Clockwork Angel

Summary: After the death of her aunt, sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray has crossed the Atlantic Ocean at the summons of her older brother - an impressive enough feat for a girl alone in Victorian times. However, she does not find Nate waiting for her at the docks, but is instead kidnapped by two strange women - members of an occult organization called the Pandemonium Club - who use threats against Nate to force Tessa to do their bidding. For Tessa has a great power, the ability to transform herself into the appearance of any person, and the Dark Sisters seek to train her power so that it might be used by the Magister, the head of the Pandemonium Club.

Just when things seem bleakest, Tessa is rescued from the Dark Sisters by Shadowhunters - a show more group of Nephilim who use their powers to maintain balance amongst the supernatural creatures of the London underworld. Tessa's frightened by the sudden revelation of a world she never knew existed, but she's also drawn to the Shadowhunters... particularly Will, the attractive but sarcastic and arrogant young Nephilim that saved her. She will need their help if she's ever going to find her missing brother, but the Shadowhunters need Tessa's help in turn, because they've uncovered a plot that might destroy everything they hold dear.

Review: Clockwork Angel is the first book in the new series The Infernal Devices, which is itself a rough prequel to Clare's The Mortal Instruments series. Clare has said that the two series are independent, that one can be read without the other, and for the most part, that was true here. I haven't read The Mortal Instruments, but Clare did a very nice job of introducing the Shadowhunters, and the world of vampires, demons, warlocks, and other creatures that live hidden within normal London society. (As an aside, why are there so many "hidden London" fantasy novels compared with other cities? Where are all of the "hidden Atlanta" or "hidden St. Louis" books?) However, while I didn't have any problems getting my bearings in her world or with her characters, there were moments when I felt like I was missing out by not having read Clare's earlier books. A character would say or do something that was obviously supposed to have some meaning or resonance that I didn't catch, and while some of these are likely to be foreshadowing for the rest of the series, others were certainly throwbacks to The Mortal Instruments that just went over my head. Fortunately, though, these moments were fleeting, and for the most part I followed along just fine.

Easily the best thing about this book was how easy it was to get lost in the world of the Shadowhunters. It's a fascinating set-up, and Clare's writing is very evocative and atmospheric. I normally think of steampunk as being more closely allied with sci-fi novels, so to find elements of it in a fantasy setting was quite refreshing. Clare's characters, too, are fascinating, always with the sense that there are layers and secrets they're not showing you. I started out with a bit of a crush on Will, as does Tessa, but by the end of the book, I found almost every other character equally compelling.

My main issue with this book was its pacing. It's a relatively long book for YA fantasy, and it's longer than it really needed to be. It never exactly drags, but it does lose some steam in the middle sections, and there are a number of scenes that could have been trimmed or cut outright in order to streamline the main plot. Compounding the problem is that the ending wasn't particularly satisfying, or even really much of an ending. Obviously, the good guys aren't going to win the war in the first book of the series, but here it didn't even feel like they'd won a battle; they get to the confrontation at the end, and then things just sort of... stop. It was somewhat of a let-down, particularly given the long time and all of the build-up it took to get there. Overall, though, I had a good time listening to this book, and I'll definitely be reading the next book in the series. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Definitely recommended for fans of darker historical fantasy, particularly series like A Great and Terrible Beauty. show less

I don't love TMI series. In fact, I maybe be the only female in the world who wants to cold cock Jace just to keep him quiet, so when I read the first few pages of Will I groaned. Will is Jace all over again. He's of course gorgeous and fierce, and of course he's wounded which makes it okay for him to have a smart mouth. Don't get me wrong, sarcasm is my first language and I have a great respect for it and enjoy it. In characters I enjoy a witty love interest but Jace and Will are jerks and I'm always shocked to see female readers admit to this and I've seen "I love jerks" slapped across message boards like a personal motto. WTH people. No one likes jerks, or if they do they're going to therapists trying to figure out why and what their show more daddy issues. Finally I dug deep trying to think of a jerk character I'd actually rooted for and I finally found one: Derek from [b:The Summoning|2800905|The Summoning (Darkest Powers, #1)|Kelley Armstrong|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255841544s/2800905.jpg|2451397]. Here's the difference though, Derek at least tried to be nice, recognized his issues and by book 3 he was a puppy dog. A bad*** puppy dog, but still. I'm pretty sure Will is going to follow in Jace's foot steps however, and be a jerk all 3 books, with the excuse of his "issues" being thrown out every 3 seconds.

