Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1) in Tsc chronological readathon 2021

Dec 13, 2020 aikaterine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: physical-read, vampires, angels-nephilims, library

March 2023 * REREAD via my library

a vlog of my binge-reading the whole series is coming soon :3

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1) by Cassandra Clare

(the library copy)

December 2020 * UPDATE before full RTC - I decided on 4.5 stars, because of what I'm mentioning below...
I did love this, I couldn’t put it down but there was one major element I disliked, thus I’m conflicted about the rating I’ll give this, so I will sit on it until my full RTC. ...more

14 likes · Like · see review

Jun 12, 2020 -ˏˋclaraˊˎ- rated it liked it

3.5 stars

Ok so... I'm not disappointed, but I was kinda expecting more from this at the same time. Does that make any sense?

In Clockwork Angel we follow the story of the Shadowhunters from the London Institute during the 19th century. Tessa, our main character in this series, sets out on a journey to find her brother Nathaniel, who has asked her to come live with him in London. Soon, Tessa realizes that things are not what they seem, and her life turns upside down as she finds herself immersed i 3.5 stars

Ok so... I'm not disappointed, but I was kinda expecting more from this at the same time. Does that make any sense?

In Clockwork Angel we follow the story of the Shadowhunters from the London Institute during the 19th century. Tessa, our main character in this series, sets out on a journey to find her brother Nathaniel, who has asked her to come live with him in London. Soon, Tessa realizes that things are not what they seem, and her life turns upside down as she finds herself immersed in the Shadow World, uncovering the secrets behind her brother's disappearance —and who, or what she really is.

The first thing I'd like to point out is the ambience. Cassie did a great job with the worldbuilding as always and the fact that her writing had matured a lot as well helped even more with the Victorian atmosphere she created. The tone that the narration had was completely different from what we've seen in TMI and I absolutely ADORED that, because it really felt how it was supposed to, in my opinion.

The plot is somewhat hard for me to describe: it was solid, but no matter how much I tried, I couldn't find it as fascinating as I wanted to. I thought the bad guys's plans were quite predictable. However, the story overall was interesting enough that it kept me expectant most of the time even though I knew where it was going, but I believe I would've liked it so much more if it weren't for the fact that I wasn't really attached to the characters, and therefore I couldn't really care that much about what was going on, especially what was going on with Tessa. (view spoiler)

Which takes me to the characters. I'll be honest with you: I already had this idea in my mind of how the characters were going to be (obviously because of what I knew from TMI) and it never occured to me that those characters I'd met before could be considerably... different than they were in the past. Tessa, for starters, was clearly not like the Tessa in City of Heavenly Fire. This one had zero knowledge about the Shadow World, or even the fact that she herself is a Downworlder, she asked too many questions and spent most of the time doing nothing at all. She did have a cool power that I'm intrigued to learn more about, and her personality was ok, but that's about it.
Will is a wild card for me. At times I loved him —those times being whenever he threw one of his many sarcastic remarks at anyone who could hear, his cute moments with Jem and MAYBE some of his "romantic" scenes with Tessa— and at others, he was simply unbearable —basically every other time. I know he's hiding a lot of things that will probably be revealed in the next books, but I couldn't really enjoy him being so rude for apparently no reason (at least no reason that's been explained). Apart from that, he made me laugh a lot, and I'm also really curious about what made him into such a grumpy ass. Here's to some character development in Clockwork Prince, hopefully.
Jem was my absolute favourite. I loved him before and I love him even more now. He's a soft boy, simply the best. I adore him with a passion and I want to protect him so bad it's actually embarrassing. I'm dying to know what the hell is going to happen with him, for obvious reasons. Also, can we just appreciate how gentle he is that EVERYONE LOVES HIM? He deserves better.
Jessamine is actually the one that intrigues me the most. I liked her a lot. Her story was addressed only briefly, but I want to learn more about her and I really wish for her to be closer to the rest of the "family". Her not wanting to be a Shadowhunter was actually so unexpected yet so appealing for some reason, and I liked that she stayed true to herself at all times (which can't be said about all the characters).

