Pain. So much pain.
Call me a masochist, but I love books that tear my heart in half and leave my soul bleeding. Clockwork Princess, the third and final installment of Cassandra Clare’s The Infernal Devices trilogy, did just that and more.
As the residents of the London Institute gear up for Jem and Tessa’s wedding, the threat of Axel Mortmain and his clockwork army looms overhead. In the excitement of vows to be exchanged between two young loves, things take a turn for the worse. Gideon and Gabriel are blackmailed by the Consul to spy on Charlotte after the demise of their father, but the pair of Lightwood brothers are torn between defending the family and their loyalty to the woman who took them in so graciously. Will discovers that Jem’s been taking extra yinfen to be more alive for Tessa, but Mortmain has cornered the market, leaving Jem without the drug and his life up to fate. Tessa is kidnapped by Mortmain, Jem is seemingly on his deathbed and Will has no other option but to disclose his feelings for Tessa to his parabatai, say his final goodbye and race after the girl they both love so desperately.
It’s a journey of loss and love that tears at your heart.
It genuinely left me broken in a way that no other book has done before. Every time that I thought my heart could not break anymore or that I had no more tears left to give, Clare found yet another way to shatter me to the point of sobs.
Here are all my thoughts on Clockwork Princess, and boy do I have a lot of them.
Give me that main character energy!
Something that I believe Clare is fantastic at is making readers care about minor characters. In the grand scheme of things, The Infernal Devices is the story of Will, Tessa and Jem. However, it’s also the story of Henry and Charlotte Branwell, the Lightwood brothers, Sophie Collins and Cecily Herondale. While they may not be the ✨ main characters ✨, they are certainly important to the story.
Cecily Herondale was my favorite minor character by far. It actually feels insulting to call her minor. She’s a warrior, and she’s exactly like Will. She shows up to the London Institute determined to bring her brother home, but quickly realizes that she was meant for the Shadowhunter life, as well. It’s quite literally in her blood.
“Shadowhunter blood is like gunpowder in your veins, Cecy. Once it is lit, it is not so easily extinguished. Remain much longer here, and there is every likelihood you will be like me — too entwined to leave.”
Will to Cecily, Page 166
I think I resonate with Cecily so much because I am also a little sister. Cecily gave off major little sister vibes that hit home for me. I absolutely lost it when Will caught Cecily following him on his way to the infrit den.
“What are you doing following me about the back streets of London, you little idiot?”
“This morning it was cariad, now it’s idiot?”
“Don’t you even care where I’m going? What if I were going to Hell?”
“I’ve always wanted to see Hell. Doesn’t everyone?”
Will & Cecily, Page 91-92
Cecily discovers that her brother had found a home and a family among the Shadowhunters at the London Institute. The Shadowhunters did not bleed the love out of Will as their mother warned, instead they gave him all the love they could offer even when he did not wish to accept or give any in return. She too had found love and a home amongst the war of the Nephilim with Gabriel Lightwood, who also gave me major little sibling vibes. These two listening at the door when Gideon proposed to Sophie was super adorable.
Side note! In the epilogue, we learn that Will gave a speech at Gabriel and Cecily’s wedding praising the groom, only to end it by announcing, “Dear God, I thought she was marrying Gideon. I take it all back.” I was holding my sides from laughing so hard between sobs. I’m glad that their rivalry never truly ended.
Speaking of Gabriel and Gideon, I enjoyed them for the message they represented.
“We are not our parents, Gabriel. We do not have to carry the burden of their choices or their sins.”
Cecily, Page 300
The Lightwood brothers were raised by their hideously corrupt father to bend and break rules to fit their needs. Gideon learned the errors of his father’s ways when he left London to study at the institute in Spain; however, Gabriel comes to terms with this the hard way by being forced to kill their own father after he had been turned into a giant demon worm. These two boys could have easily fallen into the Consul’s trap to frame Charlotte, but instead they chose the right thing and stuck by the London Institute no matter the consequence.
