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* JadeColoredGlasses: Arguably Will, as he alludes to a traumatic childhood quite often.
** Subverted with [[spoiler: Jem, who had a very traumatic experience and seems to function quite well outside his "illness".]]
** Subverted with [[spoiler: Jem, who had a very traumatic experience and seems to function quite well outside his "illness".]]
to:
* JadeColoredGlasses: JadeColoredGlasses:
** Arguably Will, as he alludes to a traumatic childhood quite often.
** Subverted with[[spoiler: Jem, [[spoiler:Jem, who had a very traumatic experience and seems to function quite well outside his "illness".]]
** Arguably Will, as he alludes to a traumatic childhood quite often.
** Subverted with
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* IncurableCoughofDeath -Jem's illness that causes him to cough up blood. No cure has been found.
*** [[spoiler: That is until the epilogue where a cure was finally found.]]
*** [[spoiler: That is until the epilogue where a cure was finally found.]]
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* IfICantHaveYou: [[spoiler: The reason for Sophie's scar.]]
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* GaslampFantasy: Is most definitely this - VictorianLondon with magical elements.
to:
* GaslampFantasy: Is most definitely this The series is set an alternate Victorian London that contains elements of a Masquerade: things such as magic, demons, werewolves, vampires, etc. wander around in the open - VictorianLondon but only people with magical elements.The Sight can see them.
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* FirstKiss: Will, for Tessa.
to:
* FirstKiss: Will, Will Herondale , for Tessa.Tessa Gray, in the attic.
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* FireAndIceLoveTriangle: Will and Jem. Will is fire, Jem is ice. Interestingly, Jem is both much nicer and an infinitely safer bet.
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* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler: Tessa fakes her own suicide to prevent Mortmain from using her power.]]
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* EvenTheGuysWantHim:
** De Quincy and Magnus Bane both hint at this about Will.
** Of course this applies to [[CampGay Magnus Bane]] as well since De Quincy was interested in him, "as more than friends". Tessa ''didn't'' know what Magnus was hinting at, but that was because such things were ''unheard'' of in such a time period... (or just not talked about).
** De Quincy and Magnus Bane both hint at this about Will.
** Of course this applies to [[CampGay Magnus Bane]] as well since De Quincy was interested in him, "as more than friends". Tessa ''didn't'' know what Magnus was hinting at, but that was because such things were ''unheard'' of in such a time period... (or just not talked about).
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* EvenTheGuysWantHim: De Quincy and Magnus Bane both hint at this about Will.
** Of course this applies to [[CampGay Magnus Bane]] as well since De Quincy was interested in him, "as more than friends".
*** Tessa ''didn't'' know what Magnus was hinting at, but that was because such things were ''unheard'' of in such a time period... (or just not talked about)
** Of course this applies to [[CampGay Magnus Bane]] as well since De Quincy was interested in him, "as more than friends".
*** Tessa ''didn't'' know what Magnus was hinting at, but that was because such things were ''unheard'' of in such a time period... (or just not talked about)
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* EtTuBrute: [[spoiler: Nate. What's with the constant brother/sister betrayals in Cassandra Clare books?]]
to:
* EtTuBrute: EtTuBrute:
** [[spoiler: Nate. What's with the constant brother/sister betrayals in Cassandra Clare books?]]
** [[spoiler: Nate. What's with the constant brother/sister betrayals in Cassandra Clare books?]]
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* DefinitelyJustACold: Jem to Tessa.
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* DefinitelyJustACold: Jem to Tessa.Tessa when she asks about his health.
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* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: Tessa's and Jessamine's.
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%% * DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: Tessa's and Jessamine's.
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* ClockworkCreature: The automatons - humanoid {{clockwork creature}}s that answer to the Magister and [[spoiler: that were planned to be infused with demon energies to create a clockwork army.]]
** only very loosely "humanoid" and many times they are remotely humanoid they lack any facial features, up the creepy factor.
** only very loosely "humanoid" and many times they are remotely humanoid they lack any facial features, up the creepy factor.
to:
* ClockworkCreature: The automatons - humanoid {{clockwork creature}}s that answer to the Magister and [[spoiler: that were planned to be infused with demon energies to create a clockwork army.]]
** only]] Only very loosely "humanoid" and many times they are remotely humanoid they lack any facial features, up the creepy factor.
** only
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* ChekhovsGift: The [[spoiler: tiny clockwork angel sure comes in handy]]
** But we really don't know much about it
** But we really don't know much about it
to:
* ChekhovsGift: ChekhovsGift:
** The [[spoiler: tiny clockwork angel sure comes inhandy]]
** But we really don't know much about ithandy]]
** The [[spoiler: tiny clockwork angel sure comes in
** But we really don't know much about it
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* CallForward: Magnus tells Tessa he has a thing for people with blue eyes and black hair. Who has blue eyes and black hair? [[spoiler:Alec]] from ''Mortal Instruments''!
to:
* CallForward: CallForward:
** Magnus tells Tessa he has a thing for people with blue eyes and black hair. Who has blue eyes and black hair? [[spoiler:Alec]] from''Mortal Instruments''! ''Literature/TheMortalInstruments''!
