Clockwork Angel
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Infernal Devices #1
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Steampunk
Release Date: August 31, 2010
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Summary:
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.
First Sentence: The demon exploded in a shower of ichor and guts.
My Review:
I was originally not planning on reading Clockwork Angel anytime soon, but with so many of my friends peer pressuring me to, I finally gave in and decided to give the book it a try. I’m not sure if that was the right move to make as I have mixed feelings about Clockwork Angel.
Before I start my review, I have to make this clear: I already knew that Cassandra Clare basically recycled her characters from The Mortal Instruments series into The Infernal Devices series before I started reading Clockwork Angel. After finishing Clockwork Angel, I can easily confirm that this statement is true. Will is like another Jace, Tessa is like Clary, and Jessamine is like Isabelle. I’m not quite sure about the other characters, so I won’t say anything about that.
“You never laugh,” she said. “You behave as if everything is funny to you, but you never laugh. Sometimes you smile when you think no one is paying attention.” (288)
Just like City of Bones, the first two hundred and fifty or so pages of Clockwork Angel had horrible pacing. There would be some action, then lots of talk and no action for more than a hundred pages. It’s the same with the end too – Cassandra Clare would throw us some action scenes for us to get excited about, but then it just dies down, making the book draggy again.
I’m surprised that Tessa isn’t a Shadowhunter. After hearing about all the additional Shadowhunter books Cassandra Clare plans on writing, I was expecting Tessa to be a Shadowhunter, but to my surprise, she’s not. I just hope that Tessa can’t create new runes or write runes or do any Shadowhunter stuff in the future The Infernal Devices books. That would be a pity.
“A power such as yours…it is no wonder the Dark Sisters wanted to get their hands on you. Others will as well.” (58)
There were also plenty of scenes in Clockwork Angel that were just plain awkward; I don’t know how else to describe it. Will and Tessa would be talking, and all of a sudden, Tessa would be saying meaningful quotes, but it just sticks out and doesn’t flow well. It’s like you’re talking with your friends, when without warning, one of your friends started quoting Shakespeare. It felt like that.
Also, the many scenes where Tessa talks and thinks about books was awkward to me too. It’s like Cassandra Clare was screaming at us readers: LOOK READERS, MY MAIN CHARACTER LIKES TO READ TOO. LET ME SHOW YOU HOW MUCH SHE LIKES TO READ, then proceeds to dump as many classic book titles available in the Victorian era as she can to show how “literate” Tessa was. Tessa loving books is too forced and just plain awful to read about. I just wanted to cringe in horror and run far, far away from those pages.
But Tessa had already spied a familiar volume on a shelf and went over to greet it like an old friend. “Oliver Twist!” she cried. “Have you any other of Mr. Dickens’s novels?” She clasped her hands together. “Oh! Do you have A Tale of Two Cities?” (88)
Another thing I didn’t like about Clockwork Angel was that everyone was talking too much when something dangerous was happening right that moment and they know it and instead of running off and saving lives, they continue talking. The Shadowhunters would explain certain things, and then talk some more, until finally, they had the sense to rush off and save lives. Seriously, while they were talking, one more person could be killed. I just wanted to slap them silly and tell them dude, save lives talk later!
For those of you who haven’t read Clockwork Angel yet, Clockwork Angel is a steampunk novel that mainly focuses around a plot involving Tessa’s missing brother. When that plot twist involving Tessa’s brother happened (and I’m sure the people who’ve already read Clockwork Angel knows exactly what I’m talking about), it immediately reminded me of Susan Dennard’s book, Something Strange and Deadly, which came out in 2012. Both Clockwork Angel and Something Strange and Deadly are steampunk novels and both books have the same plot revolving around a missing brother and the same plot twist about that brother, all set in the Victorian era. It was like rereading Something Strange and Deadly all over again when I was reading Clockwork Angel‘s brother plot.