This is a lesson so many young adults learn even in this era. We grow up, see the world and reevaluate what we have been taught. Sometimes we discover that there are things we need to unlearn. Other times, we stick by our parents until their sins do become our own burdens, and we must learn to let go and to face the world as an individual.
Also, these two are so damn awkward. From Gideon requesting scones just to see Sophie and then hiding them under the bed to Gabriel fumbling through his worry that Cecily will return home now that she knows that her brother will never do so, the Lightwood brothers were so adorably awkward despite the tough-guy charade they often paraded around with their father.
Sophie is another badass female character that I loved. Seriously, The Infernal Devices was packed with strong females that absolutely crushed the gender standards and expectations of their time and pushed the plot forward.
She was so much more than a maid, even though that is how she saw herself. Sophie was a friend, a confidant and a fierce fighter. She was scarred, left on the streets to practically die, and taken in by Shadowhunters. She felt she owed Charlotte and the Institute her life.
I particularly loved her silent confidence. She dealt back the snark that Will tossed her way in earlier books, she knocked out Jessamine when she was found to be a traitor, she slapped Gabriel when he spoke negatively about Charlotte, she stood up to Gideon when she discovered he was adding extra work to her already busy schedule just because he was trying to flirt, she also demands a proper proposal from the eldest Lightwood brother, and she fought alongside the Shadowhunters against Mortmain. She is shy and often apologizes for her rash decisions, thinking that they will cost her her job, but everyone always applauds her actions.
Her reason for wanting to be a Shadowhunter was especially moving, and I applaud her courage to confide it in Gideon.
“All life can be brutal. My life before I came to the Institute was hardly sweet. I suppose in part I wish to be a Shadowhunter so that if another man ever comes at me with a knife in his hands, as my former employer did, I can kill him where he stands.”
Sophie to Gideon, Page 280
I was so happy to see her successfully achieve Ascension and essentially have her dreams come true. She’s such a beautiful cinnamon roll who can also kick your ass. Sophie deserves nothing but the best.
Finally, we come to Charlotte and Henry Branwell. It was so funny that these two were married and still thought the other didn’t share the same affection. I also ask my husband if he actually loves me daily even after nine years together.
Henry was such a sweet character.
He was so different from the other male Shadowhunters we’ve seen so far in Clare’s books. He doesn’t seem solely focused on protecting the world from demons during his lifetime, instead he wants to invent tools to help the Nephilim long after he’s gone. Other Shadowhunters believe him to be mad, but little do they know that Henry’s inventions will become not just common among Nephilim but actual world savers.
Henry finally received the praise he deserved from Magnus Bane, who was completely enamored by the Shadowhunter’s long list of inventions. Together, they managed to create the first-ever portal (and body glitter, but that more so benefits Magnus than the Nephilim), which is such a great origin story to one of the most useful tools in Shadowhunter history.
And Charlotte, small but oh so fierce Charlotte … I can barely put into words how amazing her character was throughout the entire series. It doesn’t matter the era, women have to fight harder to reach high positions of power and stay there. They are more heavily scrutinized, and there are so often people hiding in the shadows just waiting for them to slip up.
When her back is up against the wall as the Consul does everything in his power to thwart her calls for help against Mortmain and his clockwork creatures, she doesn’t fold. With the encouragement of her fellow comrades at the London Institute, she calls on the assistance of the Conclave and of the Silent Brothers herself no matter the consequences.
Charlotte is a natural-born leader. She commands the hold of the residents of the Institute by gaining their respect and their loyalty. Her speech before heading into battle literally gave me chills.
“We are Shadowhunters, and our duty is to each other and to what we think is right. We believe Will, and we believe in Will. Faith has brought us this far; it will bring us a little farther. The Angel watches over us, and we shall win out.”
