Clockwork Angel is the first of the Infernal Devices Series, prequel to the Mortal
Instruments Series (however, it is not necessary to read one before the other;
each series can be read alone without any prior background knowledge).
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
The protagonist of Clockwork Angel is Theresa Gray, also
known as Tessa, a sixteen-year-old girl from America. It follows her as she
arrives in London after her aunt’s death, summoned by her brother, Nathaniel
Gray (Nate), who works in London. She is unable to meet her brother, however,
before she is kidnapped by The Dark Sisters, and finds out that she has the
magical ability to shape-shift and take the forms of others through their
belongings, whether they are dead or alive. She is trapped and forced to
transform for them for six weeks, during which she is told that she will be
married to “The Magister”, the main antagonist. Before this can happen,
however, she is saved by Shadowhunter Will Herondale and his fellows, and
brought to safety.
What I like about Clockwork Angel is that Clare tries to
create her own world. She creates the Shadowhunters to serve as her
protagonists; they are the Nephilim, half-angels, who make it their life’s
mission to kill demons and protect the humans, or the “mundane”, as the
Shadowhunters call them. There are also the Downworlders, which consist of
vampires, werewolves, and warlocks (children of demons and humans). There is a
delicate balance between all these forces that the Shadowhunters have to struggle
with – they can kill the demons, but they cannot hurt the Downworlders unless
they break the rules by hurting humans, and yet many of the Downworlders hate
the Shadowhunters, because they think the Shadowhunters are “playing God”. I
enjoy reading the conflicts between the Shadownhunters, demons and
Downworlders, and the fine line the Shadowhunters have to walk between all
these forces.
I also like the main characters
in Clockwork Angel. Tessa, who
originally appears to be a mundane, has surprising powers as a shapeshifter
that hints there are that she is in fact a warlock (at the end of the book she
is revealed to be an engineered warlock, created specially by the Magister for
his purpose). Tessa is not a weak protagonist, a damsel in distress who always
needs to be saved; she is more than capable of using her own powers to save
herself. At the start of the book, when she is tied to the bed by the Dark
Sisters, she takes the form of a girl smaller than herself, managing to slip
her hands through the ropes and free herself. She also assists the
Shadowhunters by taking the shape of a vampire and sneaking into a Downworlder
party where they allegedly kill humans. Since she is a character who is capable
of fighting for herself, it is easy to support her and hope that she will
overcome her challenges, since she clearly deserves it.
The two male leads, Will and
Jem, are also fascinating characters. Both are Shadowhunters, and they are also
best friends. However, their personalities are polar opposites. Will is brash
and appears to care for nothing; he freely bites vampires despite knowing that
ingesting their blood will kill him, and treats everything as a joke. Jem, on
the other hand, is gentle and warm; he treats everyone well and is especially
supportive of Tessa. Both characters have their pasts and secrets – although
Jem’s is revealed within this book, Will’s is not, and that elevates the air of
mystery and intrigue around him. Both characters are interesting, and
regardless of what they may say or do, they are always more than ready to
protect Tessa. Both of them are strong characters as well – although both
clearly have their problems in life, neither of them is willing to lie down and
be defeated. Instead they try to make the most out of life, making them
respectable characters that we can root for.
Another thing I like about Clockwork Angel is the way Clare has
written it. She moves at a good pace, and she is good at writing twists and
surprises. She is able to hide the truth long enough so that the suspense is
heightened, and then drop the bomb right at the climax, giving us that
satisfying “AHA!” moment. At the same time, she always gives hints to the truth
beforehand, in a very subtle way, such that it is difficult to guess the truth.
For example, one of the biggest reveals comes at the end, where it is revealed
that Tessa’s brother Nate is working together with the Magister, and the
Magister is not, in fact, the vampire De Quincey (whom the Shadowhunters
suspect at first) but Mortmain, Nate’s employer, who was previously thought to
be a mundane. As the characters in the book note, all the evidence pointing to
De Quincey is circumstantial and could easily have been fake; in fact, the very
idea of De Quincey being the Magister is planted into their heads by Mortmain.
This makes for a very satisfying read, as we piece together the missing pieces to
reveal the truth at the end.
However, one negative point
about the book is that I could not understand several of the characters’
motivations, in particular Jessamine and Nate. Jessamine is a Shadowhunter who
lives with Will and Jem after her parents died in a fire; however, she has no
desire to be a Shadowhunter, and throughout the book, is only shown fighting
twice (she goes down easily the second time). She shows hatred for all the
other Shadowhunters, and although it is explained that this is because she
wants a normal life, I think it is not sufficient explanation, since it is the
Shadowhunters who take her in, and does not explain why she hates them instead
of being grateful. Nate, who is later revealed to be a traitor and who
purposely draws Tessa to London to be kidnapped, is another mystery. I do not
understand why he hates Tessa so. The book states that the Magister has told
Nate Tessa is not his real sister (if she is a warlock, she must have a demonic
father, but Nate is a human), but I think that after so many years of living
together as family, it would be unlikely for Nate to profess such deep and
utter hatred for her. I can understand why he betrays her – he is a greedy man,
and has been promised power and wealth, but I cannot comprehend why he speaks
of her with such vehement hatred in the book.
All in all, I think that Clockwork Angel is a good book worth
reading. It does have its flaws, but the pros outweigh the cons.
Rating: 4 out of 5
For ages 14 and above
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