Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3)

Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3)
Started: September 27th, 2013
Finished: September 30, 2013
Rating: 4 Stars
Should You Read It: Yes.

Written by: Cassandra Clare
Narrated by: Daniel Sharman

Book 3, you had a lot riding on you. You had the mediocre Book 1 to make up for and the captivating Book 2 to live up to and hopefully surpass. Well, one out of two ain't bad. Clockwork Princess is the conclusion to our story of Tess, Will, Jem and the rest of the cast. I liked it quite a bit more than Book 1 (see that review HERE), but not quite as much as Book 2 (with that review HERE). I wasn't keen on the way the conflict with the enemy that ran through the whole series came to an end. It seemed to quick and clean for my more, um, realistic tastes. (The irony is ridiculous, I can see that.) The series seems to have been centered on Tess, Will, and Jem with some conflict in the background to make their lives just that much more difficult. Guess if I wanted more "realistic" topics I shouldn't be too critical of the YA supernatural fiction I read and I should get myself to the library for something better suited. That being said, I do so love YA supernatural fiction. I did love how the book and series ended though, even it was too good to be true. 

I had put off reading this series for a long time because I was worried it wouldn't live up to Mortal Instruments. I am glad that I gave in and finally read it though, but Mortal Instruments is still top of my list of Clare's best series. I do plan on reading the The Bane Chronicles when they are released all together in 2014, and when I do, I will be sure to let you know what I think. 

Next on deck: Kiss 
Written by: Ted Dekker
This will be my first Ted Dekker book. I am excited to see what I think!

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2)

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2)
Started: August 27th, 2013
Finished: August 30, 2013
Rating: 4 Stars
Should You Read It: Yes.

Written by: Cassandra Clare
Narrated by: Ed Westwick and Heather Lind

While Book 1 in this series left me wishing that it hadn't been mediocre, Book 2 finally picked up the ball and took off with the story. It picks up where Book 1 left off, which is great and it doesn't re-hash everything like some series do. Gold Star. The story now starts to pick up steam and activity. We get to know the characters better and understand why they do what they do. There are some twists and turns, enough to keep it interesting but still not so many that you feel like its getting ridiculous. There is love and loss and betrayal. Everything a good book needs.

One thing that I believe made this book stand out more than the first in the series is that Ed Westwick is one of the narrators. Ed Westwick could read me the phone book and I would hang on his every word. He is very talented at making the words of a book come alive and I find that the books that he narrates in the Mortal Instrument series are my favorites as well. He takes the stories to another level, just by the way he reads them. Ed Westwick can be my Will or Jace any day of the week!

All in all this book was a good one. I can't wait to see how the series ends.

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1)

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1)
Started: August 24th, 2013
Finished: August 27, 2013
Rating: 3 Stars
Should You Read It: Yes.

Written by: Cassandra Clare
Narrated by: Jennifer Ehle

The Infernal Devices series is a pre-quell to the Mortal Instruments series that Clare wrote (is writing). It is not a direct pre-quell. It is set in the 1800s in London with many names that Mortal Instrument readers will recognize. There were a lot of interesting parts in this book, and the story was intriguing but it didn't capture me the way that Mortal Instruments did. Through the book I found myself almost angry that the story seemed to be the same base story of Clary and Jace. Good girl meets bad boy and good boy and can't decide which one she likes more. Grrr. Anyway. I finished the book and was glad that I did. I enjoyed learning a bit more about the Shadowhunter history a bit more and meeting the people that had been referenced in the other series.