 Cassandra Clare

The second instalment of The Infernal Devices follows Tessa and her two dashing Shadowhunter companions, Will and Jem, as they travel throughout Victorian England seeking the full truth behind the Magister's sinister plot. Tessa feels herself growing closer to Jem, but Will continues to infuriate her - moody and aloof, she can't tell what he feels for her . . . or quite what she feels for him.

Clockwork Prince

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.

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2)

ja’leasa

He went on determinedly. “To tell you of my feelings first, before I showed them. To write poetry for you—“ 

“You don’t even like power.” Tessa said, her voice catching on a half laugh of relief. 

“No. But you make me want to write it. Does that not count for anything?” 

I can’t even think of Jem. Will is my man my man my man 

...he gently caught at her hands and pressed them down.  No." he said. "Let me touch you first. I have wanted...” She did not say no.

rereading this again from high school and it feels like I’m reading it for the first time 

He wanted to feel her against him the way he had in the attic. He wanted to know the taste of her skin and the smell of her hair.

 Jem. She was kissing Jem. Where Will's kisses were all fire, Jem's were like pure air after a long time of being closed up in the airless dark.

As the Council attempts to strip Charlotte of her power, sixteen-year-old orphaned shapechanger Tessa Gray works with the London Shadowhunters to find the Magister and destroy his clockwork army, learning the secret of her own identity while investigating his past.

Sarah Campbell

“I wish to offer you moonlight in a handful.”

Sleep, and be glad while the world endures. 

Be well content as the years wear through; 

Give thanks for life, and the loves and lures;

 Give thanks for life, O brother, and death. 

For the sweet last sound of her feet, her breath. 

For gifts she gave you, gracious and few, 

—Algernon Charles Swinburne, "The Triumph of Time"

"She didn't," he said. "I pulled them out of the fire myself. I read them all. Every word you wrote. You and I, Tess, we’re alike. We live and breathe words. It was books that kept me from taking my own life after I thought I could never love anyone, never be loved by anyone again. It was books that made me feel perhaps I was not completely alone. They could be honest with me, and I with them. Reading your words, what you wrote, you were lonely sometimes and afraid, but always brave; the way you saw the world, its colors and textures and sounds. I felt — I felt the way you thought, hoped, felt, dreamed. I felt I was dreaming and thinking and feeling with you. I dreamed what you dreamed, wanted what you wanted and then I realized that truly I just wanted you. The girl behind the scrawled letters. I loved you from the moment I read them. I love you still."

But now, you are twain, you are cloven apart. 

Flesh of his flesh, but heart of my heart; 

And sweet for one is the lifelong flower. 

Treason doth never prosper: what's the reason? Why, if it prosper, none dare call it treason. 

She will not give me heaven? ‘Tis well!  

When I have seen by Time's fell hand defac'd 

The rich-proud cost of outworn buried age; 

When sometime lofty towers I see downrar'd,

There is something horrible about a flower;

This, broken in my hand, is one of those 

He threw it in just now; it will not live another hour; 

There are thousands more; you do not miss a rose. 

— Alfred, Lord Tennyson, The Palace of Art

But that her brother comes, like a blight 

Your woe hath been my anguish; yea, I quail 

And I have searched the highths and depths, the scope 

Of all our universe, with desperate hope 

To find some solace for your wild unrest. 

— James Thomson, "The City of Dreadful Night"

The virtue of angels is that they cannot deteriorate; their flaw is that they cannot improve. Man's flaw is that he can deteriorate; and his virtue is that he can improve. 

All the joys of the flesh, all the sorrows 

— Algernon Charles Swinburne, "Dolores"

Oh, just, subtle, and mighty opium! that to the hearts of poor and rich alike, for the wounds that will never heal, and for "the pangs that tempt the spirit to rebel," bringest an assuaging balm; eloquent opiem! that with thy potent rhetoric stealest away the purposes of wrath; and to the guilty man for one night givest back the hopes of his youth, and hands washed pure from blood. 

— Thomas De Quincey, Confessions of an English Opium-Eater

“If you hold it away from yourself long enough, do you lose it entirely? If no one cares for you at all, do you even really exist?”

Seven days, seven nights, I saw that curse, 

— Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

The thoughts, the hopes, the dreams, the pleasures, 

Falling in love with this series more and more. 

ophelia ross 

Ellen Ivey

If you gave me 1000 guesses I would have never predicted Jem and Tessa marrying while Will’s heart gets ripped out of his chest and he has to just silently accept it. I literally can’t with cassandra clare like have you lost your MIND 

ayan.

Ellie M.

** spoiler alert **
           IDK WHO I SHIP TESSA WITH NOW. JEM OR WILL BRO. I LOVE THE BANTER. EVERYTHING.

Updated Review: 06/21/2022

Definitely much better than the first. Beautiful and writing as always, characters are lovely and loveable as always. I finally saw the plot fall into place, the tension was high, the romance was as heartbreaking as ever, and I really don’t know who to ship Tessa with. Jem or Will?

