Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare - Review

When I was a child, and even today, one of my favorite things to do is to walk around in the grass barefoot; to feel the earth below my feet, to be able to dig my toes into the ground, to feel the grass coming up between my toes. Cassandra Clare's writing reminds me of these times I am able to do just that...Her writing is raw, but I don't mean in the sense that it's unpolished; the exact opposite actually. It's raw with power, gritty with depth, and hungry with a soul, you don't find very often.

I have read The Mortal Instruments series – sadly it was before I was blogging – but for me Cassandra Clare's writing has always been a bit jagged and hard to hold on to, and reading historical fiction has never been “my thing” - with that said though, I think Clockwork Angel book one in The Infernal Devices Trilogy is my favorite book of Cassandra's!

Somehow, while reading The Mortal Instruments Series, I got confused by the world Cassandra created, all the intricate details, which if you pay close attention to, can become like a hook and eye, drawing you in, encasing you within them, finally after some moments of wanting to give up, I finally gave in – to the world, to the details, and to everything that make The Mortal Instruments the amazing books they are.

With Clockwork Angel, that did not happen; right from the beginning I was drawn in; it's the details in Cassandra's writing that allow you to be there, to come out of your own life, it's as if your right there with the characters; the dogs barked, the laundry buzzer buzzed, and the party was going crazy next door – but I did not hear any of it, I was encased in Clockwork Angel, falling a little further, a little deeper with each page!

Clockwork Angel follows Tessa throughout London in 1878, a time when ladies were ladies, and gentlemen opened doors for you; Tessa has always been brought up this way, and she is what one can only guess, a typical 19th Century American girl. Tessa is at home with her nose buried deep within the pages of a book but when she's brought to London, under the pretense of meeting her brother, Tessa's world is shaken to it's very core.

Tossed into the world of the Downworlders, having no idea where her brother is, and being forced to turn into someone, she's not at all sure she can be. Tessa is forced into a life she had no idea even existed; but does she back down, does she cower? Never! That's not in Tessa's nature; always the observer, Tessa takes it upon herself to learn, all she can about those around her. She, though sneaky well placed questions and her innate perceptive abilities, is able to gather much information about Downworlders (as well as the Shadowhunters) in what one can only think of as record time. Can her gifts save her, and those she loves before it's to late, only time, and a novelist as brilliant as Cassandra Clare, can tell! (I can't wait, to know more, that's for sure.)

If your at all familiar with Cassandra Clare, you know she welds, not only a convincing, thrilling story but with that comes a hint of love, passion and betrayal; Clockwork Angel is no exception, though unlike The Mortal Instruments series, it has yet to become clear to me, just which of the gallant boys Tessa will, or should end up with, though I do have my favorite, they both have there strong points. Will, he's secretive, evasive, and allusive; but yet, when he wants to be, when he thinks no one is watching, he's the most powerful, sincere and loving person anyone could dream of. Then you have Jem, who with secrets of his own, you might think him similar to Will, but he's not...Jem is a strong as an olive branch, he's beautiful, if you know what I mean, in the way he talks, the way he treats people; his soul is crying out for love, and compassion! Jem, is a hidden jem, which, it seems is overlooked, I truly hope we see more of him to come!

Bottom Line – Cassandra Clare has it all, a compelling story, rot with danger and intrigue with just a hint of love; characters we all adore, each interwoven beautifully yet powerful all on there own; and a backdrop that can be compared to none other, full in it's details yet simple in it's complexity. If you have yet to pick up anything by Cassandra Clare, now's your chance, while the Infernal Devices has the same setting, it's a story all unto it's own, so you don't need to have read The Mortal Instruments first – though, with familiar characters who pop up, it makes it fun if you have! I give Clockwork Angel, book one in the Infernal Devices 4 mushrooms, I simply can NOT wait to read the next book!

Oh, and I can't wait till Aubrey gets home so she can read this one, she's going to FLIP!

Buy, Borrow or Steal? With the publish day right around the corner, and the Mockingjay festivities over...now's your chance to capture a wonderful story rot with danger and tantalizing in it's characterizations.

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1)
By: Cassandra Clare
496 Pages
Published: August 31, 2010 (Happy Book Birthday)
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Received via an ARC tour for my honest review.