Scan barcode
A review by jessclaybee
Clockwork Angel; Clockwork Prince; Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
4.0
o I've been a big fan of the Mortal Instruments for a while now. I had been avoiding this trilogy because it didn't have my favourite character, Jonathan Morgenstern, in it. But I had just finished City Of Lost Souls and it was after the complete shock horror of realising that City Of Heavenly Fire wasn't coming for another year that drove me to read this series. And I am REALLY glad I read it!
Yes, I am aware of all the flaws in Cassandra Clare's books. I am aware of the plagiarism and the bullying of those who criticise her. I almost hate her as a person, she's a bitch and a cash cow... but I adore her books anyway. These books make you roll your eyes so many times at all the gooey romance and Tessa's stupidity. Yet... they are strangely drawing and weirdly entertaining - I was immediately hooked. And hey, books are supposed to be entertainment so I guess she hit the right mark there.
Cassandra is awful at the personality of a characters. If you read The Mortal Instruments then all you have to do is take those characters and give them different names. Will is Jace. Jessamine is Isabelle. Clary is Tessa. Charlotte is Maryse. It's so repetitive it makes me want to cry. And let's not forget how strangely similar Gabriel is to Draco Malfoy, "My father will here about this!".
But hey, they're still funny and a pleasure to read. Tessa is a little bit less annoying than Clary. Though she's still as dumb as fuck. Will is an absolute twat who bullies her. At first he's nice but he's completely two-faced and changes his attitude every five minutes. Why would you love someone like that? Sure, he has good looks but is she really dumb enough to fall for them? Honestly, I was cringing so much during Clockwork Prince. She's just like 'Oh, he was beautiful with his dark hair, blue eyes, graceful cheekbones, thick dark lashes and a full mouth... of course, he was horrible though! He looked tired, eyes red rimmed, clothes crumpled as if he had slept in them, dark shadows under his eyes almost purple... but of course that had nothing to do with her! She could remember the way he had kissed her, her hands going up and down his arms and his hands at the back of his head... but of course those memories meant nothing!' Jesus Christ, MAKE UP YOUR GODDAMN MIND! And she's so dramatic about everything. I hate the way Cassandra Clare describes what it's like to 'gaze' at Will, you'd almost think she was in love with him herself!
Tessa can't seem to do anything without the help of a strong man. She goes prancing into trouble trying to play the 'strong woman' that Cassandra Clare is trying to kid herself into writing but it's not working out and she's still as weak as fuck. I understand in Victorian times women were treated differently but we're reminded countless amount of times that it's different for Shadowhunters and they're treated nearly enough the same as men. Tessa was raised as a mundane woman so she doesn't really understand this at first but even after she learns of this she's still letting Will walk all over her. Seriously, if that was me I would have slapped him round the face by now.
And like I said, Will is just a Victorian version of Jace only more moody and less stroppy. But he's my favourite character aside from Magnus. He's funny and every time he's a part in the scene it's just more enjoyable to read. His back story is also more interesting, never mind Tessa's sob story and identity crisis - Will's tragic history with his family really makes us feel for him and somehow (I never thought this could happen) it completely redeems him.
Jem is also a complete sweetheart, the only original character in this trilogy aside from Henry. I think it's so hard to hate him, Cassandra really knows how to create a character that is truly loveable. And I loved Henry, he was another sweatheart I adored.
You know what really annoyed me though? How, especially in the two sequels, it kept on averting to what the other less interesting characters were doing. I couldn't give a shit about Cecily's creepy romance with a man much older than her. I couldn't give a shit about Gideon and Sophie, their unrealistic and forced relationship could have been narrowed down to one chapter! Especially in the third book, oh god, that dragged on the worst! I felt like skipping half of it, just thinking 'Yeah I don't care, don't care, nope, I still don't care."
The storyline is interesting, the only issue is there's hardly any demons. Mortal Instruments is full of demons but if you're reading this alone then you'd be confused considering Shadowhunters are supposed to be... demon hunters. And there's about two demons in this entire book trilogy. The storyline is good because it's a step from The Mortal Instruments and actually focuses on a mundane enemy but I just wish there was a LITTLE bit more demon hunting. I don't care whether it's a single chapter of Will and Jem going demon hunting, ANYTHING.
Another thing I love is Cassandra Clare's description, sometimes it's over the top and there's just pages and pages of it but usually it's brilliant and really paints a good picture. Especially her fighting scenes, her fighting scenes are brilliant and I actually feel like I'm there. I can never get tired of reading one of her fighting scenes.
