Audio Book Review: Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Title: Clockwork Princess
Author: Cassandra Clare
Genre: Teen Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Steampunk
Publication Date: March 19, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
ISBN Book:  9781442334755
Narrator:  Daniel Sharman
Length: 13 sound discs (15 hr., 30 min.)(Unabridged)
Disclosure: I received a copy of the audio book from Simon & Schuster for review through Audiobook Jukebox.  This is my honest review!


Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Summary:
In the final installment in the Infernal Devices series, we see our three characters struggling to resist the evil plans of the Magister. Tessa and Jem’s relationship is strained by the fact that Jem is dying, and the Magister has the only supply of the drug that keeps him alive. Will still loves Tessa, but can’t let anyone know, especially not his little sister. Soon, these three will have more to worry about than themselves for the Magister will reveal his plans for Tessa and wreak his revenge against the Shadowhunters.

Review:
It seems like these books keep getting better and better. I will admit I was on the edge of my seat wanting to know what would happen next with this novel. I am going to keep my review of the novel brief and vague because I don’t want to spoil the ending for those who haven’t read the other books in the series.

At the end of the previous book, we know the love triangle between the three main protagonists has reached its breaking point, and are left hanging to find out what is going to happen with these three. Jem is dying as he has been since the beginning of the series, but now his deterioration has increased due to the Magister’s meddling with the drug supply. We know that the Magister needs Tessa to finish his plans to destroy the Shadowhunters, and he tries to use the drug to that end.

We added a few new characters to this novel, with Will’s sister, and the addition of Gabriel at the Institute. Clare still finds places to add humor even when the situation seems dire. I still love Magnus, and appreciate his more active role in this novel. Most of the character building has been done prior to this novel, but she still manages to add some growth and change to a few of the side characters.

My one concern with the novel is a trifle, but I admit that it did bother me. It seemed like there was so much build up to the climax and the final battle, that when we got there, I found the battle to be disappointingly short. I felt like there should have been more at that point, and the ending felt rushed to resolve the storyline. I love the buildup, and was fine with the ending; I just think the climax of the story needed a bit more meat.

Audiobook Review:
The audiobook is produced by Simon & Schuster Audio and consists of 13 sound discs, which is roughly 15 hours 30 minutes of listening. Clockwork Princess is read by Daniel Sharman, which is a change in narrators from previous books in this series.

A different narrator has read each book in this series, which I will admit, bothers me. I like consistency with my series, and I like hearing the same familiar voices when I listen to the audio. I am not saying that any of these narrators were bad, in fact, they were all exceptionally good, but I miss the continuity of having the same narrator throughout the series.

That said, the newest narrator for this series, Daniel Sharman, reads the novel with a slight British accent, which suits the setting of the novel. All of his voices are well done, but some British pronunciation can be a bit odd to the American listener (i.e. pronouncing geyser as “geezer” being one of the most notable). Overall, the production is well done, and free of flaws. Sharman does an excellent job with the voices and the story is so engrossing it pulls you in immediately.

Overall:
Overall, this was a satisfying conclusion to the series. I know some people aren’t happy with the ending, but I was fine with the way she resolved the ending. I do however wish there had been more to the climactic battle scene. Ultimately, this series was highly entertaining, and makes me eager to read more of the Mortal Instruments series.



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Pick of the Day: The Memory of After by Lenore Appelhans formerly titled Level 2

There was a definite squeee!!! from my iPad today when I noticed that this little gem was on sale!  I have been wanting to read this novel but hadn't gotten the chance yet, and for the bargin price of $3.99 who could turn this one down.  (Just an FYI, Amazon is actually 0.20 cheaper at $3.79 at time of publication).  You will note the title change, but I for one can't wait to get reading on this book!