Nate. He was the one she was doing all this for, but sometimes she missed him so much it felt like she’d swallowed broken glass. Without him, she was completely alone in the world. There was no one at all for her. (17)
Despite all these problems in Clockwork Angel, I will probably read Clockwork Prince, but not anytime soon, even though Clockwork Angel left with a kind of cliffhanger.
Before I end my review, I have one question to ask: When you start to fall for someone, do you only notice the beautiful colors of their eyes and keep thinking about it? When Tessa was slowly falling for Will, all she could think about was how blue his eyes were and what an unique color it was. Basically, it drove me crazy. I’m personally not like that, constantly thinking about someone’s eye color, but who knows?
I read the City of Bones last summer and didn’t like it very much. It wasn’t all that for me, I tried continuing the series, but I got really spoiled on it. And I’ve been thinking about starting this series, because I liked the world in City of Bones. And I also heard a few bloggers say that this series id better then TMI.
So, reading this review I’m not sure if I should read it or not, because if it has all of the problems that City of Bones had then I’m not going to read it.
Great review :D
Kimberly recently posted…Predictions & Hopes.
I’ve heard A LOT of bloggers saying this series is so much better than TMI, but me, I don’t really see it.
Hmm, I can’t really help you there. I’ve seen so many different opinions on this book, ranging from 1 star to 5 stars. I guess you should just read an excerpt from Amazon, then take it from there.
And thank you Kimberly! (:
Kelly recently posted…Book Review: Clockwork Angel – Cassandra Clare
I read this a couple years ago and I remember absolutely nothing. I didn’t care for it much the first time (and it obviously didn’t make an impression on me), but I do want to try again because everyone has been raving about Clockwork Princess lately. And because I loved the Mortal Instruments series. (But again, I don’t want to read it all over again with different characters, ha)
And I personally don’t dwell over someone’s eye color. Because to me it’s about personality….hmm, imagine that…
Great review, Kelly!
Jessi @ Auntie Spinelli Reads recently posted…Review: Poison by Bridget Zinn
Oh my goodness, so I peeked at the ending of Clockwork Princess the day it came out (yeah, extremely bad I know, but I HAD to know who Tessa picks) and the ending is absolutely…laugh worthy in my opinion. Seriously. I don’t want to spoil it for you so I won’t say anything other than that, but the way CC ended the series just makes me feel kind of sick. :l
Yeah, I know! I don’t dwell on eye color either, I care about their personality, and maybe their hair too. ;D
Thank you Jessi! (:
Kelly recently posted…Book Review: Clockwork Angel – Cassandra Clare
I haven’t read this yet, but I’ve been planning too. I heard a lot of good and bad about this but I wanna “experience” it first. Great Review Kelly, I appreciate reading something with a more different opinion. :D
Jules recently posted…Book Review: Frostbite by Richelle Mead
Yeah, you have to try out Cassandra Clare’s books yourself first. So many people (including me) have so many different opinions on it. Some think it’s the BEST THING EVER while others HATED it. I’m lingering on disliking it because it was too similar to her TMI series.
And thank you! (:
Kelly recently posted…Book Review: Clockwork Angel – Cassandra Clare
I’m sorry the pacing didn’t work for you and I guess that and the quotes are just personal taste (I didn’t find them jarring) but I must tell you that I disagree about the recycled characters. I’ve heard many people say they think that way about Will and Jace, but their pasts, problems (Will has no daddy/sister issues), and priorities are completely different. As are their abilities. I think it’s a bit trickier than that Tessa/Clary (I can tell you Tessa has no connection at all to runes though) but what really surprises me is your linking of Jessamine with Izzy o.O Izzy is a kickass shadowhunter through and through while Jessamine would rather be a spoilt mundane socialite.
I’m not trying to attack you, I just think it’s interesting that the same book can ellicit such different responses in readers. CA was my first Cassie Clare book and I devoured it, then was disappointed with CoB because I figured out stuff waaay before it happened and it was overall more clumsily written. That got better in the later books but I’m still more of a TID than TMI fan. Maybe it depends on what series one starts with?
