Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Review: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Summary: 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: Jem, 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.

As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Review: This is the first Cassanda Clare book I've read, and I can't believe I haven't found her until now! This was a great book that had a little bit of everything. While I liked Tessa as a leading lady, I especially liked that the secondary players were fleshed out enough so they didn't seem like throw-aways. We got enough background on everyone so that it kept me interested and wanting to really know more about everyone and not just Tessa and Will.

I loved the world that Clare created and really aprreciated that at the close of her book she included an explanation about the London that the book was set in, including any changes that were made in order to fit the story. This is one of those things I really love, because I think that the author acknowledging the fact that everything in their book isn't 100% accurate (in terms of location, etc) is great and helps me to learn something beyond the books.

I'm eagerly waiting for the next book in this series (do we really have to wait a whole year!?!) and in the mean time I've reserved all of Clare's other books at the library to keep me busy!

About Cassandra Clare:

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