Okay, off my high horse now, but can I just add "Team Jem!" Why do the nice, hard working, caring boys never get any attention. Let's be honest, these are the boys we actually want for ourselves, our friends and our children. Maybe without the little "issue" he's got going on, but it makes him far more sympathetic to Will.

So, I love Tessa. She appears to be thus far avoiding the Mary Sue-ness that was Clary. It's probably only a matter of time until her special powers develop and make her all powerful but I'm enjoying my pre-Mary Sue time. I actually enjoy her more than Clary who I wanted to throttle a lot and often. The world is also fun too. In the last series we were introduced to the Shadowhunter world which was skipped this book or better explored without the boredom I found at the beginning of TMI Hard to say which. TID is set in England, actually Victorian London. While Clare ignores some of the grittier aspects of London (still hoping they show up!) she does get down into the gambling dens and opium dens. it's not just the setting that's grittier though. Clare is actually pulling on Steampunk for this collection. While my exposure to steampunk is limited I do enjoy it and it makes the bad guys particularly creepy. Speakign of which, the bad guy was actually a shock to me! That never happens so that was actually really fun.

All in all, this series out does the TMI series for me and I give the first book 3.5 stars. On to book 2! show less

I listened to the audiobook, and I think it helped me like the story more than if I had physically read it. I liked that I could picture the story while I was listening to it. And I liked that I pictured it without forcing myself to picture. It just happened naturally. I'm excited to see what the next book is like. It is an unique story with interesting characters and a different magic system that I liked. The only complaint I have is that I had a hard time getting into at first because I didn't really like the part where Tessa is at the Dark Sisters' house, but I know it is necessary to the story. Overall, it is still a good book.

Updated Review:
This is my second time reading Clockwork Angel. I'm currently reading the Shadow Hunter show more books in chronological order, so I decided I would also reread the Infernal Devices trilogy instead of skipping over them. My rating actually didn't change, and honestly, I think I'll never rate it higher than a five star because I don't have the same nostalgia attached to series as so many others do since I only read it for the first time 5 years ago. However, I still really do like this series. The story is interesting and keeps me entertained. My favorite part is definitely the characters which I think is the case for most people.

I'd say the biggest change in feelings for me in my reread is that I'm pretty sure I'm team Jem now. I remember really wanting Will and Tessa to end up together when I first read this series because that was the more angsty ship/more popular ship. Upon reread, I was more annoyed with Will (like I know he's dealing with some kind of internal shit), but like the way he'd treat not just Tessa but everyone at times was just appalling. Jem is a sweetheart, and I love that. I'm honestly very interested to see how I feel reading the rest of the series since my perspective has changed in regards to the love triangle in this series (I do still dislike love triangles in general kind of).

During this reread, I definitely loved Charlotte and Henry more, and perhaps that is because I'm getting older. Tessa was okay. Like I didn't hate her, but I don't love her either. I think I honestly see her character as a little underwhelming, considering she is the main heroine in the story. Regardless, I'm excited to continue the series more consecutively because I read them too far apart from each other initially, and I think that's why I don't remember a lot of the plot. show less

Like many fans of Cassandra’s series, The Mortal Instruments (City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass- more to come), I was both excited and hesitant when starting Clockwork Angel. What if this prequel trilogy didn’t live up to the excellence of The Mortal Instruments? Would I be forever scarred from Cassandra’s work? The simple answer is no. The more complex answer would be: why on earth would you ever doubt Cassandra’s writing you no good piece of rotten fruit cake?! This book left nothing to be desired, except for the dire need to discover what come next.

For those of you who have read The Mortal Instruments, you will most likely squeal with delight, like myself, upon coming across characters and family names from The show more Mortal Instruments. If you have not read the series, have no fret. This is a prequel series, which mean the context of these books came before The Mortal Instruments. So in a weird sort of way, people new to the Shadowhunter world will probably get more out of Clockwork Angel simply because they have no preconceived ideas of the characters and creatures in the novel.

