Will rose slowly to his feet. He could not believe he was
doing what he was doing, but it was clear that he was, clear as the silver rim
around the black of Jems’s eyes. “If there is a life after this one, “ he said,
“let me meet you in it, James Carstairs.”
“There will be other lives.” Jem held his hand out, and for
a moment, they clasped hands, as they had done during their parabatiai ritual,
reaching across twin rings of fire to interlace their fingers with each other. “The
world is a wheel,” he said. “When we rise or fall, we do it together.”
Will tightened his grip on Jem’s hand, which felt thin as
twigs in his. “Well, then,” he said, through a tight throat, “since you say
there will be another life for me, let us both pray I do not make as colossa a
mess of it as I have this one.”
In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street—and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.
With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.
Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will—the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do? As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart. (Summary from book)
Cassandra does a great job in building her world in the Victorian Era London. London is burning with betrayal, passion, intrigue, secrets, and lies, all layout in an action packed carefully laid plot to unhindge our beloved Shadowhunters with these Infernal Devices.
I will say, Cassandra, more than any other YA author that I’ve ever read, has managed to totally capture the Victorian time period in her novels. I have never read another book that encompasses the culture, the literature, the art, the mind-sets and even the way they speak, and the twisted beauty of that time period as Clockwork Prince.
This book has the love triagle like no others. Its perfect. I never once thought Tessa was being selfish or silly. Her choices are mature and well thought out. There are some moments with Jem that will make you swoon and also with Will.
Will’s walls are crumbling down. Years of playing the cad and inciting loathing like armor had one kink, while keeping other from loving him, it couldn’t stop Will from falling in love with Tessa. He’s on a missing to find a cure for his curse and get the girl. Unsurprisingly Jem has a similar idea as he sets his sights on Tessa.
Cassandra has a way of creating characters that you just can’t help but feel bad for them. Both Jem and Will are hurting so bad, and you really feel for them. Their friendship is awesome, having a parabati is a great thing, better than family. Here is a quote from book that really sums up parabati connection.
“Jem: “Whatever part you [Will] might act to the contrary, I see you as you really are, my blood brother. Not just better than you pretend to be, but better than most people could hope to be.” Pg 481
This book was more of a character-driven book for me, but I still enjoyed how complex the fantastic plot is, and the cool urban fantasy feel to it.
I really believe that Clockwork Price was far more superior to it’s predecessor. (Clockwork Angel) And that is saying a lot, as it was also amazing. She successfully combines all the wondrous romance of the period and infuses it with a whole new life within her supernatural Shadowhunter world.
I will warn you, it drops a huge bomb on us at the end, and will make you cry, have tissues handy, and be warned. :) There is a cliffhanger in a huge way too.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Cassandra Clare's work, or even if you enjoy some romance in a supernatural world. Even if you have not read The Mortal Instruments, you can still read this series first. It does not matter. They tie in together nicely, but still are separate. This is more of a Prequel to The Mortal Instruments. Be sure to read Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices)
first, so you can enjoy this story to its fullest.
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. (part of summary from book)
It all starts with Will Hereondale, and Jem (James)Carstairs. Will, with his deep striking blue eyes and black hair (sound familiar? Like Alec maybe??) , with a personality very much like Jace Herondale (Lightwood/Wayland) So, we wonder if Jace is indeed related to Will, most of us think so, but you can decide for yourself. With Will we do get glimpses of when he is at his most vulnerable and makes you feel for him. There's just something holding him back from opening up to people, hopefully that will be explained further in the trilogy. Jem is the complete opposite of Will. He is so kind and loving and poetic with his words--really insightful. I could see Tessa falling for him eventually if Will doesn't get his act together.
Clockwork Angel is the first in Cassandra Clare's new Infernal Devices Trilogy, it’s very descriptive, and enjoyable. I am sure it will be another knockout trilogy. It’s set in the Victorian era, and takes about 30-40 pages I would say, to get to some familiar ground that we all would be looking for. But when it does, it takes off, and sucks you into the world of Shadowhunters in the 1800’s London. You will get to know many ancestors of the current characters in The Mortal Instruments. Cassandra manages to sneak in plenty of humor alongside some of the darker and riskier action scenes. Will, is so witty, and fun, but so broken too, again you really do feel for him. There are many mysteries and secretes to these new characters, and for Tessa it is her heritage, and Will and Jem both have hazy backgrounds, that raise many questions. I am sure we will discover them as the next books come out, as I believe they are to become bigger issues later on.
Tessa’s humor is dry and clever, and very funny. The way she can “handle” Will is pretty fun to read. There is a joke in there about a seven fingered dwarf named Nigel that cracked me up, had me laughing out loud, and embarrassing myself when reading that part in public. Lol
I thoroughly enjoyed Tessa, especially watching her mature and break free of the ideals for women in this era. She opens her eyes and understands that women are capable of more than swooning, batting of eyelashes and all the other delicate habits of the female persuasion in the 1800s. She learns to fight and stand up for herself. Very nice, strong lead character for sure.
I love that Magnus Bane and Camille are in this series, they are immortal after all. We get to learn more about Magnus, which is interesting.
Now, the Clockwork creatures were pretty scary, certainly far more frightening than their creator and master, who I was really disappointed in.
Magnus Bane is totally fabulous and I really enjoyed the witty banter between the two main characters.
I also loved that Church the cat, was alive in the 1800’s , and Jem and Will were the ones to “rescue” him from some evil warlocks. So it gives us another mystery around Church, and how he is alive still, and how he ended up in the New York Institute in TMI.
Overall, it’s a great read, a great new series, which ties nicely into TMI (The Mortal Instruments) series. But, still separate. I recommend anyone who liked TMI series, to read this one, you will not be sorry.
If you have not read any of the TMI books, that’s ok, you can start with this series if you like. It’s really a prequel to TMI anyway, but not something that HAS to be read to enjoy TMI.
first, so you can enjoy this story to its fullest.