Monicap

LAST READ: April 26, 2013
Plot: 5/5
This is a CASSANDRA CLARE BOOK. ’Nuff said, dude.

Characters: 5/5
Okay, see, Cassandra Clare does this thing, in which she makes EVERY SINGLE ONE of her characters Amazing. Even the bad ones. So I felt everything related to the characters. She also makes it SO FREAKING HARD to choose between the two boys, because they’re BOTH SO, SO, SOOOO OMG, LOVE 4EVER <3<3<3 COOL.
WARNING, this portion of my review may contain SPOILERS. READ WITH CAUTION.
Tessa: Tessa is amazing as a main Character. Dare I say it, better even than Clary. Tessa is smart, and she feels everything. She’s so loyal, and kind and smart. She’s the kind of character that you can really like, and understand what they’re going though, and empathize. You know, how some MC’s are so annoying and piss you off, and you just want horrible things to happen to them? *Cough, cough* Katniss, Zoey, Zara *Cough, cough*. Tessa’s not like that. But she’s also a far shot from perfect, which makes her human, as well.
Will: I love will. I am Team Will, even though, as I said, CASSSANDRA CLARE MAKES IT SO HARD TO CHOOSE. His story, is, it’s just so heartbreaking. I’m drawn to him because of his brokenness, and he needs someone to love him, which is why what I’m going to discuss in the romance section of this review is so terrible.
Jem: Is SOOOO Romantic. My god. MORE ON JEM IN ROMANCE SECTION.
Jessamine: Even though I’ve read this before and I knew it was gonna happen, it still just hit me, like a punch in the gut.
Nate: Even though, whilst reading book one and this one as well, (having read them read the previously and knowing the ending (WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD)) I kept on saying I hated him because he was a lying bitch, those two pages that encompassed his death scene were so hard. I read those two pages three times, and got hit really hard. I think I may have cried a little. It was… even though I hated him, in those last moments, he was so raw, and Tessa still loved him, so how could I not?
Charlotte: She’s just so motherly. I think she’ll make a great mom.
Henry: He’s so scattered and brainless and CUTE. I love when he’ll be tinkering with something and then someone rouses him from it and he looks and looks around for Charlotte. They really are such a good couple.
Benedict. Gideon, Gabriel: The Lightwoods. Knowing and loving the Lightwoods from TMI, it’s kind of hard to see them cast in a negative light, but Benedict is so slimy, and you don’t expect form a fellow Shadowhunter, you know? And Gabriel… I’m waiting for him to admit that his father is sick and come over to the freaking Institute and join the gang, you know? And Gideon is just so decent, it’s hard not to like him.
Sophie and Gideon: I love their little romantic subplot.
And Also, last but certainly not least, because yes, he IS in TID as well as TMI the Fabulous… MAGNUS BANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WILL NEVER CEASE TO FANGIRL AT YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Romance: 5/5
THERE WILL BE SPOILERS IN THIS SECTION. READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
Okay, so remember what I said about not being able to choose? I am Team Will. I am Totally TEAM WILL. All the way, man, all the way. Even though I was crying and in despair and yelling at him and telling myself I hated him when he was doing some of those terrible things to Tessa, I loved him. Partly because I knew WHY he was doing those terrible things to Tessa. And then, Magnus (the Magnificent) helps him figure that his curse is not even an issue, and so finally, he can tell Tessa how he really feels. But the TIMING, oh the dreadful, dreadful timing. Because, right then, Jem proposed to Tessa.
Kep in mind that I am Team Will.
Btu after that speech he gave, and he really is so romantic, and amazing, and beautiful I would have found myself unable to say know to him, and I am CERTAIN that my heart is for Will, and I would’ve said yes. Imagine Tessa, conflicted, not knowing what to do about Will, having kissed them both on a couple of occasions, and then THAT SPEECH. What was she to do? No one could say no to that. And if you can, then your heart is black, and I pity you. I pity you greatly.
Tessa’s romantic with Jem is based on a friendship that developed and evolved into something more. Some bright and amazing, and I do love the two of them together. And Jem needs Tessa. I believe that. I believe that with Tessa, his life, however long or short it may be, will be much improved.
But Will needs Tessa, too. After five years of the fake curse, he needs someone to love him. Honestly and wholly and completely. And, as much as I’d love to fill the bill, the person he needs to do that is Tessa. Tessa is the reason he went to all that trouble to DO something about his curse.
And Tessa’s romantic relationship with Will is unlike Jem’s. it’s full of heat, and a shared view of the world. And, I believe that Tessa is a little broken too. Broken like Will. Not exactly like Will, and certainly nowhere close to the degree at which Will is broken, but enough for there to be something like between them.
SEE HOW HARD IT IS TO CHOOSE???????????????? WHY, CASSANDRA CLARE, WHY, DO YOU TURTURE ME WITH SUCH BLISS??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

All in all, an amazing book which everyone should read.