If you have yet to pick up Clockwork Angel or the Mortal Instruments, you are pitifully late the game (and I thought I was late!). But have no fear, better late than never, right?

I would recommend this book as many times as necessary to absolutely anyone thirteen and above. It was a superb read. Each of Cassandra’s characters are excellently crafted. Each comes with its own developed history, relationships and personalities. And each character adds another aspect to the story. Tessa allows the reader to discover the Shadowhunters and their world at the same time she does. Will gives us a bad boy to both love and loath. Jem supplies us with the silver lining of every situation. And Jessamine shows us the truth that no one else seems complied to point out.

I would strongly suggest you get yourself over to the nearest bookstore, or E-book site, and purchase Clockwork Angel. If you like fantasy, love triangles, suspense and kick-ass demon killing; go get Clockwork Angel now (please)!

Just one last thing to point out, and I may change my mind later, but…. I’m on Team Jem! show less

Tessa Gray arrives in Victorian London with the expectation of meeting her brother. Instead, she is kidnapped by members of the Pandemonium Club, where she discovers that she is not human, but a Downworlder, a magical being with the rare ability of being able to transform into another person. The leader of the Pandemonium Club, the Magister, wants Tessa’s power for himself, and it is only with the aid of the Shadowhunters that Tessa manages to escape.

At the Shadowhunters’ London Institute, Tessa learns about the existence of Shadowhunters and Downworlders, and befriends Will, cheeky and close-lipped about his past, and Jem, calm and sensitive but with a shocking secret. Will they manage to find Tessa’s brother? What is Tessa, show more exactly? And which boy will she choose?

CLOCKWORK ANGEL is the first book in Cassandra Clare’s highly anticipated new series, The Infernal Devices, sort of a prequel to the Mortal Instruments series. It delivers Clare’s now-signature mix of gritty urban fantasy, fights, witty banter, and love triangles, and, while there’s nothing really new about the setup, it will still satisfy TMI fans, and is one of those rare books that I know will get better with subsequent guilty-pleasure rereadings.

There’s a decent amount of good to be said about all of Cassandra Clare’s books. Technically, not that much happens in the 400 or so pages her books span, but you don’t realize it because you’re so caught up in the drama and the smirk-inducing dialogue that makes you wish you had thought of that quip yourself. Her books don’t have the depth that the setup has the potential for—there is a LOT of political discussion that could surround the Shadowhunter/Downworlder dynamic—but—at least for me—the love triangle and the dialogue are typically so well done that I don’t even care that the potential for deeper issues isn’t explored.

CLOCKWORK ANGEL follows in this mold. The first 100 or so pages were frustrating for me because, I’ll be honest here, I read Clare’s books for the love triangle and the snark, and it was mostly just Tessa being damsel-in-distress-y at the clutches of the nefarious Dark Sisters. Then suddenly it was Page 200 and I’m wondering, “Did anything actually happen, or was I once again seduced by Will’s quips into not noticing that little has happened by way of plot so far?”

The actual plot of CLOCKWORK ANGEL unfolds almost painfully slowly, if we were to actually examine it. Like in the Mortal Instruments series, the villain of the book, the Magister, retains a status of “villainy” that never fully manifests into true villainy. Like Valentine, the Magister is the villain mostly because all of the other characters insist that he is and whisper fearfully about him. I suppose, though, that this is part of my emotional disconnect from the book, in that reading it felt, for me, like watching a silly-good TV show in which everyone says funny things, and drama happens, but then I shut off the TV and their voices go quiet in my head.

This is not at all saying that this is a bad book, not at all! CLOCKWORK ANGEL is good at what it is: a sinfully entertaining paranormal series with lots of flashy fights and swoony romances. Will is too similar to Jace in his humor and mannerisms for me to actually crush on him (Jace is number one in my heart, after all), but Jem’s genuine (at least, let’s hope it’s genuine) sensitivity towards Tessa’s endears him to me. The main female character is once again a breathless ninny inclined to shrieks and rescues, but hey, whatever, okay, if it floats your boat.

