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Clockwork Angel

Clare, Cassandra. Book - 2010 Teen Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Clare, Cassandra None on shelf No requests on this item Community Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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Westgate Teen Books
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Teen Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Clare, Cassandra 4-week checkout Due 04-08-2024

When sixteen-year-old orphan Tessa Fell's older brother suddenly vanishes, her search for him leads her into Victorian-era London's dangerous supernatural underworld, and when she discovers that she herself is a Downworlder, she must learn to trust the demon-killing Shadowhunters if she ever wants to learn to control her powers and find her brother.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

A real page-turner submitted by marshd on November 16, 2010, 1:29pm Clockwork Angel, which is supposed to be a prelude to Clare's Mortal Instruments series, almost never left my hands. The storyline moves so strongly that, unlike a lot of other books, I did not feel the need to skim over the large bands of descriptive text. Instead, I found myself engaged in the world presented, and anxious for almost every character in the book.

If you love stories of headstrong girls who don't fit in, bad boys with a good serving of wit, and sensitive but observant angels, you'll be really into this book. Also, if you love a good sparring romance, you're in for a treat.

Fantasy at its Finest! submitted by Dragonessa on December 1, 2010, 1:44pm I have read the Mortal Instruments series and found it to be amazing but it is nothing compared to this amazing prequel series! I was hooked from the very first page and I couldn't put it down. This is one saga I can't wait to see the rest of! I recognized some familiar faces in this story (Magnus Bane anyone?) and was surprised at how well made the new ones were. I think my favorite characters were Will and Jem because they are so unique...not to mention attractive. I also loved the author's unique take on shapeshifting, whereby the main character Tessa can also take on the forms of the deceased as well as the living and those she transforms into speak through her.

Best One Yet submitted by glennauerbach on June 16, 2012, 2:53pm I think this is the best of Cassandra Clare's books yet. The characters were more interesting than in the Mortal Instruments, and there were more twists and turns to the plot, which made it a lot more interesting. A lot of the things in the Mortal Instruments that were confusing were explained in this book.

Disappointing submitted by yugure on May 17, 2013, 10:18am The writing in Clockwork Angel is technically proficient, the story premise is interesting, and plot is fairly well crafted. Beyond that, however, I was disappointed by the book as a whole.

The main character Tessa is essentially an empty vessel into which the reader can step; she lacks any real personality of her own. She has little agency, merely reacting to events around her and never acting on her own. Her only trait is that she's determined to find her brother, and the author does not sufficiently establish an emotional connection between them for the reader to care. In fact, there's no connection between the reader and Tessa, either. What was Tessa like before she came to England? What were her dreams, what were her fears? The author takes great pains to give us the impression that Tessa reads books, but how does that impact Tessa as a person? How does it influence how she behaves or what she says? None of that is incorporated into Tessa's behavioral make-up; instead, Clare only uses this to allow Tessa to make comparisons between the novels she reads and what's happening around her. The constant novel title mentions is the literary equivalent of celebrity name-dropping - really, Clare, you're trying too hard to impress your audience.

After ragdoll Tessa comes Will, the cheeky and witty love interest who is more often obnoxious than charming. His dialogue is tediously clever, as though every line is either a joke or its punchline. While characters like that can be a fun addition to a novel, Will is not developed deeply enough to make him anything other than a shallow pretty boy. The romance between him and Tessa develops out of nowhere and does not feel authentic.

Jessamine is perhaps the only one that had a spark of personality in her; she was the only one I was interested in learning more about. Quite frankly, I think her story [a girl determined to fulfill the typical Victorian role for a woman who is repeatedly thrust into this weird and dangerous other world) is the one that should have been told.

Too many characters all together in the book. Clare doesn't handle multi-character scenes well. Too much is going on and the writing becomes confusing.

And the information dumps! Pages and pages of people sitting around (or standing around) explaining things. I get that Clare wants the reader to understand the world she painstakingly created, but really. That's too much.

Great submitted by bluepapaya on June 14, 2014, 5:14pm I really like this book. I didn't expect it to be that good, but it's a real page turner.

My favorite submitted by kzheng on June 15, 2015, 2:44pm The prequel to the series the mortal instruments, Tess gray has been waiting for her brother Nate to come back from his job. To her surprise, he "sends" two cruel and wicked old ladies to accompany her. When several months pass, and Tessa has been tortured and forced to make painful transformations, she has given up hope. A charming boy breaks in her room and rescues her from the dark sisters. He is the shadowhunter will.

good one submitted by KOH on August 13, 2017, 10:59am It was fun to re-immerse myself into this world after I finished the mortal instruments series. Worth checking out.

Great! submitted by wendylawrencemorgan on June 15, 2018, 4:47pm Great book!

Great, But Not Perfect submitted by ajstemp on June 27, 2018, 1:40pm I enjoyed this book much like I enjoyed the Mortal Instruments series: It was a lot of fun, but not perfect, and some of the themes and characters fall into predictable patterns — but on the other hand, there are also surprising plot twists that made the book worth reading to the end.

Ultimately, I would recommend it! It's fun and compelling, and the world it takes place in is always fascinating.

Amazing submitted by kbahleda on July 23, 2018, 1:03pm Great author and amazing book! better than the city of...series

Alright submitted by c_zhang on June 27, 2019, 10:55pm Tessa is a really blank and disappointing character. She has no real personality. The plot falls into predictable patterns, although there are occasional twists. There are likeable characters though. Jem is, well, a gem. I love him. Protect him.

Good book submitted by jasonc1177 on July 31, 2019, 8:00pm Great author and amazing book!

Clockwork Angel submitted by cayluebeck on July 23, 2020, 2:32pm I much prefer the Clockwork Angel series to the Mortal Instrument Series. In my opinion, the Clockwork series has well-developed characters, avoids gross storylines (incest) that is present in the second series. I am an avid appreciator of historical fiction, but I think Tessa's story can be appreciated by a book lover. She is a powerful character, easy love, and a reliable main character. The story follows her life as she is thrust into the magical world she had previously unheard of. There is a deep friendship, love triangle, and adventure.

WONDERFUL submitted by Nay7 on August 15, 2020, 11:39pm a very fun read

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SERIES
The infernal devices
1.



PUBLISHED
New York : Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2010.
Year Published: 2010
Description: 479 p.
Language: English
Format: Book

READING LEVEL
Lexile: 780

ISBN/STANDARD NUMBER
9781416975861
1416975861

SUBJECTS
Supernatural -- Fiction.
Demonology -- Fiction.
Orphans -- Fiction.
Secret societies -- Fiction.
London (England) -- History -- 19th century -- Fiction.
Great Britain -- History -- Victoria, 1837-1901 -- Fiction.