Cassandra Clare has done it again - she's written another beautiful novel that captures readers with all of the supernatural characters, twists and turns, and even a bit of steampunk!
Clockwork Angel is the first of a prequel series by Clare. The series, Infernal Devices, takes place around 100 years or so before her Mortal Instrument (MI) series, and though you do see some of the characters, and other characters' last names in the Mortal Instrument series, for the most part, the new series has a new cast of characters. The series is set in the Victorian Era, but in the same world as the original series.
Both of these series by Clare are full of supernatural characters that will interest fans of all types. There are Shadowhunters, who have the blood of the angels, vampires, werewolves, warlocks, faeries, demons, shapeshifters, and a very intelligent cat. In Clockwork Angel, there are even clockwork people to interest the steampunk fans. I've recommended the MI series to a number of my teen patrons at the library who say they are interested in one supernatural being or another.
Before diving into the story, let me just say that the cover of Clockwork Angel is beautiful!
Tessa Gray has traveled to London to meet up with her brother who has sent for her. Only she's captured upon arrival, locked away and tortured. She's told that if she does not cooperate with the wishes of the Dark Sisters, the two women who hold her hostage, then her brother will die. They tell her that she has the power to shapechange and they force her to learn how to use that power. Tessa has no idea why or what plans the sisters, or the magister that they talk of, have for her. When she's rescued by a beautiful boy named Will, she learns more about the supernatural world. She finds out about the Shadowhunters, who hunt down and kill demons and maintain the laws of the Enclave. She also learns that she is a downworlder, maybe a warlock, though she and her power are unlike any other warlock or downworlder the others have seen.
With the help of her newfound powers and the Shadowhunters, Tessa finds her brother, but they also learn of a clockwork army that is being created to battle the Shadowhunters. As Tessa and the Shadowhunters ready themselves for what is to come, a love triangle begins to form between Tessa, the kind Jem, and the dark Will.
As for the characters, Tessa is likeable for the most part, but Will steals the show, capturing the reader's intrigue as they try to work out what is going on with him. Going in, I knew that Will was the bad boy, and of course we all know that girls are drawn to the bad boy. Clare does a great job of building the mystery of Will so that he doesn't just become another stereotypical bad boy. You know he's bad, he's rude, but you also know there's something lying deeper, making him act that way. His best friend Jem even says that Will acts that way to make people believe that's how he really is. All we really know is that he's empty and lonely, and something happened to him when he was younger. Not to mention that he's beautiful with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. Those blue eyes are mentioned repeatedly so I can't help but wonder if there's something more to them and their intensity.
Tessa is of course the main character. I love the name Tessa, though I wouldn't have thought of it as being short for Theresa. I say that she's likeable for the most part because I have a tendency to dislike main female characters because they are always so perfect, can't do anything wrong, and everyone always loves them. Indeed, Will and Jem both show that they care about her. I think my biggest issue with Tessa was that she always knew when someone was lying to her or hiding something from her. Nothing could get past her, since she's perfect you see. Ah, but something does get past her after all! How that happens and what it is was good for the story, though it doesn't make me like how she knows everything else so easily. Don't get me wrong though, Tessa is an interesting character that I look forward to knowing more about. Why doesn't she have the mark of a warlock? What is she really? Brother Enoch tells her she has more power than just the ability to shapeshift, so I'm eager to see what that power is.
Jem, with his silvery hair and eyes and pale complexion, takes on the role of the sweet, gentlemanly potential love interest. He has his own secrets that make him interesting, and he is the perfect balance of light to Will's dark side. I do like Jem, but if I had to choose one, I think I'm "Team Will"! Charlotte and Henry run the Institute where the London Shadowhunters live. Charlotte is a strong young women who is doing her best to keep things running, while Henry reminds me of an absentminded professor, obsessed with his inventions. Jessamine, another female Shadowhunter has no interest in fighting as a Shadowhunter, preferring to play the part of a true lady. She's haughty and rude, but still interesting. Then there's Church, the cat that Jem rescues, and that we find out in the MI series is a special, long-lived, and very intelligent cat. I'm glad to see Church show up, and hopefully we'll learn more about him in future books, but his appearance seemed out of place. Sorry Cassie, but it just seemed thrown in there as an afterthought to make sure that he would be around for the next book.
I'm looking forward to seeing more of the clockwork army, learning more about Will's past, and just finding out where the story will take us! I want to learn more about Church, find out what happens to Charlotte and Henry, since we know from the MI series that the descendants of the Lightwood family later run the Institute. I also can't help but ponder how the love triangle will turn out - If Tess were to end up with Will Herondale, does this mean she could be related to Jace from the MI series? Could this be what she was discussing with Magnus at the end of City of Glass? Even if she doesn't end up with Will, she still cares for him, so it could be assumed that she might have a soft spot, or maybe even a bit of disdain, for his descendants. Oh, and one final question to think about - what is up with that clockwork angel!?!
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