Clockwork Prince: A Love Triangle Brew You Never Knew You Needed

Welcome back, Jellies! (Yes, you're all still my sweet little jellybeans.) Today, I'm serving up a fresh brew of A Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare, the second book in The Infernal Devices trilogy. If you haven't yet read my review of A Clockwork Angel, the first book in the series, you can check it out here. As always, I'll be using my Book Brew Review System, so if you are not familiar with you, hop over to my explainer post here, before diving in!

Alright, it's time for disclaimers: mild spoilers ahead (but no major plot twists, I promise). I'll be talking about favourite scenes, characters, and maybe some dialogues that stole my heart. Ready? Let's dive into the magic of Victorian London!

Our heroin, Tessa Gray, is back and navigating the stormy seas of the Shadowhunter world, where danger lurks around every corner. At the heart of the drama is the Magister, whose hatred for Sahdwohutners stems from a tragic past. As Tessa teams up with the ever-dashing Will Herondale (my favourite) and the kind hearted Jem Carstairs (also my favourite), they uncover secrets that they could never fathom. 

Tessa's personal journey becomes more tangled as she learns devastating truths about her family and wrestles with her growing feelings for both Will and Jem. Will is still our mysterious sadboi (but oh, the growth he shows in this book!!), while Jem's heartbreaking struggles with his illness make him impossible not to sympathize with. Throw in steampunk clockwork monsters, enchanted ballrooms, and betrayal that hit like a sucker punch, and you've got yourself a wild ride that is A Clockwork Prince. 

If you did not know, let me tell you that this book is inspired from Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Cassandra Clare does this a lot where she takes a slight inspiration from books that she loves and incorporates a vague Skelton of it in her books. I think that is very smart and interesting thing to do.

“I could not tell you if I loved you the first moment I saw you, or if it was the second or third or fourth. But I remember the first moment I looked at you walking toward me and realized that somehow the rest of the world seemed to vanish when I was with you.”

Book Brew Review System

• Plot: ☕☕☕☕
• Characters: 🧋🧋🧋🧋🧋
• Writing: 🍪🍪🍪🍪
• Pacing: 🥐🥐🥐½
• World Building: 🍩🍩🍩🍩🍩
• Emotional Impact: 🍷🍷🍷🍷

   OVERALL RATING:

    25.5/30 : 4.25 Brews

PLOT

The plot is an emotional rollercoaster that had me holding my breath every few pages. This book starts exactly from where the first book ended. We don't have any time jumps at all. The book has really good Gothic vibes and of course, no matter what I say about the genius storylines of Cassie Clare, it's never enough because I have absolutely no idea how she comes up with such intricate ideas. 

I love how Cassandra Clare is very careful about how she designs her plots. They are very fitting to the era that the books are set in. Even though they are all in the shadowhunters world, they are set in different eras. Cassandra Clare does a great job distinguishing the eras and using the elements of the particular era as the backbone for the stories. For example, The Infernal Devices is set in 1901 Victorian London. This was the time when machines started to come into England and people were getting used to industrialization. This was also the time when people were getting into science and learning about the world in more ways than just religion and God. This was also the time when people questioned God and whether the things that the Church was saying about the world and humans are really true because Science says something different and has evidence to back it up. All of these things play a very important role in The Infernal Devices. We have Henry Branwell who is a Scientist. He makes clockwork inventions and his family is proud of him. However, other people like the Lightwoods despise him because they think that his inventions are good for nothing because only their strength and physically fighting the demons with the power given to them by the Angels is the way to go. But when the clockwork monsters attack them, Henry's inventions help the main characters a lot in defending themselves and defeating the threats. 

CHARACTERS

The characters truly shine in this book. Will goes from being a "Certifies douchebag sadboi" to a complex, vulnerable hero, thanks to the ✨curse✨ that is finally explained. (Book 2 Will>>> Book 1 Will, and I will die on this hill.) Jem's quiet strength and kindness hit me right in the feels and Tessa's struggles to find her place in this dangerous world are deeply relatable. Also, can we talk about how much I'm rooting for Gideon and Sophie? More of them in the next book please!!

One more thing I would like to note about the characters in Cassandra Clare's books (at least in the Shadowhunters Chronicles) is that they all seem kind of the same. The arcs are the same, and the development is somewhat the same, and the characters feel the same. For example, Clary's arc from The Mortal Instruments series feels the exact same as Tessa's from this trilogy. Both of them are seemingly mundane girls who are pulled into the whirlwind that is the shadowhunters world and are forced to navigate this universe as quickly as possible because the imminent danger is always looming over their heads. Then we have classic sadbois -- Will and Jace. Jace from The Mortal Instruments sounds and feels exactly the same as Will from The Infernal Devices. They even belong to the same family -- The Herondales. Both of them are arrogant and douchebags at the start but slowly fall in love with the girl and then have to pretend to not like her due to the plot. I could not find out Jem's equivalent but Simon does come close with his kindheartedness. 

