Book Review: Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices: Manga, #2) by Cassandra Clare

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Synopsis from Goodreads:

A prequel to Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series, The Infernal Devices is the story of Tessa Gray, a sixteen-year-old American girl traveling alone to Victorian London who runs afoul of the city’s sordid supernatural underworld. Rescued by the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, Tessa quickly finds herself caught up in an intrigue that may very well destroy her new friends – including the two enigmatic young men, Jem and Will, who have taken her under their wing.

My mini-review:

“Wo ai ni, Tessa,” he whispered. “Wo bu xiang shi qu ni.” She knew, without knowing how she knew, what the words meant. I love you. And I don’t want to lose you.”

This was a lot better than the Clockwork Angel manga, which is not surprising seeing as the trilogy improved with each book. I’m reminded all over again why this story has such a hold on me. Despite the lack of character development, it’s still a breeze to read. I just “fill in the blanks” when I know something has been left out of a scene.

★★★★ (4 stars) because how is it possible to root for more than one love interest?!

Book Review: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street—and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, but her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will—the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

My mini-review:

“If no one cares for you at all, do you even really exist?”

I care, William Herondale. I care.

I want to give all the stars to the entirety of The Infernal Devices, but I don’t want people to think that I am too easily enamoured.

★★★★ (4.5 stars) for turning around my dreadful weekend/life.

Update (February 15, 2016): I am giving this series all the stars.