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4.52 AVERAGE
4.52 AVERAGE
This is my second reading, and hopefully my first of many rereads. I didn’t write a review the first time I read these novels, and while before I wondered why, I remember now: there is only one word to describe this series — nostalgic. A sweet, painful, slow nostalgia that will keep the books with you for days, months, years after reading.
I will acknowledge that this isn’t the perfect series. The books aren’t literary masterpieces, nor are they founded on particularly original ideas. However, I must also acknowledge that despite its imperfections, this series is one of my favorites. It was the first book whose characters felt solid to me, real and alive. And still today, after many more years of reading and personal growth, I find myself drawn to the characters and their struggles in a way I’ve yet to find in any other book.
Maybe it’s my stubborn inability to let go of the past, or my paralyzing fear of change that keeps my love for these characters alive, but I don’t care. This book has helped me escape from painful realities, find happiness is situations where my cynical optimism has otherwise failed me, and reminded me to hold onto the things that have always been important. Maybe that’s too much credit to give a YA fantasy novel, but even if the Infernal Devices series wasn’t directly involved in these life experiences (which I seriously suspect it was), at the very least, these books came along with me for the ride. And for that these books, these characters, these stories, will always have a place in my heart.
I will acknowledge that this isn’t the perfect series. The books aren’t literary masterpieces, nor are they founded on particularly original ideas. However, I must also acknowledge that despite its imperfections, this series is one of my favorites. It was the first book whose characters felt solid to me, real and alive. And still today, after many more years of reading and personal growth, I find myself drawn to the characters and their struggles in a way I’ve yet to find in any other book.
Maybe it’s my stubborn inability to let go of the past, or my paralyzing fear of change that keeps my love for these characters alive, but I don’t care. This book has helped me escape from painful realities, find happiness is situations where my cynical optimism has otherwise failed me, and reminded me to hold onto the things that have always been important. Maybe that’s too much credit to give a YA fantasy novel, but even if the Infernal Devices series wasn’t directly involved in these life experiences (which I seriously suspect it was), at the very least, these books came along with me for the ride. And for that these books, these characters, these stories, will always have a place in my heart.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“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.”
4.75 stars
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.”
4.75 stars
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I want to start this review by saying that strengthening beef tea sounds AWFUL.
This is an incredibly scatterbrained review; I’m sorry. I took random notes as I read, and it’s going to make not a lick of sense but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I have some questions about werewolves in this universe. So they believe lycanthropy is some demon disease or something, and you must be bitten to become a werewolf. But it also seems like they can control their shifts and do half changes after some time. So here’s my question. What happens if a werewolf is half shifted and bites someone or claws someone like Woolsey clawed Will? Can that person get infected? Or can they only be infected on a full moon or when the werewolf is entirely shifted? Also, can werewolves have werewolf babies???? It is quite possible that this was answered back in City of Bones, but that was like six books ago.
Sorry but I love that Isabelle’s demon-sensing ruby pendant was passed down through the family as a gift from Magnus to Will. And now he’s dating Alec. That’s one of the reasons I enjoy this whole universe. I think it’s cool to see how things interconnect, but I wish I would’ve kept up to date on this when I first read it because there are so MANY of them. It’s like watching the Arrowverse shows in chronological order, which is something I have done—twice. Why, you ask? Because I like to torture myself. Don’t even ask me how many times I’ve watched the MCU chronologically.
OH, TESSA, YESSSSS. “I have come to realize something about novels. That they are not true.” You have no idea how much joy this brings me because it annoyed the living shit out of me when Tessa would correct people based on what she’d read out of fictional novels. I am so proud of you, girl. You’ve come so far.
Woolsey Scott can get run over repeatedly by a horse-drawn carriage, that is all. He doesn’t understand the point of women…PAH. You would not exist without women, you ugly little troll. Tessa can correct him all day long; I’m not even a little bit mad about it. I’d do it too. She also ended his whole life with the sickest burn ever. I like Tessa way more in this book.
MELIORN, NAME DROPPP ISABELLE. YOUR FAERIE BF WAS OLD AF GROSS.
Ugh, Tessa gets kidnapped by Mrs Dark, who cannot stay dead.