WRITING STYLE

I have to admit that the characters are written so well that they represent the era perfectly. Their language, mannerisms, behaviours, are all very apt to the era. For instance, women are always wearing long gowns and are not allowed to fight in the battles. Charlotte Fairchild, the badass head of the London Institute is looked down upon because she is a woman and is doing an unwomanly task of leading an institute. We see how the female characters complain sometimes about not being able to fight very well in gowns and we also see the shifting in them trying on pants for the first time. These are the tiny but not so tiny details that make Cassandra Clare's books so epic. 

The prose is just as beautiful as ever, capturing the gothic and mysterious tones of the Victorian London perfectly. The dialogues are sharp, the descriptions are vivid, and the emotional beats land like a punch to the gut. That said, a few slower parts in the middle had me skimming a bit, but the payoff was well worth it. 

Let me show you an example of the writing style of this book. This is a letter from Will to Tessa.

"Tess, Tess, Tessa.

Was there ever a more beautiful sound than your name? To speak it aloud makes my heart ring like a bell. Strange to imagine that, isn't it -- a heart ringing -- but when you touch me that is what it is like: as if my heart is ringing in my chest and the sound shivers down my veins and splinters my bones with joy.

Why have I written these words in this book? Because of you. You taught me to love this book where I had scorned it. When I read it for the second time, with an open mind and heart, I felt the most complete despair and envy of Sydney Carton. Yes, Sydney, for even if he had no hope that the woman he loved would love him, at least he could tell her of his love. At least he could do something to prove his passion, even if that thing was to die.

I would have chosen death for a chance to tell you the truth, Tessa, if I could have been assured that death would be my own. And that is why I envied Sydney, for he was free.

And now at last I am free, and I can finally tell you, without fear of danger to you, and all that I feel in my heart.

You are not the last dream of my soul.

You are the first dream, the only dream I ever was unable to stop myself from dreaming. You are the first dream of my soul, and from that dream I hope will come all other dreams, a lifetime's worth. 

With hope at least, 

Will Herondale."

Isn't this really beautiful? WITH HOPE AT LEAST??!!

I have this letter pasted on my bedroom wall because this letter gives me hope too.

PACING

The pacing was a little uneven in this book. Some sections flew by, while others dragged. But once the action kicks in, it doesn't let up. The second half of the book had me clutching my pillow and mutters "Just one more chapter" until I realized it was 2 a.m.

WORLDBUILDING

Like I was saying earlier, the Victorian elements are blended so perfectly with the Shadowhunter lore which makes the book really captivating. From misty Yorkshire landscapes to eerie manor hours, the setting feels alive and very immersive. The industrial revolution touches, like Henry's inventions and the clockwork creatures, add a very unique twist that fits perfectly into the gothic world. 

I mean, imagine this, people back in 1901 have never seen automatons or read scientific evidences behind the things happen in the world. They did not know that there could be things that look and feel like humans but do not bleed like us. The same shock is represented perfectly in these books because even the Shadowhunters had not encountered these robotic creatures. The shock on their faces when they realize that these creatures don't bleed, they don't die, that they keep getting up even after being thrashed by the weapons given by the angel himself, is iconic.

EMOTIONAL IMPACT

This book ripped my heart out, stomped on it, and then stitched it back together. The love triangle is chef's kiss--raw, painful, and beautifully written. All three leads are so sefless it hurts, and their relationships are as much about friendship and loyalty as they are about romance. The cliffhanger at the end left me reeling and desperate for the next book. 

MY THEORIES

Theories are swirling in my brain, and I need to share them with you all:

1. Jem dies, and Will and Tessa end up together.

2. Jem doesn't die, but Will sacrifices his happiness because he loves Jem too much.

Everyone is too heartbroken to end up happy, and my soul shatters. 

What do you think will happen? Let me know in the comments because I need someone to scream about this with!

That's my review for A Clockwork Prince! If you've read it, tell me your thoughts (or favourite scenes!) in the comments. And if you haven't yet started The Infernal Devices yet, what are you waiting for? My socials are linked in my profile, so connect with me on Bookstagram, and let's talk about it.

I have also started a series with my bestfriend where we talk about bookish questions. If you are interested in that, you can check out my  bookstagram

Until next time, Jellies -- Happy reading!