Review: Clockwork Princess, by Cassandra Clare

Title: Clockwork Princess

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genre: YA Paranormal

Pub. Date: March 19, 2013

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.

Emptiness. That is what I feel at the moment. I haven't felt this way since I finished reading the Harry Potter series. We have all felt this, this feeling evoked by the conclusion of something you hold dear to your heart. Usually, the second this happens, you burst into tears (at least for me). But after a while, after you have accepted its completion, you experience this utter feeling of pure emptiness. The love I have of The Infernal Devices series is the reason as to why I am so affected by its finishing, because it is such a beautifully written story.

I was planning to write a full review will all the good points in this book blah blah blah, but then I was like, screw that! I am just gonna end up spilling all my emotions because my heart hurts so much and every time I think about Cecily or Gabriel or Henry or Charlotte or Gideon or Sophie or Tessa or Jem or Will I just burst into a fit of sobs and snot and I CAN'T GET THIS BOOK OFF MY MIND.

Rarely has a book affected me to this extent. I have smiled, laughed, gasped, cried; really I am just an emotional wreck at the moment.

That epilogue not only killed me, IT TEARED ME APART. Tessa's memories of the past made me laugh and cry and was so hard to read. It took me about an hour to read it, because I didn't want to let any of the characters go. After I finished, I began to obsessively read my favorite parts, enjoying the moments, and refusing to believe what I read in the epilogue. 

And OMG! Cecily and Gabriel, and Sophie and Gideon, are ADORABLE together. I couldn't get enough of them, and was glad that a lot of this book was devoted to them.

I consider myself as Team Will, but I still love Jem, and was heartbroken for all he had to endure. It is impossible not to be in love with either of these characters. The love triangle in this book did not bother me, because I feel like its execution was perfect. All three of them- Jem, Will, Tessa- loved each other unconditionally, and in this, I feel that it differs from other love triangles in the genre.

CP2's theme of love is so much more than the typical love present in other novels. Despite hardships, despite obstacles, the characters stick together, stay loyal to each other. Their love is palpable and displayed perfectly, to the point where we could feel the emotions of the characters.

To me, the love I could feel the most in this book was the love between Jem and Will. It was so real, so pure, that I was heartbroken by the end of the novel. Probably the main reason I am crying right now is because of the separation of these Parabatai.

I was satisfied by the ending. But that's not saying I didn't cry. Crying is an understatement. Really, I was in denial for the next day or so and regularly needed to take deep breaths to calm my emotionally unstable body.   

The writing, as always, was flawless. The prose was lyrical and nothing short of perfect. This book did have some mistakes, but very few. However, I refuse to lower that 5-star rating because that will be much too hard for me to do.

I am DEPRESSED to see this series end. Tessa's smartness, Will's wit, Jem's sweetness, Cecily's stubbornness, Henry's genius (I'm sorry, but I firmly believe that he is a true genius, regardless of what other shadowhunters think of him), I will miss ALL of them. They are forever etched into my heart. <3

Now please excuse me while I go lock myself in my room accompanied by Clockwork Princess, Kleenex, and a box of chocolates. Whoever disturbs will face the wrath of my red-rimmed eyes and and tissues filled with my snot thrown at your face. 

5 stars!