Reviews

მექანიკური ანგელოზი by Cassandra Clare

ogsmuffins's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

isabelle_grey97's review against another edition

3.0

Let me be clear, I very much hate The Mortal Instruments series. I would have rated the orignal book (City of Bones) only two stars but chose to add an additional one based purely on enjoyment level. The first book was like chocolate, no good for you, not at all, but still, it was a nice experience to read it. Steadily though, the series went downhill for me. However, before that decline began, this series, The Infernal Devices came out and I picked it up while waiting for other books.

While this is still set in the same world as The Mortal Instruments, this book, in many ways, is far, far better than the original series. (Hence the gif I began with.) Let's get to it shall we?

The Good:

-I'll say it now, I'm a sucker for steampunk and historical fiction. I loved the dramatic backdrop of 1800s London and how it mixed with the Shadowhunter world of warlocks, half-angel warriors, demons and the like. I also enjoyed the use of automans, the mix of magic and machine that was both awesome and horrifying when I first read it.

-Despite how familiar this world was to me thanks to the original series, Clare did managed to tweak it. By that, I mean the Shadowhunter world in 1800s London fit into 1800s London. Yes, women were allowed to be warriors, but there was still that sexism that lingered (such as how Charlotte was often questioned in her leadership of the Institute solely because she was a woman). Some might have fond that bothersome, but for me, I liked the attention to detail. It's the Victorian era, you can't have people from that time period acting like they're from the 21 century (unless of course, they are time travelers) because it just doesn't make sense.

- I liked the inclusion of familiar characters from the original series

Spoiler

Mangus Bane makes an appearance in this book.

Much of his past before TIM series is left up in the air, so seeing him in another time period and learning more about him was pretty cool.

- The story, plain and simple is very entertaining, fast-paced and full of tension, action, romance and magic. It's just a book that you'll zip through.

The Ugly:



Yes, you read that correctly. There is no "the good, the bad and the ugly" going on here. It's "the good" and "the ugly". Why? Because "the bad" implies middle ground. It's not good, but it's not glaringly horrible either. This book doesn't have that. It has the two extremes and nothing more.
Now let's get into the other side.

- The characters. They're basically the same ones all over again. Jem is Simon, Will is Jace and Tessa is Clary. Sure, they have some differences, such as how they look or hobbies but at their cores, they're still playing the exact same roles as the characters from the original series. Will is the a***hole, bad-boy warrior. Jem is the likeable friend. Tessa is this *special* person due to an ability they've never seen in their world before. Their core functions and traits as characters are the same as characters from previous series. They're just given different faces and dropped into Victorian London.

- The prose, once again is pretty bad. Too many smiles, too many things that "sparkle" or "glitter" too many descriptions wasted on how one character or another looks. I get it, Jem and Will are hot, you don't need to keep hitting your readers over the head with it.

- The treatment of women in this book and no, I'm not referring to cultural customs of Victorian England. As within TIM, Tessa is made to look good, not by being an exceptional person of great talent, virtue or the like, she's made awesome by making other women look bad. See

Spoiler

Jessamine Lovelace grew up in the Shadowhunter world, but she doesn't want to be a warrior. She wants a normal life with a husband, a home and children.

Now does Clare take this chance to show how what Jessamine wants is okay? That it's sad that she cannot chose for herself the life she wants?



Jessamine is shown to be weak for not wanting to fight. Because she doesn't want to be a warrior, she's written off as shallow and weak. It's such a lame portrayal of women, which Clare was guilty of in her previous series as well. If an author wants their character to be viewed a certain way, they shouldn't have to make other characters horrible to do it. The actions of the main character should be enough to the convince the reader.

The love triangle. Yes, this one was different from TMI with regards to the dynamic between Jem and Will versus Simon and Jace, and it's only hinted at towards the end or rather it tries to only hint, but it's about as subtle and obvious as a neon sign. The story didn't need it at all. It just adds more unneeded drama that is likely to take attention away from bigger problems, like say, Tessa finding out who she really is and where she came from, what the Magistrate wants with her and how to stop his army. You know, little stuff.



So yes, an enjoyable start to a series, and yes, an improvement from TMI, but still not without it's flaws. Therefore, the end result is an enjoyable book that'll get you through a Sunday afternoon, but it's not the sort you'll read over and over again to awe over it's incredible storyline, characters or otherwise.

patricetea's review against another edition

4.0

Good story, kept my interest till the end. Waiting for the next in the series to come out...soon please.

danielafray's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

cellular_cosmogony's review against another edition

5.0

TW: kidnapping, torture, death, murder, blood,

I have forgotten what reading a Shadowhunters book that doesn't require a trigger waring for incest is like and it was amazing!
The first time I read Clockwork Angel was a few years ago, so I wasn't sure whether I would enjoy it now. My tastes have changed a lot since then and I wasn't sure whether I'd love it as I did before. I also have some nostalgia attached to it, so I didn't want to ruin the memory of it. But I was afraid for nothing. The characters, relationships and the story were a pleasure to read.

sabrina_e's review against another edition

5.0

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, Book 1) I finished Clockwork Angel this morning and really liked it. The similarities between the characters and the Mortal Instruments characters was not lost on me and bugged the crap out of me at first. But now that I'm finished, I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT. I ordered the next two from Amazon, wanted the pretty shiny covers to match the first one that was given me but the expected delivery date is in TWO DAYS.
 
[spoiler]
I'm not sure how I am supposed to wait to find out what Will needs Magnus' help with. Is Tessa a warlock really? Will Nate get killed by a clockwork robot thing as he should? And poor Jem, first he has a name that reminds me of a rocker doll-cartoon that was around when I was a kid, he is also dying? They'll find a cure, right? It's gonna be a rough couple of days.
[/spoiler]
 
I'm raising my rating from 4 to 5 stars, because a book that I am constantly thinking about deserves such!

amandalsb's review against another edition

4.0

This may be closer to 4.5 stars - not quite as good as the Mortal Instruments series (yet), but I really ejoyed it! I found Tessa to be a strong and likeable main character (more so than Clary), and I loved the dichotomy of Will and Jem. Although Will shared quite a few similarities with Jace's bad boy image, I have to say that Jace is still my favorite of the two.

I have so many questions after finishing this book and want to know more about everything...I can't wait for the sequel!

stellalostsoul's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

anya_reads's review against another edition

4.0

4.5*

rose_oxide's review against another edition

4.0

Well this book is good but I don't get it why people are so overwhelmed