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Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Infernal Devices #1
Genre: Young Adult / Historical / Steampunk
Published: Aug 2010
Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.
When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.
Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, 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: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and 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 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.
When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.
Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, 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: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and 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 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.
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I fell in love with Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instrument series, and was ecstatic upon learning she had a new book out. It took me awhile to get to it, but I fully admit I get easily distracted when it comes to books. The Infernal Devices series is a prequel to the Mortal Instrument series. So not only is Ms. Clary continuing to write books in the Mortal Instrument series, she'll be adding books to the Infernal Devices series as well. I wonder if she ever loses her place, and gets her characters mixed up? Especially since they're essentially from the same world, with the Clockwork Angel just in a different time period. I'm glad I don't have to keep it all straight, I can just sit back and enjoy everything!
a
a
In Clockwork Angel we have basic elements of the main characters that were in the Mortal Instrument series. They deviate in slight ways, but for the most part I felt like I was reading Clary and Jace's story all over again, just 100 some-odd years in the past. Although, I will hand it to Tessa, she didn't nearly annoy me as much as Clary. Clary had what I call the "Bella complex": she had absolutely no skills or ability to defend herself or anyone else, but felt compelled to jump in the fray. Oh, that quality in a heroine bugs. It's one thing if they have the skills to back it up, but don't they know if they just stayed out of it it would make everyone else's life so much easier? Ga. Anyway. I digress. I felt like Tessa was young and naive, but not so willing to sacrifice herself unecessarily. Which, I must admit, was refreshing.
Will was mysterious and enigmatic, and we learn absolutely nothing about him in this book. Even if I didn't enjoy Clockwork Angel, I would continue reading just to learn Will's story. For the most part, I liked the book, but if I had to choose one itsy bitsy thing to critique, it would be the love story. Truthfully, I didn't see the attraction. Tessa and Will's romance made no sense to me. Will was a complete jerk throughout the whole novel (I'm sure once we find out why, it will be for a very good reason), and we get no view point from him whatsoever. Why does he fall in love with Tessa? Why does he bust his butt to race back to the church to save her at the end of the novel? What is the attraction between the two? I don't even feel like they had enough interaction in the novel to warrant such a speedy, and apparently intense, romance. The relationship didn't have any meat to it, and I wanted, no, craved, substance. Perhaps it will get better in the next novel? Maybe? Hopefully?
Clockwork Angel is a good read. Despite my teeny tiny problem, I was hooked in by the writing, the setting and I actually stayed up way too late trying to finish it. I since have discovered that I'm not in college anymore, and these old bones don't do well with no sleep. But I definitely don't regret it. This was my first foray into the Steampunk genre, and I really enjoyed the mechanical Victorian England. I'm sure that's an incredibly horrible way to describe it, but that's what the genre is to me.
So what I'm really trying to to do is conclude this review by saying read Clockwork Angel, it's wonderful and delightful. Definite hit and I can't wait for the next novel in the series!
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