Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Hardcover, 502 pages
Release Date: December 6, 2011
Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books
The Infernal Devices, #2
Source: Borrowed from Library
For fans of: Steampunk, Victorian age, Various creatures, YA, Hot Literary Guys

     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, though 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*
     I took my time on getting around to this one because there were so many rumors as to when the final installment would come out. Now that its available, I’m trying to hurry and play catch up. 
     This book brought up so many questions. Such as “What is Tessa?” and “What is the Magister REALLY up to?” It was the perfect setup for the last book. Had I not waited to read it, I would have been very upset at having to wait so long to finally get the answers to these questions. 
     The best part of this book has to be the emotion surrounding it. With Clare’s writing, the grief that Tessa, Will, and Jem face, is not only read, but FELT by the reader. I honestly felt my heart breaking many times for Will throughout the entire novel. Gah, Will is such a misunderstood character! 
     I saw that many people were also afraid of the love triangle in this series. Although it is a big part in the story, it is not overwhemling. I enjoyed it, (#TeamWill) besides the times when she was with the “wrong person.” lol The triangle is well written and as I said before, sets up for the last installment  to the series where Tessa will hopefully pick. 
     Lastly, something that I enjoyed from the first book to this series, is the characters. They are explained more in depth in this novel. We learned so much more about Will, Jem, Tessa, her brother, Mortmain, and even Jessamine. Although we learned about them in the first one, I feel that they were explained more and the reasoning for their actions is explained. Hence the reason I said Will is misunderstood. 
     This book will give you some answers and will give you even more questions. It was the perfect sequel novel, and I don’t say that often. I am definitely looking forward to reading the last installment to the Infernal Devices series to answer all my questions, such as who will Tessa pick, what is she, and how does the actual Mortal Instruments come in to play at the very end of the story.