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...
(Credits to goodreads)
The Infernal Devices trilogy (Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince and Clockwork Princess) written by the unique Cassandra Clare is part of the Shadowhunters world (the prequel of The Mortal Instruments, to be more specific). What makes The Infernal Devices such cool books is that they let us get a very good sneak peek into the origins of our favorite characters in The Mortal Instruments series. You need to know that even when Cassie wrote some of The Mortal Instruments books first and then some of The Infernal Devices, there is a way she highly recommends us to read them so we won't be spoiling ourselves the next books:
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
The Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes
The Mortal Instruments: City of Glass
The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel
The Mortal Instruments: City of Fallen Angels
The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Prince
The Mortal Instruments: City of Lost Souls
The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Princess
The Mortal Instruments: City of Heavenly Fire
Begin with the three TMI books before you jump in in any other Infernal Devices books. Why is that? Because I personally think that you'll get a well done world and rules description of the Shadow world in City of Bones, and since you'll be living in that world yourself for a couple of days I suggest you to at least give it a thought.
When I first started reading TMI I never thought I would be reading TID, however, in the meanwhile that I kept on reading more books from TMI series I realized it became harder and harder each day not to not-read TID. Why? Because you get so immerse in the Shadow world and the characters (especially the characters) that there is going to come a time when you'll need more. And where do you go to get some more? To TID trilogy! So believe me when I tell you read them in the order I wrote up there.
♪♪ Now what time is it? Fangirling time. Is our destination! What time is it? Party time. That's right, say it loud! ♪♪
What is this book about?
In Clockwork Angel we follow our main character, Tessa Gray, travel from New York to London to be reunited with her brother. When she finally arrives to her destination, she is taken captive by the Dark Sisters, who insist she is the one the Magister is looking for. Tessa learns she's a Downworlder (the Downworlders are supernatural beings and hybrid creatures who inhabit the Shadow World) and that she has this rare ability to transform herself into another person (like a Shapeshifter). When she's rescue by the handsome Will Herondale, Tessa and Will go to the Institute where she receives help from other Shadowhunters to find where Tessa's brother might be.
“One must always be careful of books," said Tessa, "and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.”
What I definitely did not liked:
I'll be very brief and honest: Tessa. People often tend to stare rare at me whenever I said this, but is true. Comparing Tessa with Clary (main character in The Mortal Instruments), I definitely prefer Clary. Because while Clary has an inclination to act stupid in desperate moments, Tessa is useless. She doesn't fight, she doesn't help, she does nothing. I get pretty well the whole she-is-a-lady thing and that crap about the-story-is-based-in-the-19th-centuary part. I really do, but gee, guys! I've read many other novels where the story is based in the 18th centuary (100 years even more in the past) and the female main character is not as useless as Tessa. I would've enojoyed the book even more if Tessa wasn't like that.
“Only the very weak-minded refuse to be influenced by literature and poetry.”
What I did like pretty much:
The love triangle. I'm so not into love triangles. I found it pretty stupid that two people have to prove themself worth of some other person's love.
Anyhow, the love Jem and Will profess for Tessa is so damn lovely! While Jem is kind, fragil and a very nice gentleman with Tessa, Will is a wild tornado: All passion and strength where Jem is not. The Infernal Devices has the best love triangle I have read.
And you know what's even better than the love triangle itself? That Jem and Will are the BEST Parabatais EVER! Ohhh, boooy! I even ship Heronstairs more than Wessa. Oh, oh! And Will's phobia to ducks? OH MY GOD! That is, without a doubt, a Herondale thing.
“If no one in the entire world cared about you, did you really exist at all?”
Main Characters thoughts and opinions:
Let's start with Will, shall we? I LOVE THE HERONDALES. So, yes, I ship Wessa to death. I'm not sure why but I have a thing for screw-up characters with a black sense of humor. And Will was exactly like that. Forget all about his beauty (tall, white-skinned with pitch black hair and a set of deep blue eyes that can make you knees bend). HE LOVES TO READ. Will is this character who plays the bad-boy role and wouldn't let anyone get near him. And then there's Jem Carstairs: The sweet boy who plays the violin. Even though I love Will, I liked Jem pretty much, too. He is such a lovely character and I felt in love with many of his quotes. He's all the opposite of Will and the fact that he's dying is so damn tragic. You already know my opinions on Tessa, so I'm not going to dive a lot to that matter, all I'm going to say is that I really didn't understand why in hell did both characters, Jem and Will, felt in love with her. Under what reasons, goddamn! I. Just. Don't. Get. It.
Read or not to read?
Read it guys. I still prefer TMI over TID but in this trilogy we have Jem and Will and they deserve their story to be read by many people as possible. They are just worth it.
RAITINTG:
3/5
