Hi, guys!
Today, I'm going to talk to you about The Infernal Devices trilogy, written by the amazing Cassandra Clare.
*POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT* - If you haven't read these books yet, go ahead and do it!!! Then, come back and read this haha. :D Until then, you shall not pass.
Just so you know, I'm writing this with shaking hands and tears in my eyes, because I've just finished reading the last book in the series and it was just so good. Honestly, it was an emotional rollercoaster. No book has ever had this kind of effect on me before. There were times when I genuinely forgot these characters weren't real. That is how much I was able to connect with them. I felt for them so hard. This book made me laugh out loud, cry like a baby and squeal like a little girl. Just...SO GOOD.
There are three books in the series: Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince and (my personal favourite) Clockwork Princess. They are all so amazingly well written - I loved how the author juggled with POVs, so that we were able to get to know all the characters and to understand them. Cassie Clare was able to portray the development of the characters so incredibly well. It felt real.
We've watched Tessa grow braver and more confident in each book. What I love most about her is that she is so mature and caring - she never means to hurt anyone (well...Mortmain doesn't count). But, above all, I love how she manages to stay true to herself, no matter what. She may not know what she is or where she comes from, but she does know who she is and how she feels about herself and the people around her and I think that is admirable.
Then, we have Will. I have to say, I didn't quite like him in the first book.Of course, I admired his irony and sense of humour, but I couldn't get over his cruelty and ungentlemanly behaviour. Despite all of this, I still felt drawn to him somehow - I'm a sucker for bad boys (sue me). I was able to see little bits of humanity in him as well, especially when Jem was around. I loved how he was a jerk with basically everyone, but he was so fiercely protective of Jem. It made me think that maybe - just maybe - he wasn't broken beyond repair. And then I found out about the "curse" and my heart broke in a million pieces. The way he thought anyone who ever loved him would die, how he found the tiniest bit of hope when he met Jem and he was already dying, so Will allowed himself to open up and accept love...I cried.
And then there's Jem. Words cannot express how catastrophically in love I am with this character. He is so immensely kind and understanding. He is so adorably unaware of how beautiful he is, of how brave he is and of how much the people around him appreciate him and care for him. He freaking plays the violin - oh, his lovely violin. Am I the only one who melted every single time he played his violin? Just imagine his long, slender fingers caressing the instrument he loves so passionately, imagine him playing from the botttom of his heart, imagine him close his eyes and letting himself be free - because I think that Jem lives his life through his music. And he has such a tragic story. He watched his parents be killed right in front of him, he was forced to become an addict when he was so young, he was basically tortured in the Silent City, just to find out that there was no hope for him. He had to deal with the fact that he was dying at the age of twelve. I can't imagine how strong one must be to endure all of that. Despite all of that, he kept all that frustration and anger bottled up - only ever showing it when Will went to that opium den. He states that he is not good with words, but he talks so beautifully about love, equality, music, even death. His proposal to Tessa was so touching. His talk with Will on his death bed, when he told him he was glad he loved Tessa and later, when he gave them his blessing...he is pure goodness. I think James Carstairs is a warrior with a gentle heart. He chose to live a life as a Silent Brother, a life he didn't want, a life of loneliness and silence - just so the two people he loved most could be happy and be together, because he knew that without him, they would both be lost. Even in death, he was selfless. I could honestly talk about him all day long.
Another thing that I absolutely love about this trilogy is the way the author so carefully portrays the relationships between the characters. There was the friendship between Jem and Will, their bond that could not be broken by anything, not even by death. Then there were these adorable couples: Gabriel and Cecily, Gideon and Sophie and Charlotte and Henry...so much chemistry. I loved the love triangle - the way Tessa loved both Jem and Will equally and the way they both understood that and were never jealous of one another. And then there were some relationships that people don't really pay much attention to, but that are definitely worth mentioning, such as Will and Jessamine - the way Will saw himself in her and the way she showed herself to him as a ghost, both to give and to receive encouragement; there is also the relationship between Charlotte and Sophie - I loved how they went from master and servant to fellow Shadowhunters and how Sophie finally realized how much Charlotte believed in her and cared for her.
In conclusion, The Infernal Devices trilogy is both heartbreaking AND heartwarming. For me, it is perfection, from the writing style to the plot and the characters. READ IT.
