BOOK REVIEW | Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Title: Clockwork Princess
Author: Cassandra Clare
Pages: 567
Publication Date: September 5, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Source: I got this from my local library!

Danger and betrayal, love and loss, secrets and enchantment are woven together in the breathtaking finale to the #1 New York Times bestselling Infernal Devices Trilogy, prequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series.

THE INFERNAL DEVICES WILL NEVER STOP COMING

A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray.

Charlotte Branwell, head of the London Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. But when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever.

As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain’s clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.

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BOOK REVIEW | Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Title: Clockwork Prince
Series: The Infernal Devices
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publication Date: December 6, 2011

Pages: 500
Source: I bought this via Book Depository!

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.

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Adaption Talk: Shadowhunters TV Show Pilot

Hey guys and welcome to my blog! Down below I will be discussing the pilot episode of Shadowhunters, The Mortal Cup, by going down the list f the five main characters. I liked it more than I thought. Please don't leave spoilers for the second episode! I'm just going to be waiting for next week. :) Shadowhunters exceeded expectations! Though it was really cheesy sometimes, it was so much better than that first 7 minute preview that was on youtube! 


Shadowhunters just premiered on Freeform (lol it's still ABC Family) two days ago and though it wasn't perfect, it was entertaining! I watched the show with my mom, who also watched the movie with me as well. I would say that I liked the episode and I can see myself liking the series a ton more than the movie. The actors looked like how I pictured them in my head too, which was a plus. The gifs are going to go along with my feels on the actors/actresses!

The Cast

Clary Fray - Katherine McNamara

Okay, she overacted too much. I felt like she just tried too hard and the fact that she had some of the worst lines in the episode didn't help either. She does have a lot of potential and promise though. I can see her getting really compelling about halfway through the first season. I can't deal with her hair though. It's just so obviously fake..why can't it be darker?? Minute detail, but I know it will bother me until I get more used to it. 

Jace Wayland - Dominic Sherwood
I don't know whether or not I like Dom as Jace. He looks a lot more like the Jace I picture in my head when I read the books, but he doesn't have the attitude down yet. He seems really stilted and uncomfortable with the sass the Jace embodies, so hopefully that will get better! If it doesn't, I don't see myself fully convinced that he is Jace. I'm freakishly hopeful for him!

Alec Lightwood - Matthew Daddario
There wasn't enough scenes with Alec for me to get a feel for him yet. There really isn't any of the parabatai chemistry between Alec and Jace yet. They didn't seem like bffs, and I wish they did! Fingers crossed they will in the later episodes! I don't have a real opinion of him, so instead here's a gif of him and Magnus! <3 They're the real OTP of the series, not Clary and Jace!

Isabelle Lightwood - Emeraude Toubia
Once again, there weren't too many scenes with Isabelle in the pilot, as it focused mainly on Clary. But Isabelle is (dare I say it?) NICE! It is super weird that Isabelle isn't her hating self yet. Emeraude does look exactly like Isabelle, which is really nice! I hated though how they used her body as a distraction instead of Isabelle being a BAMF. 

Simon Lewis - Alberto Rosende 
Okay, Simon is my favorite! You can tell the actor has a really genuine passion for the series and he really portrayed Simon so well! If he was great in the pilot, I cannot wait to see how he grows in the pilot! This gif perfectly portrays my excitement for Alberto playing Simon! He was amazing! Roberto deserves alllll the claps. 

I wouldn't say that I really liked the pilot, but I liked it, you know? My mom really liked it and I appreciated how I didn't have to explain anything to her. It was easy to follow and even though the show will be a lot different from the books, I am looking forward to see where they will take it! I really liked the actor who played Valentine; he was perfect!

Okay here's some random thoughts that I just had to put out there.. Can we also talk about how the pilot ended? Clary's choice between Jace or Simon was supposed to be a cliffhanger??? Haha!! Like the episode just ended and I was like... that's it? Also, the CGI was rough but I didn't really care because they obviously won't have enough money until it gets more popular. The Circle members just looked like grade A bad guys but didn't have that air around them were I was worried. After the first scene with them in it my mom asked whether or not they were bad guys, so they obviously didn't seem bad

So yeah! Those were my thoughts on the pilot for the Shadowhunter TV show! What did you think about it?

Thanks guys for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

Book Review: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Angel is the first book of The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare, which is a companion series to The Mortal Instruments, a six book series. I read Clare's books by publication, so this is my first in the trilogy and the fourth book of hers I have read. I don't really know have to summarize my feelings for Clockwork Angel. The novel was good, I'll give it that. However, I just couldn't care for the characters and I haven't connected to them at all yet. Hopefully that will change with the next two books in the trilogy, and I have heard that it does get better.

The novel starts off with our protagonist, Tessa, being held captive by the Dark Sisters, and soon enough, Tessa is thrown into the Shadowhunter World. I can't really say that I liked Tessa as a character. I love that she is a reader and is also intuitive. For some reason though, I cannot connect to her and don't really care for her that much. For me, she was too self-pitying for me to read about. The only three characters I do like are Charlotte, Will, and Jem. Charlotte is such a great character. She's the epitome of a strong women. She does and speaks what she wants and is in a leadership position. Charlotte also kicks ass, so there's that. Will and Jem are the two love interests for Tess, and I've heard that the love triangle will tear me to pieces inside and then put them back together. I love how Jem and Will are such good friends and it reminds me very much of Jace and Alec's friendship in the Mortal Instruments. Both men are so charismatic in their own way and I am looking forward to seeing how the love triangle progresses.

My main gripe to this book is that I didn't relate to any of the characters or parts of the plot. Jessamine grated on my last nerves; Tessa complained too much; and I really didn't care for the whole "Who is the Magister?" part of the story. That said, I did enjoy the fight scenes and the automaton prospect. Even with not being able to attach to some of the characters, I read the book fairly quickly (three days, I think) for being as long as it is. I like this book just as much as I did City of Ashes, the second Mortal Instruments book.

Clockwork Angel isn't close to being one of my favorites of the year, but it is a solid read and I am most definitely continuing with both series by Cassandra Clare.

With that, I give this book

3.8 out of 5 Stars!

Currently Reading: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Set in Victorian London, 1878, Clockwork angel is the first in The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare. The trilogy is a companion series to her other series, The Mortal Instruments. The way I read Clare's books is by publication date. So, as of now, I have read the first three books of The Mortal Instruments and just started The Infernal Devices.

The plot is intricate to say the least. Set in a world that is intertwined with our own, we follow our protagonist, Tessa Gray. A seemingly normal girl, we realize that there is much more underneath the surface when she is held hostage by the Dark Sisters, Mrs. Dark and Mrs. Grey. If you have read a Mortal Instruments book before, you'll be able to see who these Dark Sisters really are: Downworlders. Tessa and the reader are then thrown into the fantastical world that Clare has conceived.

So far, I am happy with my decision to read by publication because if not, I would have been completely lost and confused right now. Be wary reading this book; it does have a slow start but picks up about a quarter through. I am very much enjoying the story so far and I'm just about 60% done. I imagine I'll finish the book this weekend. As of comparing Clockwork Angel to the first three Mortal Instrument books, I like it better than City of Bones, but not as much as City of Glass. I would have to say that I currently like it about the same as City of Ashes. After this book, I'll be continuing with both series and I'm excited to see how the world builds with the next books.

On the top left is the original cover, which I am reading from as a hardback, and the bottom right shows the newly released cover. Which one do you like better? Personally, I like the originals better for both Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Princess, but I really like Clockwork Prince's new cover.