When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.
Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.
Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: Jem, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa.
As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.
Clockwork Angel was amazing and, despite its size, very very quick read! I honestly could not put this one down for even a minute!
Everything that made The Mortal Instruments such pure awesomeness is present here in this debut to Clare's new series. There's action and adventure right from the word go, with a million twists and turns along the way. And of course there's just the right amount of romance, this time between two boys (though I wish it was a little less obvious who Tessa will inevitably choose). There are also a few familiar faces that pop up again, and of course we get to meet the ancestors of some of our favourite character's from the Mortal Instruments (Jace's great great great great grandfather/uncle/cousin/relative of some sort anyone?)
I have to admit however that sometimes everything was a little too similiar to its predecessor. The whole Jess, Will and Jem trio living together at The Institute and their whole group dynamic was very reminiscent of Isabelle, Alec and Jace. And the whole poor helpless girl finding out about the Shadowhunters etc etc, well, wasn't that Clary's story? These were just small gripes that I had in the back of my mind as a read however and luckily they didn't really take all that much away from the story.
All in all, Clockwork Angel was an incredibly enjoyable novel that will have you lost in another world. The ending was brilliant and that cliffhanger has got me demanding the next book now!
Published: August 31st 2010 by Margaret K. McElderry