Another thing is the enjoyment of the series. It's infuriating and cringy at times but it's ENJOYABLE, one thing Cassandra DOES know and that's how to really grip your heart and make you feel for these characters. It's cringy but she makes you want to read more which is what books are all about, they're supposed to be entertainment and these books are certainly the best entertainment I've read in a long time. I REALLY enjoyed this book series and I certainly recommend them.
Yes, I am aware of all the flaws in Cassandra Clare's books. I am aware of the plagiarism and the bullying of those who criticise her. I almost hate her as a person, she's a bitch and a cash cow... but I adore her books anyway. These books make you roll your eyes so many times at all the gooey romance and Tessa's stupidity. Yet... they are strangely drawing and weirdly entertaining - I was immediately hooked. And hey, books are supposed to be entertainment so I guess she hit the right mark there.
Cassandra is awful at the personality of a characters. If you read The Mortal Instruments then all you have to do is take those characters and give them different names. Will is Jace. Jessamine is Isabelle. Clary is Tessa. Charlotte is Maryse. It's so repetitive it makes me want to cry. And let's not forget how strangely similar Gabriel is to Draco Malfoy, "My father will here about this!".
But hey, they're still funny and a pleasure to read. Tessa is a little bit less annoying than Clary. Though she's still as dumb as fuck. Will is an absolute twat who bullies her. At first he's nice but he's completely two-faced and changes his attitude every five minutes. Why would you love someone like that? Sure, he has good looks but is she really dumb enough to fall for them? Honestly, I was cringing so much during Clockwork Prince. She's just like 'Oh, he was beautiful with his dark hair, blue eyes, graceful cheekbones, thick dark lashes and a full mouth... of course, he was horrible though! He looked tired, eyes red rimmed, clothes crumpled as if he had slept in them, dark shadows under his eyes almost purple... but of course that had nothing to do with her! She could remember the way he had kissed her, her hands going up and down his arms and his hands at the back of his head... but of course those memories meant nothing!' Jesus Christ, MAKE UP YOUR GODDAMN MIND! And she's so dramatic about everything. I hate the way Cassandra Clare describes what it's like to 'gaze' at Will, you'd almost think she was in love with him herself!
Tessa can't seem to do anything without the help of a strong man. She goes prancing into trouble trying to play the 'strong woman' that Cassandra Clare is trying to kid herself into writing but it's not working out and she's still as weak as fuck. I understand in Victorian times women were treated differently but we're reminded countless amount of times that it's different for Shadowhunters and they're treated nearly enough the same as men. Tessa was raised as a mundane woman so she doesn't really understand this at first but even after she learns of this she's still letting Will walk all over her. Seriously, if that was me I would have slapped him round the face by now.
And like I said, Will is just a Victorian version of Jace only more moody and less stroppy. But he's my favourite character aside from Magnus. He's funny and every time he's a part in the scene it's just more enjoyable to read. His back story is also more interesting, never mind Tessa's sob story and identity crisis - Will's tragic history with his family really makes us feel for him and somehow (I never thought this could happen) it completely redeems him.
Jem is also a complete sweetheart, the only original character in this trilogy aside from Henry. I think it's so hard to hate him, Cassandra really knows how to create a character that is truly loveable. And I loved Henry, he was another sweatheart I adored.
You know what really annoyed me though? How, especially in the two sequels, it kept on averting to what the other less interesting characters were doing. I couldn't give a shit about Cecily's creepy romance with a man much older than her. I couldn't give a shit about Gideon and Sophie, their unrealistic and forced relationship could have been narrowed down to one chapter! Especially in the third book, oh god, that dragged on the worst! I felt like skipping half of it, just thinking 'Yeah I don't care, don't care, nope, I still don't care."
The storyline is interesting, the only issue is there's hardly any demons. Mortal Instruments is full of demons but if you're reading this alone then you'd be confused considering Shadowhunters are supposed to be... demon hunters. And there's about two demons in this entire book trilogy. The storyline is good because it's a step from The Mortal Instruments and actually focuses on a mundane enemy but I just wish there was a LITTLE bit more demon hunting. I don't care whether it's a single chapter of Will and Jem going demon hunting, ANYTHING.
Another thing I love is Cassandra Clare's description, sometimes it's over the top and there's just pages and pages of it but usually it's brilliant and really paints a good picture. Especially her fighting scenes, her fighting scenes are brilliant and I actually feel like I'm there. I can never get tired of reading one of her fighting scenes.
Another thing is the enjoyment of the series. It's infuriating and cringy at times but it's ENJOYABLE, one thing Cassandra DOES know and that's how to really grip your heart and make you feel for these characters. It's cringy but she makes you want to read more which is what books are all about, they're supposed to be entertainment and these books are certainly the best entertainment I've read in a long time. I REALLY enjoyed this book series and I certainly recommend them.