Just Maddy
xoxo
Today, I'm going to talk to you about The Infernal Devices trilogy, written by the amazing Cassandra Clare.
*POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT* - If you haven't read these books yet, go ahead and do it!!! Then, come back and read this haha. :D Until then, you shall not pass.
Just so you know, I'm writing this with shaking hands and tears in my eyes, because I've just finished reading the last book in the series and it was just so good. Honestly, it was an emotional rollercoaster. No book has ever had this kind of effect on me before. There were times when I genuinely forgot these characters weren't real. That is how much I was able to connect with them. I felt for them so hard. This book made me laugh out loud, cry like a baby and squeal like a little girl. Just...SO GOOD.
There are three books in the series: Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince and (my personal favourite) Clockwork Princess. They are all so amazingly well written - I loved how the author juggled with POVs, so that we were able to get to know all the characters and to understand them. Cassie Clare was able to portray the development of the characters so incredibly well. It felt real.
We've watched Tessa grow braver and more confident in each book. What I love most about her is that she is so mature and caring - she never means to hurt anyone (well...Mortmain doesn't count). But, above all, I love how she manages to stay true to herself, no matter what. She may not know what she is or where she comes from, but she does know who she is and how she feels about herself and the people around her and I think that is admirable.
Then, we have Will. I have to say, I didn't quite like him in the first book.Of course, I admired his irony and sense of humour, but I couldn't get over his cruelty and ungentlemanly behaviour. Despite all of this, I still felt drawn to him somehow - I'm a sucker for bad boys (sue me). I was able to see little bits of humanity in him as well, especially when Jem was around. I loved how he was a jerk with basically everyone, but he was so fiercely protective of Jem. It made me think that maybe - just maybe - he wasn't broken beyond repair. And then I found out about the "curse" and my heart broke in a million pieces. The way he thought anyone who ever loved him would die, how he found the tiniest bit of hope when he met Jem and he was already dying, so Will allowed himself to open up and accept love...I cried.
And then there's Jem. Words cannot express how catastrophically in love I am with this character. He is so immensely kind and understanding. He is so adorably unaware of how beautiful he is, of how brave he is and of how much the people around him appreciate him and care for him. He freaking plays the violin - oh, his lovely violin. Am I the only one who melted every single time he played his violin? Just imagine his long, slender fingers caressing the instrument he loves so passionately, imagine him playing from the botttom of his heart, imagine him close his eyes and letting himself be free - because I think that Jem lives his life through his music. And he has such a tragic story. He watched his parents be killed right in front of him, he was forced to become an addict when he was so young, he was basically tortured in the Silent City, just to find out that there was no hope for him. He had to deal with the fact that he was dying at the age of twelve. I can't imagine how strong one must be to endure all of that. Despite all of that, he kept all that frustration and anger bottled up - only ever showing it when Will went to that opium den. He states that he is not good with words, but he talks so beautifully about love, equality, music, even death. His proposal to Tessa was so touching. His talk with Will on his death bed, when he told him he was glad he loved Tessa and later, when he gave them his blessing...he is pure goodness. I think James Carstairs is a warrior with a gentle heart. He chose to live a life as a Silent Brother, a life he didn't want, a life of loneliness and silence - just so the two people he loved most could be happy and be together, because he knew that without him, they would both be lost. Even in death, he was selfless. I could honestly talk about him all day long.
Another thing that I absolutely love about this trilogy is the way the author so carefully portrays the relationships between the characters. There was the friendship between Jem and Will, their bond that could not be broken by anything, not even by death. Then there were these adorable couples: Gabriel and Cecily, Gideon and Sophie and Charlotte and Henry...so much chemistry. I loved the love triangle - the way Tessa loved both Jem and Will equally and the way they both understood that and were never jealous of one another. And then there were some relationships that people don't really pay much attention to, but that are definitely worth mentioning, such as Will and Jessamine - the way Will saw himself in her and the way she showed herself to him as a ghost, both to give and to receive encouragement; there is also the relationship between Charlotte and Sophie - I loved how they went from master and servant to fellow Shadowhunters and how Sophie finally realized how much Charlotte believed in her and cared for her.
In conclusion, The Infernal Devices trilogy is both heartbreaking AND heartwarming. For me, it is perfection, from the writing style to the plot and the characters. READ IT.
Just Maddy
xoxo