Clockwork Angel

Thank goodness for spring break. I had a list of books growing and it was driving me mad. Out of three books I really wanted to read, I decided on Clockwork Angel. I've never really been a fan of fantasy, but then again, I've never actually read fantasy, either. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare is set in Victorian times, and reading historical novels is something that I do love. And something about this book just sparked my interest.

  

I know this book -- part of The Infernal Devices -- is a prequel to The Mortal Instruments, but I really just wanted to start here and see what I thought. You don't have to read or know about the Mortal Instruments trilogy to get into this book. Though I thought it was rather interesting that a lot of reviewers thought that the characters in this book were clones of characters from other books. I've never read any of Clare's books, so that really didn't bother me much.

Meet 16-year-old Tessa Gray. She travels from New York to London in search for her brother. When she gets there, though, things are not what she expected. And without wanting it, she's thrust into a world she never knew existed, one where demons, warlocks, vampires, and Shadowhunterss -- part-angel demon-fighters -- are real. The more involved she gets, the more she realizes that her brother's disappearance and and the things happening in London are because of her and what she is. But no one's quite sure what she is. But she's not alone. She's found an ally among the Shadowhunters, and possibly even love.

So, what did I think? Well, I thought it was good. I really liked Clare's writing style -- er, well most of the time. It's hard to explain what bugged me, but what I did like was how she describes things, though it did become excessive at times. In fact, I couldn't help but skip over a lot of long descriptions. I did find it odd how she stayed mostly in Tessa's point of view, but still switched to other character's points of view. I wish it would have been more consistent with the switching. When it came to how women of the Victorian ages were portrayed -- the expectations of proper ladies, the struggles they faced to be taken seriously -- I appreciated the accuracy. At the same time, I also felt like that point was overdone. As for the main character, I liked Tessa. For the most part. She just asked so many damn questions that it came off as manufactured, like it was just a way for information to get out. As characters go, I really liked Will, too. He was fantastically hilarious. But he's also dark and can be a bit of a jerk, mostly because he has a secret past he doesn't want to discuss. So obviously Tessa is drawn to him. Ugh. That sounds typical, right? I thought so.

The other boy, Jem, (ahem, love triangle), was like Will's opposite. Of course. The one to balance him. My main problem with Jem was his name, Jem. If you know me at all, you'll know what a huge Jem and the Holograms fan I am -- that fabulous cartoon from the 80s about a girl rock band. So whenever I saw the name Jem, it made me think of huge, pink 80s hair and makeup. Not a pale boy with silver hair and eyes. But alas, he's a sweet, deep guy. I couldn't hold his name against him.

I thought the plot was cleverly executed, though it seemed to drag out in parts. Overall, I would recommend it to people who love the Victorian era, fantasy mixed with a little steampunk, and creepy villains. Though if you've read Clare's other books and fanfiction, you might not enjoy it. Now, I'm off to read book 2, Clockwork Prince. Unfortunately, I won't get to read Clockwork Princess until 2013 (this is where I'd curse a lot).

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Who's Jem and the Holograms? Well, I'm glad you asked.


Truly truly truly outrageous.