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pgmoon's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I tried reading TMI back in the day, and it just never really grabbed me as a reader. However, I always had people telling me to try The Infernal Devices and I am so glad they did! I can't believe these books have existed for so long and I never read them.
The setting of Victorian London is very interesting to me as a history nerd, and I overall found these characters, especially Jem, Will, and Jessamine, to be very compelling. I admit Tessa was not my favorite at the beginning, but I really grew to appreciate her at the end (the fight at the end had my jaw on the floor!)
Although overall I enjoyed the setting/atmosphere, I do have a couple issues with this book. Mostly the plot had me compelled, although the pacing was a bit odd. The story does drag in places, mostly due to the first book doing much of the world building. As stated above, I didn't read TMI, so some things that might have come naturally to readers were new info to me. Additionally, some of the story beats did come back predictable to me, and some characters felt like a plot device and tropey more than a nuanced development.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story though! The jokes genuinely made me laugh, there were some beautiful prose in there, and I look forward to reading the next book!
The setting of Victorian London is very interesting to me as a history nerd, and I overall found these characters, especially Jem, Will, and Jessamine, to be very compelling. I admit Tessa was not my favorite at the beginning, but I really grew to appreciate her at the end (the fight at the end had my jaw on the floor!)
Although overall I enjoyed the setting/atmosphere, I do have a couple issues with this book. Mostly the plot had me compelled, although the pacing was a bit odd. The story does drag in places, mostly due to the first book doing much of the world building. As stated above, I didn't read TMI, so some things that might have come naturally to readers were new info to me. Additionally, some of the story beats did come back predictable to me, and some characters felt like a plot device and tropey more than a nuanced development.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story though! The jokes genuinely made me laugh, there were some beautiful prose in there, and I look forward to reading the next book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Minor: Racism and Xenophobia
rafacolog's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Racism, Torture, Drug use, Alcoholism, and Chronic illness
happilyeveralli's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The narrator's performance was a highlight!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Racism, and Death
Minor: Sexism
krisalexcole's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Infertility, Alcohol, Body horror, Death of parent, Racism, Drug use, Gore, Kidnapping, Sexism, and Torture
Minor: Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, and Vomit
Gamblingmxbluet18's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Trigger warnings for The Clockwork Angel include: racism & racial slurs,
slut shaming, misogyny, depiction of blood & physical injury; drug dependency; recounted deaths; murder, torture, kidnapping & captivity and fire.
☆
☆
For all the awful things these characters go through, and the people who are lost along that journey, I'd forgotten how much they are a family for each other too, whether they like it or not at times.
~
I'd forgotten some of the characters and events of this book, it's been quite a while since I last read it. But I've already found myself attached to some of the characters justice because they feel like long lost friends. And they feel reminiscent of some of the friends I have in my real life too.
~
I remembered some vague details of it, but on the whole it was like reading again for the first time. I enjoyed it overall, even if some of the bad events of the book felt personal to me (the way it might if I was the main character, which is how it sometimes is with books I read).
slut shaming, misogyny, depiction of blood & physical injury; drug dependency; recounted deaths; murder, torture, kidnapping & captivity and fire.
☆
☆
For all the awful things these characters go through, and the people who are lost along that journey, I'd forgotten how much they are a family for each other too, whether they like it or not at times.
~
I'd forgotten some of the characters and events of this book, it's been quite a while since I last read it. But I've already found myself attached to some of the characters justice because they feel like long lost friends. And they feel reminiscent of some of the friends I have in my real life too.
