Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (The Infernal Devices #3) (audio)

Tessa and Jem are still engaged to be married and Will is still in love with Tessa but puts his feelings aside for his parabatai. But as Mortmain begins his final assualt against the Shadowhunters, he still needs one thing to complete his plan, Tessa. Will and Jem as well as the rest of the London Institute try to protect her and find Mortmain, but they find opposition from the least likely place.

I enjoyed this last installment of The Infernal Devices series. Though it felt like the the Mortmain plot was plot B and the love triangle was plot A. It never really felt like there was a danger from Mortmain but I did like how that plot point was resolved. And overall how the love triangle was solved too. It was nice to see so much growth in these characters from Clockwork Angel to Clockwork Princess. I think I will be moving on to the Mortal Instruments series sometime soon.

Daniel Sharman is the narrator and I enjoyed his performance. He was a really good reader for this book and I liked him better than the narrator for the last Infernal Devices book. 
16 hours, 15 minutes

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (The Infernal Devices #2)

The search for the Magister is becoming more desperate as Bendick Lightwood seeks to take the Institute from Charlotte. The Branwells are given two weeks to find the Magister. Meanwhile, Will finds that he cannot get over his love for Tessa and Tessa finds her feelings for Jem are growing even as she can't help loving Will.

I couldn't remember the first book, Clockwork Angel, so when I looked at my review for it I wasn't surprised to find I hadn't been impressed. But still I didn't hate it, just felt neutral on it so I decided to go ahead and continue on with the series. I liked this one. It was really good and I think the narration helped with that. So maybe this is one of those series that works better for me on audio than reading it. It's happened before.

In this one we find out Will's secret, the reason he pushes Tessa Gray (and everyone one else) away. It's a valid reason but I must say the resolution of it was a bit of a disappointment and it came about really easily. I guess having a warlock for a "friend" comes in handy. A large portion of this book is devoted to the love triangle between Will, Tess, and Jem. I think Jem is pretty unaware that he is involved in a love triangle. It gets a little too angsty for my taste though it does have some pretty awesome kissing scenes.

The other plot is trying to find Mortmain and dealing with his minions. Less time is devoted to this. Consequently I don't feel like Mortmain is much of a threat. Probably because I already have assumed the ending. The love story is the real driving force in this series.

Ed Westwick (Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl) and Heather Lind narrated this story. Lind does the majority of the narration with Westwick always reading the quotations and the beginning of the chapters. I'm not sure where the division came in. I guess Lind read most of the Tess parts and, if the story focused more on Will, Westwick read that bit. It worked out. I enjoyed both their readings. Lind seems to have a better time with voices although Westwick's American voice is really good (it would have to be after all the time on Gossip Girl) he doesn't do girl voices quite right. So it was a nice mixture if a little odd.

15.5 hours

The Infernal Devices
Clockwork Angel

Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare

Tessa discovers the world of magic when she is kidnapped by two warlocks. Rescued by the beautiful but aloof Will, she is soon immersed in the world of the Shadowhunters who are trying to figure out why Tessa is so important.

 "One must always be careful of books," said Tessa, "and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us."  p.87 ARC

I haven't read the Mortal Instruments series so when I started Clockwork Angel I had no clue about the world that Clare has built.  I liked the steampunk aspect and the Victorian England setting and the whole Shadowhunters thing.  It was fine.  I never really connected with the story or the characters but that might have been more me than anything.  I did a 2 star reading of what should be a 4 star book.  Normally I think I would have liked this more, but it followed up truly great book and sometimes a truly great book will ruin the next book by overshadowing it.  So it's partly my fault that I can't muster up some real enthusiasm for Clockwork Angel.  That being said, there wasn't anything so wonderful in this book to make me forget about the last one and that, in a way, is the mark of a mediocre book.  If it had been great, then it would have lived up to the last book I read.

While it isn't a showstopper, it does have many solid elements.  Like I said the steampunk and time setting are really good and Clare is definitely ensconced in the world that she created for the Mortal Instruments series.  She knows it well and that flows out of the book.  The main characters were all very distinct, mostly likeable, though a bit too mysterious for my liking.  A little too much mystery doesn't make me what to read further, it makes me want to not read anymore.  A few more answers would have been okay at the end.  I'm sure that fans of Mortal Instruments series will enjoy this and the rest of the Infernal Devices series though.

Provided by Traveling ARC Tours
Publish Date: August 31, 2010
Hogwarts: Transfiguration

     "Remember that time you tried to convince to feed a poultry pie to the mallards in the park to see if you could breed a race of cannibal ducks?"
     "They ate it too, " Will reminisced.  "Blood thirsty little beasts.  Never trust a duck."
p.199 ARC