** Magnus tells Tessa he has a thing for people with blue eyes and black hair. Who has blue eyes and black hair? [[spoiler:Alec]] from
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** Remember ''City of Fallen Angels'' when Jace sleeps in the Silent City and sees initials scratched onto the wall? [[spoiler: ''Clockwork Prince'' reveals that those stood for "Jessamine Gray."]]
to:
** Remember ''City ''[[Literature/TheMortalInstruments City of Fallen Angels'' Angels]]'' when Jace sleeps in the Silent City and sees initials scratched onto the wall? [[spoiler: ''Clockwork Prince'' reveals that those stood for "Jessamine Gray."]]
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* BritishAccents - Tessa's brother Nate, despite being from New York, has one of these. He uses "oughtn't" on several occasions. You know, like every American.
** Consider the time period, though. It's not too hard to believe that the educated Gray siblings would use what they perceive as more refined word choice--even though it isn't, but merely British English vs. American--regardless of nationality.
** Consider the time period, though. It's not too hard to believe that the educated Gray siblings would use what they perceive as more refined word choice--even though it isn't, but merely British English vs. American--regardless of nationality.
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* BloodFromTheMouth -Jem due to his 'illness' coughs up blood when weak.
** IncurableCoughofDeath -Jem's illness that causes him to cough up blood. No cure has been found.
** IncurableCoughofDeath -Jem's illness that causes him to cough up blood. No cure has been found.
to:
* BloodFromTheMouth -Jem due to his 'illness' coughs up blood when weak.
**IncurableCoughofDeath -Jem's illness that causes him to cough up blood. No cure has been found.
**
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%% * BadassGay: Alexei de Quincey and Woolsey Scott
to:
%% * BadassGay: Alexei de Quincey and Woolsey ScottScott.
* BashBrothers: The concept of "parabatai" is absolutely this trope. Will Herondale and Jem Carstairs are the clearest example of this.
* BashBrothers: The concept of "parabatai" is absolutely this trope. Will Herondale and Jem Carstairs are the clearest example of this.
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* ArrangedMarriage: Tess was going to be forced to marry the Magister before she was rescued.
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* AllMythsAreTrue
to:
* AllMythsAreTrueAllMythsAreTrue: Lampshaded explicitly several times.
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* AffectionateNickname: Theresa Gray is called Tessa by most everyone, Tessie by her brother, and Tess by Will.
to:
* AffectionateNickname: AffectionateNickname:
** Theresa Gray is called Tessa by most everyone, Tessie by her brother, and Tess by Will.
** Theresa Gray is called Tessa by most everyone, Tessie by her brother, and Tess by Will.
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* AbsentMindedProfessor: ''Henry'' - while not really being a professor in the first place. But he's a brilliant inventor who just happens to forget things.
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* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler: Jem, who is dependent on the yin fen for survival. However, taking it is slowly killing him.]]
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* LegacyOfService: Thomas and Cyril Tanner come from a long line of people who've had a touch of the Sight, which is required for servants of the Nephilim. Needless to say, their family's been serving the Institute for a while.
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* DeliveryNotDesired: In ''The Clockwork Angel'', while Tessa is imprisoned by the Dark Sisters, she writes letters to Nate for comfort, knowing she most likely would not be able to send them.
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* CommonCrossover: This series and ''Literature/TheMortalInstruments'' don't have a huge crossover file yet, but it's steadily building. Considering the fact that this series is really just a prequel and many characters are either ancestors of characters in ''The Mortal Instruments'' or present in both series (such as Magnus Bane and various vampires), it's not surprising.
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* TheAgeless: Warlocks, and possibly Faeries, stop aging [[ImmortalityBeginsAtTwenty after reaching maturity]]. Vampires are frozen at whatever age they were when they were turned.
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* TheAgeless: Warlocks, and possibly Faeries, stop aging [[ImmortalityBeginsAtTwenty Warlocks are this. They do not age after reaching maturity]]. adulthood, but are not significantly more resistant to physical injury than humans. This is also implied to be the case with the Fair Folk. Vampires are frozen at whatever age a little closer to {{Immortality}}, as they were when possess HealingFactor, although they were turned.can still be killed, most obviously by sunlight.
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* MarkOfTheSupernatural: Warlocks have a distinguishing mark that's unique to each one. Magnus Bane has cat eyes and Ragnor Fell has ram horns, green skin and an extra joint in each finger. Tessa, [[spoiler: despite being a warlock, does not have a mark because her mother was a Shadowhunter.]] This is basically her distinguishing mark.
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* ConverseWithTheUnconscious: A version of this happens in ''The Clockwork Princess''. Will and Magnus have a conversation over a dying, unconscious Jem, in which Will mentions his love for Tessa. When Magnus leaves and Will is about to say his final goodbyes, Jem wakes up.
--->"I am not dead yet, Will. What did Magnus mean by asking you if I knew you were in love with Tessa?"
--->"I am not dead yet, Will. What did Magnus mean by asking you if I knew you were in love with Tessa?"
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%% * BadassGay: Alexei de Quincey and Woolsey Scott
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[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/clockwork_angel_4385.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250: Welcome to [[AustinPowers London, baby!!!]].]]