Charlotte, Page 429
She fights and leads all while being pregnant! What a freaking superhero! It’s my belief that it is her qualities that are more typically attributed to being feminine that help her build so much trust among those who are close to her. She never gave up on Will during his years of ferocious cruelty, she loved Jem immensely even knowing she would not have him for long, she cared for Jessamine while the girl despised the life Charlotte provided for her, she took Tessa in despite her demon heritage and she welcomed Gabriel and Gideon into the Institute with open arms to prove they were not their father’s sins.
Charlotte actually wins over Gabriel, her heaviest sceptic, through her immense care and love. She wraps her arms around him after he kills his father and instills in him that she’s willing to trust him no matter the harm his father caused. In return, he must prove he is worthy of that trust.
Side note! I feel pretty indifferent about Jessamine. It was a unique perspective to see a Nephilim outright hate being a Shadowhunter. Usually the Nephilim are pretty self-righteous about their Angel blood and divine call to protect the world. However, Jesse was whiny and naive. She was miserable and felt everyone around her should feel similarly, much like Will before learning his curse wasn’t real. I didn’t think she deserved a second chance after betraying the Institute.
With all that being said, I did enjoy her ending. She dies in Will’s arms after finally giving him (*Cecily*) the final clue to finding Mortmain, and she is sentenced to protect the London Institute from the afterlife. That means that she is what stopped Sebastian and his forces during the Dark War. That’s an amazing call back, and a pretty decent redemption arc for the girl who never wished to be Nephilim. Also, since Will is taking over the London Institute, Jessamine gets to annoy him for his entire life.
What is going on????
You know what, I’m just going to say it … I’m not sure who or what Axel Mortmain is, and I read all three books.
I thought that we established in Clockwork Prince that Mortmain was a warlock who posed as the adoptive son after his wife was murdered by Shadowhunters so that he could play ye ole vampire trick to inherit the family business from himself. That is apparently not what happened. The great power that is Google informed me that Mortmain was the adoptive son of warlocks John and Anne Shade, who were both murdered by Shadowhunters for doing shady shit. Then, he used dark magic to prolong his life so he could reap revenge on the Nephilim.
Yawn.
After such an incredible villain like Sebastian (aka Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern) in TMI, Axel Mortmain was a disappointment. His back story was disconnected, jumbled and overall blah. Clare really pushed the idea that he was always one step ahead of the Nephilim and made sure that he did his dirty work through many channels. We rarely saw the man himself.
Just as a great hero is made by establishing a connection between the character and reader via emotions and details, the same can be said for a villain. I need a villain to make me feel something, anything. Give me eccentric flair and dramatic speeches and show me proof that they are as terrifyingly evil as you make them out to be. Mortmain was simply a man with money, time and a grudge. I didn’t care about him, and he didn’t make me fear him. He bored me.
I liked the plot, don’t get me wrong. I thought it was brilliant to incorporate the concern and anxiety many had at the advancements that the Industrial Revolution brought to the public. The clockwork creatures were unique, and I think it was great that they seemed to change and evolve each time the characters saw them. I think what Cassie does best is melt the magic of the Shadow World into the mundane, and this was another perfect example of that. As the world surges forward into a more technologically and mechanically developed age, evil is bound to be stirred up and evolved, as well.
Personally, I just wished that Mortmain was a more complex villain. I love a good villain, and this was just not it.
Who ya gonna call? Magnus Bane!
In my review of Clockwork Prince, I proposed the question of whether or not William Herondale was the first Nephilim to catch the heart (and free assistance) of Magnus Bane. After reading Clockwork Princess, I think the answer is a hearty yes based on Magnus’s reactions to Will’s persistence and kindness.
Throughout TID, Magnus became much more than a warlock to Will. He became a confidant, a friend and a savior. Magnus is often bewildered that Will would expect anything of him, while Will is always desperately looking toward Magnus for all answers. The banter between these two is impeccable.
