Clockwork Princess

"Clockwork Princess," by Cassandra Clare, is the third and final book in the 'Infernal Devices' trilogy.  If you haven't read the first two books in the series, then I would advise that you not read this, as to not spoil them for yourself.
         Mortmain is almost a thought of the past in the London Institute, with Tessa and Jem busy preparing for their wedding and Will's younger sister, Cecily, recently installed into the household.  Then Gabriel Lightwood comes, pounding on the doors of the Institute, with the news that his father has succumbed to the deadly Demon Pox.  London's supply of Yin Fen, the drug that prolongs the life of people who have contracted Demon Pox, has run out.  Jem, who must also take the drug, is days away from death when the message comes that Mortmain will give the London shadow hunters all the Yin Fen that they want, if only they give him Tessa Gray.  The fight comes to the Institute's own front stoop, and the Shadowhunters are forced to reevaluate everything they know, lest they too fall to the Infernal Devices.

I did not like the ending of this book. What ending do I like?  There are only a few perfect endings in the world, and I'll just have to accept that conclusion.  Sadly, this book is not one of the better endings, though the ending is halfway decent, I'll give it that.  But I hate how everyone has to have their cake and eat it too.  I won't say more than that, lest I spoil anything.  Still, though.  Some people have to go home unhappy at the end of the day, don't they?  -- not saying any more--
       I wish that Tessa was more of a spunky heroine.  She's more of a . . . background character, though, even if the whole book is supposed to center around her.  She's more obsessed with her boys then with getting out of . . . wherever she was.  A bit like in the first book, "Clockwork Angel."  Come on, Tessa!  I thought that we had been making progress in "Clockwork Prince!"  But, noooo, Tessa Gray must be some deranged princess.  She does three great acts throughout the whole books, three great acts that show she has a strong spine, and a fourth that isn't so great but, still, it's definitive. But, her strength is not apparent in her speech, and she is described as 'bookish.'  Uh, I can see Tessa as so much more than that.  It's a shame that her full potential isn't realized.
        Jem Carstairs is a bit better.  He's made his decision of how he's going to live his life, illness or not, and he sticks to that, which is admirable.  He does sort of . . . I won't say anything.  I've just never liked his character that much (I prefer Will).  Jem was always a bit of a wallflower, until he decided that he was going to marry Tessa and then boom, now he's his own person.  He hardly talked to Tessa before he decided he was going to marry her!  In my opinion, at least.  So, I never 'knew' him as well as I would have liked to.  And I won't say anything else here, because I could rant for a good while and give away everything.
       Will Herondale is the real break-out character here.  Before this book, you see him as a good man in the throes of a curse that will ruin his life until his dying day.  Here, Magnus has finally told him he's free of the curse and he's free to live his life as he pleases.  Then Jem and Tessa lay it on him that they're getting married, oops, Will, here's your dreams, let's stick 'em to ya.  In this book, he's dealing with his loyalty to both of them, as well as his loyalty to himself.  His inner turmoil is fantastically done.  You can feel what he's feeling with a rare acuteness, and that's a treat, even if most of what he's feeling is self-loathing.
       The Lightwood brothers also become more prominent in this book, which is good in its own way, but it takes away from the drama surrounding the main three characters.  The time that's spent focusing on Gideon and Gabriel is time that we are not focusing on Tessa.  Also, I had trouble remembering which was the older brother (it's Gideon) because both have the same first letter in their name.
       There are some happy parts where the unexpected happens.  Not that that is a happy thing, because the unexpected is usually not so pretty, but it is good all of the same.  Not everyone has to have a happy ending, and that's a lesson we all need to learn in life.  There are also some mushy parts--namely one--which is annoying, because they're just about to fight demons and stuff.  But, Magnus handles it gamely. (Magnus is, like, the most awesome person in both of the Shadowhunter series.)
       The conflicts in these books are always pretty weird, though.  It's all physiological until the last fifty or so pages, and then some big physical conflict happens.  You know what I'm trying to say?  It's almost as though the story arc has been modified to include some gigantic final battle between the two sides, while the rest of the story is entirely about the manipulation of the mind.  And it has some pretty good manipulation.  Cassandra Clare is, as always, very, very good at portraying human emotion in impossible situations.  
       One of the coolest thing about these book are the crossovers between the stories.  Between the two Shadowhunter series, there are some objects and people that are the same (hint, hint, Isabelle's locket, Church the cat) and it's cool to get their origin stories.  The families that participate in both dramas are the same (So, Clary, it isn't your fault--it's genetic), and you get to see what the 'Mortal Instrument' character's great-grandparents were like.  If you get the hardcover book, the paper covering of the books comes off to become a family tree of the Fairchilds, Lightwoods, and Herondales spanning from the 1800s to 2008.
       As mentioned, this is the third book in the 'Infernal Devicies' triology, with the first two books being 'Clockwork Angel' and 'Clockwork Prince,' respectively. I think that 'Clockwork Prince' was my favorite of the three, with 'Clockwork Angel' and 'Clockwork Princess' tied for third.  And, let me tell you, the name 'Clockwork Princess' is a misnomer.  Technically, it's a metaphor, referring to something Mortmain said in the second book.
       Some things are a little too convenient, and other things are a little too perfect, but as always, Cassandra Clare is adept at capturing the tangled webs of human (or warlock, or Shadowhunter) emotion, making 'Clockwork Princess' a tale that's a little too good.  The cast peddles in humor and misery equally, facing an inhuman army with the pure definition of humanity.
        In our world, in our time, everything goes on as planned, but in the London of the 1800s, the Shadowhunters fight their final fight.  THE INFERNAL DEVICES ARE WITHOUT PITY.  MAY GOD HAVE MERCY ON THEIR SOULS.

