Genre: YA Paranormal
Published: August 31, 2010 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
Series: #1 (The Infernal Devices)
Length: 479 pages
Source: bought (at Barnes & Noble)
“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.”
Clockwork Angel takes place in London during Queen Victoria’s reign. This trilogy is the prequel to The Mortal Instruments (City of Bones, City of Ashes, etc.). It is told in 3rd person point of view, and focuses on Tessa Gray, who learns that she is not fully a mundane and where her brother had gone. Clockwork Angel involves a lot of paranormal characters including vampires, but the author also came up with new, fantastic creatures like the Shadowhunters and the Downworlders. This is a book where some people knows about the paranormal creatures.
I adored Cassandra Clare’s writing style. She made it seem like she wrote the book during the book’s timeframe, but during the first half of the book, to be honest, was boring for me. The pacing was just so slow. There was a lot of talking and less action. The characters were so mysterious too that I kind of lost interest in them and I stopped caring why they acted that way.
Will Herondale was the MOST mysterious, moody character EVER in this book. Why so many bookworms love him? I do not know. What I know is that he has a good reason of why he acts that way, but we won’t get to know it till the next book. He is a Shadowhunter and like the rest of the Shadowhunters, he is an orphan. Jem, who is from Shanghai and is Will’s partners in crime, is another Shadowhunter. He is my favorite character in this book because he is so sweet and cute! Tessa, the heroine of the book, was an okay main character for me. I don’t like how sometimes she throws herself to Will when obviously Will shows signs that he is not interested in her as much as she is to him. She wasn’t a kick ass heroine, but that’s understandable because she’s still new to the whole Shadowhunter world. She’s still experimenting with her power.
Despite the slow beginning, the second half of the book was amazing, especially the last 5 chapters. It was action packed and there was so many twist that surprised me. I refuse to talk about the amazing scenes that happens towards the end because I’ll ruin it for you so just read it! If you think that the first half is “mehh” like I did, well the ending will make up for it. Trust me. I recommend it to paranormal lovers, and to those who loved The Mortal Instruments.
