Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1)

 

 Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Infernal Devices, #1
Pages: 479
Challenge: Goodreads Challenge 2014, 2014 Book Bingo Challenge
Genre: Paranormal
Acquired: Library
Rating: ★★★★½

*****

Goodreads Summary:

In a time when Shadowhunters are barely winning the fight against the forces of darkness, one battle will change the course of history forever. Welcome to the Infernal Devices trilogy, a stunning and dangerous prequel to the New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series.

The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them....

  *****

 My Thoughts:

Clockwork Angel follows young Tessa Gray, who after the death of her aunt, goes to London in search of her brother. But upon her arrival, Tessa is met with surprises, uncertainty, and secrets. Clockwork Angel  follows Tessa on her interesting journey to discovering herself and also uncovering secrets about her past and family that she could have never imagined to be true.

I really liked Tessa's character. She was interesting and different, especially after the discovery of her ability. I related to her the most and her determination to find her brother as well as the sacrifices she made in the process. With him being the only family she had left, I thought it was awesome that she made finding him a top priority above all that she went through. It was always the goal and she never deterred from the goal no matter what happened.

Other interesting characters? Ummm yes, Mr. William Herondale! I now see what all the fuss is about. Will is full of mystery and intrigue as well as stubbornness and sarcasm. In addition to Will, I also found Camille the vampire and Tessa's brother Nathaniel to be interesting characters as well.

With the story being in 3rd person, you were able to see how all the characters interacted, but also not knowing their inner thoughts kept the story interesting and mysterious. The problems faced in the book fit this particular storyline nicely and how the characters tried to solve those problems were realistic and clever.

Tessa changes and grows from the first page to the last as she learns life changing things that make her an even better character to read about. I can say that this book was definitely different from what I expected. I loved it 10x better than the first and only other Cassandra Clare book I've read so far which was City of Bones.

My favorite scenes in the book were the vampire party scene and the scene that starts with Tessa and Jem on the bridge and basically everything that happens afterward. What I liked most about the book was definitely Will and also the mystery of the Magister. What I liked least would have to be Nathaniel (those who have read the book can probably relate).

As far as the ending goes, I really liked it! It was interesting and action packed through and through and it definitely made me want to get my hands on the sequel as soon as I can! Would I recommend this book? Absolutely! I really enjoyed this read and look forward to reading more from Cassandra Clare. The plot was very different from what I've read in Young Adult books so far and it gave me a nice break from dystopian and post-apocalyptic worlds. Also the world building and setting were both amazing. I can also say that I was kept quessing throughout the novel especially with the mystery of the Magister and how the outcome panned out in the end.

With the cover, I would rate it 6/10. I really like it and think it fits the tone of the book nicely. Also with the actual rating of the book, I gave it 4.5/5 stars. A really enjoyable read!

*****