Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1) in Q&A with Cassandra Clare

Jan 17, 2010 Joyzi rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-stars-or-more, historical-fiction, fantasy, ya-books, reviewed, vampires, author-american, fiction, e-book, book-series

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. ***CAUTION: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS***

Wow, it was amazingly good, romantic, sad, funny, action-packed and totally this book mislead me. I never thought that that person was the Magister and I was like WTF because I never really thought that he was the villain and Nathaniel betrayed her sister Tessa, that was really shocking.

And I also love the characters in this book as well my most favorite character was Jem, and I think I've fallen in love with him haha ^^. He's just so gentle and kind and I re ...more

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Aug 08, 2010 Zoë Marriott rated it really liked it

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

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray arrives in England during the reign of Queen Victoria, something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Friendless and hunted, Tessa seeks refuge with the Shadowhunters, a band of warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons. Drawn ever deeper into their world, she finds herself fascinated by - and torn between - two best friends, and quickly realizes th The Synopsis:

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray arrives in England during the reign of Queen Victoria, something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Friendless and hunted, Tessa seeks refuge with the Shadowhunters, a band of warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons. Drawn ever deeper into their world, she finds herself fascinated by - and torn between - two best friends, and quickly realizes that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

The Review:

When you read the first book in a new series from an author whose previous series has been a smash hit, there's always the fear that the new book will be 'more of the same' - too similar to the previous series. I think Ms Clare has understood this, and has gone out of her way to create characters and situations that are different to the ones in the Mortal Instruments Trilogy.

Clockwork Angel generally feels much bleaker and more melancholy than the Mortal Instruments books, a move which I applaud. I love it when authors are brave and dirty their world up to heighten the stakes (as in Garth Nix's Old Kingdom Trilogy). There's still humour here, but, with the Victorian setting depriving the writer of her trademark pop-culture references and one-liners, it's mostly black humour. The world of Clockwork Angel is a harsher one. The Shadowhunters here are a far more fragmented and individually messed-up group. Most of them are barely clinging to their sanity it seems, and they definitely are not a happy little family.

The main character of the story, Tessa, is a little problematic for me. She's really a typical Victorian lady - soft and polite and generally willing to put up with people acting like gits around her without saying anything about it. She does show some bursts of strength but those feel a little disconnected from who she is. It took her a very long time to realise the potential of her 'gift'. Tessa actually takes on the traits - including strength - of whoever she shifts into: it would have been nice to see her morph into an incredibly strong vampire in order to defend others instead of running away and leaving friends behind to guard her retreat. But I suppose that *IS* all part of being a proper Victorian lady; it doesn't really occur to her that it's her job to fight. With any luck she will begin to understand how strong she is in the next book.

Then you have the love triangle. Or perhaps I should call it the Inevitable Love Triangle, containing one male who is sweet, insightful and kind, and one who is dark, tortured and twisted and treats the heroine like dirt. Guess which one Tessa prefers? *Sigh*

I do like love triangles. I do. But they TORMENT ME SOOOO!

In Mortal Instruments Jace was always supposed to this be dark, tortured hero. BUT in actual fact his love for Clary was painfully clear, and he always treated her with respect. In this book, in order to clearly distinguish the characters, Ms Clare either had to go with a love interest who was a 'Simon' (sweet, thoughtful, best friend type) or take that darkness up a whole notch, to the point where the hero's self-loathing spills over onto everyone else around him. And hence we have...Will.

Yes, I can see that he has some immensely tragic backstory. Yes, I'm sure deep down he's a fluffy puppy waiting for someone to understand him. Yes, I'm sure he's really treating the heroine like crap for her own good. But he's just waaay too close to the Bad Romance Boyfriend type we've seen so much of lately for me to really be comfy with him. And the sweet, kind, thoughtful point on the triangle (called Jem in this book) isn't getting any play here, which makes me sad because I actually much preferred him to Will (and I think he's got just as much awful baggage too, but for some reason this doesn't cause HIM to act like a total douche). Don't worry Jem! I LOVE YOU!

