Clockwork Angel
By Cassandra Clare
Author's Website
Synopsis:
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: Jem, 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.
I was so excited about the release of this book. Having loved Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instrument series I was chomping at the bit to get my hands on the first book of her new prequel series, the Infernal Devices. As of right now there will be three books in this series and I'm very much looking forward to the next book.
When I first cracked Clockwork Angel open I was a little surprised, as it seemed to start a little slowly. It took me a while to get really wrapped up in it to the point where I couldn't put it down. However, once I did get caught in it's spell it kept me up all night last night until I finished it. Let me just say, this morning was painful.
The characters in this series are going to be fun to watch grow and change. I was a smidge disappointed that a few characters seemed to be carbon copies of characters in the Mortal Instrument series. Primarily Will, the cocky and sarcastic shadowhunter who doesn't let anyone truly know him. It felt like Ms. Clare was writing Jace all over again, only with black hair and blue eyes. I'm hoping to see a more marked difference between Will and Jace in the next two installments.
A lot of elements in Clockwork's story feel similar to the Mortal Instruments series, but that's a good thing. The two series flow well together so far. They feel like they are a cohesive unit, a fact that I very much enjoyed. It felt like slipping back into a familiar and comfortable world. A world that I had been wanting to return to since finishing City of Glass.
I was glad to see that our heroine, Tessa, was not like Clary. Instead of being headstrong and selfish, Tessa was bookish, and smart. She was vulnerable and charming, yet she had quite a few good one-liners. She seemed to be able to handle Will's sarcasm and general peevishness. She was one of the main characters that helped to pull in the feeling that we were in the Victorian era. Tessa was very aware of societal morés and reminds the reader what was acceptable behavior for that time period. She was a tad two dimensional, but I'm sure as the next two books are released we'll see her become a fully rounded character.
I really liked Jem. I can see that Clare is trying to create a love triangle between Will, Tessa and Jem; however, I don't see Tessa with Jem. He's a voice of reason and sanity in a world of such chaos. I thought he was a delightful character and am very excited to see where Clare will take him. He is certainly a very intriguing character and would be sad to loose him.
My favorite thing might just have to be the fact that we get to see Magnus Bane. He was one of my favorite characters in The Mortal Instruments series and I wish we had seen more of him in this book as well. In my opinion he was too minor of a character in this book and I hope to see more of him in the next two books. I'm not sure you can ever have too much Magnus.
A small trivial point that I noticed and found irritating was Clare's portrayal of London. She leads you to think that it's dirty and rainy all.the.time. Yes, London is a big city and therefore it has grit, grim and pollution. What big city doesn’t? However, London does not rain constantly. It's quite lovely and it leads me to wonder if Ms. Clare had ever visited England. Yes, I realize I'm being nit-picky, but it was something that bothered me while reading the book.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am very eager to read the next two. Cassandra Clare weaves a story that captures your imagination and takes you on an adventure you just don't want to see end. I can't wait to read the fourth book in the Mortal Instruments series coming out next March, City of Fallen Angels. I will definitely be downloading it to my Nook the first chance I get.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
When I first cracked Clockwork Angel open I was a little surprised, as it seemed to start a little slowly. It took me a while to get really wrapped up in it to the point where I couldn't put it down. However, once I did get caught in it's spell it kept me up all night last night until I finished it. Let me just say, this morning was painful.
The characters in this series are going to be fun to watch grow and change. I was a smidge disappointed that a few characters seemed to be carbon copies of characters in the Mortal Instrument series. Primarily Will, the cocky and sarcastic shadowhunter who doesn't let anyone truly know him. It felt like Ms. Clare was writing Jace all over again, only with black hair and blue eyes. I'm hoping to see a more marked difference between Will and Jace in the next two installments.
A lot of elements in Clockwork's story feel similar to the Mortal Instruments series, but that's a good thing. The two series flow well together so far. They feel like they are a cohesive unit, a fact that I very much enjoyed. It felt like slipping back into a familiar and comfortable world. A world that I had been wanting to return to since finishing City of Glass.
I was glad to see that our heroine, Tessa, was not like Clary. Instead of being headstrong and selfish, Tessa was bookish, and smart. She was vulnerable and charming, yet she had quite a few good one-liners. She seemed to be able to handle Will's sarcasm and general peevishness. She was one of the main characters that helped to pull in the feeling that we were in the Victorian era. Tessa was very aware of societal morés and reminds the reader what was acceptable behavior for that time period. She was a tad two dimensional, but I'm sure as the next two books are released we'll see her become a fully rounded character.
I really liked Jem. I can see that Clare is trying to create a love triangle between Will, Tessa and Jem; however, I don't see Tessa with Jem. He's a voice of reason and sanity in a world of such chaos. I thought he was a delightful character and am very excited to see where Clare will take him. He is certainly a very intriguing character and would be sad to loose him.
My favorite thing might just have to be the fact that we get to see Magnus Bane. He was one of my favorite characters in The Mortal Instruments series and I wish we had seen more of him in this book as well. In my opinion he was too minor of a character in this book and I hope to see more of him in the next two books. I'm not sure you can ever have too much Magnus.
A small trivial point that I noticed and found irritating was Clare's portrayal of London. She leads you to think that it's dirty and rainy all.the.time. Yes, London is a big city and therefore it has grit, grim and pollution. What big city doesn’t? However, London does not rain constantly. It's quite lovely and it leads me to wonder if Ms. Clare had ever visited England. Yes, I realize I'm being nit-picky, but it was something that bothered me while reading the book.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am very eager to read the next two. Cassandra Clare weaves a story that captures your imagination and takes you on an adventure you just don't want to see end. I can't wait to read the fourth book in the Mortal Instruments series coming out next March, City of Fallen Angels. I will definitely be downloading it to my Nook the first chance I get.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
