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

This was actually an incredibly difficult book to rate, because my feelings for it are incredibly mixed. I think part of this is my own fault; I heard so many people say how vastly they preferred this series to The Mortal Instruments that I fully expected this to be a solid 5-star read, and it sadly… wasn’t.

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

Don’t get me wrong, I have fallen totally in love with Cassandra Clare’s writing—her characters and dialogue, especially—and this is still a fantastic read in those respects. I really loved a few of the characters: Tessa, for her wholesome nature and headstrong beliefs; Will, for his arrogant, ridiculous, Jace-like qualities (actually, I guess Jace would be Will-like…); and Jem, for his… well, Jem-ness. I mean, imagine me gesturing vaguely to all of Jem, and that’s how I feel.

“Bloodthirsty little beasts. Never trust a duck.”

There’s also some great humor, as always. If you can read Cassie’s books and not at least crack a smile, well, I don’t know if we can be friends, because her little one-liners are so weird and always make me laugh. There’s also a budding romance (love triangles, anyone?), and I suddenly understand why I’ve heard so many people say they wanted this series to end in a polyamorous relationship, because, like… how can I possibly choose who to root for?!

“There was a time I thought I was a ferret,” Will said, “but that turned out to be the opium haze.”

Unfortunately, besides the characters I loved (which was really just those three, and Charlotte), and the laughs Will’s antics offered, this book dragged for me. I thought the pacing was poor and it could have been substantially shorter, but beyond that, I just couldn’t get invested in what was happening, no matter how hard I tried.

“If no one in the entire world cared about you, did you really exist at all?”

Also, let me just go ahead and be honest: literally every single scene with Jessamine’s character made me consider putting the book down and pretending it didn’t exist. She is awful. The only way I consoled myself during and after her outbursts was to remind myself that I also hated Isabelle in book one of TMI, but she gradually grew on me, so maybe Jessamine will, too? (Come on, guys, I’m trying to be optimistic here.)

“It’s all right to love someone who doesn’t love you back, as long as they’re worth you loving them. As long as they deserve it.”

Okay, dramatics aside, was this a great read for me? No. Was it awful, though? No, not at all—all said and done, it was a solid 3.5-star read for me, and I simply couldn’t justify rounding up to 4. But there are some great moments, I have high hopes that the next two books will be far more enjoyable, and most importantly, my sweet little bisexual warlock showed up a few times, and yes, I would happily make a habit of reading 500-page novels just to get 10-15 pages with Magnus Bane. ♥

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