When Charlotte blames Magnus for allowing Will to go after Tessa alone, the warlock delivers the most ironic line a character ever had the privilege to mutter.
“It is not my responsibility now, nor will it ever be my responsibility, to manage wayward Shadowhunters.”
Magnus, Page 262
I got news for you, Magnus. From the moment you decided to help William Herondale, you righted yourself onto a path of managing wayward Shadowhunters for eternity. It’s never going to end.
In Magnus’s defense, he does try to shake off Will, but the Shadowhunter is determined. When Tessa and Will show up at Woolsey Scott’s to ask Magnus if he could help Jem, Will and Woolsey get in a scuffle that frazzles our favorite warlock.
“I don’t know why I ever helped you.”
Magnus & Will, Page 121
“You like broken things.”
Both Magnus and Will are stubborn and set on telling hard truths. It’s hardly a secret that Magnus is drawn to what is beautiful and broken. We see as much in TMI when Magnus lends his services because he’s got heart eyes for Alexander. Much like Alec and the rest of the TMI gang, Will has cracked the careless exterior that Magnus held onto that kept him from becoming too invested in mortal affairs.
“The good suffer, the evil flourish, and all that is mortal passes away.”
“I want more than that. You made me want more than that. You showed me I was only ever cursed because I had chosen to believe myself so. You told me there was possibility, meaning. And now you would turn your back on what you created.”
Magnus & Will, Page 122
Got him. At the beginning of their business affairs, Will was quite despairing. He had no expectation for happiness or love and desperation had taken over. Magnus had given Will hope, and now he is no longer content with the suffering that he claims afflicts mortals. In return, Will has lit a spark in Magnus with a reminder of how passionate one can be about life. Because of this, Magnus feels as if the happiness of William Herondale is his responsibility.
Magnus, Page 129
“I feel that I owe him. I have heard it said that when you save a life, you are responsible for that life. I feel I am responsible for that boy. If he never finds happiness, I will feel I have failed him. If he cannot have that girl he loves, I will feel I have failed him. If I cannot keep his parabatai by him, I will feel I failed him.”
The sweetest moment that may even be a decisive turning point in Magnus Bane’s immortal life is when Will summoned the warlock to the Institute when Jem was dying solely to talk. Magnus is already used to being used by the Nephilim and then shooed off when the deed is done and debt paid. When a Shadowhunter calls, he expects they want something from him.
In a way, Will does want something from Magnus, but it doesn’t require magic. He wants a friend, somebody who will listen to his woes and griefs and understand how he feels.
Downworlder relationships with Nephilim weren’t that great in the 2000s during TMI, so I can only imagine how shoddy they were in the 1800s. Magnus never expected to find an odd kinship with Will but that’s exactly what happened.
William has the utmost respect for Magnus, which is a huge part of their friendship. While Will may never come right out and talk about the level of respect he has for Magnus, he shows it on quite a few occasions.
When he and Tessa leave Woolsey’s house after Magnus agrees to help Jem, Will states that he saw the pity in the warlock’s eyes and knew that all was hopeless. He has such high regard for Magnus, that he knew if there was anything left to do, the warlock would have had faith not pity. Then again, when Magnus arrives for Will at the Institute, he concludes that there is no way he can help Jem so quickly and that it may be time to say his final goodbye to his parabatai.
“Perhaps it would be better to let him die. Every life is finite, Will. And you knew when you chose him, that he would die before you did.”
Magnus to Will, Page 238
I can’t help but think that only Magnus could get away with suggesting to Will that it’s best to allow Jem to pass on. Any other time that a character has offered similar sentiments, it ends in outbursts and denial from Will. However, when it’s Magnus, William simply states, “If you think that would be the best thing for him.” There’s no more fight, no more hope … just acceptance of the inevitable.
In this acceptance, Magnus offers the advice that only one with immortality could truly understand.
“You endure what is unbearable, and you bear it. That is all.”
