Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare ★★★☆☆

Good Enough

Fiction – YA - Steampunk

Reading level: Ages 14 and up

479 pages

Publication Date: October 4, 2011

Infernal Devices Book 1

Literary awards:  RITA® Award by Romance Writers of America Nominee for Best Young Adult Romance (2011), Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award (RT Award) Nominee for Best Young Adult Paranormal/Fantasy Novel (2010), Voya Perfect Ten (2010), The Inky Awards for Silver Inky longlist (2011), Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee (2013)  Goodreads Choice Nominee for Favorite Book, Favorite Heroine, Young Adult Fantasy, Goodreads Author (2010)

American Tessa Gray goes to England at the behest of her brother, Nate, after the death of their Aunt Harriet.  Tessa expects to meet Nate when she steps off the boat, but she is instead intercepted by the “Dark Sisters”.  Believing they are sent by Nate she allows them to escort home.  Instead of finding herself delivered into the loving arms of her brother, Tessa is kept prisoner by the Dark Sisters, because they believe she can shape shift.  Driven by fear and torture, as the days turn into weeks, Tessa somehow manages to shape shift into various people.  The delighted Dark Sisters believe she is now prepared to be turned over to a mysterious figure only known as “The Magistrate”.  After a failed escape attempt Tessa almost loses all hope until Will appears out of nowhere and rescues her from the Dark Sister’s clutches.  Will then takes her to a place called the Institute, home of the London Shadowhunters, beings who police the Underworld.  With their help Tessa hopes they can discover what happened to Nate and possibly figure out what she is.

In the beginning I found the writing a bit bumpy and felt as bewildered as Tessa as I tried to grasp what was occurring.  After a few chapters, however, I finally quite groping blindly for understanding and the writing flowed a bit better, but the writing never really did feel organic.  Though, supposedly set in Victorian London, things pertaining to the era seemed more as an afterthought than a real plot point and I never got the sense the story really felt at home in the era.  As for the characters living at the institute, they definitely came together to make a very dysfunction unit I would loosely call a family.  As the main character I never found Tessa incredibly likable.  She always seemed very aloof and I never got particularly attached to her.  The only remotely likable characters I found was Jem and possibly Sophie.  I also kind of thought it funny how dramatic the blurbs about the book sounded in comparison to what actually took place in the book.

For all of my little complaints I really did like this book overall.  I found the mythology fascinating and appreciated the new world I was introduced into.  The story was captivating, even if I didn’t find Tessa all that lovable.  The characters all came together to play their parts and as a whole they made the story work well enough that I didn’t mind my lack of empathy for most of them.  I also liked the playful interplay during the dialogue and the understatedness of the love triangle.  

Clockwork Angel has been my first real introduction into the Steampunk genre and I find myself wanting more.  With a slight lowering of my expectations, I look forward to reading Clockwork Prince, book two in the Infernal Devices series.

ISBN  1416975861 (ISBN13: 9781416975861)