~
I remembered some vague details of it, but on the whole it was like reading again for the first time. I enjoyed it overall, even if some of the bad events of the book felt personal to me (the way it might if I was the main character, which is how it sometimes is with books I read).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Death, Kidnapping, Torture, Misogyny, and Drug use
Moderate: Racial slurs, Fire/Fire injury, and Racism
anniereads221's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Body horror, Ableism, Grief, Violence, Torture, Death, Blood, Racism, and Murder
tiana_king's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
An exciting story with plenty of plot twists and action. Personally I find Victorian era British people to be a bit boring no matter what circumstances so that’s the only reason it’s not 5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Classism and Drug use
Minor: Racism, Alcohol, Infidelity, Infertility, and Rape
violet_pages's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness and Addiction
Moderate: Violence, Drug use, Death of parent, Death, Murder, and Kidnapping
Minor: Racism, Sexism, and Infertility
nickoliver's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I've read this book for the first time in the summer of 2015, and I had absolutely adored it. Like, half of my diary entries from around that time - and even some months later - were basically just me fangirling over Will. He was essentially what I imagined my perfect boyfriend to look and act like (which, lol @ 2015-me for thinking I even liked guys). Overall, I found the Infernal Devices to be so much more interesting than the Mortal Instruments, and the characters to be way more intriguing and entertaining than, say, Jace and Clary. (Also, Will and Tessa never think they're siblings, so there's that added bonus of not having to deal with incest.)
This year, I finally got around to re-reading the book for the first time, and I'm very pleased to announce that I still loved it just as much the second time around! I did find a few things that bothered me that didn't occur to me five years ago, but they were minor and really didn't take away from my enjoyment, which is why my rating of 5 stars is still standing.
My absolute favourite aspect of "Clockwork Angel" were undoubtedly the characters. Obviously, my focus was a lot on Will and Jem, because their personalities just gave me a lot of entertainment. Will was very sassy and unapologetically himself , which made his scenes so funny that I chuckled out loud a lot and had a lot of fun reading the book. I also headcanon him as bi; he just really had "chaotic bi energy" written all over him (don't ask me why, I have no idea). Upon re-reading, he intrigued me even more, because I knew why he acted the way he did (read: very rude and mean at times) and could clearly see how tortured he was.
Where Will was the storm in the middle of the sea, Jem was the quiet after everything calmed down. He was extremely kind and sweet and just absolutely perfect in my eyes. He always knew just what to say to comfort others, but he also didn't hesitate to criticise Will if he didn't agree with him. At the end of the day, Will and Jem just really complemented each other very well, and I loved seeing them together.
Now, when I first read the book, I didn't particularly care about Tessa. I didn't hate or dislike her, but next to Will and Jem, she just paled in comparison. Which is why, when I started my re-read, I didn't expect anything from her; I just figured she'd be a nice main character but not as interesting as the boys. So imagine my surprise when I realised just how sassy she could be if needed! She certainly could hold her ground next to Will, and I loved their dynamics a lot!
Tessa had a lot of internalised misogyny, especially at first, which is something I completely forgot about. She was surprised at a lot of things that we don't blink an eye at anymore nowadays, like Charlotte wearing pants in a battle or girls being able to be violent and bloodthirsty. It was kind of interesting to see her have to challenge those views she grew up with and grapple with them.
I also loved all the other characters . They all differed from each other in some way or another, from Charlotte basically being their mother (and let me tell you, hearing that she was younger than me by now just about shoved me into my existential crisis of the month) to Jessamine and Will acting so much like siblings that it cracked me up. I also thought the villain was build up nicely; I did remember who they were, so I wasn't surprised, but I do think the way they were introduced was interesting. Jessamine did make me roll my eyes at times (definitely a victim of the patriarchy), but I did find it refreshing to have a Shadowhunter who didn't actually want to be a Shadowhunter.
I did think that the romance was a bit rushed; Tessa's first kiss with her love interest came a bit too early and took me by surprise, and not in a particularly good way. It wasn't unbearable and like I said, I adore the characters, but the romantic relationships weren't build up as well as they could have been. Plus, Clare wasn't really subtle about there being a future love triangle, which I found a bit annoying.
I know that a lot of people ship Tessa, Jem, and Will all together, and while I personally don't really do that, I can 100% see why people do. Even in this first installment, where the romance has only steered in one direction so far, you can already see how deeply they all will care for each other in the future. And I know the sequels will just get more intense.
Really, there were only two negative things that I realised this time around that I apparently didn't five years ago.
Number one is the fact that there wasn't that much action happening in the story. For most of the book, Tessa learnt things about the world and about herself, but it wasn't necessarily in a suspenseful setting? There were a lot of conversations and a big focus on the characters themselves, and I think that rather slow pace is part of the reason why it took me a while to finish the book. I can imagine that some people might be bothered by the pace.
