Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Questions, Thoughts, and Theories About Clockwork Princess

* SPOILER WARNING: This post contains major spoilers for Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince, and The Mortal Instruments series. *

Predicting what might happen in our favorite books is a bit of a hobby for us. We’ve spent many after-dinner walks discussing our theories. The Infernal Devices is the type of series in which what you think is a passing reference to someone or something later turns out to be significant. Extremely significant. As we wait for our copies of Clockwork Princess to arrive (which probably won’t be until Thursday. Sadly, Amazon didn’t offer release date delivery.), we thought we’d share some of the questions and speculative thoughts we have going into the final book.

Ally's Questions, Thoughts, and Theories

Crazy Jessie

From reading the first two installments of The Infernal Devices, everyone knows that baby Jessie turns into crazy Jessie. What exactly happens to her after she’s locked up in the Silent City? Welp, here’s my theory: I believe that Jessamine is going to try and redeem herself. I do believe that she regretted her rash actions and wants to make right with the only family she has left. I think she will end up dying in the process, sacrificing herself for the people she loves. Let’s face it, folks, none of us has seen the last name Lovelace floating about in TMI.

Papa Bane

Since Victorian England up until now, Magnus Bane’s parentage has been in question. From the little intel I have gathered during my investigation, I know the following: Magnus is a powerful and well-respected warlock; Magnus has a demon father and a human mother; Magnus doesn’t like to talk about his past despite everyone trying to bring it up (Alec!); and Magnus has an impeccable sense of style. This has led me to conclude that Magnus’s father is beyond powerful . . . and fashionable. Papa Bane has been referred to as the Prince of Hell, and ladies and gentlemen, I believe that Magnus’s papa is very high up there on the hellish chain of command —possibly the devil himself.

Where Have You Been, Tessa?

Yet another burning question simmering in my mind is where Tessa Gray disappears to in the span of time between TID and TMI. We know that she’s been in both series, we just don’t know where she’s been hiding. My prediction? Well, since I’m almost entirely convinced that Tessa is part-fey (Lee thinks she’s part-angel), I’m going to go out on a limb and say that she’s been crashing in the fey realm (unless you’re Lee and think she’s floating about in the high heavens). It may not seem reasonable, but I can’t get over that creepy run-in with that psycho faerie in Clockwork Prince. She kept blabbering about how she knew Tessa’s mum. I think this seemingly insignificant scene will play a much larger role in the grand scheme of things.

Herondale Ink

Okay, so in TMI we learn that Jace’s godly body is marred by a bad-arse birthmark. This mark runs in the Herondale family line. Legend says that the mark symbolizes that a Herondale had a meet-and-greet with a full-fledged angel. I think that this notorious Herondale is our charming Will. My reasoning? Well, we know that Will does not have the mark as of now, so that means that the angel encounter happens between Will's time and Jace's. Who else is important enough to meet an angel— Stephen Herondale? I think not! Plus, Will is ready to do anything to save Jem. I believe that he will summon an angel and ask for help. As for what happens after that, I’m not sure, but where there’s a Will, there’s a way.

Operation Save Jem

We both love Jem Carstairs—a lot. It’s with grave sincerity that I say that we would be unhinged if anything happened to him. With his more than bleak future lurking at the end of this trilogy, there is little I can do but wait for the foreshadowed inevitable. I can hope for the best and conspire with Lee on seemingly implausible plans to save my beloved Jem, so that is what I have done.

Plan A: Jem becomes a Silent Brother (ahem, Zachariah). I know that being a Silent Brother is not much of a life, but it’s a life nonetheless. I’m also choosing to ignore the hope-crushing snippet of Clockwork Princess that was released.
Plan B: By the Angel, a cure is found!
Plan C: The angels deem Jem too precious to die and take him to the high heavens to become an angel himself.
Plan D: Will sacrifices himself to save his parabatai.

Personally, I’m banking on Plan A.

Lee's Questions, Thoughts, and Theories

Shadowhunter Family Tree

This is one of my favorite topics to speculate on. I feel like the TID books are filled with many subtle references to the modern day Shadowhunters. The question is, how is everyone related to one another? Clockwork Princess will actually contain a Shadowhunter family tree, so we’ll find out for certain how the characters from Cassandra Clare’s two series are connected. For now, though, here are a few things I’ve noticed in the books that have made me wonder about the possible links between them. Charlotte Branwell’s maiden name is Fairchild, and Jocelyn, mother of Clary Fray in The Mortal Instruments, is also a Fairchild. Henry, Charlotte’s husband, has the middle name Jocelyn. Interesting, no? I’m also intrigued by the resemblance between Alec Lightwood from TMI and Will Herondale from TID. Magnus Bane, of course common to both series, seems to see a very uncanny similarity in appearance between these two characters. Is it just a coincidence? There’s a generation of Lightwoods in TID, including Will’s arch nemesis, Gabriel Lightwood. Will also has a younger sister, Cecily, who looks just like Will. Wouldn’t it be something if Gabriel and Cecily became a couple? It might explain the Herondale blue eyes getting passed down through the Lightwood family. Oh, and imagine Will’s reaction to his sister and Gabriel being in love!

