Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1)

I got this book because of my love for The Mortal Instruments series. Going into it I understood that we would still be dealing with Downworlders and Shadowhunters, but instead of the story being set in present time NY, this time we would be in 1878 London. Aside from the century and the location, the basic plot is a lot like TMI series.

But unlike TMI series, this book seems a lot slower paced. There were quite a few times when I was just going to give up, and stop reading, but geez...let me tell you, I'm glad I didn't. Not just for the fact that I realized that Magnus Bane is in this book (and who doesn't love Magnus?), but also because it was around the half way point in the book when things started to pick up. I will continue reading this series.

Reader reviewed by Marissa

When sixteen yr old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her  destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrible 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 admist the chaos. Kidnapped vy the mysterious Dark Sistersm who are members of a secret organization called the Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon 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 by/ and torn between- James(Jem) whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone at arm's length- except Tessa. As their sear draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot  that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Reader reviewed by Marissa

When sixteen yr old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her  destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrible 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 admist the chaos. Kidnapped vy the mysterious Dark Sistersm who are members of a secret organization called the Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon 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 by/ and torn between- James(Jem) whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone at arm's length- except Tessa. As their sear draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot  that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

This book is an amazing prequel to the mortal instruments. The Clockwork Angel gave more light onto the shadow hunters and their history. It is written in a similar style to the Mortal Instruments but with variations through out the book make it very different.

The Clockwork Angel is about Tessa Grey. She leaves America and arrives in England with she was going to live with her brother, but two ladies she doesn't know collect her. She is tortured into doing the Change, where Tessa shifts into a person when she touches an object that belonged to them. Saved and rescued by the shadow hunters, she learns that the world she knows isn't all what it seems.

Previously published on my blog: http://fictionfervor.wordpress.com/2012/07/29/review-clockwork-angel-by-cassandra-clare/

Clockwork Angel, to be put simply, is a beautifully woven tale of mystery and romance.

I have a hard time believing that more people like Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments series than The Infernal Devices (the first book of which is Clockwork Angel). The writing in the ID series is so much more eloquent than that in TMI (which may be due to the different era), and the characters are so much more likable. The mystery is even greater, and more surprises were thrown my way in ID. And plus, the covers are so much prettier.

Yes, I believe that the Infernal Devices series is ten times better than the TMI series.

Tessa Gray, the protagonist, is definitely not a Mary Sue; she has a strange ability to change into other people. And no, she isn’t like a regular shapeshifter; she not only changes her appearance, but she can access the memories and thoughts of the person into whom she changes. In addition to her supernatural powers, she’s an avid reader. (Bonus points for us bookworms, eh?) She may not be kick-butt, but she’s got cool points.

Don’t get me started on the love triangle. Will Herondale may be the hot, sensitive guy with hidden feelings, but he treats Tessa rudely and pushes her away. But Jem Carstairs, Will’s parabatai, is sweet and kind, showing Tessa his feelings through his actions. Trust me, this is one love triangle that will make you pull out your hair and scream in frustration–because both Shadowhunters are so lovable.

And while there may be romance, that isn’t the main plot. (Thank goodness for that.) Planning to visit her brother, Nate, Tessa travels from America to England, where she gets kidnapped by the Dark Sisters who want to use Tessa’s power for a mysterious person named the Magister. Then she is rescued by Will and Jem, who take her to the London Institute. But the Magister wants Tessa, and he’d be willing to do anything to get her back…

If I could sing the praises of this book even further, I would. C’mon, it’s a mixture of fantasy (the vampires, the werewolves, the faeries, the Nephilim!) and steampunk (clockwork army for the win, yo) set in the Victorian era. You’ve got to try that out. Especially since I’m saying this: Clockwork Angel is phenomenal. Read it now.

Source: Hardcover borrowed from library

Okay, first I have to admit that I am so very late in the Cassandra Clare world. A friend gave me TMI (The Mortal Instruments for those as clueless as I once was) to read saying that she enjoyed the books. They were not the super hot romance stuff she is really into, but had some good love dodecahedron stuff going on. That’s right, not your typical love triangle jazz. I was intrigued. Since then I am a HUGE fan of Miss Cassie!

Clockwork Angel is the first of the ID (Infernal Devices) prequel series to TMI. Miss Cassie transports us back to Victorian England (to say I am a huge fan of Victorian England would be too mild so needless to say I totally geeked out on this alone). We follow Tessa as she makes the big move to London in search of her wayward older brother Nate. Tess is then set on an impossible journey of finding the truth about herself, her family, and this craziness that is Downworld. A lot to take in for your typical 19th century teen.

Once again we learn about the Shadowhunters and Downworlders, but this time through new eyes, which was really great. The Victorian world is so vastly different than current day NYC so it was nice to begin the journey through Tessa. She is a great character, Tessa. She is all that a 19th century lady should be, but she has an inner strength that slips out from time to time. In a word…awesome. Nineteenth century ladies were not meant to be bold, so when Tessa is it makes that much more of an impact.

Tessa meets the Shadowhunters and takes refuge at the London Institute. There she meets Jessamine, with her moody denial of what she is. This girl has issues and a half! She desperately wants a ‘normal’ life as a lady. Jem, the epitome of an English gentleman, will truly melt your heart. Charlotte, the head honcho of the Institute, reminds me of an older Clary with her spunk and deeeeeeep desire to prove herself. There is quirky Henry and then the staff, Sophie, Agatha, and Thomas, that you truly want to befriend.