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I'm Joining Bout of Books 7.0

I have decided to participate in Bout of Books 7.0. I know I haven't been posting regularly and I admit I haven't been reading a lot lately either. I continue to listen to my audio, but actually picking up a book has been a challenge for me. I have a lot going on right now. My little guy is doing both swimming lessons and t-ball (OMG they are so cute to watch!). So between running around for him, and getting him ready for school next year, things around here have been CRAZY! I need to sit down and get some serious reading done because my list of books is growing, and I feel myself falling father and father behind. To that end I have decided to sign up for the Bout of Books 7.0 Read-a-thon.

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 13th and runs through Sunday, May 19th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 7.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

So if like me you need a push to get you reading, or you want to read along for fun, check out the Bout of Books 7.0 read-a-thon!

Audio Book Review: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Title: Clockwork Prince
Author: Cassandra Clare
Genre: Teen Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Steampunk
Publication Date: February 12, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
ISBN Book:  9781442334724
Narrator:  Ed Westwick and Heather Lind
Length: 13 sound discs (15 hr., 30 min.)(Unabridged)
Disclosure: I checked out a copy of this audiobook from my public library.  This is my honest review!


Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary:
Clockwork Prince picks up immediately after the end of Clockwork Angel. The Clave is displeased with Charlotte because she housed the traitor Nate under her own roof. Benedict Lightwood seeks to run the London Institute in Charlotte’s place. The only hope for Charlotte to keep the institute is for them to find the Magister before her two week trial period is up. With few leads, and mounting danger, Tessa, Will and Jem seek the Magister and anyone connected to him.

Review:
Let’s start this off with an admission. It has been a long time since I read Clockwork Angel. I finished Clockwork Angel in June of 2011, so it has been almost 2 years since I read the first book in this series. I really enjoyed the book, but it took me a long time to get back to the series. In the meantime, I had also read Clare’s City of Bones and I found myself confusing the two. It took me a while to sort out the events of the two books and settle into this one. That being said, I recommend rereading or at least skimming the first book again, if you haven’t read the first book in a while.

Clockwork Prince starts off where Clockwork Angel left off with very little reminder of what has occurred previously. (Again, this is where a quick reread or skimming of the previous book would help the reader.) Once I got into the story, though, I was fully engaged. I remembered how well I liked Tessa, Will, and James, and I loved how we got to know more about this wonderful characters.

In some ways,Clockwork Prince is the typical middle book of the series. There isn’t a whole lot of action in this book, but a lot more character development, and tension building. You can clearly tell this book is building up to something. Tessa, Will, and Jem, are looking for Mortmain to keep the Institute from being handed over to Benedict Lightwood.

When the action finally does arrive, it arrives suddenly and is over just as suddenly, but the repercussions are lasting. The relationships between the characters continue to grow, and the love triangle because more prominent than in the first book.

I hated when I had to stop this book. I just wanted to keep on reading and keep going. I spent a lot of my time in my car just listening to this book to find out what will happen next. Clare knows how to build tension and how to keep readers invested in her work. While not a lot of action took place, you couldn’t wait to read the next sentence to find out what will happen to these characters.

Audiobook Review:
The audio book for this novel was produced by Simon & Schuster Audio and read by Ed Westwick and Heather Lind. This was a change in narrators from the first book, so listeners beware. I know I usually prefer a continuity between narrators of the same series, but since it had been a while since I listened to the first book, this didn’t bother me as much as it might have if I had just finished book one. Change aside, both Westwick and Lind do a superb job reading the novel, and even singing pieces—that really surprised me. My only comment on the use of two narrators is really trivial, but there were a couple of places where it bothered me. Most transitions between narrators occur between narrative shifts, or shifts of perspective between female and male characters. That might have influenced some of the changes here, but not all of them, so I was sometimes confused by the change in narrator. That aside, the readers did a wonderful job and kept me engaged in the story to the point where I didn’t want to stop listening.

Overall:
I enjoyed this book more than the first, and can’t wait to pick up book three. If you like this author and this series, you won’t want to miss this book.


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