(About the reading/quoting: that was pretty common at the time. There were no TV shows or movies to obsess over, so lots of people would read and discuss books and bond over them. It was also kind of a ‘thing’ to be able to quote them at one another or write book/poetry quotes into another person’s scrap book.)
Overall, I’m really sorry it didn’t work as well for you as you’d hoped :( All I can tell you is that Clockwork Prince is really well-written and explains about Will’s background but it tore my poor little heart out ^^’
Sorry for the longish comment and I hope you’re not mad at me now :S I can get rather passionate about the whole ‘copied characters’ thing…
Carmen B. recently posted…Discussion: what ultimately makes you pick one book over another?
Don’t worry, I know you’re not trying to attack me Carmen! (:
In my point of view, both Jace and Will are very arrogant, pretends to be a tough guy when they’re both not, pushes the one they love away, and can’t be together with the one they love for some reason. Tessa and Clary are both Mary Sues (only they can destroy or save the world & both of them are “special”), and as for Isabelle and Jessamine, they both are beautiful and think that because they are beautiful, it should entitle them to do whatever they want. Isabelle and Jessamine also has a HUGE matching ego, and have no respect for other people (the way Isabelle treated Simon at first and Jessamine’s attitude in CA overall). That’s just my view though.
As for now, I do think Clockwork Angel is better than the TMI series, but I’m not a fan of any of them sadly. :l
And oh, I never knew that! In all the historical romances I’ve read that focuses on the Victorian era, people were either drinking, gambling, homeless, working, attending parties, or watching performances/plays. I did hear of salons where they gossip about things though, but I thought that came after the Victorian era.
Yeah, I saw the ratings of Clockwork Prince and I’m like hmm, why not give it a chance since people say it’s better than Clockwork Angel because it actually explains why Will is the way he is? (He better have a good reason for being a confused jerk! At least, better than Jace’s.)
And feel free to comment as long as you want Carmen! Long comments make me happy because it shows that people actually read the entire review. :D
And no way, I’m definitely not mad at you! I’m glad you shared your opinion so I can see things from your point of view! :D
Feel free to argue/debate back! (:
Kelly recently posted…Book Review: Clockwork Angel – Cassandra Clare
I’m sorry that you didn’t like this as much as I hoped. Clockwork Prince is actually much better and has more suspense. Probably one of the main reasons I didn’t want to reread it was to go over the beginning. To me the story really starts after the Party at De Quincey’s. I hope you like the next one more. And I agree with Carmen about the Characters in TMI and TID. I love the 19th century SOOOO much, which is a reason why I loved it so much I guess. Sorry again.
Don’t apologize for liking a book Mariam, and then recommending it to me! D:
It’s nice to have someone who cares enough about you to suggest one of their favorite books to you, so really, don’t apologize. In fact, recommend more books for me to read. ;D
And I agree, it felt that the book really starts after De Quincey’s party, but it slows down again a little bit in the end.
I know, the 19th century is fabulous, especially all the clothing! Too bad they don’t have iPads that time LOL. :D
Kelly recently posted…Book Review: Clockwork Angel – Cassandra Clare
I agree. Sometimes I think “If I had the chance to live then, I would in a heartbeat, but am I really willing to give up my music and computer?” Thanks for your nice words by the way.
I think Storm by Brigid Kemmerer is good if you’d like to try it next. I hope you enjoy it. It’s one of the first books I have reread for a second time from beginning to end without skipping ANYTHING. Even if I LOVE a book, I typically skip to all my favorite scene’s so that’s an achievement for me. I guess that testifies to the wesomeness of the book. :)
Okay! :D
I’ll put Storm on next month’s TBR list. So many good books out there, so little time…
And oh my goodness Mariam, since I can’t actually live in the 19th century, I do it by reading books focused on that time and imagining myself there. :D
I’ll probably be turned off by the men’s wigs though! ;D
Kelly recently posted…Book Review: Clockwork Angel – Cassandra Clare
I do the same. It’s kinda hilarious.
