Clockwork Angel | Book Review

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1)

Written by: Cassandra Clare

Number of Pages: 480

Average Rating: 4.33/5 stars

My Rating: 4/5 stars

Published: August 31, 2010

Read in November 2017

Summary According to Goodreads

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.

My Thoughts

I didn’t love this novel as much as everyone told me that I would. I think my expectations were just too high.

I really liked the characters and how there was so much less focus on teenage angst, just because of the time it was set it. From reading this novel, I have discovered that I love Victorian London! I don’t tend to read historical fiction, but I was so in love with the language, the mannerisms, the technology (or lack thereof), just the whole atmosphere of the time.

Seeing Magnus Bane again and hearing the names of all these characters we met in the Mortal Instruments, made me so excited to get back into the world. A big issue that I had with this story, is that the general plot seemed very similar to that of the Mortal Instruments. A girl discovers the world of Shadowhunters through searching for a missing family member, she is stuck between two stubborn boys who are opposite personalities, and although she didn’t know this world until a week ago, she is suddenly a crucial part of a revolution. 

I couldn’t rate this a five stars, because it wasn’t perfect. I was able to put it down in favour of another novel, and not miss it terribly. At no point was I kept on the edge of my seat, nor was I surprised by any of the plot twists. Once the plot got going it was a quick read, but mostly because of Cassandra Clare’s smooth writing style.

Overall, this novel didn’t blow me away. I found it very slow to get into and again very similar to Jace and Clary’s story. I’m anxious to continue on with the series and the world to see how everything develops, but I am not as hooked as I’d hoped to be!