Review - Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Title and Author: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Publication Date: August 31, 2010

Paperback: 479 Pages

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

Summary:

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: 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

Review:

I really enjoyed The Mortal Instruments series and, even though I was a bit reluctant to read this book, I have to say I was more than pleasantly surprised.

This book features the Shadowhunters once more, but this time the story takes place in Victorian London, instead of New York.

Tessa travels all the way from New York to London to find her brother but instead of being reunited with him as she hoped, she finds herself thrown into a world she never knew existed and doesn’t fully understand. Plus, she finds out she isn’t as normal as she thought she was and that she possesses a power that makes her different from everyone else.

There are a lot of great characters in this book that I felt were well developed and easy to like. Plus, you are reintroduced to some characters who had already made an appearance in The Mortal Instruments.

As the main character, Tessa, was easy to like. She is strong, smart and willing to fight for those she loved. One thing I really liked about her was the fact that always stood up for herself.

One character I really loved was Will. Just like Jace from The Mortal Instruments, he’s sarcastic, funny and cocky. He’s also very mysterious and maybe even a little dark. He doesn’t allow anyone to get too close to him no matter how much it hurts, not even Jem, but it is clear that he cares for both Jem and Tessa. It is also obvious that something happened to him. He’s damaged and whatever his secret is, it has the power to control him and dictate some on his actions.

And then there’s Jem. He’s kind, thoughtful, intelligent and sweet. He’s the one person who managed to get closer to Will than everyone else and while Will has a tendency to be impulse, Jem is very rational and careful. He too, cares very deeply for Tessa.

Now, if you’re wondering whether I’m team Will or team Jem, I’ll have to say that, for now, I’m team Will but I’m waiting to see what will happen next!Just when I thought that nothing could top The Mortal Instruments Series, Cassandra Clare goes and writes Clockwork Angel. I mean, come on, Shadowhunters plus the Victorian era. Can it get any better?

I absolutely adore all of the books that Cassandra Clare has previously written, and this one was no different! It takes place in the Shadowhunter world, just like The Mortal Instruments series, but this time, instead of present day New York, the story takes place in Victorian London.

The secondary characters are also great. There’s Charlotte and her mothering instincts, Henry, with his crazy inventions and Jessamine, who is a little spoiled and bratty but eventually grew on me.
All in all I really enjoyed this book. The writing was good and the characters very captivating. The plot is very interesting as well and I’m looking forward to seeing some mysteries being unraveled in the next book. You can definitely read this book without having read any of The Mortal Instruments books and, hopefuly, you'll like it just as much as I did. ...more

Rating: Must Read 

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