Review: Clockwork Prince

Clockwork Prince, by Cassandra Clare

Series: The Infernal Devices

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Sci-Fi (Steampunk), Paranormal, Romance

Published:  December 2011

Pages: 496

My rating: 

The Blurb: The situation at the London Institute has never been more precarious. With Mortmain and his clockwork army still threatening, the Council wants to strip Charlotte of her power and hand the running of the Enclave over to the unscrupulous and power-hungry Benedict Lightwood. 

In the hope of saving Charlotte and the Institute, Will, Jem, and Tessa set out to unravel the secrets of Mortmain’s past—and discover unsettling Shadowhunter connections that hold the key not only to the enemy’s motivations, but also to the secret of Tessa’s identity. Tessa, already caught between the affections of Will and Jem, finds herself with another choice to make when she learns how the Shadowhunters helped make her a “monster.” Will she turn from them to her brother, Nate, who has been begging her to join him at Mortmain’s side? Where will her loyalties—and love—lie? Tessa alone can choose to save the Shadowhunters of London…or end them forever.

Ever since finishing the last page from ‘Clockwork Angel’, I have been yearning for ‘Clockwork Prince’ to be published! The Victorian world, the realistic characters, the elaborate story-telling, the witty dialogues, the thickly woven plot, the subtle romance… they wouldn’t let me go! A few weeks after the book was delivered, I finally had the time to get reacquainted with my old friend(s) again. Oh… how I love the Institute, Tessa’s quest to find herself, Wills sarcasm, Jem’s gentleness, Henry’s absentmindedness, Charlottes stubborn care, even Jessie’s shallowness. There were a couple of times I had forgotten what happened to whom and why in the previous book, but those questions were answered quickly and it was like I never left.

My only small point of critique, or rather a fact I noticed (maybe because it’s been pointed out in several other reviews already) is the abundance of book referrals. Yes, Tessa loves to read. Yes, Cassandra Clare knows her classics. Big deal. Perhaps it’s plastered on a little too thickly. Yes, I recognize some of these books/passages, but not all. Mind you, I’m not English. I’m Dutch. Still there are times I wonder whether I should be ashamed for not knowing these books, not having reads the classics, not comprehending the referrals. Should I?

Like these well-placed literary interludes, every single word in this book is in the right place. Everything happens for a reason, is part of the grand scheme which unfolds while eagerly turning page after page. Wheels are clicking into place, sometimes unravelling surprising information, making room for heart breaking scenes at other times. Every detail about the Victorian Steampunk-pimped era adds to the feel and atmosphere of the book, whereas every detail of the world of Shadowhunters seems to be based on real facts and truly existing ‘cultures’, not a poorly thought-through imaginative world.

Though Tessa’s quest for finding out who or what she is, is sort of the central theme of the book, the reader gets more: a grand tour of the world of Shadowhunters, and all its participants. The switching narratives give the reader a great insight in all characters, remaining true to each and everyone’s voice the entire time.

Finally we learn WHY Will treats Tessa (and the rest of the world) the way he does… Oh my… Poor Will… Which, in turn, makes the natural way the friendship between Tessa and Jem develops into something more meaningful -no matter how sweet, realistic and understandable- even more bitter.

Even more so than the previous book, this book contains the perfect mix of action, character depth and surprising character growth/ change, unexpected plot twists, mysterious developments, very sensual and subtle romance, a gorgeous and realistic setting, laughter and tears.

CC’s writing style never seizes to amaze or bore me, it’s all done extremely well, elaborate and in a style suiting the setting. Even the dialogues are written accordingly to the era. The awkwardness of discussing matters of one’s own heart are handled correctly, distant and in an appropriate manner. A bit like the politics of nowadays, where big sentences tell an enormous story, hardly expressing an opinion or stealthily avoiding the subject at hand.

The eye-candy that is the gorgeous cover of this book, continues on the inside as well. There’s no judging this book wrongly due to its cover. No shallow inside. For example, many beautiful poetic prose lines keep grabbing the reader’s attention, such as:

‘“No,” Tessa said. “I haven’t broken his heart at all.” Just torn my own in two.’

And:

‘Pulling away from her had been like pulling his own skin off.’

It is very hard for me to express the ‘why’ of the deep love I harbour for ‘The Infernal Devices’ world and its characters. It’s just there. Most characters have earned a place in my heart, thanks to all the little details about them that bring them to life, as well as their big issues. Though I understand that certain choices had to be made the way they were made, I am curious how CC is gonna mend my shredded heart in ‘Clockwork Princess’. Let alone Tessa's torn heart... A huge sacrifice has to be made either way...