You may be thinking….what about Will? Well, I saved him for last (bwaaa haaa haaa). What to say about William Herondale… if you were a fan of Jace from the TMI series, you will fall HARD for Will. Where Jace was the broken bad-boy who was repeatedly beat down by situation after situation that tore at his very soul… *sigh* I have to say Jace falling victim got redundant after a while and I really wanted him to just fight back. Will, on the other hand, I do believe is broken beyond repair. There is so much darkness in him and is much more caustic than Jace. He is downright mean sometimes. His wit will make you laugh, his smile and eyes will make you swoon, but in the end you will not know whether to hate him or feel really sorry for him.

As for the world of 19th Century England that Miss Cassie created, it was wonderful. You really felt you were there. Between the narrative that kept in character and the dialogue, it was all a complete package. This was also the first time I have read anything Steampunk and I was pleased with Clockwork Angel's take on this genre. True to Miss Cassie’s form there are plot twists that will keep you guessing even after you reach the final typed page. You will be itching for more; a deep need to find out what happens will fill you and will immediately go out and buy the next installment….much like me. =^)

If you are not privy to the Shawdowhunter world of Miss Cassandra Clare then you are quite literally living under a rock. Get out and get yourself a copy. Don’t think about it, just do it.

Did Clockwork Angel rock my world? Fo-SHO people…9 on the Richter scale!

Tessa receives a letter one day from her elder brother, who's in London, telling her to come and join him there. So she jumps on a boat and does. What awaits her was not what she expected...

Two women, the Dark sisters, convince Tessa that they're friends of her brother (Nate) and once they have her trapped, the story really begins. They force her to use a power she didn't even know she had: shape shifting. They make her use her gift until she is good at it. She still can't wrap her head around all this though and wants nothing more than to leave. Is her brother okay?

Then she finds out the Dark sisters are preparing her for a wedding, her wedding to someone they call the Magister. She doesn't want to marry this guy and she doesn't have to when she is saved by Shadowhunters and not just any shadowhunters but Will Herondale. Yes, every one loves him to pieces by now. Though I've only read this book and so far I like Jem better. Please don't hate me for saying that.

Tessa learns of the shadow world and everything to do with it. She finds out that she has a bigger part in this world than she ever thought. She is the key to it all pretty much. She learns she is a special warlock and doesn't take it so well. She wants nothing more than to be normal.

After lots of heartbreak and betrayals, they finally solve the problem but not without loss of life on the shadowhunter side. Also, the big bad of this series gets away at the end to set up for the other two books.

I really enjoyed this book it's a wild ride of ups and downs, happiness and scenes that rip your heart out. As usual, I love Cassandra Clare's writing and characters. She really makes the characters feel so real. Will I can see why everyone loves him so much he is pretty awesome, but he can be a huge jerk sometimes. So as of this book, I like Jem better. He is such a sweetheart and so kind. I feel for him, and wish I could make him better. It's not right he should suffer.

Overall, I really loved this book. It's so good. If you haven't read it yet, you should, ASAP! I can't wait to finish the rest of this series. I even dreamed about it one night haha.

I read this book because of how much I loved the mortal instruments. At first I had my doubts, because usually when people write prequels, they are not as good as the others. But after some persuading from my friend, I thought that it sounded interesting. This book lived up to more than my expectations it was simply amazing.

I loved how it shed more light on the Shadowhunters and their history. It is a similar style to the Mortal Instruments but it has variations that make it completely different.

The main character in this book is Tessa Grey. She has left America and is coming to London, England (it is 1878) to live with her brother after her aunt died, but two strange ladies come and collect her, saying that they will take her to her brother. Tortured by them, she is forced into a Change, where she changes into a person when she touches an object that belonged to them. Rescued by the Shadow Hunters, she discovers that there is a lot more to her world than it seems, and Tessa is about to get into a whole lot of trouble.

This book had been out a while since i finally bought it. I did not think it would be very good, because City of Bones was not my favorite book and i had not yet continued the series and come to LOVE IT!!! But the minute i started this book i realized it was one of those books that has a special plot, and THE BEST SETTING!

Victorian Era is my favorite layout for a book. The characters are polite, and poised, and there is no cussing really. The description is crisp and clear, one of the best world-building that is acutally a world that has been built before! Cassandra is incredibly good at transporting the reader into the world!

The second thing i LOVED about Clockwork Angel was Tessa Gray, the main character! I really like Clary in TMI, but i can’t really connect cause she’s a present-day desperate girl. But Tessa has two great things that distinguish her as a strong protagonist.

One - her ability. The sequences of her ability, where Cassandra describes the flicker, and then the moment where she can’t breathe, is breathtaking! I’ve always disliked some author’s description of the feelings when someone uses their abilities, but Cassandra has a lyrical technique for it that shifts every time!

Two - her personality! Clary is just a normal girl, who whines for boys and worries too much about boys! But Tessa is conscience of HERSELF, how she speaks, how she appears. She doesn’t whine constantly in this wonderful book, and i liked that a lot!

Overall, this is one of the best books of 2010! AMAZING!

Once again Cassandra Clare has written an sultry, seductive, and stunning novel! From the very first chapter I was hooked, and I read the book in one sitting!!! This will definitely be one of those books I read over and over again.

Tessa is a great heroine--spunky and brave, but not without her flaws. She's vulnerable in her powers and with her heart--which makes her so much more believable than those heroines who can do it all (cough, Bella Swan, cough). I can't wait to see what the future has in store for Tessa....and which boy she will chose!

Oh Will...how you make my heart ache! What is the deal with this mysterious boy with a dark sense of humor? He loves danger, he loves fights, and more importantly....I'm pretty sure he loves Tessa....but he has secrets of his own! Oh, how I wish I knew what they were!

And then there's Jem...sick, soft, and quiet--but still he stands strong in the face of danger. He's the opposite of Will (who stole my heart), but I think there's more to him than meets the eye.

Can't wait for Clockwork Prince!!