Forever mad about how Jessamine’s character was handled. I feel like she was just thrown to the dust and killed for no reason. The fact that she returns with her hair shorn and all weak and immediately dies is so sad. And then she becomes a ghost doomed to haunt the Institute she hated forever. Also, the fact that Will gave her the Shadowhunter farewell when she was so against being a Shadowhunter. Like I know she betrayed everyone, but I feel for her. Idk.
My confusion about the mechanics of the iratze continues. It could not entirely heal Gideon’s injured leg—it’s not clear exactly how it’s injured, but it was able to heal Jace’s broken arm completely?? HUH? Also, are blood replacement runes dangerous or not? They’re mentioned as dangerous when they’re thinking of giving them to Jem, but Gideon has two of them for his injured leg?
I feel like the relationship between Mortmain and Will’s family was super underutilized. Cecily barely mentions it and only brings it up when it’s prudent to the plot—when she’s telling Will he’s in Cadair Idris. I want to know precisely how Will’s family connected with Mortmain. Were they old pals? Did his dad have afternoon tea with Mortmain? Did Cecily like him? Did their mom?
Gideon is a himbo. He’s an awkward little himbo, and I ship and Sophie so hard.
LOL, forever that the Lake Llyn in Idris is called Lake Lake
The Consul randomly shifting into this sexist shit heel is super weird and incredibly frustrating to read. I can’t remember if he dies in this book, but I sincerely hope he does. Like the fact that he won’t listen to anything, Charlotte has to say, because why? Is it just because she’s a woman who’s better at things than him?
This book is supposed to be third-person limited, but sometimes I think CC forgets and tells us things that the POV shouldn’t know. Like Charlotte’s POV, somehow knowing that Sophie would have smiled if her ‘heart hadn’t been pounding with the knowledge that she might have done something dreadful’ but also like this is Charlotte’s POV, so how did she know that? There are a few more instances like this towards the end, which throws me off.
Sorry, this bothers me. So Jessamine told us in CP that Tessa’s parents were a shadow hunter and a demon. Okay, we don’t know the specifics, but we know this as fact. Then when Tessa finds out her father was a demon, she’s super shocked. And when Aloysius conveniently overcomes his senile mind to tell Charlotte all the missing answers, she’s shocked that Tessa’s mom was a Shadowhunter rather than Tessa being distantly related to Aloysius. Like Charlotte, you already know that Tessa’s mom is a Shadowhunter! That’s why she doesn’t have a warlock mark, my god. These people are idiots. And then Tessa acts shocked AGAIN when Mortmain tells her. Like why can no one put things together lmao? Like when Hyacinth tells Tessa the story about changelings and then shortly after Jessamine tells her what her parents were, I immediately figured it out. All the pieces were there, dammit. Like Tessa, stop being shocked that you’re half demonnnnn. You’ve known it for three books. Be more upset that a demon raped your mother!
Also, why does she show no shock at the fact that she can bear children? She acted so slighted when Will made that jab at her.
What is this trend of Tessa listing things she knows about people? Like girl, why are you like this?
Damn, Ithuriel has had a horrible life. First imprisoned in Tessa’s clockwork Angel and then imprisoned by valentine. Poor guy.
Oooh! Okay, Mortmain says Tessa can do magic, but like, WHERE?! DO SOME MAGIC, TESSA. Like dammit, I wish she had been learning to do magic from Magnus while learning how to fight. Imagine how cool she would’ve been at the end of this. I’m angry. Also, Mortmain made Tessa specifically so she could bear his babies like GROSSSSS FOREVER. Also, forever curious about Tessa’s kids now. If they have both shadow hunter blood and her warlock blood….can their kids do magic? Can they shapeshift? Can they bear runes? I have so many questions.
Hi, question. How does Tessa know that Charlotte wept over Jessamine’s death when she wasn’t even there to see Jessamine die???
So Will finds Tessa, and they cry over Jem and then bone immediately afterwards. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Also, I imagine that when the Silent Brother saves Cecily and it’s revealed to be Jem, he was like
God, Tessa gets kidnapped AGAIN.
Ugly tears at Will and Jem’s reunion. JUST KISS YOU TWO.
