Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

So, I've heard A LOT about Cassandra Clare and her "Mortal Instruments" series. However, when browsing at the library, I saw this book, Clockwork Angel, that looked different from the other six books on the shelf. When reading the synopsis, I saw that CA as well as another book called Clockwork Prince were the prequel series to the "Mortal Instruments" series. Personally, I like to read the prequel(s) to series AFTER reading the original series, just because I think it really adds to the reading experience. It gives you new insight to the series you've already read, and I think it's just cool to look back and find reasons and history behind a story.

Anyways, I checked the book out from the library and brought it home to read during my recovery from surgery and over the Thanksgiving break. (Yes, I had surgery. All is well, and I am recovering surrounded by mounds of books! :) ) It took me four hours to finish this 476 page book. Let me tell you, I could NOT put it down. Clare is an exceedingly talented storyteller, and I cannot wait to finish this series as well as the "Mortal Instruments" series.

When beginning this post, I was trying to find the best way to summarize this plot without giving anything away. I couldn't think of one, so I have decided to post the synopsis provided by Clare herself here: When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean from New York to find her brother, her destination is London, 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, Nephilim warriors dedicated to keeping the world free from demons, keep order amidst the chaos. Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, the shadowy figure who runs the Club will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own. 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. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy all Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping the Nephilim save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Sounds interesting, right? Well, it is. My favorite part about this book was the way Clare created a world that, while the idea is not a new one, is unique in its own way. Fantasy young adult novels all tend to have very similar characteristics, whether shown in the characters, settings, or plot points. And while Clockwork Angel does share all these similarities, Clare somehow differentiates this world of Nephilim and mundanes from all others, making it a unique, attention-keeping story that I simply couldn't put down.

The character development Clare uses is also interesting and unique. A lot of times, authors will give characters a shady past in order to not have to make up stories about their past or to divert attention from them. However, Clare uses the pasts of her characters in order to develop them in a way that is both mysterious as well as enlightening. It left me wanting so much more, but not in a bad way. (Really, it functioned to make me want to immediately drive back to the library and pick up the second book.)

While I loved this book, I did find a few flaws that are worth mentioning. There always seem to be background characters in books--it is a common thread that works to flesh out major characters as well as provide substance to a story. However, in my opinion, there really were no minor characters in this novel. It seemed as though every single character was extremely important, and all were given pretty extensive background. This didn't serve to make the book more interesting, but actually became confusing on a couple of occasions, and it didn't add much in the way of fleshing out the story. It became cluttered, distracting, and the fluidity of the story was interrupted.

A second flaw, while not completely ruinous, was the actions of a certain character that didn't really line up with his development in the beginning of the story. It seemed as though Clare was going forward really quickly with a plot line for this character, but towards the end, she wrote in some dialogue/situations that really seemed to contradict his previous development. I think she was attempting to make his past seem shady in the mind of the main character, and to make him seem deeper and more troubled than the main character originally thought he was, but it just served to confuse me.

All in all, Clockwork Angel is a unique, fun, thirst-quenching reading experience for anyone who likes a good, well-written (for the most part) fantasy novel. A few flaws here and there, but overall a really advanced, different version of a story you may or may not have heard before.

I recommend Clockwork Angel 8/10.

NOTE: for a young-adult fantasy, this novel is dark. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone under 15/16 or so.. it took some dark turns emotionally, and while that made the book better for me, I feel as if it might confuse or scare younger children/adolescents.