Clockwork Prince

by Cassandra Clare

Back to Victorian London we go!

This book seems mostly centered around betrayal, which was only briefly brought up at the end of Clockwork Angel. This time, the betrayal is to the Shadowhunters rather than Tessa.

I went into this book – this whole series – without reading any summaries or the blurb on Goodreads. So, while this paragraph has spoilers for the book, I’m including the information that Goodreads blurb gives you, because that’s considered non-spoiler information. If you want to avoid, though, skip to the next paragraph. During their research to try to find Mortmain for Charlotte’s challenge to keep the Institute, they discover that Mortmain’s mission against the Shadowhunters is a personal one. The details of that personal reason are spoilers, but that changes the way the Shadowhunters approach Mortmain going forward. And the betrayal continues against the Shadowhunters – this time, amongst their own. Tessa’s draw to Jem while still longing for Will left me feeling anxious for Jem – this is typically the time when, in this case, Tessa would drop Jem for Will once Will opened up, maybe for redemption, and Tessa chooses Will, breaking Jem’s heart. This, however, doesn’t feel like a thing Tessa would do to me, so it left me very curious as to how that would unfold.

I’m dying to get into more details, so . . .

**SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT. DON’T READ FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS. I WILL ATTEMPT TO SPOIL THE NEXT BOOK, BUT SOME THINGS BLUR. SOME MAUNDERING POSSIBLE.**

Can we just talk about the opening of this book? If you weren’t interested in Will’s continued character arc, his depth of character exposure, this intro probably intrigued you. You get a hint of what’s going on with him, but not the story.

Basically this entire book, you are anti-Benedict. How rude – and terribly predictable. You got left with an impression this was coming in Clockwork Angel, and you’re not disappointed on that front here.

You can also tell that the Lightwood boys training Tessa and Sophie is going to lead to something. When Gideon starts paying special attention to Sophie, though not overtly obvious, you’re not surprised. Honestly, though, I was kind of rooting for them from the beginning. Sophie deserves to be recognized as a desirable girl, worth the “scandal” of a Shadowhunter and mundane couple. And I love the beginning of Sophie’s character arc, her transition in the series. How will she handle her crush on Jem, who is clearly interested in/crushing on Tessa, along with Gideon’s attention and interest? How will Sophie’s crush on Jem and Jem’s crush on Tessa impact the girls’ friendship?

Mortmain’s “parents” being exposed as warlocks isn’t terribly surprising. I love that Cassandra Clare gives the warlocks the depth of character to introduce their ability to love – which is clearly echoed in Magnus, leading us to trust Magnus more than we otherwise would, given the other knowledge the Shadowhunters have of them – and it doesn’t feel like a cheap way to further the plot.

Aloysius Starkweather introduces a welcome twist to Tessa’s identity – clearly he recognizes her. While this could mean anything, it’s clear that Tessa reminds Aloysius of his granddaughter – the one who died at her first Marking. This is our first real introduction to the idea that, despite everything, Tessa might be part-Shadowhunter. While this feels a bit convenient, it’s something that Cassandra Clare has been building up for the reader to want for Tessa. For her to truly belong to the Shadowhunter family she has come to feel apart of.

The introduction of Cecily was a long-time coming as well. Tessa’s mixed feelings on Cecily’s identity, before she’s confirmed as Will’s sister, is a tad cliché, but not terrible. After all, who wouldn’t feel at least a little jealousy on the person your crush might be crushing on? While maybe Tessa should have been able to tell that Cecily looked similar to Will [and, yes, I know it’s at a distance, but Will has been described as someone who’s features can be recognized, even at a distance], it’s not uncommon for people to crush on people with similar features, so it’s completely understandable. Especially when Will had previously established the whole cross-breed issue he supposedly has.

AND WE FINALLY GET WILL’S STORY. Why he handles Tessa the way he does, the reason why he is the way he is, despite Jem [and others’] suspicion that he’s a better person than he acts like he is, and more is explained, and rather quickly – without feeling forced or unnatural.

That leading to Will being in an ifrit den is a little low, although I think that’s exactly what was intended. It also creates enough of a rift between Will and Jem [and Tessa] for Tessa and Jem to get closer.

And closer they get.

Jessamine’s activities start to feel more and more sinister and less the fleeting desire of a girl who desperately wishes not to be a Shadowhunter.

Will deserves his tell-off, if I’m being honest. And I’m glad Tessa and Will continue their no-lies relationship they’ve been working towards. While Will has been lying, and is still lying, you can tell he’s struggling to be as honest as he feel he can be, and Tessa is [basically] always brutally honest.

Gideon asking Sophie out is adorable, and I’m here for it.

The ball scene with Tessa-Jessamine which dissolves into that scene between Tessa and Will felt like a large development step – quite a few things felt like they advanced here while also getting more complicated. While I understand Tessa’s reluctance to believe Will’s feelings for her go beyond one-night-stands, his words should have told her otherwise. Sure, maybe the kissing could be written off, but not his words. ANYWAY – Charlotte’s reaction to Jessamine’s actions and betrayal is heartbreaking, and your dislike of Jessamine only grows.

Will’s vindication after going on and on that demon pox is real just to find out that Benedict Lightwood has it is just too much. That’s something we’ve seen coming for awhile – Will’s continued mention of it and insisting it’s real while everyone else dismisses it as Will being fancifull and ridiculous and playing right into the rep he’s established for himself just screamed that, eventually, we’d discover it’s real. And Benedict having it just feels like poetic justice to me.

Charlotte and Henry discovering they’re actually in love with each other is adorable, and their announcement that they’re going to have a baby along with Jem’s announcement of his engagement to Tessa is all heartwarming and a perfect way to end the book – and the celebration that Charlotte gets to keep the Institute.

I’m also here for Cecily joining the crew, though she’s clearly only there to retrieve Will, and it’s clear that she’s not only going to fail, but also not return home herself. As usual, though, I’m anticipating Cassandra Clare to make this feel like super predictable and annoying and more smooth and natural, unforced. We’ll see, though!

I know this review was longer winded than normal, but there were SO many things I felt needed to be discussed in this one! So much seemed to happen, so much foreshadowing for Clockwork Princess, and just in general a deeper dive into these lovely characters.