Clockwork Angel Review: Recommended Only For Clare’s Fans
I learnt about Cassandra Clare’s books through YouTube where a lot of Book Bloggers praised and recommended her books. If you follow me on Bookstagram you will know how obsessed (and disappointed) I was with ‘The Mortal Instruments‘ (TMI) series. And even though TMI series did not live up to my expectations, I still went ahead and purchased ‘The Infernal Devices’ series only because I was fascinated by the premise of this fantasy world. I find Clare’s fictional world very enticing and I am always curious to know more about it. Her books always feel like the ones I will surely love. But sadly, more than often I end up feeling totally disappointed with them. The Infernal Devices is the prequel to TMI series set in the 19th century in England with new heroes, new villains and new love angles. After reading the blurb especially the line ‘Magic is dangerous-but love is more dangerous still’ I thought this is the book is for me. Was that really the case? Sigh. Not really.
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Walker Books
In a time when Shadowhunters are barely winning the fight against the forces of darkness, one battle will change the course of history forever. Welcome to the Infernal Devices trilogy, a stunning and dangerous prequel to the New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series.
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
(Blurb as on Goodreads)
I LIKE Clockwork Angel Because,
…once again, I like Clare’s writing. It is only because of her writing that I keep picking her books against my better judgement. This fantasy world becomes real when she creates such vivid images with her words. There were a few similarities between the imaginary worlds explained in The City of Bones and in Clockwork Angel so getting into the story was not difficult. Her writing is smooth and descriptive which is always needed for fantasy fiction.
…I like Jem. Of all the new characters in this book, I like only Jem and Charlotte. James Carstairs is a flawed hero and his flaw makes him very appealing. He is the quintessential ‘nice guy’ that I like the most. I like such positive characters. I thought I would like Will and Tessa’s hate-to-love story more but I eventually started rooting for Jem because he is too adorable. If you too are a big supporter of ‘good heroes’ then you can take a seat beside me on the ‘Jem Supporters’ bus.
I Do NOT Like Clockwork Angel Because,
…I actually felt I was reading about Jace while reading about Will from TMI. Like Jace, Will too is gorgeous, rude and strong. While imagining Will I would end up seeing Jace (actor Dominic Sherwood from the Shadowhunter series) because they are very similar. The only difference between them is that Will probably is a lot meaner than Jace. He supposedly has a darker side to him (which Jace also had but in another way) which is yet to be exposed. It will be interesting to see where this ‘dark’ side leads to. But for now, I do not like him as the main character because I found him to be a typical fiction ‘bad boy’ that we find in every other book. There is nothing interesting about Will.
…I did not like Tessa either. Tessa too feels like any other damsel in distress. There is nothing novel about her character. She is an orphan who has absolutely no relatives in this whole-wide-world and is basically on her own. She meets two boys one dark and mysterious and one weak and kind. She finds herself torn between these two boys which completes the clichéd love triangle.
…I found the book to be too meh for all the hype. Fans have been lauding Clare for this series with 4 and 5-star rating but I am still to find a reason to like this book. I know I fall into the minority who are not crazy about Clare’s books and I also know that I will still go ahead and purchase ‘The Dark Artifices’ series. Ugh! Clare’s books feel like a spouse from an arranged marriage. I’m trying too hard to like it even when I know it is not made for me.
Favourite Quotes in Clockwork Angel
“You know,” Gabriel said, “there was a time I thought we could be friends, Will.”
“There was a time I thought I was a ferret,” Will said, “but that turned out to be the opium haze. Did you know it had that effect? Because I didn’t.”
“Must you go? I was rather hoping you’d stay and be a ministering angel, but if you must go, you must.”
“I’ll stay,” Will said a bit crossly, and threw himself down in the armchair Tessa had just vacated. “I can minister angelically.”
“None too convincingly. And you’re not as pretty to look at as Tessa is,” Jem said, closing his eyes as he leaned back against the pillow.
“How rude. Many who have gazed upon me have compared the experience to gazing at the radiance of the sun.”
Jem still had his eyes closed. “If they mean it gives you a headache, they aren’t wrong.”
“Let me give you a piece of advice. The handsome young fellow who’s trying to rescue you from a hideous fate is never wrong. Not even if he says the sky is purple and made of hedgehogs.”
Final View: If Cassandra Clare’s ‘The Mortal Instruments’ series left you disappointed, then stay away from this book because this is not better than the City of Bones or any other book from TMI series. If you are a fan of Cassandra Clare then you know what to expect so go ahead and grab this book. If you are completely new to this series and have never read a Cassandra Clare book before, then I suggest you start with ‘The Mortal Instruments’ series first and if you like it then jump into ‘The Infernal Devices’ after that. However, do not expect a lot from either of the series. Go in with a completely blank mind.
You can check out Amazon.in for a discount on this book.
Also Read:
You must be logged in to post a comment.