CC really does have a habit of repeating themes in books. Aloysius, Tessa’s last remaining relative, gets killed before she finds out the truth about herself. Imogen, Jace’s last remaining relative, gets killed before he finds out the truth about herself.
Also, how she killed the Inquisitor in TMI disappointed me just as much as Consul Wayland was killed in this book. I wanted him to survive so he could see Charlotte was right and have to be all bitter and resentful as she replaced him as Consul. Instead, he gets his head chopped off in the middle of his misogynistic rant. I was so underwhelmed.
The villain was once again turned into jelly because an Angel killed him…. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
“How could I say farewell to you?” *sobs forever* Am I wrong for thinking that Jem and Will are in love? I’m sorry, I ship them far more than anyone else in this series. THIS IS SUCH A GOOD LINE, MAN.
Did Charlotte mean to change Sophie’s name to Sophia randomly?
Okay, so I will admit I 100% teared up at Jem’s goodbyes to Tessa and Will, and I teared up at Will’s death. She got me in the feels there, and I don’t even like Will that much. So kudos to you there, Cassandra.
Now, here’s what I’ve got to say about the ending. What is CC’s aversion to killing off people? Like she killed Max off, yes, I know, but like he was barely a character in the books. Is it like she doesn’t want to kill off any of her mains or something? Like some throwaway Silent Brothers die in the final battle. Aloysius dies, but like that, was mimicking a previous plot in her last trilogy. The Consul dies, but again it is much like the Inquisitor’s death in the City of Glass. None of the mains die or even get hurt save for Henry, but honestly, it’s probably better for him anyway because now no one can ever ask him to leave his lab. I bet he’s pumped about all the potential inventing he can get done uninterrupted. And also, everyone gets paired off in like a perfect little happy bubble. Cecily and Gabriel get married. Sophie becomes a Shadowhunter and marries Gideon. Charlotte and Henry have a baby, and she gets to be Consul and stay in the Institute. Tessa gets to marry Will, the guy she wanted the most (don’t argue, it’s true), while Jem lives forever as a Silent Brother, then gets a Deus ex machina cure in the next trilogy, and now he and Tessa get to live happily ever after.
Like….I’m surprised Brigette and Cyrus didn’t also get married.
Some of my favorite lines in the book, aka the lines that are CC trying way too hard to sound old-timesy.
* “But…we quarreled!”
* “Is it not I.”
* SHE SMILED INTO HIS EYES????!?!?!?!?
This is an incredibly scatterbrained review; I’m sorry. I took random notes as I read, and it’s going to make not a lick of sense but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I have some questions about werewolves in this universe. So they believe lycanthropy is some demon disease or something, and you must be bitten to become a werewolf. But it also seems like they can control their shifts and do half changes after some time. So here’s my question. What happens if a werewolf is half shifted and bites someone or claws someone like Woolsey clawed Will? Can that person get infected? Or can they only be infected on a full moon or when the werewolf is entirely shifted? Also, can werewolves have werewolf babies???? It is quite possible that this was answered back in City of Bones, but that was like six books ago.
Sorry but I love that Isabelle’s demon-sensing ruby pendant was passed down through the family as a gift from Magnus to Will. And now he’s dating Alec. That’s one of the reasons I enjoy this whole universe. I think it’s cool to see how things interconnect, but I wish I would’ve kept up to date on this when I first read it because there are so MANY of them. It’s like watching the Arrowverse shows in chronological order, which is something I have done—twice. Why, you ask? Because I like to torture myself. Don’t even ask me how many times I’ve watched the MCU chronologically.
OH, TESSA, YESSSSS. “I have come to realize something about novels. That they are not true.” You have no idea how much joy this brings me because it annoyed the living shit out of me when Tessa would correct people based on what she’d read out of fictional novels. I am so proud of you, girl. You’ve come so far.
Woolsey Scott can get run over repeatedly by a horse-drawn carriage, that is all. He doesn’t understand the point of women…PAH. You would not exist without women, you ugly little troll. Tessa can correct him all day long; I’m not even a little bit mad about it. I’d do it too. She also ended his whole life with the sickest burn ever. I like Tessa way more in this book.
MELIORN, NAME DROPPP ISABELLE. YOUR FAERIE BF WAS OLD AF GROSS.
