In a time when Shadowhunters are barely winning the fight against the forces of darkness, one battle will change the course of history forever. Welcome to the Infernal Devices trilogy, a stunning and dangerous prequel to the New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series.
The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them....
(Goodreads summary)
Jen's Review
I absolutely loved this book, and just from this book alone, I can already say that I love The Infernal Devices trilogy a lot more than The Mortal Instruments series. I have always loved historical settings in books, so I really liked the fact that it was set in 19th century London. I loved the storyline in this book as well. It moved along at a good pace, I found it very captivating and Clare does such a fantastic job with those plot twists that kept drawing me in and I just had to keep reading.
However, I think the main reason why I loved this book so much was the characters. I absolutely loved Tessa. She was smart and resilient and coped better than most would have after being suddenly thrust into a dangerous world that she has known nothing about and learning a big secret about herself. I also thought it was very interesting that Tessa was actually a Downworlder and not a Shadowhunter like I had been expecting. It was a different perspective to read from and I liked it.
Then there is Jem. I have much love for Jem. He has a gentle and caring nature about him. He is quiet and just a little mysterious, which I loved. Jem is perfection (aside from that little secret he is hiding). Charlotte was also another of my favourite characters. She is only young (I was actually surprised when I found out her age!) but she is very strong and determined, as women had to be to be heard in those times.
And now onto the characters I didn’t love so much. Jessamine. I just cannot stand her. She is selfish, rude, obnoxious, and just a complete bitch if she doesn't get her own way. So irritating! My hate for her only increased as the book went on.
Then there is Will, who was just so frustratingly annoying. Nice one minute and just a complete jerk the next. Despite that, I really tried to like him. But he just had this air of arrogance about him and that really got on my nerves. I did not like that at all.
I wasn't really a fan of Nate either. He was supposed to be the protective older brother and yet he just came across as pampered, ignorant and naive. The fact that he was not opposed to Jessamine practically throwing herself at him didn't help matters. Although of course it turns out there was a more evil and sinister side to him that I didn't see coming at all.
Overall, this book was fantastic and I gave it a 5/5 rating. If you were a fan of The Mortal Instruments, then definitely read this series. If you weren’t such a fan of The Mortal Instruments, then pick up this book anyway, you just may be pleasantly surprised.
Mel's Review
This series is a must read for any Mortal Instruments fan, but more than that, this is a book series that can also appeal to anyone who has not read any of the Mortal Instruments books. I have much love for this series, for it's nineteenth century England setting, for it's enticing world that's a tad darker than the Mortal Instruments, it's likeable and hardy characters and just the overall plot and twists that you just don't see coming.
Tessa fit's in well with my list of favourite heroines (such as Hermione Granger, Celaena Sardothien, Katniss Everdeen and Tris Prior, etc). She's found herself unexpectedly in the hands of the sinister Mortmain who wants to use her as a weapon, and she's forced to use powers she didn't know she possessed and still she bides her time for her chance to escape.
I had mixed feelings about Will early in the series. He is very hot and cold towards Tessa and it's so frustrating until you find out why he behaves that way and is then somewhat redeemed, since his reason is kind of understandable. But when Will's a jerk, he's a jerk!
And yes, there's Jem. My favourite character of the whole Shadowhunter world. He's the quiet, kind-hearted musician with a heartbreaking past and a stigma that's both keeping him alive and killing him. He's half Chinese and spent his youth at the Shanghai Institute, so he speaks Mandarin too (Yay! I love languages!). I love this character so much that I named my cat after him (mostly I couldn't think of a name, but I liked Jem because it's short and uncommon and yes, the vet receptionist still spelled it wrong).
I loved the appearance of Magnus Bane. Being a warlock, he's immortal, so of course he is alive throughout both the Infernal Devices and the Mortal Instruments.
Jessamine is an all round unlikeable character. She's spiteful and petty and it's clear that she doesn't want to be there. She hates the Shadowhunter world and shamelessly sulks when she doesn't get her way. The whole way, you're just waiting for that one redeeming quality. It takes a while...
But overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Clockwork Angel and when I finished it, I wanted to go straight onto the next book! I gave it a rating of 5/5.
Mel's Review
This series is a must read for any Mortal Instruments fan, but more than that, this is a book series that can also appeal to anyone who has not read any of the Mortal Instruments books. I have much love for this series, for it's nineteenth century England setting, for it's enticing world that's a tad darker than the Mortal Instruments, it's likeable and hardy characters and just the overall plot and twists that you just don't see coming.
Tessa fit's in well with my list of favourite heroines (such as Hermione Granger, Celaena Sardothien, Katniss Everdeen and Tris Prior, etc). She's found herself unexpectedly in the hands of the sinister Mortmain who wants to use her as a weapon, and she's forced to use powers she didn't know she possessed and still she bides her time for her chance to escape.
I had mixed feelings about Will early in the series. He is very hot and cold towards Tessa and it's so frustrating until you find out why he behaves that way and is then somewhat redeemed, since his reason is kind of understandable. But when Will's a jerk, he's a jerk!
And yes, there's Jem. My favourite character of the whole Shadowhunter world. He's the quiet, kind-hearted musician with a heartbreaking past and a stigma that's both keeping him alive and killing him. He's half Chinese and spent his youth at the Shanghai Institute, so he speaks Mandarin too (Yay! I love languages!). I love this character so much that I named my cat after him (mostly I couldn't think of a name, but I liked Jem because it's short and uncommon and yes, the vet receptionist still spelled it wrong).
I loved the appearance of Magnus Bane. Being a warlock, he's immortal, so of course he is alive throughout both the Infernal Devices and the Mortal Instruments.
Jessamine is an all round unlikeable character. She's spiteful and petty and it's clear that she doesn't want to be there. She hates the Shadowhunter world and shamelessly sulks when she doesn't get her way. The whole way, you're just waiting for that one redeeming quality. It takes a while...
But overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Clockwork Angel and when I finished it, I wanted to go straight onto the next book! I gave it a rating of 5/5.
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