->''Gently, the tide is rising,''
->''corrupting the mechanism.''
->''Salt, rust, and silt''
->''slowing the gears.''
->''Down at the banks''
-->-- '''Thames River Song, Elka Cloke'''
"Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still."
When 16-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is [[VictorianLondon the reign of Queen Victoria]], and something terrifying is waiting for her in [[BritainIsOnlyLondon London's Downworld]], where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the [[WhoYouGonnaCall Shadowhunters]], [[DemonSlaying warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos]].
Kidnapped by the mysterious [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Dark Sisters]], members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that [[TomatoInTheMirror she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability]]: [[{{Humanshifting}} the power to transform, at will, into another person]]. What's more, [[BigBad the Magister]], the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.
Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: [[IllBoy James]], whose [[{{Bishonen}} fragile beauty]] [[DarkAndTroubledPast hides a deadly secret]], and blue-eyed [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys Will]], whose [[DeadpanSnarker caustic wit]] and [[EmoTeen volatile moods]] keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that [[ConflictingLoyalty she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world]]...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all." — back cover
The trilogy is written by Creator/CassandraClare as a prequel to her previous series, The ''Literature/MortalInstruments''. Clockwork Princess, the third and final book in the series has been released. This series has [[Characters/InfernalDevices a character sheet]], so please put all character-related tropes there.
Not to be confused with the third book of the ''MortalEngines'' quartet, or with K.W. Jeter's seminal steampunk novel.
----
!!This series provides examples of:
* AbsentMindedProfessor: ''Henry'' - while not really being a professor in the first place. But he's a brilliant inventor who just happens to forget things.
* ActionGirl: Many. Tessa later becomes one. Also Charlotte Branwell and [[spoiler: Will's sister, Cecily.]]
* AffectionateNickname: Theresa Gray is called Tessa by most everyone, Tessie by her brother, and Tess by Will.
** And [[spoiler: Will's sister Cecily is called "Cecy" by Will and later Gabriel Lightwood.]]
* TheAgeless: Warlocks, and possibly Faeries, stop aging [[ImmortalityBeginsAtTwenty after reaching maturity]]. Vampires are frozen at whatever age they were when they were turned.
* AllMythsAreTrue
* ArrangedMarriage: Tess was going to be forced to marry the Magister before she was rescued.
* BilingualBonus: "Ni hen piao liang." Not just Chinese but also French, Latin, some Greek...there's really quite a number of them.
** In the later books Welsh is also used quite frequently.
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Jem lives, but as a Silent Brother who can only see Will and Tessa occasionally over the next few decades. Will and Tessa get married, but Will dies in the epilogue, leaving Tessa alone. Tessa leaves her children, not wanting to watch them die too. Jem is cured and he and Tessa get together, but Tessa will eventually have to watch him die too.]]
* BritishAccents - Tessa's brother Nate, despite being from New York, has one of these. He uses "oughtn't" on several occasions. You know, like every American.
** Consider the time period, though. It's not too hard to believe that the educated Gray siblings would use what they perceive as more refined word choice--even though it isn't, but merely British English vs. American--regardless of nationality.
* BloodFromTheMouth -Jem due to his 'illness' coughs up blood when weak.
** IncurableCoughofDeath -Jem's illness that causes him to cough up blood. No cure has been found.
*** [[spoiler: That is until the epilogue where a cure was finally found.]]
* CallForward: Magnus tells Tessa he has a thing for people with blue eyes and black hair. Who has blue eyes and black hair? [[spoiler:Alec]] from ''Mortal Instruments''!
** Also, Henry talking about inventing the Sensor.
** Remember ''City of Fallen Angels'' when Jace sleeps in the Silent City and sees initials scratched onto the wall? [[spoiler: ''Clockwork Prince'' reveals that those stood for "Jessamine Gray."]]
** Magnus says to a probable ancestor of [[spoiler: Alec]] “All Lightwoods look the same to me—”.
* ChekhovsGun: Will talking about [[spoiler: Boadicea]] later on gives, [[spoiler: Tessa the strength to fool the Magister]]
* ChekhovsGift: The [[spoiler: tiny clockwork angel sure comes in handy]]
** But we really don't know much about it
** Also [[spoiler: Tessa's dislike for chocolate, and the gift Nate gives Aunt Harriet...]]
* ClockworkCreature: The automatons - humanoid {{clockwork creature}}s that answer to the Magister and [[spoiler: that were planned to be infused with demon energies to create a clockwork army.]]
** only very loosely "humanoid" and many times they are remotely humanoid they lack any facial features, up the creepy factor.
* ComicBookAdaptation: All three books in the trilogy have received manga adaptations.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: [[spoiler: Jessamine, who despite trying all she can to be TheLoad can't deny her Shadowhunter heritage.]]
** Bridget. She's just a cook and someone who makes depressing poetry/songs, yet is arguably the best fighter who isn't of supernatural(werewolf, vampire, etc.). Even Will got stunned.
* DeadpanSnarker: Will... most notably. But also, Tessa, Jem and Jessamine.
