Review on The Infernal Devices #3 Clockwork Princess

In the final installment of the Infernal Devices series, Tessa Gray and the Shadowhunters of the London Institute must prepare for their final battle to defeat Mortmain once and for all. However, it will be no easy task, as the Consul, the head of the Clave, is refusing to corporate, causing the Shadowhunters to be heavily outnumbered against Mortmains army of clockwork creatures, the Infernal Devices. Meanwhile, Jem is steadily becoming more and more ill, and with Mortmain in obsession of the drugs keeping Jem alive, Will is in a race against time to find a cure for his Parabatai before it is too late.

Firstly, I apologize for how long it took to write this review. This was for two reasons. Firstly, I love this series and I was unwilling to say goodbye to the characters I had grown to love, so I was taking my time with it. Secondly, I had to wait for the tears to stop pouring before I was able to physically write. I adored this book, and although I was crying towards the end, I thought the ending was the perfect way to end the series. I have often been disappointed by the ending to a series that I have loved, but it was not the case with The Infernal Devices, which I was grateful for. Although this was a long book, there were few fillers, and the majority of the book contributed to the main plot of the story. I usually dislike the romance elements to adventure or dystopian novels, as I feel that they are not needed, but I enjoyed the love triangle between Tessa, Will and Jem, and it made a change that Will and Jem were friends, rather than fighting over the girl, which is the norm for Young Adult novels. For me, there was no “Team Will” or “Team Jem,” as I loved both boys equally, and understood perfectly how it would be difficult for Tessa to make a decision. 

 Although I loved this element in the romantic side to the story, I felt that it was a bit much to give every main character a romantic interest. Not everyone needs to find love at such a young age, as the majority of the Shadowhunters are still teenagers. I felt that Cecily talking about marriage was too soon, as she is still only fifteen. Although people got married earlier in the 1800s, I felt that Cecily should still have had some time before her before she started thinking about marriage. Romantic aspects aside, I loved the adventure part to the story, and there were often times when I was unable to put the book down, and read into the early hours of the morning. The battle at Cadair Idris was brilliant, and I was not expecting the battle to end as it did. I also loved the addition of a family tree at the back of the book, as I spent at least half an hour looking at how the characters from The Infernal Devices were related to those from The Mortal Instruments. Although this series is over, I can't wait to read the final instalment in The Mortal Instruments series, and any further writing that Clare creates about the Shadowhunter world. But for now

Ave Atque Vale