The Infernal Devices Love Triangle

Firstly, let me just start off by saying I love the Infernal Devices series and pretty much everything about it, even the love triangle. And secondly, allow me to also state, for the record, I HATE love triangles. With a burning passion. I can not even stress how annoyed I get with this overused excuse for a plot. And before you say, "Wait, Rebecca, not two lines ago you said you loved the Infernal Devices?" Yes, yes I did. To explain, I can pretty safely say the Cassandra Clare's use of a love triangle is about the only one I actually enjoyed reading, instead of chucking the dang book out the window like I normally do when a love triangle emerges in the plot. Essentially, the Infernal Devices is a rare exception to the rule. It is a once in a blue moon kind of series, and might as well be on par with a unicorn. The root of the problem of a typical love triangle, for me at least, is the girl. When her two lovers are courting her, I've found the female heroine tends to be pretty cavalier about the whole mess, rarely thinking about how her actions are affecting others. And if the triangle could get even more irritating, one suitor typically fits the "bad boy" archetype and our heroine tends to mistake infatuation for love. Don't get me wrong, usually when I read a love triangle it fits the bill pretty well, but with Infernal Devices I was pleasantly surprised. What makes this story different is that each individual in this trio isn't selfish at all. They care deeply for one another, even the men, who are Parabatai (blood brothers), and a girl never once got in between them. Not to mention that Tessa is a total bad-ass. She's the kind of girl that doesn't need a guy to take care of her (ahem, Bella), and I can understand her appeal, and why these two men would love her. The Clockwork Princess was also unusual in the way that both Team-Will and Team-Jace fans were satisfied. This is one of the first young adult novels that I've read that displays love in its purest sense: an action, not some silly, stomach flipping over, heart pumping faster, you think about them late at night infatuation crap (yeah, that's right, I'm looking at you Sarah Dessen). No, as John Mayer sings angelically: love is a verb. And Clare hits that note spot on.

Lots of love,
Bex