** Sophie should get a special mention.
* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: Tessa's and Jessamine's.
* DefinitelyJustACold: Jem to Tessa.
* DemonSlaying: The Shadowhunters' whole schtick.
* [[spoiler: DistantFinale]]: [[spoiler: The epilogue of ''Clockwork Princess'' takes place in modern day, with Tessa recalling her life with Will, his death of old age in her arms as Jem played the violin, and finally meeting with Jem who has been freed from the Silent Brothers and the two of them starting a new life together.]]
* DrivenToSuicide: Subverted. [[spoiler: Tessa ''pretends'' to kill herself to keep Mortmain from getting his hands on her power. In reality she Changed at the last minute into a woman who died of a gunshot wound.]]
** [[spoiler: Played straight with Barbara Lightwood and her brother.]]
* {{Epigraph}}: At the beginning of each chapter (usually hinting at what's about to happen)
* EtTuBrute: [[spoiler: Nate. What's with the constant brother/sister betrayals in Cassandra Clare books?]]
** [[spoiler: And later, Jessamine Lovelace betrays the Institute for Nate.]]
* {{Expy}}: Some of the characters are expies of Literature/HarryPotter characters [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation as]] [[DivergentCharacterEvolution inter]][[{{Jossed}} preted]] by Creator/CassandraClare's old fanfic the Fanfic/DracoTrilogy:
** Tessa Gray is Hermoine Granger.
** Will Herondale is Draco Malfoy.
** Jim Carstairs is Harry Potter.
* ExtranormalInstitute: The Institutes, and by extension the (Con)clave.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: De Quincy and Magnus Bane both hint at this about Will.
** Of course this applies to [[CampGay Magnus Bane]] as well since De Quincy was interested in him, "as more than friends".
*** Tessa ''didn't'' know what Magnus was hinting at, but that was because such things were ''unheard'' of in such a time period... (or just not talked about)
* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler: Tessa fakes her own suicide to prevent Mortmain from using her power.]]
* FallingChandelierOfDoom: [[spoiler: Took care of Mrs. Dark quite nicely.]]
* FantasyKitchenSink: Warlocks, werewolves, vampires, faeries, demons, angels, and Nephilim are the main fantasy creatures; however, many others are mentioned in passing.
* FirstKiss: Will, for Tessa.
* FiveManBand: TheHero being Tessa in this case with Will as TheLancer, Jem as TheSmartGuy, Thomas and Henry count as TheBigGuy, and Charlotte is most definitely TheChick here.
* GaslampFantasy: Is most definitely this - VictorianLondon with magical elements.
* GenreSavvy: Tessa.
* GoodAngelBadAngel: Played with having Jem and Will be Tessa's angels. It doesn't hurt that they're both [[MixedAncestry part angel.]]
* GunsAreUseless: So it's best to just bring your seraph blade with you.
** Although a few times, guns did come in handy... they just aren't ''magic''.
* HappilyMarried: The Branwells, more or less.
* HilariousInHindsight: In-universe example:
** Magnus says to a Lightwood “All Lightwoods look the same to me—”. What's the last name of his future partner?[[spoiler: Lightwood.]]
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Will and Jem.
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Each book is titled "The Clockwork X".
* IfICantHaveYou: [[spoiler: The reason for Sophie's scar.]]
* TheInfiltration: Having been given [[spoiler: absolutely, totally false]] information that de Quincey is the Magister, the Clave devises a plan to have Will and Tessa enter one of de Quincey's lavish parties [[spoiler: where he tortures mundanes like Nate]] by having Tessa transform into Camille Belcourt. At the sign of de Quincey breaking the Law, Will is supposed to signal the Clave so that they can kick some vampire ass.
* JadeColoredGlasses: Arguably Will, as he alludes to a traumatic childhood quite often.
** Subverted with [[spoiler: Jem, who had a very traumatic experience and seems to function quite well outside his "illness".]]
* JerkAss: Will. He very occasionally strays into JerkWithAHeartOfGold territory, but he really isn't. However, [[spoiler: Will does shift into {{Jerkass Facade}} territory after the discovery that he ''literally'' kills everyone he loves.]]
** [[spoiler: Until it turns out that he doesn't. He's still distant, though, but that's just his personality.]]
*** Gabriel Lightwood, and probably his older brother, who can make the former look sweeter than gingerbread.
**** It's possible that his brother used to be this, but in Clockwork Prince, it appears he got better while he was in Spain.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters
* LoveTriangle: Will-->Tessa<--Jem.
** Jessamine lampshades it in Clockwork Prince.
--> Jessamine, mocking Tessa: Oh, I must choose between Will and Jem! Whatever shall I do?
* MagicPoweredPseudoscience[=/=]{{Magitek}}: The clockwork automatons.
* MeaningfulName: ''Axel'' Mortmain makes mechanical devices.
* MixedAncestry: Technically anyone of note in this series. Shadowhunters are half-angel half-human, Warlocks are half-demon half-human, Faeries are half-angel half-demon, etc etc.
* MundaneSolution - Of the AssPull variety, when [[spoiler: Mrs. Dark in demon form inside a pentagram can't be touched by seraph blades ''infused with the divine energy of God'', but a falling chandelier kills her just fine. Sort of.]]