The second thing were the descriptions. Clare loves to describe things in detail, be it people, buildings, or objects. I found it to be rather redundant after a while. Then again, I often have trouble picturing how things look like, no matter how much description is provided by the author of a book, so maybe this is just a me thing.
Overall, I just love this book a lot. The characters, especially Will and Jem, have my entire heart at this point.
This year, I finally got around to re-reading the book for the first time, and I'm very pleased to announce that I still loved it just as much the second time around! I did find a few things that bothered me that didn't occur to me five years ago, but they were minor and really didn't take away from my enjoyment, which is why my rating of 5 stars is still standing.
My absolute favourite aspect of "Clockwork Angel" were undoubtedly the characters. Obviously, my focus was a lot on Will and Jem, because their personalities just gave me a lot of entertainment. Will was very sassy and unapologetically himself , which made his scenes so funny that I chuckled out loud a lot and had a lot of fun reading the book. I also headcanon him as bi; he just really had "chaotic bi energy" written all over him (don't ask me why, I have no idea). Upon re-reading, he intrigued me even more, because I knew why he acted the way he did (read: very rude and mean at times) and could clearly see how tortured he was.
Where Will was the storm in the middle of the sea, Jem was the quiet after everything calmed down. He was extremely kind and sweet and just absolutely perfect in my eyes. He always knew just what to say to comfort others, but he also didn't hesitate to criticise Will if he didn't agree with him. At the end of the day, Will and Jem just really complemented each other very well, and I loved seeing them together.
Now, when I first read the book, I didn't particularly care about Tessa. I didn't hate or dislike her, but next to Will and Jem, she just paled in comparison. Which is why, when I started my re-read, I didn't expect anything from her; I just figured she'd be a nice main character but not as interesting as the boys. So imagine my surprise when I realised just how sassy she could be if needed! She certainly could hold her ground next to Will, and I loved their dynamics a lot!
Tessa had a lot of internalised misogyny, especially at first, which is something I completely forgot about. She was surprised at a lot of things that we don't blink an eye at anymore nowadays, like Charlotte wearing pants in a battle or girls being able to be violent and bloodthirsty. It was kind of interesting to see her have to challenge those views she grew up with and grapple with them.
I also loved all the other characters . They all differed from each other in some way or another, from Charlotte basically being their mother (and let me tell you, hearing that she was younger than me by now just about shoved me into my existential crisis of the month) to Jessamine and Will acting so much like siblings that it cracked me up. I also thought the villain was build up nicely; I did remember who they were, so I wasn't surprised, but I do think the way they were introduced was interesting. Jessamine did make me roll my eyes at times (definitely a victim of the patriarchy), but I did find it refreshing to have a Shadowhunter who didn't actually want to be a Shadowhunter.
I did think that the romance was a bit rushed; Tessa's first kiss with her love interest came a bit too early and took me by surprise, and not in a particularly good way. It wasn't unbearable and like I said, I adore the characters, but the romantic relationships weren't build up as well as they could have been. Plus, Clare wasn't really subtle about there being a future love triangle, which I found a bit annoying.
I know that a lot of people ship Tessa, Jem, and Will all together, and while I personally don't really do that, I can 100% see why people do. Even in this first installment, where the romance has only steered in one direction so far, you can already see how deeply they all will care for each other in the future. And I know the sequels will just get more intense.
Really, there were only two negative things that I realised this time around that I apparently didn't five years ago.
Number one is the fact that there wasn't that much action happening in the story. For most of the book, Tessa learnt things about the world and about herself, but it wasn't necessarily in a suspenseful setting? There were a lot of conversations and a big focus on the characters themselves, and I think that rather slow pace is part of the reason why it took me a while to finish the book. I can imagine that some people might be bothered by the pace.
The second thing were the descriptions. Clare loves to describe things in detail, be it people, buildings, or objects. I found it to be rather redundant after a while. Then again, I often have trouble picturing how things look like, no matter how much description is provided by the author of a book, so maybe this is just a me thing.
Overall, I just love this book a lot. The characters, especially Will and Jem, have my entire heart at this point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Terminal illness, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Infertility, and Sexism
Minor: Alcoholism, Death, and Racism
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