Magnus to Will, Page 240
Isn’t that we all do in life? We consistently endure what we think we cannot bear, and we continue on with life with the lessons and memories they brought to us in a hope that they made us stronger.
Sorry, I’m crying again.
To seal this friendship, Magnus receives a gift of words from William as another sign of respect and gratitude.
“Thank you, Magnus, for all you did for me. If I did not say it before, I am saying it now. Thank you.”
“I don’t think a Shadowhunter has ever thanked me before.”
“I would try not to become too accustomed to it. We are not a thankful sort.”
Will & Magnus, Page 538
This bond is what connects Magnus to the Nephilim for eternity. If not for Will Herondale’s persistence and beauty, what fate would have come to our TMI heroes? Would Magnus have refused to help Jocelyn Fairchild when she asked to block Clary’s memories of the Shadow World? Would he have taken one look at the group of Shadowhunters on his doorstep in City of Bones and insisted they leave without a second glance. Would he see just more Nephilim demanding magic and bringing trouble along with them?
Oh gosh, I’m getting too heated. It’s all beautiful and connects everything so perfectly. It was A+ work by Cassie.
Random Side note! Perhaps Shadowhunters are “not a thankful sort” because their job is thankless. They are born and often die under a sacred oath to protect the world from evil from within the shadows. They are dust and shadows. Maybe they don’t know how to be thankful? Or they’re all dicks who abuse the talents of Downworlders for their own gain. Who knows?
✨Heronstairs✨
What I thought Clare did perfectly throughout The Infernal Devices is present an unbreakable, unmovable connection between Will and Jem.
In my reviews of TMI, I often criticized the portrayal of the parabatai bond between Jace and Alec. I believed that Clare didn’t fully capture the depth of the relationship of the two brothers bound by an oath like she presented parabatai to be. While Jace and Alec definitely loved and trusted each other as brothers, I felt like they were two different souls on two different paths until the other was in mortal danger. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. They were both trying to figure out who they were outside of each other, but it was odd to see the pair so distant at times when they supposedly shared this sacred bond that turned two into one.
Meanwhile, Jem and Will have always felt like a singular tightly knit soul.
From the first time these two met, they have been exactly what the other needed. Will was determined to thwart off the newcomer by being the absolute worst little boy he could be, and Jem immediately responded to Will’s nastiness with honesty and humor.
“I haven’t trained since I left Shanghai. I could use a partner—someone to spar with.”
“So could I. But I need someone who can keep up with me, not some sickly creature that looks as if he’s doddering off to the grave. Although I suppose you might be useful for target practice.”
“If by ‘doddering off to the grave’ you mean dying, then I am. I have about two years more to live, three if I am lucky, or so they tell me … You may use me for target practice if you wish. It seems to me I have little to fear from such an exercise, as you are not a very good shot. Or you could allow me to teach you. For I am a very good shot.”
Will & Jem, Page 16-17
I loved this first interaction. Jem looks at the hard exterior of Will and sees two things: 1) Someone who is finally not going to treat him as if he is glass and 2) a boy who needs a friend to show him that he’s worthy of life. In return, Will finds happiness in knowing that he has found someone to whom he can selfishly show his true self to. His greatest sin.
“You are not really dying, are you?”
“So they tell me.”
“I am sorry.”
“No. Don’t be ordinary like that. Don’t say you’re sorry. Say you’ll train with me.”
“I’ll train with you.”
Will & Jem, Page 18
That’s it, that’s the moment that changes the course of both these boys’ lives. For once they were both alone in the darkness and now they have found light amongst each other, and the love they share because of it is anything but ordinary.
Side note! I would happily read a novella solely about the shenanigans these two got into in the years leading up to them meeting Tessa. I bet they were full of chaotic energy. Could you imagine 13-year-old Will and Jem wandering the streets of London, Will proclaiming that he finally found proof of demon pox and Jem rolling his eyes but following him anyway?