The wigs though, I think were of the eighteenth century. One of the many many reasons I hated the 1700’s. Awful time period. (I think so.) I’ve always wanted to go to a 19th century Masquerade though. Oh, how FUN!
I started reading this book March 2013 but up till now I still haven’t finish it. That’s why I marked it as On Hold for now. I might try reading it again when school starts. As for your question, no, it’s not normal to only think of someone’s eye color when you fall for someone. That’s just waaaay to weird. -___- And as much as I like Will and his charming self, I’ll be pinning over Jem and Tessa to be together. :) Great review, by the way.
I can see why you put Clockwork Angel on hold, I honestly don’t see what’s so special about it.
Yes, you agree with me! I don’t think about their eye color – their hair style, sure, but eye color is just so weird.
Thank you! (:
Kelly recently posted…Some BEA Tips & Hints I Wish I Knew Beforehand
I just finished the whole of The Infernal Devices trilogy this Monday and both the second and third book were better than Clockwork Angel. I have to say Clockwork Princess was actually the best book I’ve ever read! Trust me, the trilogy is worth continuing just for the sake of the last book. :)
Adelena @ A Page of Heaven recently posted…Review: Die for Me (Revenants, #1) by Amy Plum
Eek, well, I already peeked at the ending of Clockwork Princess. (Horrible habit, I know. :P)
And, well, the ending was just plain weird in my opinion. I’m happy to hear that the series gets better though!
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [38]
I loved this book so much!!! I already read tmi (1-5) before I read this but this book was so perfect written and I love the time the shadowhunters live in
and of course I lost my heart to Will and Jem ;))))
My favourite is still Clockwork Princess because the ending was so perfect and I just….cried and had all the feels
I’m glad you like this series Sarah! (:
I know I’m not reading Clockwork Princess anytime soon though; too many books and so little time. :P
Kelly recently posted…Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far In 2013
When I first picked up City of Bones, I wanted to vomit every time I read the word Twilight (seriously can you imagine someone saying “Hey, it’s twilight, want to go out for dinner?”). And I think my hubby wanted to go nuts b/c I pointed it out to him every time as well. And it was a LOT! Between that and all the Harry Potter references I barely made it though. That said, it thankfully got better as the series continued. (And I really liked Magus, his character is what got me to read Infernal Devices).
I felt the same about Clockwork Angel. Characters still called night time twilight, but not as much and it seemed more appropriate for the time period. And Draco, I mean Jace, I mean Will was back. This series also got better as it went along. Yes Will and Jace are the same person and Tessa like Clary. But there was Gem and Henry. Of course in this one I couldn’t get passed the whole robot thing…or “automans.” I had to pretend they were something else. But the series had its moments. The ending didn’t bother me. But that’s probably because of who I liked better between Will/Gem (I won’t say who to avoid spoiling anything).
I’m torn over all of these books. Part of me enjoyed them and part of me got nervous my eyes would pop out from all the rolling. I will more than likely go see the movie (well, on PPV anyway) and still read whatever comes next. I can’t stop the curiosity, so I guess Ms. Clare wins on that account LOL. :)
Meredith recently posted…This Time Around by Ellie Grace Preview
I’ve never heard TMI and TID being compared to Twlight before, but I can see why.
I enjoyed reading Clockwork Angel, but I couldn’t stop eye-rolling at Will/Jace’s and Tessa/Clary’s repeat relationship.
Kelly recently posted…Monthly Wrap Up: June 2013
At first, I was really unsure about this trilogy. I love this time period so much. But after a slow start, I did finally get engaged. In the end, I fell for Will in this one.
I’m glad you liked Will Viven! :D
I also like reading books in this time period, but it just looks like Clockwork Angel isn’t the book for me really. :l
Kelly recently posted…Summer Lovin’ Readathon: Day 7 – Alma Mater
Great review. I love this series, probably because I love the time period the story takes place in. I love the Mortal Instruments series too. I am not so sure about the movie City of Bones coming out, they always ruin the books.
