The Infernal Devices
About the Trilogy
Titles: Clockwork Angel (#1), Clockwork Prince (#2), Clockwork Princess (#3)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Infernal Devices
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Steampunk, Science Fiction, Romance, Supernatural, Angels
Published: August 31st, 2010 - December 6th, 2011 - September 5th, 2013
Read: 2014-2015
Rating: ★★★★★ - ★★★★ - ★★★★★
My Copies
Publisher: Walker Books
Cover: Paperback
Purchased: Hugendubel
What's it about?
(Goodreads Summaries)
Clockwork Angel Summary: In a time when Shadowhunters are barely winning the fight against the forces of darkness, one battle will change the course of history forever. Welcome to the Infernal Devices trilogy, a stunning and dangerous prequel to the New York Timesbestselling Mortal Instruments series. 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...
Clockwork Prince Summary: 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.
Clockwork Princess Summary: 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.
My Review
I must say, I think this trilogy was even better than The Mortal Instruments series. Cassandra Clare catapulted us back in time and doing this so swiftly that you could imagine and relate to everything perfectly. You had the exact image in front of you that she wanted to create and the time difference only made the books so much more interesting. The story itself was riveting and you could not put the books down until you read all three of them - and then you just sat there, heartbroken that it was all over. (Well, except that it wasn't/isn't because Cassandra still continues to write these stories today so that you still get new reading material.)
The story about the parabatai Will and Jem and their joint love for Tessa is so heartbreakingly beautiful like nothing you've ever read before. Their undying (literally) friendship and love just makes you want to jump into the book and witness the events with your own eyes. Will, the mysterious poetry loving young man who hides behind sarcasm and tries not to come to close to anybody because he believes that he might hurt them, is such a great character. And Jem, who is deadly sick, but still tries to enjoy life to the fullest, is the perfect match for Will and the only person who can 'control' him. Tessa stole both of their hearts and throughout the entire series you - the reader - can't decide who she should pick (and the really great part is, that she didn't have to pick - read The City of Heavenly Fire to understand this).
The plot was action-packed from the beginning, full with betrayal, heartbreak and tears. But there were also nice chapters where everything was just right for the moment and you could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Tessa's life got turned upside down and she discovered a world where demons, downworlders and shadowhunters all tried to get a hold on her life (some to save her, some to destroy her and some to possess her).
This is definitely a trilogy that's worth a lot of re-reads and I will probably do this sometime soon because writing about the Infernal Devices just made me miss it again.
Why should you read The Infernal Devices?
I had read the Mortal Instruments books 1-5 before starting the Infernal Devices and that turned out really great because I understood a lot of jokes and references to today's setting of the shadowhunting world. Here are a few pointers that will convince you to continue with this series if you've already read a few of Cassandra Clare's books (If you haven't read The Mortal Instruments don't worry, The Infernal Devices are just as good without any knowledge of the shadowhunting world and the time setting is a century back, so you won't have missed out on anything important regarding the plot).
- A lot of puns and jokes from another Herondale
- Lightwood, Herondale & Fairchild ancestors
- Robo-fights and a lot of seraph blade swinging
- Love drama with no end in sight
- Another unbreakable parabatai bond
- Institute in old London
- Magnus
- Brother Zachariah
These themes are just suggestions. If you want to dedicate a post to another trilogy, please do so. Just don't forget to link back to this blog, so people'll know where this segment is originally from. Also, if you leave your link below, I'll definitely check out your post.
Upcoming Trilogy Tuesdays
March 29th: The Maze Runner
April 26th: Divergent
May 31st: The Hunger Games
June 28th: Unearthly
June 28th: Unearthly
