Clockwork Princess
| Industry | Publishing |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Books |
| Website | www |
Clockwork Princess is a 2013 fantasy novel by young adult writer Cassandra Clare, serving as the concluding volume of The Infernal Devices trilogy. Following the events of Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Prince, the story focuses on Tessa Gray at the London Shadowhunter Institute as she and her companions face off against the villainous Magister (Axel Mortmain), who seeks to annihilate the Shadowhunter race.
Plot
Set two months after Clockwork Prince, Tessa is preparing for her wedding to Jem Carstairs. Gabriel Lightwood arrives requesting assistance for his father, Benedict, who suffers from demon pox and has murdered several servants, including Rupert Blackthorn. Gabriel and his brother Gideon ultimately kill their father, intensifying family conflicts. Gabriel takes up residence at the London Institute and begins a relationship with Cecily Herondale, sister of Will.
Jem’s condition worsens due to overuse of yin fen in an effort to remain strong for their upcoming marriage. Mortmain purchases all available yin fen in London to leverage control over the Institute through Tessa. Jem refuses to negotiate, prompting an acceleration of the wedding date. Consul Josiah Wayland attempts to convince Gideon and Gabriel to betray Charlotte Branwell; Gabriel briefly hesitates but ultimately remains loyal to her.
Jessamine Lovelace returns following her trials in Silent City but suffers fatal injuries during an automaton assault involving Mrs. Black, who kidnaps Tessa. Before dying, Jessamine leaves clues directing Tessa’s location to Cadair Idris. Jem collapses and implores Will to rescue Tessa before passing away, which breaks their parabatai bond. Charlotte fails to secure support from the Enclave but gathers a team including Sophie, Cecily, Gideon, Gabriel, Magnus Bane, and the Silent Brothers to confront Mortmain. Henry and Magnus develop a Portal device enabling long-distance travel. Wayland calls an emergency Clave meeting but is killed during an automaton attack.
At Cadair Idris, Tessa briefly escapes Mrs. Black and discovers that her clockwork angel pendant contains the essence of the angel Ithuriel. Mortmain coerces her into teaching him how to construct demon-powered automatons that are resistant to Nephilim weapons. He reveals Tessa’s true lineage: she is the daughter of a Greater Demon and a Shadowhunter mother, a secret maintained by swapping Elizabeth Gray with Adele Starkweather and protecting Tessa with Ithuriel’s power. Mortmain’s plan involves creating a new hybrid race combining demons and Nephilim.
Will reunites with Tessa; their bond manifests as a star-shaped mark on Will’s skin—an enduring emblem within the Shadowhunter Chronicles. They join Charlotte’s team in fighting automatons and uncover that Brother Zachariah is actually Jem. Henry sustains severe injuries but is saved by Magnus. When Mortmain captures Tessa, she transforms into Ithuriel and incinerates him before losing consciousness.
After recovering, Jem visits Tessa annually at Blackfriars Bridge before returning to Silent City. Charlotte ascends to Consul and prepares Will to lead the London Institute. Gideon proposes marriage to Sophie as she becomes a Shadowhunter. Magnus departs for the New World, encouraging Will to seek happiness. Subsequently, Will proposes to Tessa, who accepts; both introduce their partners to their families.
In the following years, Tessa marries Will and they have a son named James in honor of Jem. She remains immortal while witnessing loved ones pass away; Will dies in 1937. Unable to bear further loss, Tessa becomes a wanderer but maintains yearly contact with Jem and observes her descendants’ lives. By 2008, decades after Will’s death, she learns that Jem has left Silent City due to recent developments and looks forward to traveling with him once more.
Critical reception
The novel was met with favorable reviews, entering the Publishers Weekly bestseller list at number one, having sold more than 68,000 copies in its initial week according to Nielsen BookScan. Breia Brissey from Entertainment Weekly awarded it an A− grade, describing it as "Clare's finest work yet" and "equally, if not more, captivating than Clare’s original series," referring to The Mortal Instruments. Praise also came from The Guardian for the book’s satisfying conclusion. Furthermore, it secured the top spot on the Wall Street Journal Best Seller list. Clockwork Princess was also nominated as a finalist for the Children's & Teen Choice Book Awards presented by The Children's Book Council.
Promotion
Sally Lodge of Publishers Weekly emphasized Clare’s strategic use of social media platforms to market the novel. Clare unveiled the opening chapter on Twitter, which triggered a fan-led cover reveal campaign that amassed over 30,000 tweets within just two hours. Anne Zafian, vice president and deputy publisher at Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, commented on the innovative nature of this campaign, noting it complemented Clare’s strong digital presence and enabled a simultaneous global chapter release. Clare expressed excitement about the enthusiastic fan interaction and responses.
Additional promotional efforts included launching Clare's Shadowhunters App for both Apple and Android devices in early February 2013, providing users with an exclusive preview of the novel’s prologue. The official trailer for Clockwork Princess debuted on February 21 via Entertainment Weekly's Shelf Life blog.
Publication history
Clockwork Princess was published in the United States on March 19, 2013, through Margaret K. McElderry Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster Publishing.
Sales
Over 68,000 copies were sold during its debut week. The entire The Infernal Devices series achieved a worldwide in-print total of six million copies, with one million copies of Clockwork Princess printed by the time of its launch.
Film adaptation
Cassandra Clare confirmed that Constantin Film, the production company behind The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, had acquired film rights for The Infernal Devices series. As of 2019, the adaptation was reported to be in preliminary development stages.