Review: Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) - Cassandra Clare

5/5 Stars

I have had this book sitting on my shelf for almost a full year, and for some reason I just hadn't read it yet.

I have no idea why as I love The Mortal Instruments series!! After buying Clockwork Prince, I decided it was time to finally start reading the series!

The story is set in Victorian England and follows sixteen year old Tessa Gray as she makes her voyage to London from America to meet up with her brother. Little does she know that it is all a set up and she is soon kidnapped by the Dark Sisters and shown that she has a very rare power, she can change herself into the glamour of another person.

After escaping the Dark Sisters, Tessa befriends the London Shadowhunter community, who pledge help her track down her brother and try to find out some truths about Tessa's past in order to discover more about her unique power.

I did really enjoy this book, I don't think it was a great as The Mortal Instruments series. To be fair though there has been 4 of those books and I've grown to love the characters and this is only the first book in the new series, so I guess only time will tell.

At first I wasn't too sure about the setting for the book, Victorian England seems to be overused somewhat in YA fiction these days. Cassandra does manage to keep it fresh and exciting though and the descriptive language used throughout the book places the reader right into the heart of the story.

I did like these new characters, I think out of them all Tessa is my favourite. She is very different to Clary in The Mortal Instruments, and at the same time they have some very similar qualities. I'm glad that Cassandra didn't just write another Mortal Instruments but set in London, as that was what I originally assumed this book to be like.

The plot is exciting, fast paced and keeps the reader on their toes. There are a few twists and turns along the way which are well placed and well thought out. I didn't see most of them coming at all.

Overall, I still prefer The Mortal Instruments series but this is defiantly not one to be missed either!