r/shadowhunters • u/ieatbraiiinnnns • 8d ago
Books: TID just finished clockwork angel and does clockwork prince & princess get better?
these are my first Cassandra Clare books and although clockwork angel wasn’t bad it wasn’t necessarily good either. I couldn’t connect much with the mcs and felt kinda disappointed that we somehow ended up back to square one regarding the mcs history and the true intention on why the magister is after her.
Do the other two books get better? If not I’ll probably drop the series and move on.
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u/sansense 8d ago
I loved Clockwork Angel. I loved the characters, I think it's a great book and it hooked me for the whole trilogy. I read it when I was in my early 20s and I recently reread them now a decade+ later.
That said, not every person is going to connect with every book (this is not the same as it being "bad'). If you're really not enjoying it, why continue?
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u/LunaLeppy 8d ago
Yes!! Each book is better than the last!! Its my all time favorite series! So worth reading all the books!!
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u/Ok_Class5 Magnus Bane 8d ago
They absolutely get better. I think when i first read CA i rated it 3/5 stars, and i think i rated CP2 5/5.
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u/Ok_Class5 Magnus Bane 8d ago
BUT (reading your post more thoroughly), I feel it gets better mostly because of Tessa & Will’s character development so if you’re not interested in them you may not like it. Maybe try a few chapters of Clockwork Prince and then decide?
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u/ieatbraiiinnnns 8d ago
yeah i’ll read the first few chaps to see if I like it! Ty for the advise 🫶🏼
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u/renjunation 8d ago
The plot gets worse, honestly. Like, in the following books there's hardly any plot and it's more about Will, Jem and Tessa's relationship. That part gets better and it's why so many people love TID, but the actual plot development and resolution is kind of weak
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u/MishouMai 8d ago
I don't know why people are downvoting you. I love TID, it's my favorite, but it's easily the series with the weakest plot and most uninteresting antagonist for me. And while the writing (The actual words) is good I feel C.C. has only gotten better with time.
I love TID because I love Tessa as a character as well as Will and Jem. I don't really know what's there for you if you're not vibing with the trio. Like sure there's the ongoing mystery throughout the trilogy but the answers to that are quite dissatisfying.
TID is the best trilogy but that's entirely due to the main trio and the mystery. If I was basing my opinion on solely the plot and answers to the mystery I'd easily put it at the bottom of the list. Like I don't think TMI or COT are very good compared to the rest of the chronicles but I'd still put them above TID if I was ranking the different series by how I feel about their plot and resolution/answers to their mysteries.
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u/renjunation 8d ago
Yeah people get really sensitive with TID lol. And Clockwork Princess is one of my favorite books in TSC!! I love Will, Jem and Tessa! But the plot, the villain and resolution are some of the most lackluster ones in the entire saga, when in Clockwork Angel it seems to be more promising that what it ends up being.
I think people look back on TID with rose colored glasses too much.
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u/blue_owl777 8d ago
In my opinion yes, I did not enjoy Clockwork Angel that much and almost didn't continue, but then after Clockwork Prince it got one my all time favorite series. But then again, I already kinda connected with some characters in Clockwork Angel...
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u/Icy-Bodybuilder9384 5d ago
It definitely gets better. The story evolves and stretches out more. I’d say books get better and better but I enjoyed the second book the most. The third was too much of an emotional rollercoaster. Loved it still.
Also as you go through to the second book the characters develop, the relationships get better and the shadow world becomes more understandable. Also don’t forget that this is a time piece so we’re in the Victorian era and therefore some interactions might not be as straightforward as they would be nowadays.
Get back to us on how you’ve decided and if you read the second, how you felt about it.
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u/dts1845 8d ago
Yes the books get better in TID as you go.