CLOCKWORK ANGEL once again displays Cassandra Clare’s writing strengths: snarky humor and swoon-worthy (albeit a bit predictably so) guys. Comparison to the Mortal Instruments series is inevitable, and there are a troubling number of similarities between the two books so far. I’m hoping there will begin to be differences in the next installment, but meanwhile, I’m keeping this on my shelf to reread whenever I need some smile-inducing, flutters-in-my-stomach pick-me-up reads. show less

“One must always be careful of books," said Tessa, "and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.”

First of all, I would never have expected this book to be this good. I've watched Shadowhunters on Netflix and to be honest, it wasn't quite my cup of tea. I did like the plot of the show, but the characters were a bit too much for me, if you know what I mean. However, I started this book because a good friend of mine said it was one of the best books she's ever read. So I gave it a try; and man, am I glad I did. Ever since I read the book, Clockwork Angel has become one of my favorites of all time. And here is why.

Although the story follows the life of Tessa Grey, the story has been written in third person. Most of show more the time I don't really like third point of view, but this time however, I didn't mind at all. Everything in the book matches well with each other and the built-up of the story is just complete. There really isn't anything that could've made the book better. I haven't read a lot of books that got my attention from in the beginning, but Clockwork Angel is truly an exception to make.

The story takes place in London of 1878 when technology still wasn't a thing. It's really interesting and fresh to read a story in a different century for once. The lifestyle back then was so different from ours, but all in a good way you know. The classy outfits, the years of the fun teasing and playing, the sense of romance, etc. The scene of London was so well written by Clare that it almost felt like living in it. And if that wasn't enough, the description of emotions and feelings were so living, that it almost felt like they were pouring right from the pages.

That brings me by the romantic side of the story. We all see the sexual tension rising between Will and Tessa, don't we? The subtle touches and conversations between these two lovers really are from another world. How love can be so gentle, but also so cruel. By that I refer mostly to Will. We know that Will has a bit of a rough past that he don't like talking about, what makes it difficult for him to open up. With Tessa, however, it seems like he had known her forever. You would think this is a good thing, but as Will begins to realise this, he tries to push Tessa away. This way, their story takes a difficult turn. Their connection gets complicated, but at the seem time they know their feelings for each other. But don't lose you're hope folks, I'm sure we will get a lot more romance in the sequels.

Last but not least, there is a strong difference between men and women in the book. As you can guess, the man is seen as stronger and more independent as a woman, which was a bit aggravating in the beginning. For example, female shadowhunters needed to wear a male uniform and on different occasions, there were things like 'because she's a women' mentioned. Of course female emancipation wasn't a thing back then and I'm not a feminist by all means, but as a reader from the 21st century, it made me wonder how this comes. However, I truly need to give Cassandra Clare credits for this, because the fact that she thought of this element is amazing.

As my final advise, I recommend you read this book at all costs. It it such inspiring and I learned a lot from it. It would be fantastic if The Infernal Devices got its own series like The Mortal Instruments on Netflix, but I don't think that's for anytime soon. Now get up and go grab that book! show less

My review of the first book in her Mortal Instruments trilogy, “City of Bones”, was hardly the glowing review of the year, and anyone with a white belt in google knowledge can look up the less than clean history of Miss Cla(i)re and her fandom shenanigans. I bring them up here because, as I mentioned in my first review of her work, her work reads like fanfiction (with one whole passage of it taken from her most famous Harry Potter fanfiction, as you can see from here.) So I knew I’d never read the rest of her Mortal Instruments trilogy (now padded out to an upcoming 6 part series) but when the Mortal Instruments prequel series, The Infernal Devices, was announced and released to great fanfare, topping the New York Times show more children’s bestseller list, my interest was piqued. The added addition of the increasingly popular steampunk trend also intrigued me since there was absolutely no mention of steampunk in the first series and I wanted to see how Clare handled the topic.

