Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

1 review

cait's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Ho. Lee. Fuck. I did NOT see that ending coming.

 “All my life, since I came to the Institute, you were the mirror of my soul. I saw the good in me in you. In your eyes alone I found grace. When you are gone from me, who will see me like that?”


This book was not what I expected in any way, shape, or form. It was weaker than I anticipated and more powerful than I ever could have imagined. My theories were proven correct while others were smashed so absolutely to bits that I can’t even recall why I held them in suspicion to begin with. The relationships didn’t play out how I expected and those I expected to disappoint me never did.

It was, in a word, beautiful.

Following the disastrous attempts to procure information on Mortmain’s plans and location, the Institute is a shambles. Charlotte’s failure has lent to disrespect and mistrust from the Consul, Will must continue to deny his own heart for the sake of his best friend, the Lightwood family finds itself in even further turmoil as the demon pox overwhelms Benedict Lightwood, Gabriel and Gideon find themselves forced to choose between losing their abilities and betraying the woman who gives them shelter, and Cecily’s arrival has turned the world on its head as she tries to convince Will to return home with her. In the midst of this, new relationships form, older ones suffer, and a war the Shadowhunters may not survive is brewing ever closer.

Yet, despite all of this, I found myself a bit bored through a lot of it. I’m not sure what it is about these books that makes me love them less than everyone else seems to, but, while I find them excellent, I don’t understand how anyone could prefer them to the Mortal Instruments. The amount of time these characters spend apart when you want them to be physically near each other is truly frustrating and the amount of near misses is horrible.

There were also several inconsistencies – Jem’s hair and eyes were originally said to have been mostly normal when he arrived at the Institute and to have changed over time, then later said to have been silver upon his arrival and the friendship between Will and Thomas before Jem’s arrival apparently never existed as of this book in the series.

What I did like, though, was where the two stories begin to come together: The relationships that form to create this future generation of Shadowhunters, the interactions that result in certain possessions, and the fact that I can match Alec’s appearance to Cecily Herondale’s marriage to Gabriel Lightwood amongst them. I love Magnus’ connection to the Lightwood family stemming from his gift to Will – the ruby necklace Isabelle wears – and the fact that, somehow, Clary’s middle name was the same as Tessa’s mother’s real name should have been. There were also tracings throughout the previous two books in the trilogy that finally came to fruition – Aloysius Starkweather’s inexplicable shock upon seeing Tessa for the first time and the fairy girl’s strange comment that Tessa was “not a changeling” chief among them.

The characters, to me, seem quite similar to their same-named counterparts in 2008, with the exception of Jem who is entirely original. That being said, I do absolutely love these characters: Charlotte with her will of steel; good-natured Henry, whose genius and creativity is so misunderstood; Will who loves just as hard as he pushes people away; Gideon who always tries his best to be honorable; Gabriel who must learn what honor truly is; Cecily who sees the world through a lens of humor that always kept me amused; Sophie whose loyalty shines more fiercely than anything; Jem with his quiet kindness and wholehearted love; and Tessa , whose old-fashioned sense of morality and sacrifice were shockingly refreshing amidst the violence and turmoil. And, of course, Magnus, whose good-natured enthusiasm, friendship, and humor were the brightness to lighten the darkness of this novel.

Because, holy shit, I fucking loved Magnus in this. He is probably my favorite character in this world. I just love how open, honest, and kind he is. The friendship he built up with Henry, being the first person to respect and appreciate the other man’s inventiveness and offer his assistance rather than criticism; the compassion and generosity he offers Will, no matter how badly the boy behaves or how hurt he is or how much Magnus has done for him already; his distaste towards the Lightwoods, especially knowing about his later relationship with Alec, who I believe is his one great love; and all those little moments and pieces of witty sarcasm and strength were just so overwhelming to me. Magnus is a bright star of humanity in these books. His character is so real and multifaceted and absolutely individual. I never knew how necessary he was to this series as a whole until I read this trilogy, but it’s clear that the world would suffer without him. And Magnus Bane is sincerely the best person I know. (I feel like I know him, spending so much time with him in this world, at least.)

Let me just get the most important part out of the way at this point: This was a love triangle that actually worked. There was no guy who was clearly better or better for her. There was no guy who you absolutely loved better than the other. There was no animosity between anyone involved. It was the story of three people who loved each other so much and did their best to be honorable. It wasn’t a case of being unable to decide who was hotter, but trying to choose which side of the same soul was a perfect match. Impossible. Heartbreaking.

But it was handled perfectly.

At this point, I’m honestly still freaking out over that ending, so here come the spoilers and the totally incomprehensible blabbering…

I couldn’t figure out who she’d end up with, though I had a feeling it would be Will because the name Herondale obviously still exists and Christine of PolandbananasBOOKS kinda spoiled that for me on a vlog about Star Wars. (The rage is still present on that one.) What I didn’t understand was how it would happen, why Jem would become a Silent Brother (I suspected Brother Zachariah was Jem in City of Lost Souls, though I had no proof at that point), or how Tessa would be able to bear to break one boy’s heart to go after the other.

I never suspected that she’d end up with both of them and that’s where my whole life is falling apart, because I love Jem so much and I am so glad that he gets his happy ending, too. That Tessa gets her two great loves. That I didn’t have to suffer this agony of knowing that, under his Silent Brother cloak of mystery and emotionlessness, Jem was suffering a broken heart.

And reading about how they met up on Blackfriar’s Bridge every year and Tessa named her first son after Jem and the way they dragged him back into their life over the years, refusing to forget him even as he remained cloaked and hooded? I was bawling just as hard at that as I was when I though Jem was dead, then when Jem said goodbye, and then when Will finally died after all of their years together.

Because some part of me truly believe he would live forever with Tessa. And I’m really not sure how to function in a world where these book characters I love start off as teenagers and die of old age in the course of my reading. Like, I’m currently fighting back tears thinking about it.

I mean, there were some parts that didn’t exactly work for me in it all: I really didn’t like those long, drawn out bits after Jem breaks his ties with them and there’s a lot of awkward chitchat between Tessa and Will, repeated tours that Cecily and Gabriel had already taken, and overly long professions of undying love by Will. It just seemed too long, boring, and cheesy. I didn’t care what Tessa was wearing at the Christmas party and I still don’t understand why Jessamine’s ghost came back to give him relationship advice – though, admittedly, neither did he. It was clear to me that, after Jem was gone, Will would end up with Tessa and I didn’t need that excess verbage to tell me that he took it slowly, out of respect for both Jem and Tessa.

I really, really hope that I get more Tessa and Jem in the rest of the Shadowhunters Chronicles. And, obviously, more Magnus.

 “Stay with me. Be with me. See everything with me. I have traveled the world and seen so much, but there is so much more, and no one I would rather see it with than you. I would go everywhere and anywhere with you, Jem Carstairs.”


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