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Invoked by Tessa in the final book when she realizes exactly why and how Mortmain wishes to use her.
* MoralityPet: Jem and Tessa, for Will.
* {{Muggles}}: Or, "Mundanes."
** Which, actually makes more sense ''here'' when you think about it. "Mundane" means not sacred, ordinary versus divine. But, in ''Mortal Instruments'' it takes on a negative meaning, sounding boring and the Shadow Hunters use it with [[FantasticRacism bad connotations]] -- here it's more friendly.
* OddFriendship: Will and Jem.
** Will and Magnus, considering that Will doesn't really do friends and that, up until that point, Magnus hated Shadowhunters.
** In Clockwork Princess [[spoiler: Magnus and Henry seem to get along swimmingly. Magnus is the only person other than Charlotte to ever consider Henry brilliant and Henry introduced Magnus to glitter, his semi-infamous accessory from the Mortal Instruments series.]]
* OnlyChildSyndrome: The only characters who aren't only children are Tessa, whose search for her brother Nate [[spoiler: who eventually betrays her, and is actually her cousin]] kicks off the plot, the Dark Sisters, Gabriel, whose siblings aren't seen until at least the second book, and Will [[spoiler: whose younger sister comes to the Institute at the end of book 2]]. Aunt Harriet, who was Tessa and Nate's mother's sister, is dead. Everyone else's parents are either [[ConvenientlyAnOrphan deceased]] or [[ParentalAbandonment simply not there]], leaving them only children.
* OurAngelsAreDifferent
* OurVampiresAreDifferent
* PairTheSpares: Everyone gets a fairytale romance at the age of sixteen. Sophie is paired up with Gideon after deciding [[LovingAShadow she didn't really love Jem anyway]], and almost from the moment she is introduced Cecily is paired off with his conveniently single brother. Meanwhile, [[spoiler: only single characters are killed off (Jessamine, Thomas).]]
* ParentalAbandonment: Everyone suffers from this. And I mean ''[[{{BrutalHonesty}} everyone]]''. Jem even mentions that [[{{ConvenientlyAnOrphan}} everyone is an orphan]].
** To be fair, this is what the Institute is ''for''. It's essentially an orphanage for Shadowhunters. If any of them had parents, they would be living with them. [[spoiler: Except Will and later Cecily, whose parents don't count since they're not Shadowhunters.]]
* TheReveal: [[spoiler: Mortmain is ACTUALLY the Magister]] also, [[spoiler: Tessa's dad was a demon who fooled his mom into thinking he was her husband, and having his half-demon warlock baby!]] BUT this is Literature/MortalInstruments so expect some of this stuff to change as the series progresses.
* RidiculouslyHumanRobots: The automatons - despite walking with a graceless gait, they can pass for normal humans well enough.
* RunningGag: "There's no such thing as demon pox, Will!"
** [[spoiler: Many fans believe demon pox is a real disease and that may be the cause of Will's or Jem's problem]]
** [[spoiler: As it turns out, we find out in Clockwork Prince that Demon Pox IS a real disease, and Benedict Lightwood has had it for years and gave it to his wife, driving her to kill herself in shame. Will is so pleased about being right all along that he sings a song about it.]]
* TheScapegoat: [[spoiler: De Quincey, who unknowingly took the blame for being the Magister]].
* ScarsAreForever: Sophie, who has a long scar running down the side of her face that distorts her beauty.
* [[spoiler: SecretlyDying: As of ''Clockwork Prince'', Jem is still hiding his SoapOperaDisease from everyone except Will and Tessa.]]
* ShapeShifter: Tessa! This starts off the whole story because of her ability to change into anyone, even possessing some of their memories and personality (she just has to touch one of their items to do it the first time).
* SoapOperaDisease: [[spoiler: Jem's. It was caused by a demon drug that was used to torture him and his parents when he was younger. There is no known cure for it, and he has to keep taking a specific drug to keep on fighting - as Brother Enoch says, taking the drug means a slow death, but keeping him off the drug would mean a quick one.]]
* StockForeignName: James and William.
** Could be justified, considering how common those names were when the story is set.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: [[spoiler: Thomas is replaced ''by his identical twin''.]]
* TakeOverTheWorld: The Magister wants to do this, very much.
* TokenTrio: Will being the lead "white guy", Tessa being the lead "white girl", and Jem being the lead [[{{ButNotTooForeign}} "ethnic guy"]], although he's half-British.
* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: Wanna know if [[spoiler: Will and Tessa kiss?]] good! Go [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SOxzLY2OpA here]]! Luckily, it's not too much of a spoiler.
* TrilogyCreep: The series can be considered one to the original ''Literature/MortalInstruments'' series.
* TwoGuysAndAGirl: Will, Jem, and Tessa.
* TheVerse: This is a prequel to ''Mortal Instruments'' that takes place in the same universe.
* VictorianLondon
* WhoYouGonnaCall: Shadowhunters.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler: Jem, who is dependent on the yin fen for survival. However, taking it is slowly killing him.]]
