Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Title: Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2)

Author: Cassandra Clare

Publisher: McElderry Books 2011

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 501

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR

With the help of the handsome, tortured Will and the devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal and fueled by revenge. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Eh. I must say this one was a bit of a struggle to get through. I like most of the characters, especially Will in this volume. I like the storyline. The over reaching world is pretty interesting. And yet I struggled to get through this book. I think I've decided that Clare's writing bothers me. She draws out chapters and situations way longer than they need to be. I think this would have been a much better book at 350 pages instead of 500. Still debating about whether or not to finish this series.

The Infernal Devices

#1 Clockwork Angel
#2 Clockwork Prince
#3 Clockwork Princess

Next up on the TBR pile:

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Title: Clockwork Angel

Author: Cassandra Clare

Publisher: McElderry Books 2010

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 497

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual (NPR Teen); Mount TBR

The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them....

A friend loaned me this trilogy after we discussed how I was not a fan of the Mortal Instruments series. She claimed this one was better. So I finally go around to reading it and this series is most definitely better. Even the moments when Tessa really annoyed me, it was just her. I didn't loathe every character like in the other series. And thankfully this volume was free of absolutely ridiclous plot twists. The twists were appropriate and well timed. To took me awhile to finish this volume, but I really did enjoy reading it. I'll be continuing this series just as soon I finish my book club book...

The Infernal Devices

#1 Clockwork Angel
#2 Clockwork Prince
#3 Clockwork Princess

Next up on the TBR pile:

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Bones (Mortal Instruments #1)

Author: Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Simon Pulse 2007

Genre: YA

Pages: 485

Rating: 4/5 stars Movie: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Book to Movie; 100 YA; NPR Teen; Fantasy Project

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder—much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing—not even a smear of blood—to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?
This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .

I enjoyed this volume way more than most of the YA paranormal books I've read in the past. It wasn't amazing, but at least I was entertained. I guessed most of the twists in the book, but they weren't completely obvious. The characters were interesting. The storyline kept my attention. I want to know more about the world of the Shadowhunters. I have the second and third volumes in the series. I will definitely be reading them soon.

Movie

First starting to watch the movie, I thought "oh okay, it's the same." But I was mistaken. As the movie continues, more and more things are changed. There are some direct quotes here and there and mostly the characters are the same. However, there are many changes to Valentine and the entire ending is different. I can't quite decide if I like the changes or not. I think that if I saw the movie without reading the book, I would have liked the movie just fine. As I read the book, I had to change my perspective. They didn't turn the book directly into a movie. They used the book as a starting off point. Becuase it isn't a bad movie by itself, I still rated it 4 stars.

Mortal Instruments (DNFed series)

#1 City of Bones
#2 City of Ashes
#3 City of Glass
#4 City of Fallen Angels
#5 City of Lost Souls
#6 City of Heavenly Fire