Book Review: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (Infernal Devices #1)

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Publish Date: August 31, 2010

Hardcover, 496 pages

My Review:

First off, I read this through a tour website (Book it Forward).  I chose this one because I read the first book City of Bones in the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare and was intrigued by her world building and her characters and plots.  So when I saw she had a  new book coming out starting a new series, I jumped right in.

So what did I think?  I think this is going to be a great series.  A lot of the world building was done in this book like all first books in the series.  I loved getting to know the differing people/kinds that inhabited late 19th century London.  I'm guessing this is steampunk, but since I'm really not familiar with that subgenre I can't say for sure.  Whatever it is, it makes a great book.

I enjoyed the characters, loved Tessa who is strong but feminine.  She makes a great heroine for this book.  I also enjoyed the various Shadowhunters that make their appearance in the book, Will, Jem, Charlotte, Henry and Jessamine.  All the characters are being developed as the book goes along and I enjoyed getting to know each of them, and look forward to getting to know them better as the series progresses.

I also enjoyed the love-triangle of sorts between Tessa, Jem and Will.  I don't know which team I would be on if I had to choose because I really like Jem and Will both.

So Clockwork Angel has a great characters, a great setting, some real action, great plot, some romance and amazing world building.  It has me anxious for the next book in the series and to get back to reading the Mortal Instruments series as well.  Ms. Clare has a flare for writing and I enjoy her style and ability to put her ideas on paper.

I don't often do this, but I did mark a favorite quote while reading this book.  It's from Will, who I adored, such a smart alack and so fun:

“Are you implying that shreds of my reputation remain intact?” Will demanded with mock horror.  “Clearly I have been doing something wrong.  Or not doing something wrong, as the case may be.”  He banged on the side of the carriage. “Thomas! We must away at once to the nearest brothel! I seek scandal and low companionship.”

My Rating:  4.25/5.0

About the Book:
Wicked Girls is a fictionalized account of the Salem witch trials based on the real historical characters, told from the perspective of three young wo...more 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: Jem, 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.

About the Author (her official bio on goodreads.com):
"Cassandra Clare was born overseas and spent her early years traveling around the world with her family and several trunks of fantasy books. Cassandra worked for several years as an entertainment journalist for the Hollywood Reporter before turning her attention to fiction. She is the author of City of Bones, the first book in the Mortal Instruments trilogy and a New York Times bestseller. Cassandra lives with her fiance and their two cats in Massachusetts."

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FTC Information: I received this book through Book It Forward Tours for review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.