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[[caption-width-right:250: Welcome to [[AustinPowers London, baby!!!]].]]
->''Gently, the tide is rising,''
->''corrupting the mechanism.''
->''Salt, rust, and silt''
->''slowing the gears.''
->''Down at the banks''
-->-- '''Thames River Song, Elka Cloke'''
"Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still."
When 16-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is [[VictorianLondon the reign of Queen Victoria]], and something terrifying is waiting for her in [[BritainIsOnlyLondon London's Downworld]], where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the [[WhoYouGonnaCall Shadowhunters]], [[DemonSlaying warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos]].
Kidnapped by the mysterious [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Dark Sisters]], members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that [[TomatoInTheMirror she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability]]: [[{{Humanshifting}} the power to transform, at will, into another person]]. What's more, [[BigBad the Magister]], the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.
Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: [[IllBoy James]], whose [[{{Bishonen}} fragile beauty]] [[DarkAndTroubledPast hides a deadly secret]], and blue-eyed [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys Will]], whose [[DeadpanSnarker caustic wit]] and [[EmoTeen volatile moods]] keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that [[ConflictingLoyalty she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world]]...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all." — back cover
The trilogy is written by Creator/CassandraClare as a prequel to her previous series, The ''Literature/MortalInstruments''. Clockwork Princess, the third and final book in the series has been released. This series has [[Characters/InfernalDevices a character sheet]], so please put all character-related tropes there.
Not to be confused with the third book of the ''MortalEngines'' quartet, or with K.W. Jeter's seminal steampunk novel.
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!!This series provides examples of:
* AbsentMindedProfessor: ''Henry'' - while not really being a professor in the first place. But he's a brilliant inventor who just happens to forget things.
* ActionGirl: Many. Tessa later becomes one. Also Charlotte Branwell and [[spoiler: Will's sister, Cecily.]]
* AffectionateNickname: Theresa Gray is called Tessa by most everyone, Tessie by her brother, and Tess by Will.
** And [[spoiler: Will's sister Cecily is called "Cecy" by Will and later Gabriel Lightwood.]]
* TheAgeless: Warlocks, and possibly Faeries, stop aging [[ImmortalityBeginsAtTwenty after reaching maturity]]. Vampires are frozen at whatever age they were when they were turned.
* AllMythsAreTrue
* ArrangedMarriage: Tess was going to be forced to marry the Magister before she was rescued.
* BilingualBonus: "Ni hen piao liang." Not just Chinese but also French, Latin, some Greek...there's really quite a number of them.
** In the later books Welsh is also used quite frequently.
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Jem lives, but as a Silent Brother who can only see Will and Tessa occasionally over the next few decades. Will and Tessa get married, but Will dies in the epilogue, leaving Tessa alone. Tessa leaves her children, not wanting to watch them die too. Jem is cured and he and Tessa get together, but Tessa will eventually have to watch him die too.]]
* BritishAccents - Tessa's brother Nate, despite being from New York, has one of these. He uses "oughtn't" on several occasions. You know, like every American.
** Consider the time period, though. It's not too hard to believe that the educated Gray siblings would use what they perceive as more refined word choice--even though it isn't, but merely British English vs. American--regardless of nationality.
* BloodFromTheMouth -Jem due to his 'illness' coughs up blood when weak.
** IncurableCoughofDeath -Jem's illness that causes him to cough up blood. No cure has been found.
*** [[spoiler: That is until the epilogue where a cure was finally found.]]
* CallForward: Magnus tells Tessa he has a thing for people with blue eyes and black hair. Who has blue eyes and black hair? [[spoiler:Alec]] from ''Mortal Instruments''!
** Also, Henry talking about inventing the Sensor.
** Remember ''City of Fallen Angels'' when Jace sleeps in the Silent City and sees initials scratched onto the wall? [[spoiler: ''Clockwork Prince'' reveals that those stood for "Jessamine Gray."]]
** Magnus says to a probable ancestor of [[spoiler: Alec]] “All Lightwoods look the same to me—”.
* ChekhovsGun: Will talking about [[spoiler: Boadicea]] later on gives, [[spoiler: Tessa the strength to fool the Magister]]
* ChekhovsGift: The [[spoiler: tiny clockwork angel sure comes in handy]]
** But we really don't know much about it
** Also [[spoiler: Tessa's dislike for chocolate, and the gift Nate gives Aunt Harriet...]]
* ClockworkCreature: The automatons - humanoid {{clockwork creature}}s that answer to the Magister and [[spoiler: that were planned to be infused with demon energies to create a clockwork army.]]
** only very loosely "humanoid" and many times they are remotely humanoid they lack any facial features, up the creepy factor.
* ComicBookAdaptation: All three books in the trilogy have received manga adaptations.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: [[spoiler: Jessamine, who despite trying all she can to be TheLoad can't deny her Shadowhunter heritage.]]
** Bridget. She's just a cook and someone who makes depressing poetry/songs, yet is arguably the best fighter who isn't of supernatural(werewolf, vampire, etc.). Even Will got stunned.
* DeadpanSnarker: Will... most notably. But also, Tessa, Jem and Jessamine.
