Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1)

[Trisha]

This thread is to discuss Clockwork Angel, the first book in the The Infernal Devices Series by Cassandra Clare.

Pages: 481 pages

Length: 1 Month (March)

Participants: Alison, oshizu, Luisa, Rachael, Meghan.

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.


Happy Buddy Reading!

[Irma]

hope to join!!

[oshizu]

We hope you do, too, Irma!

[oshizu]

This will be the 3rd book I read in March.
I'm thinking I'll start around the weekend.
Looking forward to discussing the novel with everyone! :).

[Shatina]

Joining! Thank you.

[oshizu]

Shatina wrote: "Joining! Thank you."

Yay, welcome!

[Alison]

Welcome Irma and Shatina!! I should be starting this one this weekend! Looking forward to comparing notes :)

[Irma]

read the first quarter of the book.
i see why people say this book should be made into a movie

(view spoiler)[ there is quite a lot of action. Will's character seems charming. I am waiting for more description of costumes since it is based in England. The girls are out shopping so I am excited about wardrobe details coming soon. And the institute already feels like an ornate castle than a church. I am allowing my visualization to carry me in all sorts of directions. (hide spoiler)]

I had read the city of bones and hadn't liked it. This is similar but better. Probably because the author has matured with the series.

[oshizu]

Unexpectedly I finished the first ten chapters (50%) already.
I don't enjoy YA fantasy which is why I skipped the The Mortal Instruments series, but I'm very much enjoying The Clockwork Angel.
(view spoiler)[Do you feel that the author is targeting a female audience? Both Will and Jem are portrayed as attractive young men while Charlotte appears as an admirable, older role model.
The ever-so-capable Charlotte and her brillant-yet-bumbling husband Harry are quite a couple.

The plot so far has been so engaging! I'm so invested in Tessa's search for her brother Nate.
The world-building is believable with its non-human society of Nephilim and Downworlders. (hide spoiler)]

Looking forward to seeing where this story goes. I had to force myself to stop reading earlier this evening and feed myself, lol.

[oshizu]

Is anyone else signed up for the Celebrating 25,000 Members quarterly challenge?

There's a prompt for a book with silver in the title or on the cover.
Do you think I could count this book toward that prompt? Or do you think that's a stretch?

[Alison]

oshizu wrote: "Is anyone else signed up for the Celebrating 25,000 Members quarterly challenge?

There's a prompt for a book with silver in the title or on the cover.
Do you think I could count this book toward t..."

oshizu, I would not call it a stretch to count this book towards "a book with silver in the title or cover"! I am counting Clockwork Prince in that category :)

[Alison]

I am also about 50% done with the book and agree with all of your thoughts, Irma and oshizu! Here are some of my thoughts:
(view spoiler)[ I think that the women in this book are being written as strong characters! I like Charlotte (and love her bumbly husband Harry, whom I believe knows more of what is going on than he seems to! :)
Jess is written so that we don't like her at first...she doesn't want to be a Shadow Hunter but will that change as the books go on?? Tessa is a strong character and I got an inkling of what happens when reading the 6th Mortal Instrument book...but I won't let on and don't really know the details of what happens in The Infernal Devices...let's just say that some characters from this book appear in the 6th book of the Mortal Instruments :0

I do believe that the author has matured in her writing...I Buddy read the 6 Mortal Instruments books last year and couldn't stand the main character Clary at first (she grew on me towards the end of the Mortal Instruments but still didn't like her entirely)! Clary, to me was whiny and very "teenager-ery" (of course she was only 15/16 so I had to take that into account :) In this book, the characters/plot is more likable to me than City of Bones so the storyline is starting out better for this series!

Will and Jem...they are interesting and are very close! What is going on with Jem's disease?? I am sure we will find out! Will puts on a front with his joking attitude but what is that hiding? I am sure there is more depth to these characters and we will get to know more details as the series progresses.

The world building is so unique and I am happy to be in Victorian England (I love historical fiction :)! I like the introductions that Cassandra Clare does in her books and how she describes what goes on in her mind/how she formulates her stories! Of course Tessa is going to be a big book reader with Cassandra immersing herself in "all the books" as she was thinking about her story! I really like how the institute is "Saint Bride's Church off Fleet street, a gorgeous church gutted by firebombs during the Blitz" and the fact that she "chose 1878 because it was a tie of transition from and Old England to a New England" and that she "believes historical fiction is the closest thing we have to time travel." I am such a nerd, I know :):) (hide spoiler)]

I didn't get much reading done yesterday but today is blustery/cold so a perfect day to continue finding out what is happening to Tessa!

