Clockwork Angel
Paperbacl, 476 pages
Series: The Infernal Devices, #1
Published Date: October 4, 2011 (First Published: August 31, 2010)
Publisher:Margaret K. McElderry Books
Rating: 4.0 prints
Magic is dangerous—but love isore dangerous still. Discover the riveting first book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Infernal Devices Trilogy, prequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series.
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.
This is my first time reading any of Cassandra Clare’s books. This is my first time entering the Shadow World I’ve seen the movie and the TV show of The Mortal Instruments and — don’t judge me — loved it. It made me even more interested in the Shadow World even though I know how dangerous it would be.
Luckily, I was able to buy The Infernal Devices and got to read it first before anything else. Clockwork Angel is about Tessa who went to London from New York to see her brother. She had no idea what was ahead of her other than the fact that she will be reunited with her brother once again. But things did not quite as well as she had expected. Tessa was kidnapped by the Dark Sisters and was forced to do something that she have no idea she was capable of. But with the help of Will, she was able to escape and be taken care of by the shadowhunters that she knew nothing about.
Clockwork Angel had given me mixed emotions that I am not mad about. I was happy that the first book that I’ve read in the Shadow World had given me the satisfaction that I was looking for after I’ve seen The Mortal Instruments.
What I think about…
The Plot
The main reason why I’m giving this book a 4 instead of 5 is because of the plot. Sure it was fast-paced and well-constructed, but something bothers me. It was great how Cassandra Clare was able to make the plot flow smoothly. But the fact that this has so much resemblance to The Mortal Instruments have me no choice but to be fair and give it a 4. Let me break it down for you. Don’t worry, I won’t spoil.
Okay. As I have said in the introduction, I have not read The Mortal Instruments yet and I have seen the TV show and the movie. I know that a lot of people say that it’s not like the book (of course. duh.) But I know that the writers of the films will not be stupid enough to leave out important details. This made me realize how Clockwork Angel was just like the books from The Mortal Instruments. Why?
1) Their lack of knowledge about the Shadow World before.
– Tessa was just a normal girl who got kidnapped. She later found out that she was part of the Shadow World. Taking the kidnapping aside, does it sound familiar? CLARY was also just a normal girl until she came across Pandemonium Club and found out that she was part of the Shadow World.
2) The ONLY family member that they know of was missing.
– Tessa had to go to the Institute and be taken care of while they also help her find her brother. Sounds familiar? OF COURSE! CLARY had to go to the Institute because she was safer there and that they had to find her mother. Both characters of different series had lost someone dear to them so they had to find them. Wow.
3) The cliche contrast of two guy friends.
– Tessa have two friends. Jem who was calm and soft and Will who was his complete opposite. Well? SIMON AND JACE! Right? Jace was like the bad boy who seems to not care for anyone and Simon was the friend who keeps Clary in the real world. As you can see, there are men in both of their lives that contradicts each other. I bet Jem and Will will try to win her over. idk I still have to read the other books.
4) Evil brothers.
– I won’t say much because this is a spoiler. But you know what I mean.
In conclusion, I realized that Clockwork Angel and The Mortal Instruments may not have the same plot but they both have the same heart. Like both of their plots have a base plot — the general plot. Ugh. Super hard to explain.
The Characters
I have no problems with the characters. I love them and how Cassandra Clare made them. For you to really know the characters, the author should make their traits consistent like how they should react in different situations. I love how the author was able to make each character stand out with their personalities.
If no one in the entire world cared about you, did you really exist at all?
Tessa has a soft personality, in my opinion. Even though she have so many thoughts racing on her head, her character made me see her as a calm and composed person. She was careful and clever even though sometimes it does not show.
Sometimes, when I have to do something I don’t want to do, I pretend I’m a character from a book. It’s easier to know what they would do.
Will is the bad boy that almost every book has. He pretends that he does not care for anyone and he also prefers to keep his story a secret. To be honest, he was super rude to everyone and even say rude things to Tessa that I’m questioning why people love him so much. Just like to everyone else in the book, Will is also a puzzle to me.
Whatever you are physically…male or female, strong or weak, ill or healthy–all those things matter less than what your heart contains. If you have the soul of a warrior, you are a warrior. All those other things, they are the glass that contains the lamp, but you are the light inside.
Jem is a sweet boy. I love him so much. He’s caring and understanding. He may seem to have a dark past, but Jem prefers to stay calm and savor every moments with the people he truly care about. He’s also very patient, especially to Will who gets in to everyone else’s nerves.
The World
I’ve always wanted to enter the Shadow World ever since I’ve seen the movie. And now that I did, I am not disappointed. I am amazed by how Cassandra Clare was able to connect everything. It was a big world and I could see how much time and effort she put in building it. The world was made well. It’s exactly how I pictured it to be.
The Writing
Okay. You may already know by now that Cassandra Clare is a talented writer. Instead of praising her, I’ll talk about the only flaw in her writing which is the cringe-y lines. I know what you’re thinking, how can a talented writer such as Cassandra Clare mess up with the lines?
I was reading the first book of TMI and I came across some cringe’y lines on the first chapter. I did not continue reading because I was only reading it on my phone. After those lines delivered by the characters, I thought maybe it’ll only be done once. But I was wrong. When I started reading the Clockwork Angel, the first chapter already gave away dialogues that I was not expecting. As I’ve read through, those kinds of dialogues are still present. It was like the dialogues were written by an amateur writer who’s trying hard to be as deep and fantasy-y as possible. I couldn’t explain it, but it was the worst.
Still, Cassandra Clare is amazing at giving detailed scenes and not confusing change of character’s thoughts.
Overall, I see Clockwork Angel as a captivating and worthy read. I cannot wait to read more and find out what Cassandra Clare stored for us.
What did you think about my review? Do you have the same thoughts as I have? Share our own thoughts about this review or about this book in the comment section below or click here to send me an email.
The Book Spy 