Showing posts with label The Infernal Devices. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Infernal Devices. Show all posts

May 3, 2012

Clockwork Prince


Title:  Clockwork Prince
Author:  Cassandra Clare
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster
Publish Date:  06 December 2011
Pages: 502
ISBN:  978-1-4169-7588-5
Source:  Bought
Genre:  YA, angels, demons
Series:  The Infernal Devices
Other books in series:  Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Princess (March 2013)

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

There are so many questions that this book posed.  What will happen if Charlotte loses her position at the institute?  In this book, the Clave is set between a rock and hard place.  They don’t want to replace Charlotte, but with her previous actions, they may not have a choice.  The Lightwoods are the ones who want Charlotte out of the institute, but why?  This is how the story starts out.  Charlotte is given a certain amount of time to find the magister and if she does, she’ll remain as the head of the institute, for we all know that Henry doesn’t run it.

There is also the question of the Magister.  Did the Shadowhunters really find out who he is?  What does he really want?  Why does he want Tessa?  As the search for the Magister contintues, you learn about who is faithful to the Shadowhunters and who is to the Magister in this book. 

Then there is Jem and Will.  Will acts like he doesn’t want to be emotionally close to anyone and pushes everyone away.  Jem knows he doesn’t have much time to live and is really nice toward Tessa.  Why is Tessa drawn towards Will?  Who will she chose?

After reading Clockwork Angel, I immediately began reading this book.  I was so enraptured by the Shadowhunter world, that after this, I started on the Immortal Devices series.  I loved this book and cannot wait until Clockwork Princess comes out in 2013 to see what happens next. Clare’s writing is one that will draw you and make you feel like you are part of the story and not just reading it.  That is what any reader/author wants.

This book was different for me to review because there were so many different questions happening in the context of the book.  I didn’t want to ignore any of the major ones, but I also didn’t want to have a 20 page review.  I love the story of Will, Jem and Tessa.  I must say that it is difficult to distinguish which person I would choose – Will or Jem.  That will be a discussion for another day.  

It looks to me as this is Jem on the cover.  I say that because of the walking stick that he carries.  Correct me if I’m wrong.  You cannot tell it from the picture, but the book cover has raised lettering.  I think this adds to the cover.

•Tessa.  She is not a Shadowhunter, not a warlock because she doesn’t bear the warlock’s mark.  The Silent Brothers do not know what she is.  Even still, she is set on helping the Shadowhunters as they have helped her in the past.  She is strong willed and obviously cares about people.

•Jem.  Due to unfortunate circumstances, Jem is dying.  He knows this.   He is always nice to Tessa. 

•Will.  Will’s attitude changes a lot.  Sometimes you think he really likes Tessa and other times you think that he doesn’t.  One thing is for sure is that he is true to his word and faithful to the Shadowhunters.

•Charlotte and Henry.  She is the head of the institute where Will, Jem, Tessa and others live.  She cares for all of them.  Henry is Charlotte’s husband. He is content to work in his lab creating “toys” for the Shadowhunters.

 
•Jessamine Lovelace aka Jessie.  She is one of the people who live at the institute.  She doesn’t like people to know that she is a shadowhunter and tries to marry her way into normal society.

•Nate Gray.  Tessa’s brother. He is why Tessa is here in London in the first place.  We learned in Clockwork Angel that Tessa came here on her brother’s bidding after her aunt had died.

•The Magister.  He does some evil things.  You don’t really know who he is until the end of the book, but you see his touch throughout.

•Benedict Lightwood.  He is the one who is trying to get Charlotte removed as head of the Institute.  It is a position that he has coveted for years and wants really badly.


















May 1, 2012

Clockwork Angel


Title:  Clockwork Angel
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster
Publish Date: 31 August 2010
Pages: 496
ISBN:  9781416975861
Source:  Bought
Genre:  YA, angels, demons
Series:  The Infernal Devices
Other books in series:  Clockwork Prince, Clockwork Princess (March 2013)

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.
What do you do when your relative that you live with dies and your brother is in London?  You go to him, of course.  Well, that is what Tessa thought she was doing when she left New York by boat to go to London.  She thought she was going to meet her brother, Nate.  Instead, she meets the Dark Sisters and is taken to their house so they can “train” her. 

At first, she doesn’t understand what they want from her, she only knows that when she doesn’t deliver it, she gets punished.  After a while, she learns what they want and how to get released easily, thus her only reprieve.  Then night when there is a gentleman, William Herondale aka Will, rescues her from the clutches of the Dark Sisters and takes her to the Institute.  The institute is the place where the Shadowhunters live that have no other place to go.  It is there that she talks the Shadowhunters into helping her find her brother, because she is sure he is in trouble.

She learns a lot of things at the Institute.  First off, who she is.  She doesn’t know EXACTLY who she is and how she got these powers, but she has a better idea.  She knows that there are people who would use her talents for evil purposes and that is what she figures the Magister wants with her.  Just exactly how he plans to do that is a question she doesn’t want to find out the answer to. 

On this cover, you see a male, whom I’m presuming to be Will, who is taking off his hat.  You also see different landmarks of London in the background.  The Clockwork Angel is glowing above the title.  The book that I have had the bonus story, Magnus’s Vow, in it.

 
•Theresa Gray aka Tessa.  She unknowingly goes to London because she misses and trusts her brother when he sends her a ticket there.  She could never imagine the trouble that happened when she got there. Throughout it all, she kept thinking that her brother must be in terrible trouble for him to let that happen to her.

•James Carstairs aka Jem.  From the very beginning, I have liked Jem.  He reminds me of a gentleman, which I’m sure he is.

•William Herondale aka Will.  Will is the first one to meet Tessa and rescues her from the clutches of the Dark Sisters before they get to execute their plan.  Will’s affection comes and goes.  One minute, he likes you and the next, he doesn’t.

 
•The Dark Sisters.  They kept Tessa prisoner and “made” her do things that she didn’t even think were possible before.

•The Magister.  You don’t know who he is in this book.  You just hear of him.  He is who the Dark Sisters are prepping Tessa for.

•de Quincey.  He is the head vampire in London.

•The Pandemonium Club.  It is a club for downworlders.


I found two excerpts for this book.  They both are from the Simon & Schuster page.  The first one is of the first chapter.  The second is just an excerpt.  Enjoy!

















Jan 9, 2012

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme that is put on by The Story Siren where you tell what books you have received that week.  I don't post on this very often, but I have bought quite a few books this past few weeks, so I thought I would share.


Fearless by Francine Pascal
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder by Jo Nesbo (illustrated by Mike Lowery)
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

The Woman in Black particularly appeals to me because the movie is coming out on 03 February 2012 and I like to read the book before seeing the movie. Fearless was a Wal*Mart special and contains three books in the series: Fearless, Sam and Run. The book sounded interesting and I love buying books like this because there isn't a wait for the next book and it doesn't take up as much space. I've heard a lot of great reviews about Under the Never Sky and had to check the book out for myself.  Fart Powder and The Hunger Games are for a guest reviewer.

City of Bones
City of Ashes
City of Glass
City of Fallen Angels
Clockwork Angel
Clockwork Prince

All of these are by Cassandra Clare.  They were on sale and I got all six books for around $40. I am excited to read these.  I have wanted to read these two series for awhile now because I have heard great things about them.  Now I have the books and have no excuse.