While the bond between Jem and Will is undeniably strong, it is also messy. No two people are that close without a few tiffs.
At the beginning of CP2, Jem defends Cecily when she wants to join the fight to defeat Benedict Lightwood (Lightworm?), much to Will’s disgruntlement. While this is just a minor disagreement, Jem taking up Cecily’s side against Will is enough to surprise those around them.
The bigger, messier points of contention come when Jem’s life is in question.
For example, Will is pissed when he discovers that Jem is taking more of the yin fen to appear healthier and more full of life for Tessa. He insists that Tessa would rather have more time with Jem than for him to live more fully, but James disagrees.
“There is more to living than not dying … I am not going to live! I am not going to live, and I can choose to be as much for her as I can be, to burn as brightly for her as I wish, and for a shorter time, than to burden her with someone only half-alive for a longer time. It is my choice, William, and you cannot make it for me.”
Jem, Page 84-85
As always, they come to an agreement that Will won’t tell Tessa and continue to buy the yin fen in exchange for Jem allowing him to search for a cure.
Their brotherhood is getting so messy because they are slowly switching places. It’s always been Jem protecting Will from his own impulsive recklessness, but now Jem has been stricken with love and finds himself unable to think clearly. When Jem tosses the packet of yin fen from Mortmain into the fire as a declaration that he’d rather die than lose Tessa, Will immediately shoves his hands into the flames to salvage what he can of the drug, much to Jem’s horror.
“It was — it was a madly noble thing to do. I understand why you did it.”
“I was thinking of Tessa. Madly noble. Isn’t that meant to be your area of expertise? Suddenly I am the one who does ridiculous things and you tell me to stop?
“God. When did we change places?”
“It is a very strange thing, to be in love. It changes you.”
“I wish you wouldn’t risk yourself.”
“I have always wished that about you.”
Will & Jem, Page 176-177
Everything comes crashing down when Tessa is kidnapped and Jem collapses after his attempt to chase after the carriage. This is seemingly the end for James. He is dying. Will confesses to Jem that he loves Tessa, and, in true Jem fashion, he proclaims that he would’ve ended his engagement if he had known and gives his blessing for Will to leave his side to save the girl they both love.
“I always loved you, Will, whatever you did. And now I need you to do for me what I cannot do for myself. For you to be my eyes when I do not have them. For you to be my hands when I cannot use my own. For you to be my heart when mine is done with beating.”
Jem, Page 248
The final goodbye between these two is so devastating. While these two souls have become one, they are still different people with different opinions and views on life and death. It’s often mentioned that Will believes in the Shadowhunter motto of “dust and shadows” and that there is a river separating the living world from the dead, while Jem believes that life is a wheel and that we are reborn. It’s very intuitive to their personalities. William is looking to live as passionately and brightly as possible and then to find peace after the battle of life is over. However, Jem’s viewpoint shows his optimism that he does not just have this one short life to live; that his work in the world doesn’t end, it only begins again. Either way, they will never truly say goodbye to each other, for there will be a time when they meet again.
“I am not alone. Wherever we are, we are as one.”
“If there is a life after this one, let me meet you in it, James Carstairs.”
Jem & Will, Page 248-249
This is a long ass quote, but it’s so beautiful and impactful that I couldn’t bear to shorten it or not include it at all. After Will feels the parabatai bond snap, leaving his rune faded and bloody, he believes that this is the end. Jem, who he fought to keep alive for five years and in return has kept him breathing, was dead. Will takes Jem’s dagger, slices his palm open to spill his blood on the hilt, and buries the weapon with a final promise.
“I told you before, Jem, that you would not leave me. And you are still with me. When I breathe, I will think of you, for without you I would have been dead years ago. When I wake up and when I sleep, when I lift up my hands to defend myself or when I lie down to die, you will be with me. You say we are born and born again. I say there is a river that divides the dead and the living. What I do know is that if we are born again, I will meet you in another life, and if there is a river, you will wait on the shores for me to come to you, so that we can cross together. You hear that, James Carstairs? We are bound, you and I, over the divide of death, down through whatever generations may come. Forever.”
