I'm so happy today to be reviewing another one of Cassandra Clare's books! This time, I'll be talking about the first book in the trilogy, The Infernal Devices, called Clockwork Angel.

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Blurb:


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 Timesbestselling 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...



Okay to be honest, I read Clockwork Angel a while ago but then I got so consumed by a million other books that are on my TBR list that I completely forgot: 
a) That I had already read this book
b) Everything that had happened
Therefore, when I decided to re-read Clare's novel, it felt as if I was reading it for the first time!

Firstly, I adore Cassandra Clare's writing style and the Shadowhunter world that I had been introduced to in The Mortal Instruments, so I went into this book with a positive attitude and high hopes.

Let me tell you, this novel met and exceeded my expectations!

My absolute favourite things about Clockwork Angel are the characters and the dialogue between them. Cassandra Clare is so great at bringing the characters to life, making them feel three-dimensional and real. As well as this, the 'banter' adds a touch of hilarity to the book. In particular, Will had me laughing with just one smooth line or joke. Furthermore, the back-and-forth between Jem and Will is awesome! I wish that I could experience a friendship like theirs because they would do anything for each other and are willing to sacrifice themselves for their parabatai. As well as this, Tessa is such a great protagonist! Tessa is everything I look for in a main (female) character. She's headstrong, persistent, brave, willing to stand up for herself and most importantly, she adores books. I'm sure you can all agree that relating to a character in a story is the best feeling, so reading about Tessa's love for books made me so happy! 

However, even though these characters are great, there are a great number of similarities between them and the main characters from The Mortal Instruments - which is fine, I guess, but something I thought I should point out. For example, Tessa is similar to Clary, Will is nearly exactly the same as Jace (particularly in terms of their great looks and witty, sly humour and their dark secrets), Jem and Simon would be brothers or best friends and the villain (who I won't spoil) in TID is very similar to Valentine.

Cassandra Clare is quite honestly a romance expert! She is able to convey the chemistry between her characters, in this case she particularly focused on Tessa and Will, and Tessa and Jem. Clare knows how to insert small moments throughout her novels that truly hit you right in the feels! All of the characters in Clockwork Angel, rich in personality, complement each other perfectly, resulting in a well-rounded read.

Furthermore, the plot itself is quite interesting. One thing I love about this book is that Clare answers enough of your questions to help you understand the story and where it's going, but still manages to create an air of mystery and keep you guessing, which means that the reader is gripped from start to finish. 

Beginning The Infernal Devices, especially after finishing The Mortal Instruments recently (review up soon!), has simply reminded me that I love Cassandra Clare's work! Her books are brimming with twists and turns, and each page evokes a whole range of emotions - one moment you're laughing, the next your screaming and then suddenly you're crying! But, no matter what you're feeling, you are on the edge of your seat the entire time.

Favourite Quotes:

• “It's all right to love someone who doesn't love you back, as long as they're worth you loving them. As long as they deserve it.” 
• “Sometimes, when I have to do something I don't want to do, I pretend I'm a character from a book. It's easier to know what they would do.”
• “Dreams can be dangerous things.” 

It doesn't matter if you haven't read or didn't like The Mortal Instruments, Clockwork Angel is a book that can appeal to Shadowhunters and mundanes alike.