Title: Clockwork Angel
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: Infernal Devices #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Steampunk, and Romance (YA)
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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: James, 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.

Because I loved the Mortal Instruments so much, I’ve been looking forward to Clockwork Angel ever since I found out about it.  I wasn’t disappointed in the least.  I loved it and it has earned a spot on my Favorites shelf.

Because the Infernal Devices trilogy is prequel-ish to the Mortal Instruments, you might expect some of the same characters.  However, the Infernal Devices takes place about 130 years before the Mortal Instruments does.  There are still shadowhunters, demons, vampires, mundanes, etc., but the only way you see the same characters is through their ancestry (other than a particular warlock who shall remain nameless ;) ).  I enjoyed meeting the ancestors of some of my beloved characters and wonder how this ancestry will play a role in the next two books as well as possibly reveal more about the characters in the Mortal Instruments.

“One must always be careful of books and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.” Tessa

I didn’t think Clockwork Angel was as intense as the Mortal Instruments, but I wonder if that’s because I’m used to Cassandra Clare’s writing style now.  I’m definitely dying to find out what happens next and given Clare’s track record, I won’t know anything until the very end of the last book.  Because of that, I sort of wish I would’ve waited to read this book once all three books have been published.

Clare has a way of keeping her readers on the edge of their seats during the entire story.  There’s so much conflict with good vs. evil and with the angst between the characters’ relationships in the story.  I really enjoy the worlds and stories she creates.