Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, Book 1) [Hardcover]

Cassandra Clare (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 31, 2010

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. When 16-year-old orphan Tessa Fell's older brother suddenly vanishes, her search for him leads her into Victorian-era London's dangerous supernatural underworld.

--This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Product Description
Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.

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: James, 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.

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Amazon Exclusive: A Q&A with Cassandra Clare, Author of Clockwork Angel

Q: How does your new series, The Infernal Devices, relate to your previous series, The Mortal Instruments? Do new readers need to read The Mortal Instruments before they read the new series?

A: The Infernal Devices take place in the same universe as The Mortal Instruments, but a hundred and fifty years before the events of the Mortal series. You absolutely don't have to read The Mortal Instruments first; I've gotten very enthusiastic feedback from people who started with Clockwork Angel. However, if you are a fan of the Mortal Instruments, you'll see familiar family names--Lightwood, Wayland--and get to see what the ancestors of the characters you already know were up to in the Victorian age. There is at least one character who crosses over both series: the immortal warlock Magnus Bane. For those familiar with the Mortal books, it should be fun to meet him again; for those who haven't read them, it should be fun to meet him for the first time!

Q: Do you have a favorite character in Clockwork Angel?

A: Like Tessa, I'm torn between Jem and Will! They were both so wonderfully fun to write. Despite having a close brotherly bond, they're really opposites in personality. Will is a character who hides almost everything about himself; Jem is a character who is almost unendingly open and kind. Of course, when either kind of character reaches their breaking point, you have those moments of high drama and intensity that are catnip to writers!

Q: What characteristic or personality trait does Tessa possess that you most admire?

A: She is extremely persistent and unwilling to give up. When she's imprisoned, she doesn't stop trying to escape; she never stops trying learn new information; she never stops looking for her brother. She never fades quietly into the background; she plants her feet and asks questions--and gets answers, often from the unlikeliest of sources.

Q: How much research did you do for Clockwork Angel? What was the most interesting thing that you learned?

A: Starting in January of 2009 I took a six-month period of reading only books written during, or set in, the Victorian era--both fiction and nonfiction. I have an entire bookshelf now dedicated just to Victoriana. I also hired a research assistant who dug through primary source materials to find me letters and diaries written at the time. I was especially keen to find diaries of Americans traveling abroad, since Tessa is an American in London. I wanted to get a sense of what her impression as a foreigner would have been. One of the creepiest things I learned about was Victorian death photos, where they would prop up corpses to seem alive and take photos of them for their loved ones to have as keepsakes.

Q: Which type of character is the most fun for you to write--the hero or the villain?

A: There's a huge appeal to writing both, but there's something special about creating a really good villain. The villain stands outside society. He or she can say or do anything without fear of what the consequences will be for his/her relationships with the other characters. Sometimes the villain is the only one who can speak a vicious or painful truth and get away with it.

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From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up–Readers of Clare's “Mortal Instruments” series (S & S) will recognize the warlock Magnus Bane and the demon-killing Nephilim, but instead of modern-day New York, this book is set in Victorian London and takes a look at the historical role of the Shadowhunters (aka demon hunters). Tessa Gray, 16, has traveled from America to London to join her older brother. But instead of Nathaniel, she is greeted by the Dark Sisters, two evil women who kidnap her in order to develop her previously unrealized ability to change shape into another person. Their employer, a shadowy figure ominously referred to as the Magister, wishes to exploit Tessa's great power. The teen is rescued by a group of Shadowhunters who are perplexed as to the origin of her ability and unsure about whether her nature is one of good or evil. Together they must discover the identity of the Magister and thwart his devious plot that threatens London. Vampires, warlocks, demons, and steampunk elements such as clockwork monstrosities abound in this supernatural offering. From the erratic and volatile–yet charming–Will to the bumbling and amiable inventor, Henry; to the ethereal and gentle Jem, Clare has made each character unique. The action-heavy plot takes off from the first page, propelling readers toward a dramatic conclusion that fails to answer all the questions raised during the course of the tale, leaving the door wide open for the next installment. Give this book to fans of Libba Bray's A Great and Terrible Beauty (Delacorte, 2003).Heather M. Campbell, formerly at Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books; First Edition edition (August 31, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416975861
• ISBN-13: 978-1416975861
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.6 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (645 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,008 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #58 in Books > Teens > Historical Fiction

More About the Author

Cassandra Clare is the author of City of Bones, the first book in the Mortal Instruments trilogy and a New York Times bestseller. She was born overseas and spent her early years traveling around the world with her family and several trunks of books. Cassandra lives in Brooklyn with her boyfriend, their two cats, and these days, even more books.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#26 Overall (See top 100 authors)

#2 in Books > Teens

#26 in Books

#33 in Kindle eBooks

#2 in Books > Teens

#26 in Books

#33 in Kindle eBooks

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 90 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another strong beginning August 31, 2010

By The Compulsive Reader VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

When Tessa Gray arrives in London on a ship from New York, she's eager to see her brother, Nate. But before she can find him, she's intercepted by two women, known as the Dark Sisters, who kidnap her and force her to learn how to use the strange magical powers she never knew she had, all the while promising her that she is lucky, and she will soon meet the sinister Magister. Terrified and confused, Tessa is rescued by two young Shadowhunters, Will and Jem, and is taken to the London Institute, where she learns that her powers are just the beginning of a strange, magical world she never knew existed, full of wonder, but also full of hate, prejudice, and danger...and Tessa is in the center of it.