I don’t know Cali, the trailer for City of Bones look REALLY good. Lily Collins’ acting looks AMAZING and I rarely say that about anybody.
Kelly recently posted…Summer Lovin’ Readathon: Day 7 – Alma Mater
Idk if I should read this because I haven’t really like C.C.’s first series, The Mortal Instruments..
If you don’t like C.C.’s first series, I recommend you to skip this one. o:
Kelly recently posted…Waiting On Wednesday [32]
I heard that Clocwork Angel is better than City of Bones. I’ve read City of Bones, but I haven’t read Clockwork Angel yet. Maybe I’ll give it a try …
Najwa Shufia recently posted…Giveaway from @BibliophileM : Win a Paperback ARC of Creatura by Nely Cab
Many people think that Clockwork Angel is A LOT better than City of Bones, but meh, I don’t really notice the difference.
Good luck with your read! (:
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [44]
The eye color thing is so weird to me in ALL books, because I just don’t like looking in people’s eyes. It’s uncomfortable to me HAHA, so I don’t get it. And everyone in books has amazing eye colors. No one ever has muddy brown like most people in the world.
/end rant now :)
Jess Chiles recently posted…Super Six Sunday (2)
Yeah, I avoid looking at people directly into their eyes. It’s a bit awkward when I accidentally meet someone else’s eyes and then have to look away.
Oh plain hazel! I mean, hazel can be beautiful too!
Kelly recently posted…ARC Book Review: Thornhill – Kathleen Peacock
The book that started it all! A perfect beginning to a perfect book series! Loved every minute of it<3
I’m glad you loved it Fatma! (:
Kelly recently posted…ARC Book Review: Thornhill – Kathleen Peacock
Thanks for your honest review. There are some books that people just can’t get into. I haven’t read The Mortal Instruments or City of Bones series. They are on my To Be Read list. Clockwork Angel is part of a Languishing Literature Challenge on goodreads so I will get to them before the end of 2013.
I really struggle to get through books that are slow paced. I don’t think I’ve read anything steampunk before so this is a new genre for me.
Sharlene @ Sharlene Says recently posted…Review: A Game of Thrones
I hope you’ll enjoy TMI and TID better than I did Sharlene! o:
Steampunk is fun…if you read a book that does it right. :P
Kelly recently posted…Let’s Speculate: How Do You Treat Books You Borrow From the Library?
Don’t you hate it when a book is hyped up so much and then you don’t really like it? I haven’t read any Cassandra Clare books yet but I feel tons of pressure to do so. I’m trying to keep my expectations in check so I’m not too disappointed if they aren’t for me.
YES! And then when you don’t like the book and disagree with the hype, you think what am I missing that other people can see? The hype almost always disappoints me. :l
And yeah, I avoided Cassandra Clare’s books for the LONGEST time until I finally gave in…and was disappointed. Hopefully you won’t feel the same way that I do about her books.
Kelly recently posted…Blogoversary Day 2: Cover Guessing Game
Oh I feel you! This is my first Cassandra Clare book, I chose this book than CoB ’cause they say that this trilogy is better than TMI. Yeah this book is great the story was very compelling but it was very slow paced it’s very descriptive the I-can’t-move-on sickness of Tessa was annoying. I have also finished reading the Clockwork Prince and it was still the same. Now I have doubt if I will continue to read the final book. Thanks for the honest review.
Francis Casabuena recently posted…Tackle Your TBR Read-a-thon Goals
I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought Cassandra Clare’s books were slow paced. I just wanted something to actually HAPPEN all the time instead of the characters just sitting around and talking about things I can care less about.
I’m really nervous to read Clockwork Prince; there’s just so much pressure for me to read and love it.
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [52]
Oh my gosh! I wish I could express how much I want to read this series and The Mortal Instruments: Book 1! Ever since I saw the movie I’ve been in love! And I haven’t even read the series yet! I hope I get to soon! :D
I want to watch the City of Bones movie, but nah, I rather wait.