[Rachael]

Third buddy read of the month for me and I'm just about to start this book.
I read City of Bones several years ago and it was okay. I was interested in returning to the Shadowhunters world though.
oshizu, I am counting this towards the 25000+ ratings prompt in the celebrating 25,000 members quarterly. That might help if you don't already have a book for that prompt

[Alison]

Rachael and oshizu...I just now looked at my plans for the 25K Celebration (the reading prompts) and I am using this book for the “book with over 25,000 ratings” too! Along with the prompt “book with silver in the title or cover”, I wonder if it has been translated into 25 languages (it is a pretty popular book)?

[oshizu]

@Rachael
Thank you for your response. I'll be reading many books that fit the 25,000+ ratings so that won't be a problematic prompt for me.

@Alison
Yay. Then I'm going to use it for the "silver cover" prompt, too. It also fits the bibliophile prompt. :)
I'm thinking I will use Clockwork Prince for the "read for this challenge by another participant." hehe

[oshizu]

I finished the book today and I'm quite angry about my Kindle edition which includes a preview of Book 1 (Chain of Gold) of the new Last Hours series. I unknowingly read it, which was a HUGE spoiler for this series. If you're reading an ebook edition, I suggest you avoid this preview. Boooooo

That said, I loved Clockwork Angel
(view spoiler)[Tessa's origins: Oh, Tessa's mother and a demon? I'm so very curious about that bit of Tessa's history! What is she exactly? Mortmain claimed that Tessa had been in the making for years--so what was Mortmain's father's role in Tessa's "creation"?

Love triangle: At times, it almost feels like Tessa/Will/Jem will turn into a love triangle, but I'm glad the story has avoided that trope so far.
Mortmain & Nate: What a disappointment Tessa's brother turned out to be. What a complete @$$hole. Great plot twist, though, with Nate & Mortmain conspiring to deceive the Shadowhunters to leave the Institute unguarded.

Will: We've learned a lot about Jem's pre-Institute life but only snippets of who Will is. I'm eager to know the reason for his ever-brave front and why he doesn't want to get close to Tessa while he simultaneously seems to yearn for that closeness.

Ending: OMG, what a cliff hanger! Will is seeking an anti-love potion...for himself? Darn you, Chain of Gold preview's spoiler! (hide spoiler)]

[Rachael]

I had that experience with a different series (Abhorsen by Garth Nix). He did an interview in the back of my copy of book 3 giving, in my opinion, a rather big spoiler about the next book in the series which ruined it for me. The reveal would have been so much better if it came as a total surprise.

Only a couple of chapters in of Clockwork Angel but I think this is going to be a quick read for me. I like it better than City of Bones so far

[Alison]

I finished the book this morning and really enjoyed it! Here are my thoughts:
(view spoiler)[ What an ending! I do think the book did not have a lot of action in it until the last third but I think that was due to Cassandra Clare setting up the characters and doing some World Building! I love that this was set in Victorian England (am I repeating myself?? Probably...because I am a Historical Fiction nut :) I do feel that this book is a set up for more action in the next 2 books. I also have a feeling from the title "The Clockwork Prince" that the next book will be about Will and his backstory?? He is very intriguing and I can't wait to learn more!

And poor Jem...I really like him...and oshizu, I have a feeling a love triangle is coming ;)

Nate: What an @$$hole! Mortmain was a surprise and I have to admit I was going down the "Vampire Highway" with the rest of the Shadowhunters and when Mortmain was revealed to be the Bad Guy, my head spun a bit :D

Also, what is up with the Clockwork Necklace that Tessa wears?? It was a gold mechanical bird in the end?? I don't understand but feel it will play a significant role in the series...

I also liked how we see glimpses of those we saw in the more present tense "Mortal Instruments" series...Magnus, Camille the Vampire and even Church the Cat!! That really ties this book into the previous books! I liked this one so much more that City of Bones and Tessa so much more than Clary!
I am looking forward to Clockwork Prince
(hide spoiler)]

[oshizu]

Alison, if you enjoy historical mysteries, you MUST read What Angels Fear. Margie recommended this series to me two years and I've read the first seven books so far. It is set in Regency England. I am pretty sure that you will love it. 😊

In response to Alison (ending spoilers)
(view spoiler)[*Battle action: I smiled to read your comment about "not a lot of action." I hadn't pegged you for an action fan, hehe.
I do agree that the build-up was good, with the various red herrings and Nate the subservient jerk ultimately revealing his true loyalties and betraying his sister's trust.

