The Infernal Devices (A YA Book Review)

I wanted to love this series and went in with high hopes. Unfortunately, for me the writing missed the mark. I can't quite place my finger on it. The short synopsis of this series is that our protagonist, Tessa Gray, has been kidnapped by the Dark Sisters. The Dark Sisters torture Tessa to tap into a power she didn't even know she had. Soon, she is rescued by Will Herondale and Jem Carstairs, who are Shadowhunters protected by the angels. The trilogy follows the love triangle that ensues, and it is a heavy part of the story. In the meanwhile, we deal with Tessa trying to come to terms with her identity, Will trying to break a curse from his youth, and Jem's mortality.

Book one, Clockwork Angel, was pretty good. The pacing was fast and I fell in love with Will almost right away, however, I found Tessa to be an annoying woe-as-me type of protagonist. Book two, Clockwork Prince, seemed to drag for me. I struggled to get through it, but I was determined to finish the series. The last book, Clockwork Princess, is by far the best. The writing seemed better and the pace was quicker. Throughout the series other characters are introduced, one of my favorites being Magnus Bane. I don't want to give any spoilers, so I will just say that as much as I love Will Herondale, I did not love this series. It was just okay for me, and I did not like the ending. I have crossed Mortal Instruments off my TBR list. Maybe eventually I will read it, but six books is a lot for writing that doesn't resonate with my personal taste. Overall this series was 3.5 stars out of 5 for me.