Mama Herondale

Not much is known about Will’s parents. His father was a Shadowhunter who left the Nephilim to marry Will’s mother, a mundane. In Clockwork Prince, Jem explains to Tessa that it is possible for a mundane to Ascend and become a Shadowhunter in order to marry one. Previously, in Clockwork Angel, Jem told Tessa that the Council had refused to allow Will’s mother to Ascend, and so Edmund Herondale gave up his life as a Shadowhunter. I don’t have a theory as to why the Council said no; it’s just something that I’m really curious about and hope will be addressed in Clockwork Princess.

Aloysius Starkweather

The ancient, cranky, and, frankly, kind of creepy, Starkweather certainly isn’t going to win any prizes in the charm department. But something about Tessa prompts a strange reaction from him, as though he recognizes her from somewhere, despite their frist meeting ostensibly being in Clockwork Prince when she accompanies Will and Jem to the York Institute, which Starkweather heads. I definitely think that this guy is important somehow, as is the backstory of his granddaughter, Adele, who died shortly after receiving her Shadowhunter Marks. The connection to Tessa has me stumped; I’m not even hazarding a guess here.

By the (Clockwork) Angel!

This pendant, which belonged to Tessa’s mother, is more than just a pretty piece of jewelry. It has literally saved Tessa’s life, in the it-came-alive-and-acted-of-its-own-accord sense. What kind of magic is in this angel? Clearly, it’s very powerful. Could it be a faerie-made object, perhaps? (Remember the faerie rings that Simon and Clary used to communicate with each other in City of Lost Souls?) It would be apt if the clockwork angel were angel-made, of course. Whatever the necklace’s origin, its history should be interesting. I really hope to find out how it ended up in the New York Institute, as mentioned in City of Lost Souls.

The Love Triangle

Oh dear. How is this not going to end in heartbreak? I’ve racked my brain for a solution that makes everyone happy, but yeah, I got nothing here. Normally I don’t even like love triangles, but this one . . . . How do I even explain? I love both boys. A lot. The bond of their friendship, which runs so deep that they’re as close to being brothers as two friends can be, won’t allow a girl to come between them. One would sacrifice his heart for the happiness of the other in the blink of an eye because that’s how parabatai are. I foresee a ton of self-sacrifice here, but not an answer to who’s going to end up with whom. This one is just too tough to call. I do, however, foresee a whole lot of ugly crying in my future.

And One Question That's on Both Our Minds . . .

Will We Find Out Who Brother Zachariah Is?

We strongly suspect that this enigmatic character from The Mortal Instruments is connected to TID’s Shadowhunters. In fact, we became so obsessed with this guy after reading City of Lost Souls that we wrote a post all about our theories on Brother Zachariah’s identity, and you can read that post here. Since there’s still one more TMI book to come, we’re not banking on finding out who he really is in Clockwork Princess, but you never know.

What are you especially looking forward to in Clockwork Princess?

10 comments:

  1. I think my brain just exploded.

    All the questions! I really hope we get all the answers, we may...as it is an almost 600 page book.

    I like the idea of Jem becoming an angel, but think that would almost certainly mean Will becomes Brother Zachariah. Which makes me curious as to how that would happen.

    I also had fleeting thoughts about Tess being Fey...I think it works.

    Crap, I really need to finish the book I'm reading now so I can start on this one!! :)

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    1. I'm in the middle of reading Requiem, and I really have to get a move on finishing it. We're supposed to receive our copies of Clockwork Princess tomorrow, and I'm going to be very, very angry if the Post Office delivers yet another one of my packages to the wrong address.

      Ally has a real knack for making accurate book predictions, and when I read her theories, I kept saying, why didn't I think of that before?! And with that page count, I also hope that our burning questions will finally get answers.

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    2. Good luck with Requiem... ;)

      I just started Clockwork Princess last night but late, so didn't get very far. :(

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    3. I'm really slogging through Requiem; it's definitely not what I thought it was going to be!

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  2. I love this post! Well done girls, your fangirling over Clare's books are incomparable.

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  3. This is a series I haven't tried yet! I need to check it out!

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    1. It is so, so amazing. Ally and I are beyond obsessed with it at this point.

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  4. Wow! Great post and a few things I had thought of too and a some I hadn't :)

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    1. We had so much writing this post. When I was done formatting it, I couldn't believe how long it ended up being!

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