockwork Prince, I think I fairly enjoyed this part actually!
Will goes missing/Will’s curse
I actually got a bit worried for Will for a minute there, and I was so sad to learn about his curse, again, I really wasn’t expecting something like this, apparently Will is full of secrets. I enjoyed learning about him and his family and the curse, I think it added so much dimension to his character, I really appreciated having his backstory as it made me love him even more. I’m glad Tessa and Jem were able to find him, but I totally agree with Jem and I was really angry at Will when he went to the drug den.
Tessa and Jem Kiss
I was totally rooting for Tessa and Will up until this point of the book, it took me aback and I was like “what???” This was one of those chapters that I was just flying through because I didn’t know what was going to happen, I was actually expecting Will to walk in, I knew that there was going to be some kind of moment between the two because I’ve heard so many people talk about the love triangle in this book, but it kind of surprised me how it happens and just for a minute there, I was team Jem.
Fight at training
This was one of those moments that I can’t remember much of because it didn’t really interest me, it happens from time to time in the Clare books and this was one of them, so I unfortunately don’t have anything to say about it, other than Sophie can definitely smack people when she needs to and I loved how strong and fiery she became right then!
Meeting Mr Scott
Mr Scott is one of those characters that have such a huge presence and style that I instantly love them even if they are the most boring or awful people ever. He seems really COOL, yeah, I really loved that whole part, it was funny and witty and he was a great new character to this series!
Jess’ Betrayal
I have never wanted to smack a character more than when that happened. I already didn’t like Jessamine, I couldn’t put my finger on it but she was so up herself and snidey and annoying, and it’s not a surprise that she did what she did – well it is, but it doesn’t surprise me for her personality. I hate her with a vengeance, she is a horrible character and I loved how Charlotte dealt with it. You kind of get the impression sometimes that Charlotte is a bit forgiving and limp maybe, but she definitely took a stand here and I loved it. I also really enjoyed how Sophie found out and came to tell Tessa and they both came up with an idea to get information from Nate, I really liked that they took the initiative and I don’t think we’ve seen the end of Jessamine, but let’s just say I’m glad she is now locked up tight in the Silent City and I hope she stays there forever.
Party at the Lightwoods/romp on the balcony
I really liked this part and again, the romp on the balcony definitely pushed me into the Will camp! This was the part where I was really angry at the Lightwoods and fairly disgusted about Nate, I still didn’t really want to believe that he had betrayed Tessa so completely, but he really was a piece of work, I didn’t like him at all. I was so worried that Tessa was going to smack him and I’m glad she kept her cool, she obviously didn’t on the balcony afterwards though, did she?
Sophie’s Romance
This was a sweet little part of the book, I think we really got to know Sophie in this second book, she seems like a real-living-character now, whereas before she was still fairly absent and on the sidelines, I feel like she is an integral part of the Institute, and I think I quite like her. I am glad that Gideon didn’t turn out to be like his brother and father, I’m hoping to see more of their relationship in the next book. Even though it’s not one of the important parts, it’s a lovely addition and adds layers to the plot and characters which I do really appreciate.
Ploy to fool Nate
I think this is the part where the book really sped up for me, everything happened at a million miles and hour and my brain was quite possibly screaming throughout the whole of it. It fell through and I could see it coming but I think the whole plotting behind it was fairly cool because everyone in the Institute came together to help.
Nate’s death/Tessa injured
Well, I didn’t expect him to die! The whole battle bit at the end between the Clockwork person, Will and Jem had me on the edge of my seat and I was really worried that one of them was going to get badly injured, but I (this sounds weird) was glad that Nate got killed, he definitely deserved it, I still felt sorry for Tessa though because she loved him so much even though he wasn’t even her brother and was awful to her. I thought that Will was just so Will when he saved Tessa and I thought he was going to die and I nearly had a breakdown, Cassandra Clare has a history of killing off characters!! I’m glad Tessa wasn’t hurt worse than she was, all thanks to Will!
There is no curse?!?
This is like one of the cruel secrets reveal at the end of Cassie Clare books, we’ve had one before, we might have another one, I have to say my heart went out to Will, I can’t imagine what it’s like believing one awful thing for 5 years and it not being true, you realise you’ve wasted all that time, no wonder he was giddy. It was a massive plot twist and I actually liked all the side plots a lot more than the actual plot for this book!
Jem’s Proposal
I’ve said it before, this ending was full of “omg” moments, this was one of them! I felt happy for Jem that Tessa said yes to his proposal but then I remembered Will and I was so sad, because we got Will’s chapter and then this one, so I knew Will was going to confess his love to Tessa, I really didn’t expect Jem to get there first as I didn’t think he loved Tessa that much!
Blackmailing the Lightwoods
This bit had me smiling gleefully, Charlotte knows how to make a stand when she wants! I was actually expecting a lot more drama from this particular part of the story and the fact that it went about so smoothly makes me suspicious, there is obviously going to be something else to it all later. The Lightwoods don’t seem like the go-down-without-a-fight type so I’m kind of a bit nervous about seeing them in the last book.
Will’s confession of love
Oh Will!! This part literally hurt my heart so much because it was right after Tessa said “yes” to Jem’s proposal and I was so close to tears because I knew everything was going wrong and it was making me super sad. I really felt for Will and I was angry at Tessa but I also completely understand and this part wrenched my heart out and I just…. It hurts!
The Council’s decision
I was really relieved that the Council decided to keep Charlotte on as the head of the Institute as I felt that throughout the whole book, the London Institute became a lot more than what it was in book 1. I think that everyone in the Institute came together much more and became a kind of family, so it was lovely to see that they could continue on there all together. I do think, though, that the whole Lightwood giving up on ousting Charlotte was a little too easy and I’m worried something is going to happen in the last book of the trilogy.
Charlotte’s pregnant
I guessed this about halfway through as a few times there were moments where I though “oh, I wonder if she is pregnant” and then she was and I was so happy for her and Henry. They were really awkward and cute and lovely and I was just so happy, so much happened at the end!! I believe that Charlotte was a Fairchild before marrying Henry, does that mean their child will be Clary’s ancestor? Or is it another Fairchild?
Will’s sister arrives
And finally, we have another cliff-hanger! My immediate reaction to this was “What is she doing here” but in the sort of not very happy, omg, is it a plot from Mortmain kind of thought, and I’m not really sure what I think now, I’m kind of worried but also I want Will to be with his sister again, we will just have to see what happens next!
If you want to read my answers to the questions and read Ellie’s mini review you can find them all on Ellie’s Blog Read To Ramble
Ellie and I are not switching it up and going allow with the reading order moving on to The Infernal devices book one. We will be sticking with the 3 week reading schedule so out next Shadowhunter Saturday will be August 22nd!
We also would love to know what you thought. If you have read City of bones let us know your answers to the questions! and come discuss the world of the shadow hunters in the comments!
I would love to chat all things bookish with you! You can comment down below or find me on Twitter or Goodreads!
Happy Reading!
Fi's Bibliofiles 
I felt like this trilogy wasn’t as strong as The Mortal Instruments. I loved learning more about Jem though!
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Sometimes it’s nice to get lost in the characters, I did the exact same with Will and Jem I absolutely loved them both and the relationship they had 🙂
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I love the Infernal Device trilogy with all my heart.
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