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Book Review of Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices, Bk 1)

Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices, Bk 1)
reviewed on + 15 more book reviews


Tessa is on her way to London to find her brother. What she doesn't expect to find is being kidnapped and tortured by two hideous psychos and thrown into a world she never knew existed. Suddenly she has this unknown power and the Dark Sisters are forcing her to learn how to harness it, even though it causes her immense pain. And to top it all off, they've promised her to some guy they keep calling The Magister and all she knows about him is that he wants her, power and all. How did she get herself into this mess? And being so far from home, how will she ever get out of it?

I was a little skeptical of this series at first. I'd heard mixed reviews but most of them said that it doesn't compare to the Mortal Instruments series. To me that's both right and wrong. It isn't as good (so far) as those books, but they really shouldn't be compared. This series is the prequel. There may be some similar things and topics and people (like my favorite person in the fiction world, MAGNUS) but this is what happened before the Mortal Instruments. This was a different time in a different situation. I thought this book was fabulous! The only thing making me rate it a 4 instead of a 5 is that I'm not a steampunk fan just yet. Granted this is only the second book I've read in the genre, but the whole concept turns me off. I know, you want to punch me in the face. But hey, this is my opinion.

Aside from the steampunk characteristics, I thought Clare did an outstanding job with this book. She always has a way with words that makes it possible to imagine that you're in this world with her characters. You know the surroundings, you understand what they're feeling, and you're right there with them in whatever they're going through. Cassandra Clare is a phenomenal writer and I think it's great that she created this prequel series. Now we can find out what happened prior to the world revolving around Jace.

I liked pretty much every character in this book. I didn't overly obsess over anyone except for Magnus, but everyone was very likeable. Tessa has a book fetish which is awesome. As a book lover, I love reading about characters who love books too. It helps me relate to them better, and I pretty much assume they're cooler than anyone else that pops up. If I had to choose between Will and Jem for the affection of Tessa I'd go with Jem. While I do like a guy with confidence, Will has entirely too much of it for my taste. Jem is a gentle soul with a soft hand. He may be frail but his heart is strong enough make up for that.

I'm really bummed that I don't have the next installment of this series right now. I usually don't start a series unless I have every book in it because the anticipation kills me, but I'll just have to suffer on this one. I will try to read the next one before Clockwork Princess comes out in the near future though. This series has captured me just like the first, and Cassandra Clare will stay at the top of my list of amazing authors. Now... who's ready for the City of Bones movie next August?