So basically, this series has the potential to sweep me off my feet, which is exactly what I'm hoping for. The first book was good, but I believe the others will be even better, so I trust Clockwork Prince to make a difference. ...more

9 likes · Like · see review

Jun 09, 2020 Milena rated it it was ok

Buddy read with Layla
Ok so originally I gave this book 5 stars but now I read it with a friend and it made me realize that this book is not worth 5 stars. Just to clarify I love CC books but this one just wasn't it for me and here are the reasons why:
▪︎MC is your average girl who doesn't think she is special but suddenly is whisked away to another country(or more specifically a continent in this case) and there she meets two charming young man and must choose between them. Keep in mind one is a ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Jun 08, 2020 Aarushi rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorite-series, 2020-favorites

This book took me a heck of a long time to read, but I loved it just as much as I loved the Mortal Instruments, to my surprise. I really did like it a lot, and Tessa was a main character who I could get behind and didn’t make stupid decisions at every turn. The real shining stars of this book were Will and Jem. Will, the funny, dark one. Jem, the kind, wise one. The whole book was me going, Jem? No, Will. Will? No, Jem! This is one of the rare books where I can’t tell who she will end up with in ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Aug 23, 2020 Anna Pierce rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 12, 2020 Emilia Robert rated it it was amazing

BEST. BOOK. EVER!!
!!

1 like · Like · see review

Aug 08, 2020 Ciara rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book.

It had a very slow pace up until the last 150-200 pages which is surprising considering the relatively fast pace of the mortal instruments series but still enjoyable and had me interested.

I found it odd to read because of the time period it was written in as I am so used to tmi being modern-day but it was nice to see a different view.
The world-building was fantastic and definitely took the lead over character building (which was still enjoyable)

(view spoiler) ...more

Like · see review

Jun 08, 2020 Rhys rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Like · see review

Aug 29, 2020 Bilyana Mihova rated it it was amazing

Shelves: the-shadowhunters-chronicles, 5-star-absolute-gems

“Only the very weak-minded refuse to be influenced by literature and poetry.”

It feels so odd yet immensely satisfying to be writing this review. Having read this book first 3 years ago and re-reading it now is a feeling, almost like being homesick and returning to your homeland after so many years away. It really is a shame that it is now that I finally get to review my absolute favourite book - the book that holds such a special place in my heart and has shaped me into the person that I am “Only the very weak-minded refuse to be influenced by literature and poetry.”

It feels so odd yet immensely satisfying to be writing this review. Having read this book first 3 years ago and re-reading it now is a feeling, almost like being homesick and returning to your homeland after so many years away. It really is a shame that it is now that I finally get to review my absolute favourite book - the book that holds such a special place in my heart and has shaped me into the person that I am today. It was always so ironic to me that up until this month I never possessed a physical copy of it, only the e-version. Thanks to my amazing friend, I could, at last, hold it with my very hands (and it's the 10th-anniversary edition!!).

"Clockwork Angel" is a historical YA fantasy novel that takes place nearly 150 years prior to the events in the original storyline that is "The Mortal Instruments". The book and the series itself (The Infernal Devices) give the readers, and more specifically the already-fans of the OG hexalogy, a unique plot and characters which are fully connected to those we already knew. Clare, true to her fixed formula, grants us with a female protagonist, who discovers that she comes from a very different and dreamlike world and everything she used to know is shattered to pieces. The more she dived into this newly-discovered world, the more secrets are revealed.

Upon re-reading, I realised quite a few things about the book. It's the characters that gained the book so much appeal and that applies to me as well. The plot is well-structured, sure, but it is somewhat disengaging at times. Of course, I know that it gets more and more interesting regarding the storyline but there's no denying that there's a certain connection between the reader and the characters, that is felt while reading. The other thing that I noticed, is the multiple easter eggs that are placed all over the book. They are all small hints as to how the series and the characters are going to develop and it was truly a pleasure to read it from a different, clearer perspective.

There's not one person that knows me that is not familiar with my love and obsession with Will. His background, his personality and basically everything about him makes him ever so attractive and captivating to read. I have come across many readers who are not fond of him, who only wish to see the surface of him and never deeper than the shallows. From the first moment, I instantly knew there's more to him than what the character is portrayed to be.

Here comes Will's relationship with Jem and Tessa. What those three share, is not something words could possibly describe. Cassie created one of the most beautiful bonds I have ever seen, thus allowing people from all over the world to share their love through it. I will probably never be over Clockwork Princess and that's alright because

“It's all right to love someone who doesn't love you back, as long as they're worth you loving them. As long as they deserve it.”

And that trilogy is worth loving.

I wish I could sit here and babble for hours on end about how gorgeous this book and the rest in the series are but alas this must simply be a review. And if there's a single soul that is still in doubt whether to pick this book or not, do your soul a favour and read it. It matters not how you're going to read it but gift yourself this story - for you may find it to be the best decision yet in your life.

⭐️ 5 of the biggest stars ⭐️ ...more

Like · see review