Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
May. 2nd, 2013 11:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.
Tessa Gray should be happy – aren’t all brides happy? Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa’s heart, will do anything to save her.
Tessa Gray is preparing to marry Jem Carstairs. It should be the happiest day of her life but she has equally strong feelings for Jem’s parabatai, Will Herondale. Unfortunately, with Mortmain buying up all of the supplies of the yin fen that keeps Jem alive, she and Will know that Jem doesn’t have long and each wants to make him happy.
When Gabriel Lightwood arrives at the Institute seeking help against his father who’s succumbed to the demon pox, the Shadowhunters find themselves on a course that puts them in conflict with the Consul, Josiah Wayland, just as the Shadowhunters need to be united. For Mortmain’s been working on his clockwork army and all he needs is Tessa for his revenge against the Nephilim to be complete …
The conclusion of Cassandra Clare’s THE INFERNAL DEVICES trilogy is a sprawling fantasy romance told in a 19th century gothic style. The relentless exploration of the central love triangle became tedious and repetitive, compounded by the exploration of the relationships for several side characters. This slows down what little plot there is and I found the climax to be a rushed disappointment that relies heavily on deus ex machina. The tacked on epilogue will please shippers but (for me) emphasised how safe and predictable the book is. Fans will love it but it left me underwhelmed.
Tessa’s defined by her relationships with Jem and Will. I’d hoped for more exploration of her abilities and history but it’s left to clumsy exposition. The love triangle’s skewered in one direction, which robs it of tension but Clare also plays it safe in a way that panders to the fans (albeit tying in neatly with THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS trilogy). Mortmain remains a flat villain and despite some chilling scenes with his automatons, I never bought why he wanted Tessa for his wife.
Ultimately there’s no real risk or danger here - even the one character who’s seriously injured bravely overcomes it with a smile. Everything’s set out in detail from the relationships, to character’s feelings and even a series of tedious letters showing the machinations of the two dimensional Consul. As a result, there’s no room to breathe as a reader.
Although I’m interested enough in the Shadowhunters world to read the conclusion of the MORTAL INSTRUMENTS series, I don’t think this trilogy’s added much to it and has wasted the Victorian/steampunk themes.
Review copy from publisher.
The Verdict:
The conclusion of Cassandra Clare’s THE INFERNAL DEVICES trilogy is a sprawling fantasy romance told in a 19th century gothic style. The relentless exploration of the central love triangle became tedious and repetitive, compounded by the exploration of the relationships for several side characters. This slows down what little plot there is and I found the climax to be a rushed disappointment that relies heavily on deus ex machina. The tacked on epilogue will please shippers but (for me) emphasised how safe and predictable the book is. Fans will love it but it left me underwhelmed.
Thanks to Walker Books for the free copy of this book.
Tessa Gray should be happy – aren’t all brides happy? Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa’s heart, will do anything to save her.
Tessa Gray is preparing to marry Jem Carstairs. It should be the happiest day of her life but she has equally strong feelings for Jem’s parabatai, Will Herondale. Unfortunately, with Mortmain buying up all of the supplies of the yin fen that keeps Jem alive, she and Will know that Jem doesn’t have long and each wants to make him happy.
When Gabriel Lightwood arrives at the Institute seeking help against his father who’s succumbed to the demon pox, the Shadowhunters find themselves on a course that puts them in conflict with the Consul, Josiah Wayland, just as the Shadowhunters need to be united. For Mortmain’s been working on his clockwork army and all he needs is Tessa for his revenge against the Nephilim to be complete …
The conclusion of Cassandra Clare’s THE INFERNAL DEVICES trilogy is a sprawling fantasy romance told in a 19th century gothic style. The relentless exploration of the central love triangle became tedious and repetitive, compounded by the exploration of the relationships for several side characters. This slows down what little plot there is and I found the climax to be a rushed disappointment that relies heavily on deus ex machina. The tacked on epilogue will please shippers but (for me) emphasised how safe and predictable the book is. Fans will love it but it left me underwhelmed.
Tessa’s defined by her relationships with Jem and Will. I’d hoped for more exploration of her abilities and history but it’s left to clumsy exposition. The love triangle’s skewered in one direction, which robs it of tension but Clare also plays it safe in a way that panders to the fans (albeit tying in neatly with THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS trilogy). Mortmain remains a flat villain and despite some chilling scenes with his automatons, I never bought why he wanted Tessa for his wife.
Ultimately there’s no real risk or danger here - even the one character who’s seriously injured bravely overcomes it with a smile. Everything’s set out in detail from the relationships, to character’s feelings and even a series of tedious letters showing the machinations of the two dimensional Consul. As a result, there’s no room to breathe as a reader.
Although I’m interested enough in the Shadowhunters world to read the conclusion of the MORTAL INSTRUMENTS series, I don’t think this trilogy’s added much to it and has wasted the Victorian/steampunk themes.
Review copy from publisher.
The Verdict:
The conclusion of Cassandra Clare’s THE INFERNAL DEVICES trilogy is a sprawling fantasy romance told in a 19th century gothic style. The relentless exploration of the central love triangle became tedious and repetitive, compounded by the exploration of the relationships for several side characters. This slows down what little plot there is and I found the climax to be a rushed disappointment that relies heavily on deus ex machina. The tacked on epilogue will please shippers but (for me) emphasised how safe and predictable the book is. Fans will love it but it left me underwhelmed.
Thanks to Walker Books for the free copy of this book.
