Clockwork Angel

Title: Clockwork Angel

Series: The Infernal Devices - book 1

Author: Cassandra Clare

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Historical, Young Adult

Number of Pages: 470

Publisher: Walker Books

Publication Date: 2010

Summary: When sixteen-year-old Tessa Grey arrives in England during the reign of Queen Victoria, something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Friendless and hunted, Tessa seeks refuge with the Shadowhunters, a band of warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons. Drawn ever deeper into their world, she finds herself fascinated by - and torn between - two best friends and quickly realises that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

The Infernal Devices series is a prequel series to the Mortal Instruments. As a result we get some of the names we know and love such as Herondale, Lightwood and Fairchild, but we also get introduced to some new ones. 

The first thing that I loved about this book is the world. Cassandra Clare has created a world that it both a historically belivable one and is also filled with magic and mechanical inventions. Like with the Mortal Instruments, the Shadowhunters of the 19th century live a secluded life from the mundanes and believe themselves to be better than the Downworlders. 

 While their are cross overs between both the Infernal Devices and the Mortal Instruments their is no repetition in story ideas. In both series we are introduced to the Pandemonium club, yet the two are unrecognisable, while being creepily the same in the different era's. In the Mortal Instruments the club is simply a club that is frequented by Downworlders, Demons and Shadowhunters...in the Infernal Devices the Pandemonium Club has a far more sinister role. In this version of the club it is run by varying levels of Downworlders and Demons who seek to exploit the naivety of mundanes; they draw in the unsuspecting and use them as pawns.

The other thing that I loved that has carried through on both series is the presence of Camille, Magnus and Church. Having a small select few of the characters from the Mortal Instruments present helped to create a connection between the two series and also to help solidify that some of the characters are actually immortal. Knowing that some of the characters will still be alive in 130 odd years and watching them love and hate really brings the loneliness of immortality to life. Getting to experience a character in two very different time frames brings a new depth to the immortality of characters that most authors are unable to portray.

The role of women in this book is also a big topic. There are three main women: Tessa, Charlotte and Jessamine, each are very different and have very different understandings of how women should act. Charlotte is a Shadowhunter first and a lady second. She goes into battle and has the right to give her opinion. Jessamine is pretty much a spoilt rich brat. She strongly believes that women should sit around and look pretty, take care of their husbands and raise their children. 

Tessa has very traditional views to begin with, men make decisions while women are more reserved. These views, however, do not suit Tessa's personality type and she lives in a world of fiction with strong female characters. When she meets the Shadowhunters she is originally put off by their casual and forward behaviour, yet at the same time she is fascinated with the idea that women can be strong and fight to.

It is the character of Will, however, that is the most fascinating. Will as a character is arrogant, rude and just plain unpleasant to be around. Yet he can also be prone to moments of true selflessness and kindness. Like with his descendant, however, his cruelty towards others comes from a desire to protect others from himself and to protect himself from pain and suffering. Will is by far one of the deepest characters I have read about. Everything about him contradicts. He can't stand anyone, doesn't believe anyone deserves pity but the one person he cares about the most is the person who most depends on him and has his unwavering devotion.

Even if you didn't really enjoy the Mortal Instruments, this series may still appeal to you.