*Clockwork angel: Because Tessa inherited the necklace from her mother, I feel that her parents were somehow involved in the creation of the clockwork automatons.
Also, why wasn't Tessa more surprised when her clockwork angel protected her, flew away, then returned her, all on the clockwork angel's won volition?

*Tie-in with The Mortal Instruments: Thank you for clarifying the cross-over. I'd only be tempted to start that series if it introduced Will & Jem as children.

*Love triangle: So, you sniff a triangle, eh?

*The Silent Brothers: I'm also very curious about this brotherhood of healers. How is one trained and initiated? Where do they live? Why do they need to have their mouths sewn shut with black thread? Why wouldn't a vow of silence suffice? (hide spoiler)]

P.S. I can't believe how quickly I read through this book! It was delightful!
P.P.S. For the readathon, I might read Clockwork Prince early and use it for the 'silver cover" prompt. LOL! Nope, I'm not counting my chickens at all!

[Alison]

oshizu wrote: "Alison, if you enjoy historical mysteries, you MUST read What Angels Fear. Margie recommended this series to me two years and I've read the first seven books so far. It is set in Regen..."

oshizu...I have What Angels Fear on my TBR and I added it when reading reviews last year in our Mystery Challenge! It looks very interesting and I hope to read it in the summer/fall! Thank You for the recommendation :)

I am also using Clockwork Prince for the 25K prompt "book with silver in the title or on the cover!! Great minds think alike :D

I didn't look too hard because I did not want to spoil future books but here is a link to what the Silent Brothers "Duties/Abilities/Physical Appearance" are (warning, I think the links on this page might give spoilers so I didn't click on them!! ;)
The Silent Brothers were present in "The Mortal Instruments" books...
https://shadowhunterstv.fandom.com/wi...

[oshizu]

I'm actually afraid to read outside the books about The Silent Brothers, considering how little the publisher/author care about spoiling an entire series from Book 1.
In my comment, I was simply thinking out loud about what things I'd like to learn about them as we move through the series. :)

Noooo, don't wait until fall to read What Angels Fear! You will regret it sorely! ;-)

[Rachael]

Just added What Angels Fear as I like historical mystery too! Sounds very interesting

[Rachael]

Question (view spoiler)[is the Magnus Bane in this book the same Magnus Bane in the Mortal Instruments series or is it a relation? I read City of Bones over 5 years ago so my memory is a bit fuzzy about Magnus. I know he's a warlock and that's about it (hide spoiler)]

[Rachael]

Finished. I really liked it. I won't be doing the buddy reads for book 2 and 3 as I have lots of other books to read in April/May but I definitely want to read them in the future.
(view spoiler)[
* The Magister - at one point I thought it was going to be Thomas for some reason so it was a good surprise (hide spoiler)]

[oshizu]

Rachael
Sorry, I won't be reading The Mortal Instruments, so I can't say about the warlock in question.
About your April/May reading plans, I can totally understand. We have so much going on in this group in March and Q2!!!

[Rachael]

oshizu wrote: "Rachael
Sorry, I won't be reading The Mortal Instruments, so I can't say about the warlock in question.
About your April/May reading plans, I can totally understand. We have so much going on in thi..."

I had a preview of Lady Midnight in the back of my copy. Thanks to your warning, oshizu, I read two character names, didn't recognize them and immediately stopped. I don't want to be spoiled too soon

[Alison]

Rachael wrote: "Question [spoilers removed]"

Rachael, I just Buddy Read "The Mortal Instruments" (all 6 books) last year...
(view spoiler)[ Yes, Magnus Bane is the warlock in The Mortal Instruments! I don't know if you have read more than "City of Bones" but if you have any more questions, let me know! :) The books are fresh on my mind :) (hide spoiler)]

[Rachael]

Alison wrote: "Rachael wrote: "Question [spoilers removed]"

Rachael, I just Buddy Read "The Mortal Instruments" (all 6 books) last year...
[spoilers removed]"

Thanks, Alison. I have only read City of Bones and at the moment I think that I won't be continuing with the Mortal Instruments but thanks for the offer

[Ruthie]

It's SOOOO good glad y'all enjoyed it! I loved the Victorian England setting too and all the questions that arise. Can't wait to peek at the next book buddy read and join y'all for the third