The url to the Infernal Devices website is this:  http://www.shadowhunters.com/theinfernaldevices/index.php
Though not as extensive as the Mortal Instruments sight, this one does have some pretty decent 'extras,' including a 'Clockwork Princess' countdown widget, which went into negative numbers 10 days, 9 hours, 48 a minutes, and 47 seconds ago.  I got the picture above from the site (I can't draw that well).  

Eon

"Eon," Allison Goodman, is a novel centered around a girl pretending to be a boy in a fictional setting that closely mimics old feudal China.
       Eon wants to become one with the Rat Dragon. Every twelve years, each dragon chooses a new apprentice to train, and during that year the apprentice from twelve years ago attains unthinkable power.  Beyond this, though, gaining the apprenticeship will mean salvation for her adopted family and the chance to make the world see that Eon is something more than a cripple.  But Eon has a secret--he is actually a girl named Eona. The position of Dragoneye, lord of the dragons, is for men only, and if Eon can pass the trials with his twisted leg he must hide his true nature, or else everyone he knows could be killed.  The fate of the Celestial Empire rests in the hands of a sixteen-year-old girl who can't even begin to know what she's doing, but will do anything she needs to to get the deed done.

It is a very dramatic book, with a pretty commonplace plot, if you think about the plot to the most simplistic extension.  Girl gets power = girl attempt to save world.  Yada de yada de blah.  This, though, is not your normal fantasy.  Most fantasies are based off of European culture.  Take Christopher Paolini's "Inheritance Cycle."  Those books had dragons that bound with humans too, but they're the type of dragons normally found in Europe.  And the bond is for life, etc., but we digress.
        In "Eon," there are 12 Chinese dragons, each one representing one of the symbols of the Chinese years (rat, hare, tiger).  It can get a bit confusing at times, but you are not required to remember all of the names of all 12 Dragoneyes to comprehend what's happening which is a relief. And, the books does a much better job of explaining it than I do.
        Combine this feature with the fact that you're in feudal China and the Emperor is basically a god, things can get very interesting.  I love books where the thought processes are as equally important as the fighting, and there is a lot of intricate politics that Eon has to dance around as he makes his way through court.  One mistake, and his neck could be severed.  It makes for quite an interesting read.
       Eon's character is very interesting in and of itself.  Eon is written as a boy who is aware that he's actually a girl.  So, Eon doesn't have the complete brashness of a male, but he doesn't act like a girl. His thoughts are also schooled in the way of a male's (that's why I'm calling him a 'he'--because he's so absorbed in his chosen gender he ignores his given one).  The only way you would picture him as a girl is if you knew he was a girl previously.  That too, adds another layer of intrigue to the whole thing.  First, because it effects the way things are played out, and second, because if anyone found out, Eon's dead.
       Happy book.
       Moving on to Kygo, the heir to the throne.  He also is a very complicated person.  Raised among the women of the court, he's considered a 'girl' so he does much to prove that he really is a man.  He seems to want to be seen as a benign ruler, but he isn't afraid to impose his power upon others to get what he wants.  Within the court, he has the potential to be one of Eon's greatest enemies, if he ever finds out Eon's secret.  He winds up being one of Eon's greatest allies.  You can almost tell that the violate temper inside of him will lead to something deadly--the only thing that you're unsure of is who he'll strike out at first.
       Lady Dela and Ryko are another strange pair.  Lady Dela is a man who is a woman--basically, the opposite of Eon, but she hasn't changed her gender because her life is in danger, like Eon had.  Ryko is her guard.  On the top, he seems to be a very uncomplicated person, but in reality, he's probably the most complicated person in this book.
      Lord Ido is the designated bad guy.  You picture him as a pudgy, balding, old man at first, which is really annoying because then you get a different picture of him elsewhere, and you have to change your entire mental image . . . He isn't a very good bad guy, though, in this book.  Much too stereotypical. 
       This crew of fantastic characters aids the plot in unthinkable ways.  It had the potential to be a horrendously boring book, but Allison Goodman pulled it off.  Kudos to her.  There is a sequel, "Eona," but both books are small libraries in themselves, so I decided to review them separately.  There are other reasons for this decisions, which I will soon reveal.
       Excuse my absolute chaotic layout of this review.  No matter how much of the above you were able to understand, I encourage you to read the books.  I saw these books sitting on the shelves for about three years before I decided that they were worth my time.  Don't make my mistakes, and don't wait an eon to read the fantastic combination of history and myth.  (And please, excuse my horrible pun, but I had no other way to end this).

She has a fantastic author's website, http://www.alisongoodman.com.au/  One of the best I've seen, in my opinion.  It tells quite a bit on her and her other books, which is always interesting.