Ugh, Tessa gets kidnapped by Mrs Dark, who cannot stay dead.
Forever mad about how Jessamine’s character was handled. I feel like she was just thrown to the dust and killed for no reason. The fact that she returns with her hair shorn and all weak and immediately dies is so sad. And then she becomes a ghost doomed to haunt the Institute she hated forever. Also, the fact that Will gave her the Shadowhunter farewell when she was so against being a Shadowhunter. Like I know she betrayed everyone, but I feel for her. Idk.
My confusion about the mechanics of the iratze continues. It could not entirely heal Gideon’s injured leg—it’s not clear exactly how it’s injured, but it was able to heal Jace’s broken arm completely?? HUH? Also, are blood replacement runes dangerous or not? They’re mentioned as dangerous when they’re thinking of giving them to Jem, but Gideon has two of them for his injured leg?
I feel like the relationship between Mortmain and Will’s family was super underutilized. Cecily barely mentions it and only brings it up when it’s prudent to the plot—when she’s telling Will he’s in Cadair Idris. I want to know precisely how Will’s family connected with Mortmain. Were they old pals? Did his dad have afternoon tea with Mortmain? Did Cecily like him? Did their mom?
Gideon is a himbo. He’s an awkward little himbo, and I ship and Sophie so hard.
LOL, forever that the Lake Llyn in Idris is called Lake Lake
The Consul randomly shifting into this sexist shit heel is super weird and incredibly frustrating to read. I can’t remember if he dies in this book, but I sincerely hope he does. Like the fact that he won’t listen to anything, Charlotte has to say, because why? Is it just because she’s a woman who’s better at things than him?
This book is supposed to be third-person limited, but sometimes I think CC forgets and tells us things that the POV shouldn’t know. Like Charlotte’s POV, somehow knowing that Sophie would have smiled if her ‘heart hadn’t been pounding with the knowledge that she might have done something dreadful’ but also like this is Charlotte’s POV, so how did she know that? There are a few more instances like this towards the end, which throws me off.
Sorry, this bothers me. So Jessamine told us in CP that Tessa’s parents were a shadow hunter and a demon. Okay, we don’t know the specifics, but we know this as fact. Then when Tessa finds out her father was a demon, she’s super shocked. And when Aloysius conveniently overcomes his senile mind to tell Charlotte all the missing answers, she’s shocked that Tessa’s mom was a Shadowhunter rather than Tessa being distantly related to Aloysius. Like Charlotte, you already know that Tessa’s mom is a Shadowhunter! That’s why she doesn’t have a warlock mark, my god. These people are idiots. And then Tessa acts shocked AGAIN when Mortmain tells her. Like why can no one put things together lmao? Like when Hyacinth tells Tessa the story about changelings and then shortly after Jessamine tells her what her parents were, I immediately figured it out. All the pieces were there, dammit. Like Tessa, stop being shocked that you’re half demonnnnn. You’ve known it for three books. Be more upset that a demon raped your mother!
Also, why does she show no shock at the fact that she can bear children? She acted so slighted when Will made that jab at her.
What is this trend of Tessa listing things she knows about people? Like girl, why are you like this?
Damn, Ithuriel has had a horrible life. First imprisoned in Tessa’s clockwork Angel and then imprisoned by valentine. Poor guy.
Oooh! Okay, Mortmain says Tessa can do magic, but like, WHERE?! DO SOME MAGIC, TESSA. Like dammit, I wish she had been learning to do magic from Magnus while learning how to fight. Imagine how cool she would’ve been at the end of this. I’m angry. Also, Mortmain made Tessa specifically so she could bear his babies like GROSSSSS FOREVER. Also, forever curious about Tessa’s kids now. If they have both shadow hunter blood and her warlock blood….can their kids do magic? Can they shapeshift? Can they bear runes? I have so many questions.
Hi, question. How does Tessa know that Charlotte wept over Jessamine’s death when she wasn’t even there to see Jessamine die???
So Will finds Tessa, and they cry over Jem and then bone immediately afterwards. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Also, I imagine that when the Silent Brother saves Cecily and it’s revealed to be Jem, he was like
God, Tessa gets kidnapped AGAIN.