Clockwork Angel, the first in Cassandra Clare's new Infernal Devices trilogy, is a descriptive and elaborate book and a strong start to what is sure to be another knock-out trilogy. It takes about thirty pages or so before the book, which is set in the Victorian era, to reach familiar ground readers might be looking for, but once it does, the book unfolds quickly and smoothly. The times dictate that the mannerisms are a bit more refined in the characters, but Clare manages to sneak in plenty of humor and fun alongside the darker and riskier action scenes. There are a plethora of excellent new characters readers are introduced to, and each one is very realistic, and many have their secrets and mysteries--for Tessa, it is her heritage, and Will and Jem both have hazy backgrounds that are bound to become bigger issues later on.

One conflict that Clare portrays quite well was the struggle for the women Shadowhunters to be proper young ladies and women that society demands while balancing the Shadowhunters' need for strong fighters. Two characters, Jessamine and Charlotte, while on opposite ends of the controversy, both have to deal with it in their own way, and it's an issue that sets Clockwork Angel apart from Clare's previous work while at the same time making the setting more believable.

The idea of a clockwork army is brilliant, and the forethought and plotting that went into the book is impressive. There are plenty of intriguing mysteries and labyrinthine twists toward the end that will leave the reader far from where they were at the beginning of the book. Clare's talent for writing well-developed and entertaining characters and her fearlessness when it comes to creating dramatic, complicated conclusions to her books will garner Clockwork Angel plenty of attention and will leave readers impatient for the sequel.

37 of 42 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty damn good. September 1, 2010

By J.J. Macken

Format:Hardcover

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare is an really good read.I stayed up until 2 am on the day I bought it because I was totally sucked in. The setting of Victorian London is really atmospheric and well written, for anyone who loved the mortal instruments but doesnt read books set in this era, dont worry. It's really great.

In regards to the characters in this book, I was both dissappointed and relieved. They are all VERY similar to those in the mortal instruments trilogy. Will is Jace with brown hair, Jem is kind of a straight Alec and Jessamine is isabel, and then there is Nate who is basically sebastian but without demon blood. I actally liked Tessa more than I did Clary, she was really likeable and felt more real to me. I am glad in some ways that the author stuck to a formula of characters that definately worked for her with mortal instruments, but also I just felt a little cheated. I loved the mortal insturments characters so much I dont have much love left over for characters that are so damn similar.

The clockwork monsters we're really quite scary, certainly far more frightening than their creator and master who I was really disappointed in. Magnus Bane is as always totally fabulous and I really love the witty banter between the two main characters. Tessa's humour is dry and clever, very funny. There is a joke in there about a seven fingered dwarf named Nigel that cracked me up like there is no tomorrow.

All in all I would absolutely, one-hundred-percent recommend this book to people who enjoyed the mortal instruments trilogy or the fantasy YA genre, for me it just wasnt as good as the earlier books, though to be fair, that is an exceedingly tall order.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but I wanted it to stand on its own more September 29, 2010

By Amanda TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Even though I'm not as devoted as many other Cassandra Clare/Mortal Instruments fans out there, I still had to check out the first book in Clare's prequel series, Clockwork Angel. While I did read and enjoy The Mortal Instruments, I could take it or leave it. In fact, I was a little worried when I heard about the prequel series, because I wasn't sure there would be much of anything of interest to talk about.

My worries were somewhat founded. In Clockwork Angel, young American Tessa goes to England to find her brother, but ends up as the prisoner of the Dark Sisters. Tessa finds that she has the unusual ability to shapeshift into another person, and that a mysterious man who runs the Dark Sisters called the Magister wants to make Tessa's power his own -no matter what Tessa wants. After running away, Tessa encounters the Shadowhunters. In exchange for her help, they promise to help her find her brother. Nothing, of course, is that easy, as Tessa must figure out how to fit in with the other Shadowhunters, make sense of her strange ability, and decide who she loves: James or Will.

Clare brings her vivid mortal instruments world back to life in Clockwork Angel, with the same writing skill fans are used to. Though the idea is interesting, Clare manages to make it boring. Unlike in The Mortal Instruments, it seemed like all of the characters just kept dragging their feet, especially in the middle, like they didn't know what to do. It also drove me nuts that Clare seemed to do the bare minimum here in the area of originality. Though it was nice to visit the same world again, there really wasn't much that was new or different. Not only did the setting suffer from this, but the characters did too. There were so many repeats and so few new faces that I wonder why Clare didn't just adapt this into a Mortal Instruments novel.

Overall, Clockwork angel just didn't intrigue me as much as the Mortal Instruments books did, and the lack of something new and original made it difficult to get involved in the book. Fans of Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments while probably enjoy Clockwork Angel, and will most likely be hooked for the entire Infernal Devices series, but I just wasn't excited about it. I was hoping for something a little more original that this, maybe with some new characters.