Finally the villain. I have to admit that I did love Valentine with an unholy passion, but I would have been very happy to accept a totally different villain who was *equally* compelling, frightening, etc. However, it seems as if this villain is a sort of anti-Valentine? He's a charisma suck, one of those colourless little men who gets away with all kinds of horrible things because he skims under the radar. He just isn't that scary even when he's pointing his evil plan right at you. Maybe the next book will reveal some hidden depths to him? He feels like the type you just want to squash like a bug, really.

Despite all this moaning, I did enjoy Clockwork Angel very much, and will be pantingly eager to get my hands on the next one. I hope we get a metric ass-load of character development in Clockwork Prince.

In summary - excellent action sequences, interesting poetry quotes, a nice depiction of Victorian London and a cast of intriguing secondary characters (Oh Jem! JEM! *Sob*) make this book well worth picking up. ...more

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Apr 06, 2010 Mindy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2011

I am brought back to the fantasy world of another fabulous novel created by Cassandra Clare. How does she do it? Where does she come up with it? How does she create such a detailed picture (without the mind-numbing) and draw you into the storyline?

This book for me was extremely dark. It starts out with the main character named Tessa imprisoned and tortured by two awful Downworlder women. Part of the torturing; the Dark Sisters would present her with an item and she would be required to shape-shi ...more

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Aug 02, 2010 Georgesear rated it it was amazing

Could not put this book down...read it over three days and am now regretting my haste, as the next in the series is not due out for at least a year!

The ending leaves many questions unanswered. Who is Tessa? Where is Nate? What is wrong with Will?

This book precedes The Mortal Instruments (TMI) series by about 130 years and gives another look at Shadowhunter culture/history. As in TMI, there is a love triangle at the heart of the book, with alot of unrequited feelings. The story is intriguing, wit ...more

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Aug 30, 2010 Paula from Reading Lark rated it it was amazing

I may like Will even more than Jace. *sigh*

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Feb 18, 2010 Megan (magan bagan) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: steampunk, fantasy

Let me first admit that when I heard about The Infernal Devices series, I was somewhat skeptical about the whole thing and wasn’t really sure if I was going to want to read it. With that out of the way, I have never been so glad to be wrong before. Cassandra Clare out did herself with this one and it’s only the first in a series of three!

Not only was the story line wonderfully written and engaging, but the characters were just as intriguing as our beloved Clary and Jace from The Mortal Instrumen Let me first admit that when I heard about The Infernal Devices series, I was somewhat skeptical about the whole thing and wasn’t really sure if I was going to want to read it. With that out of the way, I have never been so glad to be wrong before. Cassandra Clare out did herself with this one and it’s only the first in a series of three!

Not only was the story line wonderfully written and engaging, but the characters were just as intriguing as our beloved Clary and Jace from The Mortal Instruments series.

Set in 19th century London, we meet Tessa Gray. She’s a typically well brought up young lady who is thrust into a world that she never believed existed and never would have imagined that she was a part of, the Shadow World. With her brother’s life on the line, Tessa is forced into learning she has the unique and rather rare ability to change forms into anyone, alive or dead, a power that many want to exploit for their own uses.

With the help of Will Herondale and Jem Carstairs, two Shadowhunters that live at the London Institute, Tessa goes on a dangerous mission to locate her brother, uncovering even more secrets that may have been better left unsaid.

Each of the new characters we are introduced to bring something important to the story, including some of the familiar family names from TMI (Lightwoods, Waylands, and Magnus Bane). And, while I love the three main characters very much, I found that the two of the minor roles I wanted to learn more about were Henry and Charlotte, the couple that ran the Institute. With only a little mentioned about their relationship, I found myself asking more questions about their background than most of the other minor characters.