** Sophie should get a special mention.
* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: Tessa's and Jessamine's.
* DefinitelyJustACold: Jem to Tessa.
* DemonSlaying: The Shadowhunters' whole schtick.
* [[spoiler: DistantFinale]]: [[spoiler: The epilogue of ''Clockwork Princess'' takes place in modern day, with Tessa recalling her life with Will, his death of old age in her arms as Jem played the violin, and finally meeting with Jem who has been freed from the Silent Brothers and the two of them starting a new life together.]]
* DrivenToSuicide: Subverted. [[spoiler: Tessa ''pretends'' to kill herself to keep Mortmain from getting his hands on her power. In reality she Changed at the last minute into a woman who died of a gunshot wound.]]
** [[spoiler: Played straight with Barbara Lightwood and her brother.]]
* {{Epigraph}}: At the beginning of each chapter (usually hinting at what's about to happen)
* EtTuBrute: [[spoiler: Nate. What's with the constant brother/sister betrayals in Cassandra Clare books?]]
** [[spoiler: And later, Jessamine Lovelace betrays the Institute for Nate.]]
* {{Expy}}: Some of the characters are expies of Literature/HarryPotter characters [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation as]] [[DivergentCharacterEvolution inter]][[{{Jossed}} preted]] by Creator/CassandraClare's old fanfic the Fanfic/DracoTrilogy:
** Tessa Gray is Hermoine Granger.
** Will Herondale is Draco Malfoy.
** Jim Carstairs is Harry Potter.
* ExtranormalInstitute: The Institutes, and by extension the (Con)clave.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: De Quincy and Magnus Bane both hint at this about Will.
** Of course this applies to [[CampGay Magnus Bane]] as well since De Quincy was interested in him, "as more than friends".
*** Tessa ''didn't'' know what Magnus was hinting at, but that was because such things were ''unheard'' of in such a time period... (or just not talked about)
* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler: Tessa fakes her own suicide to prevent Mortmain from using her power.]]
* FallingChandelierOfDoom: [[spoiler: Took care of Mrs. Dark quite nicely.]]
* FantasyKitchenSink: Warlocks, werewolves, vampires, faeries, demons, angels, and Nephilim are the main fantasy creatures; however, many others are mentioned in passing.
* FirstKiss: Will, for Tessa.
* FiveManBand: TheHero being Tessa in this case with Will as TheLancer, Jem as TheSmartGuy, Thomas and Henry count as TheBigGuy, and Charlotte is most definitely TheChick here.
* GaslampFantasy: Is most definitely this - VictorianLondon with magical elements.
* GenreSavvy: Tessa.
* GoodAngelBadAngel: Played with having Jem and Will be Tessa's angels. It doesn't hurt that they're both [[MixedAncestry part angel.]]
* GunsAreUseless: So it's best to just bring your seraph blade with you.
** Although a few times, guns did come in handy... they just aren't ''magic''.
* HappilyMarried: The Branwells, more or less.
* HilariousInHindsight: In-universe example:
** Magnus says to a Lightwood “All Lightwoods look the same to me—”. What's the last name of his future partner?[[spoiler: Lightwood.]]
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Will and Jem.
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Each book is titled "The Clockwork X".
* IfICantHaveYou: [[spoiler: The reason for Sophie's scar.]]
* TheInfiltration: Having been given [[spoiler: absolutely, totally false]] information that de Quincey is the Magister, the Clave devises a plan to have Will and Tessa enter one of de Quincey's lavish parties [[spoiler: where he tortures mundanes like Nate]] by having Tessa transform into Camille Belcourt. At the sign of de Quincey breaking the Law, Will is supposed to signal the Clave so that they can kick some vampire ass.
* JadeColoredGlasses: Arguably Will, as he alludes to a traumatic childhood quite often.
** Subverted with [[spoiler: Jem, who had a very traumatic experience and seems to function quite well outside his "illness".]]
* JerkAss: Will. He very occasionally strays into JerkWithAHeartOfGold territory, but he really isn't. However, [[spoiler: Will does shift into {{Jerkass Facade}} territory after the discovery that he ''literally'' kills everyone he loves.]]
** [[spoiler: Until it turns out that he doesn't. He's still distant, though, but that's just his personality.]]
*** Gabriel Lightwood, and probably his older brother, who can make the former look sweeter than gingerbread.
**** It's possible that his brother used to be this, but in Clockwork Prince, it appears he got better while he was in Spain.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters
* LoveTriangle: Will-->Tessa<--Jem.
** Jessamine lampshades it in Clockwork Prince.
--> Jessamine, mocking Tessa: Oh, I must choose between Will and Jem! Whatever shall I do?
* MagicPoweredPseudoscience[=/=]{{Magitek}}: The clockwork automatons.
* MeaningfulName: ''Axel'' Mortmain makes mechanical devices.
* MixedAncestry: Technically anyone of note in this series. Shadowhunters are half-angel half-human, Warlocks are half-demon half-human, Faeries are half-angel half-demon, etc etc.
