By late 2010, Cassandra Clare had already changed the landscape of YA fantasy fiction with The Mortal Instruments, and the prequel series The Infernal Devices was generating the kind of anticipation that only happens when an author has built genuine trust with readers.

Clockwork Angel, the first Infernal Devices book, distinguished itself from the Mortal Instruments by its Victorian London setting and by the emotional geometry of its central trio: Tessa Gray, Will Herondale, and Jem Carstairs. Where the Mortal Instruments was propulsive urban fantasy, The Infernal Devices was more patient — willing to sit in atmosphere and complication.

The announcement of Clockwork Prince brought with it the promise of deeper resolution to the triangle Clare had established: the brooding, self-sabotaging Will; the gentle, dying Jem; and Tessa caught between genuine love for both. The Infernal Devices worked because Clare gave her secondary characters — the Shadowhunter Institute’s residents — enough presence to matter.

Victorian shadowhunter fiction turned out to be exactly the right setting for Clare’s skills: the period allowed for a kind of formal emotional restraint that made the eventual eruptions of feeling more powerful. Clockwork Prince was anticipated not because readers wanted more plot, but because they wanted more of these specific people in this specific world.

Series: The Infernal Devices · Author: Cassandra Clare · Genre: YA fantasy

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes The Infernal Devices different from The Mortal Instruments? The review distinguishes the series by its Victorian London setting and ’the emotional geometry of its central trio: Tessa Gray, Will Herondale, and Jem Carstairs.’ Where the Mortal Instruments was ‘propulsive urban fantasy,’ The Infernal Devices was ‘more patient — willing to sit in atmosphere and complication.’ The period setting allowed ‘formal emotional restraint that made the eventual eruptions of feeling more powerful.’

What is the central love triangle in The Infernal Devices? The triangle consists of ’the brooding, self-sabotaging Will; the gentle, dying Jem; and Tessa caught between genuine love for both.’ The review describes this as what Clockwork Prince promised to develop further, noting that readers anticipated the sequel not ‘because they wanted more plot, but because they wanted more of these specific people in this specific world.’

Why does Victorian London work as a setting for Cassandra Clare’s shadowhunter fiction? The review argues the Victorian period ‘allowed for a kind of formal emotional restraint that made the eventual eruptions of feeling more powerful.’ The setting suited Clare’s skills specifically — the period conventions around emotion and expression amplified rather than constrained the emotional stakes of the story.

What was the cultural context for Clockwork Prince’s anticipation in 2010? By late 2010, Clare had ‘already changed the landscape of YA fantasy fiction with The Mortal Instruments,’ and the prequel series The Infernal Devices was ‘generating the kind of anticipation that only happens when an author has built genuine trust with readers.’ Clockwork Angel had distinguished itself enough that its sequel was eagerly awaited.

Further Reading from Authoritative Sources

  • Cassandra Clare — Wikipedia’s Cassandra Clare article provides biographical and bibliographical context for the author, including the Shadowhunter Chronicles and its various series, helping readers understand the Infernal Devices within her broader body of work.
  • The Infernal Devices — Wikipedia’s The Infernal Devices article provides series-level context including publication history and the Victorian setting, helping readers understand the trilogy’s place within the broader Shadowhunter universe.