I cannot believe I’ll have to wait an entire year before finding out what will happen to these characters I have come to love so dearly. I do not wish to leave my friends behind, yet. I am not ready for such a long goodbye.

This series has swiftly become one of my favourite series ever. If you haven’t read any of these books yet, I’ll forgive you for not knowing, but strongly suggest you pick it up as soon as possible. You have no reason to postpone this any longer. Do yourself that favour…

Parting is such sweet sorrow…

P.S. I apologize sincerely that various efforts on my behalf to keep the repulsive, obsessive fan-girl inside me caged and silent did not pay off entirely. Ever since the Masked Ball scene she has been going at it without any sort of dignity. I can hear her screams bouncing off the walls of my head, pulsating in my brain… Her fists pounding at my insides, her hands grabbing hold of my intestines, rattling my entire being, begging to be set free… I fear for my sanity if I do not admit her to speak freely, even if only for one time... After which we shall forget all about this outburst and I shall gladly stow her away into eternal oblivion once more, where a proper lady is supposed to reside... Let’s have it out then, shall we, fangirl?

 “TEAM WILL!”

Cover Reveal (3): City of Lost Souls

Hiya,

So, how's Post-Holiday-Life treating you so far? I've only worked 2 days but it feels like I never did otherwise... Except for the getting-up early in the morning part, it's (too) easy to get adjusted again. I do think I'll take Friday off though, you know, to make the transition a little smoother... ;)

So, I happened to stumble upon another cover reveal today! Having read only 'City of Bones' until now (the 1st installment in 'The Mortal Instruments' series by Cassandra Clare) I obviously can wait for the 5th book to come out, but I will read the whole series someday! May 2012 this beauty will hit the shelves!

Personally I prefer the setting and characters from 'The Infernal Devices' series, also by Cassandra Clare. I loved 'Clockwork Angel' and am pleased that my 'Clockwork Prince' has been patiently waiting me for a couple o' weeks already, so why can't I find/take time to READ, dammit!?

So...Without further ado I present you the (gorgeous!) cover of 'City of Lost Souls'!

Which series do you prefer, and have you read every installment there is already? What are your thoughts on the cover then? You're welcome to discuss things with me, drop me a line! (If you solemnly promise to keep it spoiler free of course...)

Have a nice day! :)

In My Mailbox! (2)

'In My Mailbox' 

is a weekly recurring meme hosted by The Story Siren. 

Every Sunday, Kristi shares her mailbox contents 

and gives us bloggers the opportunity to leave a link 

sharing our own mail!

~

Hey everyone!

I just had to share what the (soaking wet) mailman brought me today! I had pre-ordered it already on the English Amazon (along with 'The Iron Knight' by Julie Kagawa) but both books still weren't available somehow. Since it didn't matter that much 'money-wise' to order the books in my own country (you know, the flat one with the excess cheese, tulips and rain...) AND they would arrive much sooner, the choice was easy.

Once I finish reading 'When Copper Suns Fall' by KaSonndra Leigh (which is kinda hard in the annual stress period at work, during which I hardly have time for a private or social life) and my well-deserved one-week-holiday from Christmas to New Year finally commences, guess what my next read will be...?

Another gorgeous cover for 'The Infernal Devices' series!

So, what are your Holiday plans? Do you have some time off as well? And will your days be filled with books, or family? 

Have you read 'Clockwork Prince' already? 
Let me know what you thought of it, or what you'll be reading otherwise! 

Oh, and does anyone else beside me hate the fact that they make follow-up books in a series bigger than the previous instalments? It makes my bookcase look unnecessarily cluttered! 

Happy Holidays! :)

Review: City of Bones

City of Bones, by Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments, book 1 of 6
Genre: YA, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Supernatural
Published: March 2007
Pages: 485
My Rating:

In all honesty I was interrupted for several periods of time while reading this book (amongst which was a hospital stay due to surgery, during and after which I could not concentrate on anything), so I'm not sure whether I am to blame for my lack of being able to be swept away by the story, or too many things in the story itself kept me from being drawn in.
But, since I have read ‘Clockwork Angel’ by Cassandra Clare which I thoroughly enjoyed (the Victorian Setting appealed to me more than the setting of the ‘Mortal Instruments’ though) I blame me for this temporarily state of insanity. Upon finishing 'Clockwork Angel', the book left me empty-hearted and longing for more of it. I loved Cassandra’s writing, characters, setting, action. So despite the different setting, I decided to order the ‘Mortal Instruments’ anyway.