Ugly tears at Will and Jem’s reunion. JUST KISS YOU TWO.
CC really does have a habit of repeating themes in books. Aloysius, Tessa’s last remaining relative, gets killed before she finds out the truth about herself. Imogen, Jace’s last remaining relative, gets killed before he finds out the truth about herself.
Also, how she killed the Inquisitor in TMI disappointed me just as much as Consul Wayland was killed in this book. I wanted him to survive so he could see Charlotte was right and have to be all bitter and resentful as she replaced him as Consul. Instead, he gets his head chopped off in the middle of his misogynistic rant. I was so underwhelmed.
The villain was once again turned into jelly because an Angel killed him…. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
“How could I say farewell to you?” *sobs forever* Am I wrong for thinking that Jem and Will are in love? I’m sorry, I ship them far more than anyone else in this series. THIS IS SUCH A GOOD LINE, MAN.
Did Charlotte mean to change Sophie’s name to Sophia randomly?
Okay, so I will admit I 100% teared up at Jem’s goodbyes to Tessa and Will, and I teared up at Will’s death. She got me in the feels there, and I don’t even like Will that much. So kudos to you there, Cassandra.
Now, here’s what I’ve got to say about the ending. What is CC’s aversion to killing off people? Like she killed Max off, yes, I know, but like he was barely a character in the books. Is it like she doesn’t want to kill off any of her mains or something? Like some throwaway Silent Brothers die in the final battle. Aloysius dies, but like that, was mimicking a previous plot in her last trilogy. The Consul dies, but again it is much like the Inquisitor’s death in the City of Glass. None of the mains die or even get hurt save for Henry, but honestly, it’s probably better for him anyway because now no one can ever ask him to leave his lab. I bet he’s pumped about all the potential inventing he can get done uninterrupted. And also, everyone gets paired off in like a perfect little happy bubble. Cecily and Gabriel get married. Sophie becomes a Shadowhunter and marries Gideon. Charlotte and Henry have a baby, and she gets to be Consul and stay in the Institute. Tessa gets to marry Will, the guy she wanted the most (don’t argue, it’s true), while Jem lives forever as a Silent Brother, then gets a Deus ex machina cure in the next trilogy, and now he and Tessa get to live happily ever after.
Like….I’m surprised Brigette and Cyrus didn’t also get married.
Some of my favorite lines in the book, aka the lines that are CC trying way too hard to sound old-timesy.
* “But…we quarreled!”
* “Is it not I.”
* SHE SMILED INTO HIS EYES????!?!?!?!?
I was totally fine during this whole book. Really enjoying the characters and the story. Then there was THAT part, but I recovered and I was still fine. Until that epilogue. After that I was not fine. I am hurt.
It’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ !! Wow I am heartbroken and have a very swollen eyes because I literally cried my eyes out. My heart hurts so bad
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
OMG MY HEART. THIS BOOK IS HURTING MY FEELINGS>
I surely was prepared for this book, because I have read many spoilers about it. BUT MY HEART STILL SO WRECKED. Oh my God, I can tell why [b:Clockwork Princess|18335634|Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, #3)|Cassandra Clare|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436788488s/18335634.jpg|6309710] is the best book of Shadowhunter chronicles. It's hurt, but so beautiful. My ship William-Tessa, Cecily-Gabriel and Sophie-Gideon have sailed.
The part when Will and Jem say good byes to each other before Jem joins the Brotherhood was the saddest part. I lose my sh*t seeing Will hurt and broken like that.
The way Will and Tessa find way to each other was beautifully written. I love this book so much.
I surely was prepared for this book, because I have read many spoilers about it. BUT MY HEART STILL SO WRECKED. Oh my God, I can tell why [b:Clockwork Princess|18335634|Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, #3)|Cassandra Clare|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436788488s/18335634.jpg|6309710] is the best book of Shadowhunter chronicles. It's hurt, but so beautiful. My ship William-Tessa, Cecily-Gabriel and Sophie-Gideon have sailed.
The part when Will and Jem say good byes to each other before Jem joins the Brotherhood was the saddest part. I lose my sh*t seeing Will hurt and broken like that.
The way Will and Tessa find way to each other was beautifully written. I love this book so much.