Prequel to The Mortal Instrument by Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel is the first book of another series called The Infernal Devices. Set in Victorian London, our new heroine, “Tessa Gray”, is neither mundane (human) nor shadowhunter, but rather something no one has ever known. As she crosses the seas to meet her brother, she finds that something has been waiting for her in London’s Downworld. Kidnapped and plunged into the shadowhunting world, she must fight to survive as she discovers she is the center and soul ingredient of a masterplan with the purpose of wiping all shadowhunters off the face of the earth.    

Tessa is somewhat like Clary from The Mortal Instruments. She had absolutely no clue about the shadow world just like Clary and because of that, the context was reviewed. Tessa is a bookworm. She reads and makes frequent references as well as witty responses, a habit that entertains a certain shadowhunter at the London Institute, “Will Herondale”, institute’s most arrogantly rude and annoying teen. He has a mysterious past, attractive features, and dark secrets, but most importantly, an endless supply of sarcasm and wit. He has no apparent “soft side” except for when it comes to his ‘parabatai’, “Jem Carstairs”, who is the complete opposite of him (besides the ‘self-sacrificing’ part). Jem is the perfect prince in silver. He is kind and gentle and slowly dying. Tessa is captivated and torn between these two best friends.

As you go further on in the book, there will be quite a few details that clearly lead to events in The Mortal Instruments (Spoilers) such as the Pandemonium club, Church the institute cat, and some particular lineages. There are also many (huge) plot twists in the story as expected from Cassandra Clare, but this time, the small details and foreshadowings for those twists are harder to notice (which makes it more unexpected). The writing, as usual, is outstanding. The vivid descriptions of the bewitching scenes, action-packed fights (sadly, a bit less than before) and the intense dialogue are filled with details, beautifully woven together.

The twists and turns of this novel will leave you gasping. The captivating scenes of Victorian London will leave you mesmerized. The gripping characters will leave you laughing and crying your guts out (more crying when you get closer to the third book), but most importantly, it will leave you wanting for more.

(P.S. If you haven’t read The Mortal Instruments, I recommend you do so before reading this series.)

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