Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

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.

Rating: 4 stars

Don't read this review if you haven't read Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Prince yet.

Alright, it's no secret that I love all of Cassandra Clare's books. She is one of my all time favorite authors, and the Mortal Instruments series and the Infernal Devices series are definitely some of my favorite books. Every personality in her books is unique and special and lovable. Even Will at his most jerky and douche bag moments was understandable. You could sympathize with his reasons if not his actions, and the same with all her characters. The villains, too. They had their reasons for doing the things they did, and you could understand that, even if you hated them.  There were no loose ends on her characters.

That aside, Tessa is back! Trying to find out what she really is, avoiding being married to a psychopathic bad guy, and torn between the mysterious and alluring Will, and Jem, her fiance, she's got a lot on her plate.

The 'infernal devices' are back and they won't stop until they have Tessa. The Magister is getting impatient as he is raising his Clockwork army, and he's got some new and horrifying tricks up his sleeve.

Basic overview:

As Tessa and the Shadowhunter's at the Institute find out about Benedict Lightwood's dealings with demons, things get really bad. Gabriel and Gideon Lightwood are forced to move into the Institute when Benedict catches 'demon pox' (much to Will's delight) and turns into a giant worm and eats his daughter's husband.

While Will is busy calling the Lightwood boys 'Lightworms' Tessa, Cecily, and Sophie are still training with them, and Jessamine is going to move back into the Institute. Consul Wayland is trying to keep the Council from electing Charlotte as the next Consul, as well as trying to get her thrown out of the Institute. And on top of fighting off demons and the Clockwork army, Tessa is trying to get ready for her wedding while ignoring her ridiculous feelings for Will, who confessed in Clockwork Prince that he was in love with her.

On top of all this, the Magister has taken all of the opium drug, which Jem needs to survive. As Jem's supply gets lower and lower, the Shadowhunter's and Tessa are working hard to find him a cure before he runs out.

While this is all well and complicated, the incredible amount of information that my brain was having trouble processing was not why I took the one star off. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved this book, as well as the rest of the series. But, I thought the ending wasn't as, well, satisfactory as I was hoping. Especially because no matter what team your on (Will or Jem) you get your way. As well as the fact that her great victory (that was not a spoiler, it had to be a victory or else The Mortal Instruments wouldn't exist) wasn't as dramatic and epic as I was hoping for.

I wasn't really decided on Team Will or Team Jem, I was on both, but I favored Will just a little bit more, he was just so sassy, and I've always loved sassy boys. Although I did love Jem for being there for her, and I'm just so torn between the two!!

I just can't--

All in all, Cassandra Clare has made yet another absolutely stunning series, with an amazing and beautiful ending, even if it didn't quite make up to my expectations. I absolutely cannot wait to see Tessa and Jem in City of Heavenly Fire (Which is coming out next year *squeals) and I'm hoping to see Will in it, although judging by the end of Clockwork Princess I don't know how that's possible.

So many intermingling series!!

xxAvalon