* MundaneSolution - Of the AssPull variety, when [[spoiler: Mrs. Dark in demon form inside a pentagram can't be touched by seraph blades ''infused with the divine energy of God'', but a falling chandelier kills her just fine. Sort of.]]
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Invoked by Tessa in the final book when she realizes exactly why and how Mortmain wishes to use her.
* MoralityPet: Jem and Tessa, for Will.
* {{Muggles}}: Or, "Mundanes."
** Which, actually makes more sense ''here'' when you think about it. "Mundane" means not sacred, ordinary versus divine. But, in ''Mortal Instruments'' it takes on a negative meaning, sounding boring and the Shadow Hunters use it with [[FantasticRacism bad connotations]] -- here it's more friendly.
* OddFriendship: Will and Jem.
** Will and Magnus, considering that Will doesn't really do friends and that, up until that point, Magnus hated Shadowhunters.
** In Clockwork Princess [[spoiler: Magnus and Henry seem to get along swimmingly. Magnus is the only person other than Charlotte to ever consider Henry brilliant and Henry introduced Magnus to glitter, his semi-infamous accessory from the Mortal Instruments series.]]
* OnlyChildSyndrome: The only characters who aren't only children are Tessa, whose search for her brother Nate [[spoiler: who eventually betrays her, and is actually her cousin]] kicks off the plot, the Dark Sisters, Gabriel, whose siblings aren't seen until at least the second book, and Will [[spoiler: whose younger sister comes to the Institute at the end of book 2]]. Aunt Harriet, who was Tessa and Nate's mother's sister, is dead. Everyone else's parents are either [[ConvenientlyAnOrphan deceased]] or [[ParentalAbandonment simply not there]], leaving them only children.
* OurAngelsAreDifferent
* OurVampiresAreDifferent
* PairTheSpares: Everyone gets a fairytale romance at the age of sixteen. Sophie is paired up with Gideon after deciding [[LovingAShadow she didn't really love Jem anyway]], and almost from the moment she is introduced Cecily is paired off with his conveniently single brother. Meanwhile, [[spoiler: only single characters are killed off (Jessamine, Thomas).]]
* ParentalAbandonment: Everyone suffers from this. And I mean ''[[{{BrutalHonesty}} everyone]]''. Jem even mentions that [[{{ConvenientlyAnOrphan}} everyone is an orphan]].
** To be fair, this is what the Institute is ''for''. It's essentially an orphanage for Shadowhunters. If any of them had parents, they would be living with them. [[spoiler: Except Will and later Cecily, whose parents don't count since they're not Shadowhunters.]]
* TheReveal: [[spoiler: Mortmain is ACTUALLY the Magister]] also, [[spoiler: Tessa's dad was a demon who fooled his mom into thinking he was her husband, and having his half-demon warlock baby!]] BUT this is Literature/MortalInstruments so expect some of this stuff to change as the series progresses.
* RidiculouslyHumanRobots: The automatons - despite walking with a graceless gait, they can pass for normal humans well enough.
* RunningGag: "There's no such thing as demon pox, Will!"
** [[spoiler: Many fans believe demon pox is a real disease and that may be the cause of Will's or Jem's problem]]
** [[spoiler: As it turns out, we find out in Clockwork Prince that Demon Pox IS a real disease, and Benedict Lightwood has had it for years and gave it to his wife, driving her to kill herself in shame. Will is so pleased about being right all along that he sings a song about it.]]
* TheScapegoat: [[spoiler: De Quincey, who unknowingly took the blame for being the Magister]].
* ScarsAreForever: Sophie, who has a long scar running down the side of her face that distorts her beauty.
* [[spoiler: SecretlyDying: As of ''Clockwork Prince'', Jem is still hiding his SoapOperaDisease from everyone except Will and Tessa.]]
* ShapeShifter: Tessa! This starts off the whole story because of her ability to change into anyone, even possessing some of their memories and personality (she just has to touch one of their items to do it the first time).
* SoapOperaDisease: [[spoiler: Jem's. It was caused by a demon drug that was used to torture him and his parents when he was younger. There is no known cure for it, and he has to keep taking a specific drug to keep on fighting - as Brother Enoch says, taking the drug means a slow death, but keeping him off the drug would mean a quick one.]]
* StockForeignName: James and William.
** Could be justified, considering how common those names were when the story is set.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: [[spoiler: Thomas is replaced ''by his identical twin''.]]
* TakeOverTheWorld: The Magister wants to do this, very much.
* TokenTrio: Will being the lead "white guy", Tessa being the lead "white girl", and Jem being the lead [[{{ButNotTooForeign}} "ethnic guy"]], although he's half-British.
* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: Wanna know if [[spoiler: Will and Tessa kiss?]] good! Go [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SOxzLY2OpA here]]! Luckily, it's not too much of a spoiler.
* TrilogyCreep: The series can be considered one to the original ''Literature/MortalInstruments'' series.
* TwoGuysAndAGirl: Will, Jem, and Tessa.
* TheVerse: This is a prequel to ''Mortal Instruments'' that takes place in the same universe.
* VictorianLondon
* WhoYouGonnaCall: Shadowhunters.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler: Jem, who is dependent on the yin fen for survival. However, taking it is slowly killing him.]]
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