I had prepared myself that this series would be less good than ‘Clockwork Angel’ because it was written earlier. But Cassandra’s writing is of the same high standard then as it is now, she treats her readers like adults instead of tweenies. She takes us seriously for a change. From page 1 the book is action-packed and introduces us into a different world not far from ours, without losing sight of the plot. Nothing happening drags on too long or seems senseless.

The action just keeps coming, Cassandra doesn’t waste words on jibber jabber. Everything happens for a reason but is still descriptive enough and pleasant to read without being rambled on like a story that has to be told without paying attention to use of words.
However I do find Cassandra uses the same sentences/words a lot. The werewolve's 'lolling' tong for example, and the 'breathing like he/she had just run'. Not much variation, whereas most sentences read like beautiful poetry.

The terms are explained in this book, the gadgets and history about Shadowhunters and their powers and weapons. I love the original ideas of the rune marks, and how this whole world works. I find there's nothing weird about it, like it has always been like this. Totally believable.

I like how the plot comes together piece by piece. It’s not childish or immature, it’s a very well thought through story/plot (of which I wish I'd thought it up).

Like in ‘Clockwork Angel’ I do find that all the excitement and action keeps Cassandra from writing ‘too deep’. I’m still having trouble with feeling Clary. I know what she looks like, but I don’t know anything about her insides. With everything that’s going on in her life, she seems to be taking things rather well, rather superficial. I would like to get a bit deeper inside her head. It’s hard to identify yourself totally with one of the main characters that way.

I’m getting kind of annoyed with the fact that whenever something major happens (Clary finds out her mom was a Shadowhunter, married to the bad guy Valentine, stayed on the ‘wrong’ side too long) some kind of action thing happens and we don’t get to read any of her thoughts. I actually longed for some peaceful times, some slow times in the book, to catch my breath. The book felt like a never-ending rollercoaster ride, and no matter how fun rollercoaster rides are, if you're being forced to stay on them while getting more and more nauseous, it's not fun anymore...

Those are my only points of criticism, Cassandra needs to slow down sometimes, and I want to read more about everyone's feelings in between the action. Or at least Clary's feelings, because she's the main character.

And I hope that Clary and Jace aren't really brother and sister. (I think I read a spoiler about that somewhere, ignoring it for now...) Cassandra wrote the story very plausible, no soap-opera-like-surprises, but believable, and leading to something more. Not just a twist to keep it exciting or fill the pages, no, some devious sidetrack to the plot.

So, I got sucked into the story finally, but I'm gonna do some light reading first, before I continue this series. I can easily let go of the 'Mortal Instruments' world, whereas I had more trouble letting go of the 'Infernal Devices' reality. Not a very good sign I guess...

However, this would really make for a heck of a movie!!!

Have a good day! :)

Review: Clockwork Angel

Clockwork Angel, by Cassandra Clare
Series: The Infernal Devices, book 1 of 3
Genre: YA, Urban Fantasy, Steampunk, Sci-fi
Published: August 2010
Pages: 476
My Rating:



Wow... Cassandra Clare is an excellent writer who takes her readers seriously, for a change. Despite the more challenging use of words, the book is still an 'easy' read. Meaning: it captures you. It captures you inside a beautifully created world, a very thought-through fantasy-world. A world I would love to love in. (Steampunkian Victorian England)
It's obvious she's done her research, getting many details right. Details that make the story more realistic and alive. About the way people from different classes (not) were supposed to 'socialize', for example.
The characters are great, I like the way you get more information about them while you're reading. I like the mysterie that surrounds some characters, still. I like it in a painful way even, now I'm left to hang here waiting for the sequel 'Clockwork Prince', extremely curious about someone's intentions at the end of the book. I am DYING to know what's gonna happen next. I love most of the characters, I've begun to know them like friends and I wanna stay in their world. I'm desperate to find out the real deal about Tessa.I really lived inside Tessa's world, seeing what she saw, feeling what she felt. I regret leaving now. I really do.

The book was action-packed, everything described very well so you felt like you were participating in the action. (I for one would love to see this translated to the big screen, it truely deserves a movie!) The story was well-written and well told, the plot had some nice twists, the characters developed throughout the story and were easy to sympathize with. I loved the variations in supernatural beings residing in Tessa's world and the original ideas regarding some of those supernatural 'things'. (Unlike some authors who stray from the 'original' fantasy in a ridiculous, unbelievable manner, like the creation of sparkly vampires...)

Don't read this if you don't want to be left behind yearning to find out the truth, the lies, the past and the future. Just don't.

Enjoy your day! :)