Review of The Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Pages: 496
Publisher: Margaret K McElderry Books
Released: August 2010

Plot:  (A prequel to the Mortal Instruments series set in Victorian England.)
After the death of her Aunt, Tessa Gray crosses over from America to England to go and stay with her brother Nathaniel . However on arrival she is met by the Dark Sisters who insist that they have been sent by her brother however Tessa is unsure. Tessa soon becomes the Dark sisters captors and Tessa is forced daily to complete a task she believed impossible all in the request of the mysterious Magister who the Dark Sisters work for.
Unknown to her however, Tessa is a Downworlder with the rare ability to shape shift into another person. Trapped in the Dark Sisters mansion Tessa is lost and alone until Will, a blue- eyed stranger breaks her out and along with the help of his friends and 'family' back at the institute they work to answer Tessa's many questions, most importantly, Where is Tessa's brother, Who is the Magister and what could he possibly want with Tessa?

Good Points: I got this book when it first came out and I must say I was worried that it wasn't going to be anywhere near as good as The original Mortal Instruments series. However, I shall eat my words!! This series has long surpassed my expectations and soon became my favourite of the two.
The Victorian England setting is rich with detail and you feel as though you quickly become a part of it. The mischief and battles are just as good as MI and the characters in my opinion are even better in this series, I especially responded more to Tessa's character than Clary's mainly due to her obsession with books, and Church and Magnus are back too! I also loved how the family names from MI cropped up again in Clockwork angel, leaving the mystery behind of who will end up with who and who their children will be in the future series. I also thought that the bond between parabatia was shown more clearly in this book (between Jem and Will) and we get even more information about the universe of the shadow hunters.


Bad Points: There were none. This is one of the best books I have ever read and I cant believe Clockwork Princess isn't out until 2013!!!

To sum up: Cassandra Clare has once again lived up to being my favourite author and this series I predict will be one that I read over and over again !!