Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Shruthi | Holmdel High School, Grade 11

Rating: *****

The first of the Infernal Devices trilogy by New York Times Bestselling and award winning author Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel lives up to its reputation. The story follows a young woman named Tessa Gray who moves to London in the 1870s for a new life after her aunt dies of a terrible illness. When she gets tricked into entering a carriage with two mysterious women who say that her brother had them come to receive her from the ship, she finds herself unfortunately locked inside of a dark mansion where the two women force her to perform magic that she never knew she was capable of. However, she finds a way to escape with the help of a cynical young man by the name of William Herondale, who is amusing, but never amused. From there, she is taken into William’s home, where she realizes that he is one in a league of powerful people with the ability to see through glamours and fight demons from other dimensions. Here, she meets the envious Jessamine, gentle Jem, inventive Henry, kind Sophie, and smart Charlotte. However, her fight with her kidnappers isn’t over yet- not even close.

I am already an avid reader of Cassandra Clare’s novels, and will proudly claim that all of her books are masterpieces; however, Clockwork Angel, as well as the two other books in her series, the Infernal Devices, are very easily her best works yet. You’ll fall in love with the characters as soon as you get to know them, and each one is very distinct, and very human. Every word that Clare uses is deliberate. Mysterious and intricate, as well as deeply symbolic, Clockwork Angel was an entirely separate world that you can escape to every time you open the book.

Kaitlyn | Eisenhower Middle School, Grade 8

Rating: *****

Clockwork Angel is the first book in the Infernal Devices, the sequel trilogy to The Mortal Instruments, both by Cassandra Clare. The book takes place in 1878, it starts out with Theresa “Tessa” Gray, who’s after her aunt's death goes to London when her brother, Nathaniel, sends word for her to come to London only to get kidnapped. While in London, Tessa learns to control the powers she didn’t know she had and learns all about the Shadow World in which she didn’t know she was a part of. She also meets a bunch of Shadowhunters along the way, William “Will” Herondale, James “Jem” Carstairs, Henry Branwell, Charlotte Branwell, and Jessamine “Jessie” Lovelace. Upon meeting Will and Jem figure out that Tessa’s kidnapping was something to do with the thing they are investigating. In the end, they all are surprised by enemies they all thought were allies.

I was actually surprised when I liked this book because to be honest, I only wanted to read it because I wanted to read the Dark Artifices trilogy and thought that I might as well read this trilogy as well. I thought that this book was extremely intriguing and like The Mortal Instruments series, it had an amazing storyline.