Vicky  Nuñez 

Oh, the heartbreak!
Even after reading 5 of Cassandra Clare's books nothing could have prepared me for this one.
My mind has simply been blown. This is definitely her best book yet and I eagerly await the next.

Nabila Azahra

3,75 stars ⭐️

Oh God do I love Jem more or Will? 😔

I thought this book wasn’t as action-packed, even the “training” scene happens to be only in one paragraph 🙃 and that kinda scene is honestly what I was looking for the most 🙃 But I definitely enjoy seeing the characters emotions spilled out. And my biggest problem with this book is the love triangle. 

Overall I love this book, and will mostly read the last one soon 😍

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.

The Infernal Devices #2

i am nothing if not this books biggest fan

i am nothing if not this books biggest fan

ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE 

hanni

Tatiana

Clockwork Prince: 4.5/5

This is the first Shadowhunter book I have truly fallen in love with. 

The complexity of the plot, the dimensions of the characters, and the wonderful worldbuilding have brought to life the Shadowhunter world like none before.

I am truly astounded at how different this book is from the first 3 TMI books and even Clockwork Angel. Everything about Clockwork Prince feels elevated. The plot is complex but easy to follow, and not only were Jem, Will, and Tessa brought even more to life, but so were Charlotte, Sophie, Henry, and many more side characters. This is not something I have encountered before in a Shadowhunters novel, where side characters are truly explored and well thought out.

I usually hate love triangles, but somehow Cassandra Clare has brought me to love Will, Jem, and Tessa. Not only do I love their love, but I also love all of them as characters. Of course, I am rooting for one of them specifically, but that does not mean I do not love the other. They all deserve happiness.

I feel as though for the first time I am genuinely excited to pick up the next book (which I will be doing directly after writing this review). Holy cliffhanger. 

I would go as far a to say all the Shadowhunter books I read thus far and have not enjoyed that much, are worth it after reading Clockwork Prince. 

I LOVE IT.

Annika Arguemore

definitely better than the last book. the story just keeps on getting spicier and spicier. I cannot wait for the third book but at the same time I'm grieving because I don't really want this trilogy to end. but good things have to come to an end, right? let's just hope the next one's a worthy send-off to a great series.

shru

** spoiler alert **
           Will Will Will Will anD yoUr curSe cMon aaaH 


also Henry and Charlotte have made me cry.
i think i love them :)


AND TESSA IS ONLY 16?! No wonder she's so nosy and kinda cringe.

Edit: bump up to 4 stars cuz Will chasing a blue demon and giddy Will. I stan, much more than last time i read this.

Julia Moran 

AAAA TEODIO CASSANDRA TE ODIO PORQUÉ ME HACES SUFRIR DE ESTA MANERA?

** spoiler alert **
           i was crying when discovered about will's 'curse' and at the same time i love tessa's and jem's relationship... i was torn apart. and will's poor heart when he was planning to tell her they could be together but at the same time tessa was betrothed to jem. both of will and jem deserve tessa, three of them deserve each other. summary: i'm crying.

nina 

Just as fantastic as the first time I read it!

Meagan Fischer 

Worth reading I guess but not much special here. Love triangles are stupid.

Nina Verhaaff 

Melissa Palmer

Book #5 Read in 2015
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

This is the second book in the Infernal Devices series. In this book, Will, Jem and Tessa's search for Mortmain and trying to save the Institute heats up. At the same time, their love triangle is getting more complicated. This book has great elements of fantasy, steampunk, romance and action in it. I will be starting the final book in the trilogy soon.

Marija

Em, yeah. I finished. 8 hours, 2 days and I'm, totally heartbroken, starting the third and the last one right now.
It's 4.5 stars, minus 0.5 for ruining my normal life.

This has been by far the best rereading of a book I have done this year. It is young adult fiction but it still hits so hard the talk of love and loyalty and the confusion that it all comes with. I love it Bad. On the next one 

abi a

this book really wasn’t doing it for me at first but then they really came in with the punches the last quarter 🙃

samantha lias

I wrote a whole review on goodreads and really can’t be bothered to repeat it. I love the book. i would give it a million stars if possible. Thank you Cassandra Clare for this blessing.

Thea Søsveen

Another great installation in this series.

Will is bae, and almost every reader appears to agree with me.

I love Jem as well, which makes this difficult, but Will is just 10/10 in a different way.

I almost wish that Jem wasn't an option so I could focus my entire romantic attention on Will (I hate love triangles) but this one is so different and angsty because all three characters love and respect one another, so it's soooo angsty and sad.

Another great installation in this series.

Will is bae, and almost every reader appears to agree with me.

I love Jem as well, which makes this difficult, but Will is just 10/10 in a different way.

I almost wish that Jem wasn't an option so I could focus my entire romantic attention on Will (I hate love triangles) but this one is so different and angsty because all three characters love and respect one another, so it's soooo angsty and sad.

Anyways, a great read.

Clockwork Prince

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