Will, Page 329-330
In what would’ve been the sickest plot twist ever if I had read Clare’s books in the correct order, Brother Zachariah’s hood falls back during the battle at Cadair Idris to reveal Jem Carstairs. Despite already reading CoHF, it was such an amazing moment. It’s possibly my favorite moment out of all the Shadowhunters books I’ve read so far.
The rush of emotions between both Will and Tessa is magic. There’s disbelief that it’s actually Jem, pure joy that he is alive, anger that he chose to become a Silent Brother, fear that he is in danger, and the unrequited love that is always present between these three.
It also gives us one last glimpse of Jem and Will fighting side by side.
“I like that stick of yours.”
“It’s a staff. Made by the Iron Sisters, only for Silent Brothers.”
“Anyone can sharpen a stick”
“It’s a staff.”
“Whatever you say, James. Whatever you say.”
Will & Jem, Page 449-450
I really loved that Clare hammered out the point that the relationship between these young men is way more than the Marks they share. Will insists that they are bound to one another because they’re parabatai, but Jem has always been set on convincing him that no rune makes or breaks the love they have for each other.
“Listen to me. I am leaving, but I am living. I will not be gone from you entirely, Will. When you fight now, I will be still by you. When you walk in the world, I will be the light at your side, the ground steady under your feet, the force that drives the sword in your hand. We are bound, beyond the oath. The Marks did not change that. The oath did not change that. It merely gave words to something that existed already.”
Jem to Will, Page 509
This is such an important lesson for Will to learn as Jem becomes more distant in his transformation into Brother Zachariah. Will has to understand that his life does not mean less now that Jem has become a Silent Brother. Since they were 12 years old, Will has always looked to Jem to see the best in himself, to give himself purpose and to remind himself that he was not fully alone. From now on, he must find all those things in himself.
“All my life, since I came to the Institute, you were the mirror of my soul. I saw the good in me in you. In your eyes alone I found grace. When you are gone from me, who will see me like that?”
“Have faith in yourself. You can be your own mirror.”
Will & Jem, Page 508
Personally, I don’t think that Will ever intended to continue living in a world where Jem wasn’t at his side. He spent the last five years attempting to lengthen Jem’s life while preparing himself for the inevitable. In a sense, it’s worse for Will to have Jem alive and healthy yet so far away from him. They will both eventually live happy, fulfilling lives with the girl they love, but they will do it separately and at a distance in different eras. They will not be together as they thought when they swore their parabatai oath.
“Jem was not dead, but some bit of Will had gone with him when he’d left, some bit chiseled out of Will’s heart and buried down there among the whispering bones.”
Tessa, Page 523
The love triangle between these young men and Tessa is beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but the relationship between William Herondale and James Carstairs is poetically perfect.
One boy from Whales and the other from Shanghai lost so much at such a young age and in such dramatically different fashion, yet somehow found each other in London, and together they became stronger, wiser and all-around better for the short five years that they were parabatai. In the end, it was Jem, the boy once destined to die too young, that held Will’s hand and granted him peace to find death after a long life well spent among friends and family.
“For five years it had been his absolute truth. Jem and Will. Will and Jem. Will Herondale lives, therefore Jem Carstairs lives also.”
Will, Page 316
But what happens to Jem Carstairs when Will Herondale no longer lives?
(Spoiler! Jem lives a hauntingly sad life as Brother Zachariah until Will’s great great great grandson zaps him with a little Heavenly Fire while trying to save the last of the Herondale line.)
End of Part 1
Yikes. Per usual, this got lengthy real quick. To break things up, I’ll post my thoughts on our favorite throuple, the epilogue that absolutely crushed me, some of the dots I connected between TID and TMI, and my final review of the entire series in Part 2!
Life of Bry 
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