Clockwork Princess (Infernal Devices #3)
   by: Cassandra Clare

Publication Date: March 19, 2013
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Genre: Steampunk
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Purchased for Nook
Page Count: 568 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars

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.

                                    -goodreads.com description

I don't really even know how to start this. Except to say that I totally called the outcome. I said it to my best friend who had already read the book, but of course she wouldn't tell me if I was correct or not. I don't know how I feel about the epilogue just yet. I think I may need to sit and think about it for a few days before I really make a sound decision. Because right now I'm feeling very conflicted.

Do I think Clare wrapped everything up? Yes, I do. Granted, it has been quite some time since I've read the other books in the series, but I believe all of my questions were answered. However, I am now curious and want to go back and re-read Mortal Instruments and look for Infernal Devices clues.

Was I an emotional basketcase over this book like I thought I was going to be? No... no, I was not. Actually, I can really only count one heart-wrenching scene where I had to put the book down and go clear my head. Because damn, my heart HURT. Does this mean I am devoid of a heart? Maybe. Maybe not.

It is no secret that Tessa loved both Will and Jem and that they both loved her, as well as each other. This book is FILLED with unconditional love and that is what made this book beautiful. All three of them are all so self-sacrificing in my opinion and sometimes its so much so that your heart does shatter a little bit every time. All three of them have some incredibly beautiful, heartfelt lines relating to loving each other, and I wish I could quote them all because they are so amazing. Ok. I'll give you my favorites:

"For this I would have been damned forever. For this I would have given up everything."

"You've saved me over and over and over again. You are a good man, one of the best I've ever known."

"Come with me. Stay with me. Be with me. See everything with me."

Besides Tessa-Jem-Will, I love that we got to see so much of the other characters and that certain points of the book were told from their points of view. That was a huge perk in my opinion. Seeing friendships form and relationships bloom between them was very satisfying to me.

I will say that you cannot help feeling the weight of Tessa and Magnus's immortality. If you've read The Mortal Instruments, then you can see how it affects Magnus, for sure. It saddens me to think of the loneliness both him and Tessa endure every day because of that and what it must feel like watching the ones you love die and be powerless to prevent it. GAH. Darn my best friend for making things logical for me. Maybe I'm starting to retract my earlier statement about being conflicted over the epilogue.

In conclusion, I will say, whether you're rooting for 'Team Will', 'Team Jem', or even 'Team Tessa', I think you will be very pleased with the ending Clare has given us.

"Most people are lucky to have even one great love in their life. You have found two."