I hope you’ll enjoy the books as much as you enjoyed the movie Hillary! (:
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [52]
Thank you so much for such detailed review. It helped me a lot to decide whether to buy this or not.
I’m glad I helped you with your decision Satarupa! (:
Kelly recently posted…Top Ten Best/Worst Series Enders
I absolutely loved Cassandra Clares’ Mortal Instruments series so I’m pretty sure I’m going to love this too. I love the fact that it’s set in old times, it’ll be really interesting! I like period dramas and historical fiction so this should definitely suit me. It’s awesome that I’ve got a whole other Shadowhunter series to look forward too. I can’t wait to read this!
If you love Cassandra Clare’s TMI series, then you’ll definitely love this one Helen.
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [53]
no i dont think if im falling for a guy if i would just think about the eye color.. i havent read any of these books yet but i did read TMI.. I also heard from another blogger that they were recyclable characters–i will eventually get to reading this book but not really i a hurry.. great review!!!!
Exactly! I’m sure we aren’t the only ones who thinks that way.
I agree with that blogger – I too felt that TID definitely has recyclable characters from TMI.
Thanks Sarah! (:
Kelly recently posted…Spooktacular Giveaway Hop
I’ve not read this series, but I think I’m going to have to. I’ve heard so much about it and that it is a great series, so I’ll have to see for myself what all the hype is about. :-)
Thank you so much for the review!
I hope you’ll enjoy this one and its series Lindsey! (:
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [54]
I love The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, The Bane Chronicles and I can’t wait for The Dark Artifices! :D I want to own the Shadowhunters Codex so badly lol
Ha ha, I sadly don’t have all those books. :P
Kelly recently posted…Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss – Stephanie Perkins
Ummmmm. I don’t know about the eyes thing. I do appreciate pretty eyes but I don’t obsess over them too much. Unless it’s Adrian Ivashkov’s green eyes. I would love to see those in person.
I was personally confused by some parts in Clockwork Angel. I’m guessing it’s because of the pacing thing you mentioned. But I liked Will instantly, even though I was pissed at the end. After reading Clockwork Prince and Princess, it makes sense. But still.
I can kind of see how Tessa is like Clary, but something is keeping me from agreeing completely. Likewise, Jace and Will do have similarities but I like Will a lot more. I don’t even know why. I think I just have a thing for tortured souls (see: Adrian Ivashkov).
In a way, I see why Cassandra Clare would do all this. Magnus is the link between ID and MI, so the similar characters makes it interesting in that respect. I’m eagerly waiting for the last MI just because of the epilogue from Clockwork Princess. Was I disappointed? Maybe. But I’m still excited. What can I say, I’m hooked.
Thanks for the review!
Joanna V recently posted…No, Not Again
Exactly!
And I haven’t read Frostbite+ or the Bloodlines series yet, so I haven’t met Adrian yet. :P
Ha ha, I barely get Will so it’s impossible to like him. He’s too cocky and like Jace for my taste.
Tessa IS a little different than Clary, that is she has more of a personality than Clary does (I feel like Clary only goes through the events with the emotions expected of her), but overall, I still feel like Tessa and Clary might as well be the same person.
Hopefully the last book in TMI won’t disappoint you Joanna! I don’t think I’ll get to reading them anytime soon. So many books and so little time. :X
Kelly recently posted…Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss – Stephanie Perkins
i really have to read this! :(
I have read the first three books in The mortal instruments series and I loved them, I can’t wait to start this series as weel because everyone says is so much better than the other one! *__*
Frannie Panglossa recently posted…Chi ben comincia: “Di me diranno che ho ucciso un angelo”
I agree with the horrible pacing in the first hundred pages. I wasn’t enjoying myself the entire time but the last few scenes were great. Overall, I still really liked this book.
I want to read this really.. It really seems interesting and I love this book genre ^_^
I love Clockwork Angel! It’s one of my favourite books, and I think your review on it was great!