Author: Cassandra Clare
Classification: YA Fiction, , Historical Fiction, Paranormal
Source: Borrowed!
Overall Grade:
B
Would I read it again?
No.
Would I recommend it?
Yes, fans of the Mortal Instruments series will love it!
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Summary (from Goodreads):
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.
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My Thoughts:
Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Angel continues to delight her readers with great characters, luxurious writing, and an amazing story. However, readers of her Mortal Instruments series will be thrown off by this novel's slow start.
When we first meet Tessa, she is on her way to London from America to find her older brother who disappeared some months ago. Just after her arrival, she is taken by the mysterious Dark Sisters. This part of the narrative lasts for the good part of 50 pages or so.
It's not until a good way into the novel that Tessa meets Jem, Will, and the rest of the Shadowhunter clan in London. When this finally happens, the pace picks up considerably, as did my enjoyment of the book!
Tessa is a good narrator: as an outsider to the Shadowhunter community, the reader is given a fresh perspective on their lives. We get to learn her intimate reactions to meeting the other characters, and when she struggles to deal with her uncertain origins.
The plot of the novel was as exciting and interesting as those in the Mortal Instruments series, and I found myself wanting to read just one more chapter every time I tried to stop!
However, something that continues to bother me about Cassandra Clare's novels is the clunky-ness and predictability of the writing. While the other aspects of the books are spectacular, I find myself easily annoyed with common descriptions and over-done narration. This makes it impossible for me to read these books again, because they are simply filled with too much: too many unnecessary sentences, too-lengthy descriptions.
Still, I am anxiously awaiting book 2 in the Infernal Devices series, Clockwork Prince, set to be published on December 6, 2011!
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Overall Grade:
B
Would I read it again?
No.
Would I recommend it?
Yes, fans of the Mortal Instruments series will love it!
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