“She longed to reach out and stroke his face, push his hair back and reassure him. But she held herself back. She knew- she had been advised enough times- not force on Henry affection he probably didn’t want.” (CA pg 122) That statement alone was enough to pique my interest and drive me crazy to find out more.

And even though it might sound clichéd, Will was my other favorite character. Now, don’t get me wrong, Tessa was amazing and fascinating in her own right and I’m routing for her no matter what, but Will is much more of an enigma than the others. He’s witty and sarcastic, playful and spontaneous. To me he is like an artichoke, we have to keep peeling back layers until we get to the heart, and Clare hasn’t shown us all of what he’s about just yet.

“But there was nothing to say. There was only emptiness, as there had been before her. As there always would be.” (CA pg 451) Another sentence designed to make the readers even more curious about the fascinating William Herondale.

Cassandra Clare managed to win my heart again with this wonderful start to her prequel series and I am already twitching my thumbs in anticipation for the next two. I would also like to thank the lovely ladies of whatchYAreadin for hosting the Clockwork Angel contest and giving me the opportunity to read it early. You ladies are awesome and I hope that everyone enjoys the first book of the Infernal Devices series as much as I did.
...more

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Apr 03, 2010 Micaela rated it it was amazing

Shelves: to-swap

Oh Cassandra Clare. You are some kind of super human.
How on earth did you make Will such a good character?

This is a lot of fun to read. It isn't the same always-action-packed that the Mortal Instruments has, but it's still so thrilling, and I love the plot twists.

People who don't like Jace, you need to meet Will Herondale.
Well, people who love Jace (which would be me), you need to meet Will Herondale anyway.

There is a simile that I adore in this book. It's talking about Will wet in the rain, ...more

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Apr 11, 2010 Heather rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult

Yet another excellent book by Clare. I really liked it. The only drawbacks I felt, were times where the romance between some of the characters seemed a bit forced and that I kept trying to recall if these characters were mentioned in the Mortal Instruments series(since The Infernal Devices series takes place over a hundred years earlier in the same timeline/world). This seemed a lot darker than her earlier triology and I was suprised at the carnage/body count. However, I greatly enjoyed this boo ...more

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Jun 18, 2010 Mairead rated it it was amazing

http://thecraptocoolratio.blogspot.co... My review of Clockwork Angel. 5/5

That's pretty much it. I digress an awful lot. But pretty much; Clockwork Angel is amazing! It's thrilling, captivating and totally romantic. A gloved hand, unbuttoned and a kiss to the palm....possibly two of the hottest scenes I've read in a while that weren't at all graphic.

But I adored it with a passion and can't wait for the next one. Clockwork Prince can't come fast enough. ...more

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Aug 21, 2010 Sarah rated it really liked it

The begining isn't that great, but it gets a lot better toward the end. ...more

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Apr 26, 2010 travelmel rated it it was ok

Shelves: not-yet-released, ya-buzz, to-read-ya, to-read-authors-we-like

I hate it so far. I'm bored and irritated with the characters and the plot. I read mortal instruments a few years ago and remember it to be different and exciting. This book is NOT. I am listening to it and have three cd's left but I think in going to get a physical copy I ghe book so I can scan the rest. Pee-U this book stinks.

End review: nope. Did not like.
2/17/12 ...more

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Feb 21, 2010 Laurie(Time Stand Still) rated it it was amazing

I LOVE this author and ALL her books and this one is no exception. Ms Clare has a gift for writing battles, suspense, snarky come backs, cocky attitude and just when you think you have it figured out you don't. If you like victorian mixed with fantasy this book is for you. Go read it and then whine about waiting for Clockwork Prince to come out like the rest of us. ...more

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Aug 30, 2010 Mindy/fangedmom rated it it was amazing

I loved this book. I loved reading about the characters and the places. This book was INCREDIBLE. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series. It was a wonderful compliment to The Mortal Instruments Series.

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