Editors Reads Verdict
Among the finest series conclusions in YA fantasy: Clare solves an impossible love triangle with an answer so unexpected and yet so right that it has earned tears from readers since 2013. The epilogue alone is worth the three-book journey.
What We Loved
- Clare finds a third path for the love triangle that is neither the easy nor the cruel answer — and earns it through two full novels of preparation
- The epilogue set decades later is among the most emotionally generous endings in YA fantasy — it rewards full trilogy investment with genuine satisfaction
- Jem's transformation is handled with precision that makes the impossible feel logically inevitable rather than like a convenient escape
- The battle sequences against Mortmain's clockwork army are cinematic and costly — casualties among characters the reader has spent three books caring about
Minor Drawbacks
- Readers who have not read Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Prince will find this entirely inaccessible — the emotional weight is built across three books
- The resolution of the love triangle requires a supernatural mechanism that some readers may find too convenient despite its internal logic
- The epilogue's time jump covers decades in compressed pages — some readers may want more of the intervening life rather than the summary
Key Takeaways
- → The most satisfying endings are those that are both surprising and inevitable — the reader couldn't predict them, but can't imagine an alternative once they arrive
- → Love that exists between three people can be honoured without being simple — the answer doesn't have to be a choice between two
- → What a person is can change fundamentally while who they are remains — Jem's transformation is Clare's argument about identity's deepest layer
- → Grief and love and peace can coexist — Will's arc shows that happiness after loss is not a betrayal of the loss
- → An epilogue that shows the long aftermath of an ending is more honest than one that stops at the moment of resolution — life continues after the story closes
| Author | Cassandra Clare |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Margaret K. McElderry Books |
| Pages | 567 |
| Published | March 19, 2013 |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Historical Fiction |
Clockwork Princess Review
The question any reader brings to Clockwork Princess is simple and apparently impossible: how does Cassandra Clare resolve a love triangle in which both men are genuinely, equally deserving? The answer she found is one of the most discussed endings in contemporary young adult fiction, and discussing it freely would rob new readers of the experience of being surprised by something that in retrospect feels entirely inevitable.
What can be said is this: Clare does not choose the easy answer, the cruel answer, or the convenient answer. She finds a third path that honours the full depth of what Tessa, Will, and Jem mean to each other, and she earns it through two novels of meticulous emotional preparation.
The external plot of Clockwork Princess is the series’ most ambitious. Mortmain’s clockwork army goes to war against every Shadowhunter alive, and the battle sequences Clare constructs are genuinely cinematic — full-scale conflicts with real casualties among characters the reader has spent three books caring about. The stakes feel earned rather than inflated, and Clare does not flinch from the cost.
But it is the personal resolution that the novel will be remembered for. Jem’s transformation — the circumstances that change what he is and what he can be — is handled with a precision that makes the impossible feel logical. Will’s grief and love and eventual peace are rendered with a tenderness Clare has been building toward since the first chapter of Clockwork Angel. Tessa’s choice, and the enormity of what she gives and receives, carries the full weight of everything that has come before.
The epilogue, set decades later, is among the most emotionally generous endings in the genre. It rewards patience and commitment with an answer that genuinely satisfies.
Our rating: 4.8/5 — A rare series conclusion that delivers on every promise made across three books, and resolves its central dilemma with both intelligence and heart.
Reading Order
- Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, Book 1)
- Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices, Book 2)
- Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, Book 3)
Reading Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "Clockwork Princess" about?
The Infernal Devices reaches its devastating, then beautiful, conclusion. Mortmain's clockwork army threatens every Shadowhunter, but it is the question of Will, Jem, and Tessa — and whether love can survive impossible choices — that makes this ending one of the most discussed in young adult fiction.
What are the key takeaways from "Clockwork Princess"?
The most satisfying endings are those that are both surprising and inevitable — the reader couldn't predict them, but can't imagine an alternative once they arrive Love that exists between three people can be honoured without being simple — the answer doesn't have to be a choice between two What a person is can change fundamentally while who they are remains — Jem's transformation is Clare's argument about identity's deepest layer Grief and love and peace can coexist — Will's arc shows that happiness after loss is not a betrayal of the loss An epilogue that shows the long aftermath of an ending is more honest than one that stops at the moment of resolution — life continues after the story closes
Is "Clockwork Princess" worth reading?
Among the finest series conclusions in YA fantasy: Clare solves an impossible love triangle with an answer so unexpected and yet so right that it has earned tears from readers since 2013. The epilogue alone is worth the three-book journey.
Ready to Read Clockwork Princess?
Check the current price on Amazon.
Check Price on Amazon (paid link)Prices and availability are subject to change. See Amazon for current price.
Review last updated: