Review Wednesday – The Infernal Devices – Clockwork Princess

Clockwork Princess is the last volume of the Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare.  If you haven't read Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Prince you might not want to read my review as it contains spoilers.

The book opens a few months after the last events of Clockwork Prince.  We find Tessa and Jem engaged,  Will, his curse lifted, madly in love with Tessa and Gideon Lightwood living at the Institute.  The peace is immediately disturbed by Gabriel Lightwood's call for help; Benedict Lightwood, now a gigantic demonic worm, is terrorizing Lightwood manor.  The Shadowhunters fly to the rescue.This first battle start the chain of event that will eventually lead them to Mortmain and his evil plans.

Despite the combat at Lighwood mansion at the begining of the book, the first half of it is very much about the love triangle and Jem's slow death.  Suddenly, the novel fully becomes a teen love story with much ansgt, sacrifice and pain.  It drags on for a few hundred pages and robs the the novel of its usual fast pace.  Finally, when the main action begins, Clare goes back to her usual rythm but even after what should be the end of the story, she goes back to describing Will's courtship of Tessa. This does not take into account the two other love stories that add their weight to the narrative.

At this point in the series, the readers are well aware that Jem is half-Chinese and that Will is Welsh.  Yet, with Tessa now able to understand a little Chinese and Cecily (Will's sister) living at the institute, the reader is constantly overwhelmed by an unnecessary number of Chinese and Welsh dialogue lines, most of which are not translated.  It feels like the author is trying to show off her language skills and it hinders the reading.

Despite all this, Clare does tie the whole story together and there are no loose ends.  There are surprises and unexpected turns that delight the reader.  The author also manages to create interest for the following series, The Mortal Instruments, with an open ending.  

As a whole, I feel The Infernal Devices series has a promising start but loses its strenght and momentum as the love story develops to become the central element of plot.  I still recommend it; Clare's prose is, in general, a delight to read and improves with each volume.  However, the reader should be aware that the series is mainly an angsty love story and that the world Shadowhunter comes second.

Read More

Review Wednesday – The Infernal Devices – Clockwork Prince

**SPOILER ALERT:  This review contains spoilers for the first book of the series, Clockwork Angel (see my review here).**

Clockwork Prince, the second book in The Infernal Devices series, starts a few days after the end of the first.  Following the havoc created by the Clave's search for Mortmain, Charlotte's management of the Institute is questionned by Benedict Lightwood.  As a result, she is given a forthnight to find Mortmain with the promise of stepping down if she can't.  In the midst of all this, we see Tessa grow closer to Jem and we learn more about Will's secrets.

There is definitly more exposition in this book, however the pace doesn't suffer from it.  The information provided helps us understand Will's motivations a whole lot better. In the light of it, I actually started rooting for him, although I had previosuly prefered Jem.  

As we learn more about familiar characters, new ones are introduced to us.  I particularly liked Gideon Lightwood and his brother, Gabriel.  With their father, they form a trio that is the equivalent of Malfoy and Draco.  The parallel is very clear, but since these were characters I tremendously enjoyed in Harry Potter, I didn't mind at all.  I can't wait to see how they will develop.

In my previous review, I said I had a hard time picturing the different locations in which the action takes place; either I was not in the right mood when I read the first book or Clare has greatly improved her descriptions in the second.  It was much easier to see a little movie in my head this time.  What changed in a negative way, however, was the love triangle between Jem, Will and Tessa.  In Clockwork Angel, the trio didn't know enough of each other yet to be deeply involved but in Clockwork Prince, things take a turn.  Once Tessa realizes that she might love Jem, we are constantly reminded of her internal conflict. Who does she love more?  What should she do?  At least she still doesn't mislead any of them and her choice is clear, if only on the outside.  I guess this kind of conflicting relationship is appealing to younger readers but I found it repetitive.  I have a clear idea of how it's going to end but only Clockwork Princess will be able to prove me right or wrong.

Despite the love triangle, I truly enjoyed Clockwork Prince.  I devoured the book in four days or so but decided to take a break before reading Clockwork Princess.  Hopefully, my refreshed mind will be able to appreciate it better.

Read More

Review Wednesday – The Infernal Devices – Clockwork Angel

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare is the first book of The Infernal Devices series,  the prequel to the Mortal Instrument series, which is currently being adapted into a movie.  

I don't usually mention covers when I review books but I will make an exception for this one. Although I had never heard of the Mortal Instruments or Cassandra Clare before, the moment I saw the cover of Clockwork Angel in the bookstore, I knew I had to read the book.  Luckily, the cover wasn't the only great thing about it.

The story opens with Tessa, short for Theresa Gray, arriving in Southampton to meet her brother who sent for her.  Having nothing left in New York, she crossed the pond in hopes of a new life in England.  She is met at the port by two sisters who claim to have been sent by her brother.  She soon regrets trusting them as she is taken prisoner and forced to master dark powers she didn't even know she had.  What follows is an unbelievable tale of magic and mystery.

There is a constant sense of immediacy in the story.  From the moment Tessa goes to the Institute, the action progresses so rapidly that neither Tessa nor the reader have time to stop and question the newfound order of things.  The urgency of the current events forces them both to go forward without looking back.  This creates an amazing pace.  Tension builds and when something seems about to be resolved, we discover that the door we unlocked only led to more locked doors.  The plot is straightforward and the many subplots (character background story, the love triangle, etc) help fleshing the story and making the characters more believable.

While on the subject of characters, I must say that Clare is very good at creating them.  All of them have a very distinct voice and personality.  I really like Tessa because although she is a bit helpless at the beginning of the book, she grows to be a very strong girl.  The two boys of the story, Jem and Will, are like the two sides of one coin; the story would be uneven if one of them was missing.  Love triangles usually annoy me but this one, between the three main character, is exploited nicely to serve the main plot.  Also, Tessa does not spend her time hesitating between the two of them, misleading one then the other, which is definitely a redeeming feature.  I personally root for Jem, but I have a feeling my choice is not going to be very popular with Tessa.  The only character I have a hard time understanding is Jessamine, but I have a feeling her motivations will be revealed later in the series.

I would say that one of the weaknesses of the series is setting.  Although Clare does describe London and the Institute, for some reason, I have a very hard time picturing them in my head (and I've watched enough BBC and Victorian era series to easily be able to.) It's as if  Clare invests so much in the characters that she forgets to give life to the surroundings.  The rapid succession of events makes the book feel like it's a movie, but one in which the sets have been replace by pale shadows of a city.  Another thing that annoyed  me was Will's beauty.   It's not as bad as Edward from Twilight, but I get that our hero is pretty; no need to repeat every other page.

Clockwork Angel is a YA novel, thus the language is light and accessible.  Nevertheless, Clare uses precise and more researched words when necessary, which prevents the reader from feeling that the prose has been dumbed down. Although many of her characters have regional accents, the author does not over do it.  She uses regionalisms sparingly but still manages to convey the background of the characters.

Demons and angels are a recurring theme in YA literature (Darren Shan is another great author whose stories involve demons) yet I found Clare's approach refreshing and enjoyable.  I totally immersed myself in the story and couldn't put the book down.  As I write this, I only have about 100 pages left to read in Clockwork Prince, the next volume in the series.

Read More