Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1)

I loved this book! Several of my friends recommended it, so I picked it up. The characters are funny and lovable, the setting is perfect (Victorian England! What's not to love?). The plot was a little bit predictable, but it still kept me on the edge of my seat and awake late at night, flipping pages as fast as I could read them. In fact, I often ended up dreaming about the characters, just because they are so vivid.

The very fact that these books are Steampunk makes them fantastic, but the enjoyable plot and fantastic characters only made it that much better. I would definitely recommend this to anyone.

it's a great book

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.

It's been about a month since I've read this book, but it's been calling to me; Review me... please... review me... So you understand why I had to. Some people say this book was slow. But it wasn't. It just had many details in every scene, making it easier for the reader to understand the book.

So as I mentioned earlier in my review, it's been a month since I've read it, and the details are a little blurry. But I still remember enough to make a decent review.

Tessa Gray was actually a bit whiny at first, and so I began to dislike her. But then she stopped whining, and I actually began liking loving the book. And she met Will Herondale, mysterious Will. *sigh* I can't believe the author didn't let them get together!!! I want more of them!

Then there's safe Jem. actually thought Jem was weird. Don't ask me why, I just think so.

The second book is due to publish on December 6th in 2011! I can't wait!!!!!!!!! Since I enjoed this book, another series from Cassandra Clare is in my to-read list.

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!

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!

I have read some amazing series, by some wonderful authors. Most of the time I find that I love one or two of their books, and only a couple of their characters. Then there's Cassandra Clare, who introduces me to a whole new world in her Mortal Instruments Series. She has a whole cast of unique characters that keep me engrossed in the storyline. Now there's Clockwork Angel.

Cassandra Clare is brilliant! Not only did Cassie captivate me with her Victorian Era setting (in London) and transport me into a darker world for the Shadow Hunters, but she swept me away with her characters. How can I pick one or two to love, when even the supporting characters are amazing. Before I get into characters and setting, let me just say that you do not need to read The Mortal Instruments series prior to reading Clockwork Angel. Cassie has a talent for introducing a new world for those who haven't read The Mortal Instrument Series. For those who have, you'll find yourself engrossed with an even darker, more dangerous Shadowhunter world.

Set in Victorian Era London, Cassandra opens up a whole new world of danger, action, romance and my favorite, the history of the Shadowhunters and the Institute. I felt like Cassandra had taken me back in time, and I loved her vivid description of 1800's London. Clockwork Angel's setting and the mannerisms from the time are rich in detail, that I felt I was apart of it.

Getting to know Jace and Alec's ancestors was fascinating. I enjoyed seeing some family similarities. Will and Jem will definitely win over the hearts of Cassandra's fans. Where Will is snarky and more complex, with many layers to his character we've yet to know, Jem is the more sensible one. Even he has an air of mystery around him. As much as I love the Jace and Alec scenes in TMI, Will and Jem have won me over. I adored Magnus! I'm looking forward to seeing more of him as the series continues. With a cast of Shadowhunters I adore, there are also some amazing supporting characters whom I fell in love with. I know everyone is anxious to met Will and Jem, but some of my favorite characters are the women in Clockwork Angel. Where Will and Jem provide snark, action and of course charm to the book, the women are tough and stand their ground in a man's world.

Having had a sheltered life, Tessa Gray comes to London to find her brother. She's thrust into a dark world she never thought existed. In finding out more about herself, the ties she has to this world might lead her to the clues she needs in her brother's disappearance. Tessa isn't someone who will sit back and wait for answers, or be told what to do. She's a searcher for truth and knowledge and handles herself and Will quite well. Believe me, Will doesn't seem like the type that many people can handle, except Jem.

Charlotte Branwell runs the Institute, and has taken in Jem, Will and Jessamine. Parentless and with no where else to turn, the Institute is now their home. Charlotte is someone who stands her ground, and she's regarded as a women doing a man's job. I love that she doesn't back down, even under pressure from the Lightwoods, to give up her running of the Institute. Jessamine Lovelace, is such a pain in the hiney sometimes. She lives a life she hates, but what I like about her, is that she knows what she wants and she's not afraid to speak her mind. A character who I think is over looked, is Sophie, a maid in the Institute. She's had a rough life, but she too, is a strong female character. She's someone who I think we'll be seeing more of. I think there's more to her character than we get to know about in Clockwork Angel.

With all the characters Cassandra introduces, never once was I lost. Each character has their own story to tell, and with the ending of Clockwork Angel, I found myself flipping through the extra blank pages just to make sure there wasn't more of the story. Written in true Cassandra Clare fashion, things aren't always what they seem. Filled with twists and turns, and characters who's layers we've just began to unravel, Clockwork Angel will quickly become a fan favorite.

Reader reviewed by DylanD

Reading the Mortal Instruments, I had high expectations of this new book by Cassandra Clare.  Reading the book, I felt like I was actually a part of the book's era.  And grew to love the characters all the same.  When reading a book, I love it when I can picture the writing as images in my mind, and with this Cassandra Clare had them all on point.  After battling demons, taking the form of someone passed, and ruthless machinery ready for war, I was swept away in the midst of the incredible world of Shadowhunters and the Nephilim.  Clare is by far one of the BEST authors in this generation of young adults!

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.