The answer for the more impatient readers – she doesn’t handle it well. Actually, there isn’t much in this book that Clare handles well. The choice of Victorian London for the setting could have been interesting but instead of being given a proper insight into the city’s streets, atmosphere and way of life, we’re given a few generic descriptions that seem to have been taken from research notes without any care. A true setting feels alive, like it’s a character in the story, but here London feels lifeless. The Victorian setting also feels stilted and awkward. Clare doesn’t handle the language change very well as the dialogue reads as inauthentic in style as well as wooden and unoriginal in substance. Occasional name dropping of books from the period (and comparisons made to them) such as “Jane Eyre” does not make an authentic setting, nor does shoe horning in some clockwork creatures make this a Steampunk novel, as it’s been trumped up to be. Steampunk isn’t just about dirigibles, goggles and cogs, it’s about the entire world image it brings up and nothing about this weak attempt at setting the book apart worked effectively. It also doesn’t make sense seeing as this is a prequel series and the Mortal Instruments had absolutely nothing pertaining to Steampunk, clockwork creatures or similar technology. Let’s be honest; Clare’s trying to cash in on a trend and she fails miserably. If you want interesting YA set in Victorian times, try Philip Pullman’s Sally Lockhart quartet, or the adult Lucifer Box series by Mark Gatiss (also an excellent example of how to write a charismatic jerk the right way.)

Outside of the world itself, the characters are not only derivative and boring with all the Mary Sue connections one would expect from Clare’s writing, they’re the exact same characters as the ones from the Mortal Instruments series. I’m not even exaggerating; they’re exactly the same! Tessa is a carbon copy of Clary (oh, and Tessa Gray – Clary Fray... subtle, Miss Clare), boring Mary Sue super special prettiness and all, even though she shows incredibly moments of stupidity. She’s got this amazing ability and is super special even when compared to the other super special people in the book but is still barely capable of saving herself. Will is Jace/fanon Draco through and though, because apparently being a complete jerk devoid of charm is still acceptable for a potential love interest in a half baked romantic element if he’s good looking (once again, the less than subtle undercurrent of beauty being the best thing ever is present and accounted for). The shadowhunters also still have the same holier than thou attitude towards humans/mundanes that they had in City of Bones, and yet nobody complains about it. Jem is Simon without the sense of humour and is clearly here just to be the nice, sweet alternative to Will so Clare can show how oh so different he is from Will, and Jessamine is Isabella, a.k.a. the token female character who exists to be a shallow bitch so everyone can see how much better Tessa is. Jessamine actually has some interesting moments, like her worries over never having a normal life, but any potential for depth is thwarted by terrible characterization. Fan favourite – and one of the few things I did like about City of Bones – Magnus Bane is here but with a girlfriend instead of a boyfriend and he barely makes an impact on the story. I was half expecting him to stand on a table and scream “Sexy cameo!”

And herein lies the biggest problem with this book. Clare is ripping off her own series. She’s just lifted characters from her original series and stuck them in a Victorian setting, hoping that petticoats and the London setting will hide her weak writing (also, I got really pissed off at super special American Tessa constantly going on about how terrible London was compared to lovely New York. Whining is still not a viable character trait in my book), although to her credit she has stopped using as many stupid similes as she used to so there’s no mind-boggling references to octopus tendril hair or the like. There are huge chunks of clumsy exposition as Clare shoves in mythology from the Mortal Instruments to make this series seem as if it’s a continuation of the world instead of a straight up cut-copy-paste job and the plotting is dull, derivative and predictable, much like City of Bones, which in turn was derivative same old repetitive nonsense borrowed/lifted from her fanfiction. Going all the way back to her fandom days, Clare has proven herself to be a mediocre writer at best and a thief at worst. It’s not just that she plagiarised the fanfiction that made her famous and may or may not have played a huge part in getting her a book deal. It’s not just that her first book series was a giant rip off of her fanfiction that she ripped off of other works. It’s that her next venture, where she could have proven herself to have some creative ideas, often a saving grace in derivative plotting and writing, and just copied something she copied from something else. Essentially, Clare has written a fanfiction of a fanfiction of a fanfiction. And that’s why I cannot give this book anything higher than 1 star.

There will be people who will enjoy this series. Maybe they’ve read the Mortal Instruments, maybe they haven’t, but the writing style is easy enough to read, it’s not the worst thing I’ve ever read and some people might enjoy the extremely light dashes of so called Steampunk. But for me this book was a complete waste of time. I do not use the word ‘hack’ very often for a number of reasons – it’s overused and often loses its meaning, there’s a wide spectrum for definition when it comes to good and bad writing, et cetera – but when a writer is as lazy as this and clearly cares about nothing beyond jumping on trend bandwagons and making money, then I can say this with complete confidence:

Cassandra Clare is a hack. show less