Clockwork Angel

The Infernal Devices, Book 1

By: Cassandra Clare

Narrated by: Jennifer Ehle

Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When 16-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.

©2010 Cassandra Clare (P)2010 Simon & Schuster

awesome

It took me a bit to get into the narration but otherwise loved it. would recommend.

Breath taking

Would you listen to Clockwork Angel again? Why?

I will listen to it again. It is remarkably read and the story is thrilling. The plot twists are incredible and I don't think I could get tired of this story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It's hard to say; I love all of the characters for different reasons. I think Jessamine is my favorite though. SHe dreams of something more for her life, despises where she resides currently but she kicks butt when she needs to. THough she likes to pretend she's angry and couldn't care less, she really cares for the people around her.

Which character – as performed by Jennifer Ehle – was your favorite?

I would hace to say Camille or De Quincy are my favorite performances.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Tessa is giving Will holy water to counteract the vampire blood in his system and they are talking and end up kissing.

Any additional comments?

THis novel is brilliant, one of the best of its genre I have read in a while.

First experience with this world and I'm hooked!

If you could sum up Clockwork Angel in three words, what would they be?

Victorian steampunk fantasy

Set in the late 1800's in England, the author introduces (or expands on, for those who've read her mortal instruments series, which I have not) a vibrant world where there's vampires, demons, angels,and hybrids. I appreciated that this book explained a lot of the rules surrounding these creatures and the shadowhunters so that you don't have to be a MI reader to get what's going on. Very cool world she's created.

What about Jennifer Ehle’s performance did you like?

I saw that a number of others disliked her performance, but I can't imagine why. I thought her accents (American and British) were great and I had no problems telling voices apart. I did not love every single voice she used, but quite frankly, she's only one person and it seems a bit demanding to expect every voice to be perfect and just the way you'd imagine in your head! Heck, even Jim Dale (who is magnificent) messes up at times! I felt Jennifer Ehle conveyed emotions and tone wonderfully in this book and I'm quite disappointed to see she's not reading any of the others!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I nearly did! I probably finished this book in approximately 2 sittings on 2 consecutive days. Only that I had work stopped me!

Any additional comments?

I felt this was a creative, engaging, and enjoyable story. It kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what would happen and several of the twists did get me. For those who complain about the supposed love triangle, I didn't find that to be a problem in this book, but I am sure it's going to become more of an issue later. With Will, I do understand the criticisms of his character, but I didn't honestly find it bothersome. Yes, some of the things he says and does are appalling, but I feel that that is meant to give us a surface view and then explore deeper in the other two books.

Also, it may be worth noting for those who are very sensitive that there is killing, blood, torture, and non-explicit sexual references. I never felt these took away from the story or were done in poor taste, but I was a bit surprised with some of them as they seemed a bit darker than my personal idea of YA novels. That said, I would personally let an older teen read these, but I'd recommend caution for younger teens and children.

Great book narrator needs work

The book is great! The only problem is that the narrator talks a little bit slow and flat at the beginning. So it takes you a while to get hooked with the storie.

Angel

Would you consider the audio edition of Clockwork Angel to be better than the print version?

Actually I have not read the print version, so I cannot rate that.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The leading lady of course.

What does Jennifer Ehle bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The change in her voice for each character.

Nostalgia Ruined by Narration

For context, I read this series in middle school and loved them dearly; they’ve held a place on my “top three” stack ever since. As an adult, I’m now trying to get my partner into the series before we listen to Chain of Thorns. Now you know my bias going forward. That said, this narrator did the book dirty. From the inaccurate (and disrespectful?) invented lisp for Gabriel Lightwood to the unprofessional audio quality that inconsistently varied between sharp peaks to low mumbling for the majority of the story. I had high hopes but I’m now feeling disappointed and sad that my rose-tinted glasses have been cracked. I’m still a fan of the story but don’t think the narrator did it justice.

One of my favorite books

Still one of my favorite books after all these years. The characters will live it my head and be loved forever.
I thought the voice acting was fine, especially good for Tessa, until Gabriel Lightwood. Thankfully he only appears a little in this book and the reader has been changed for the second and third books. I think maybe she just didn’t know he would play a romance lead eventually? There’s just no way she would have given him that voice otherwise.

Narrator was not it

Story was great but the narration wasn’t working for me. It didn’t embody the characters.

A great listen but...

I greatly enjoyed this book, and can't wait for the sequel, but I had a problem with the narrator. She would mess up on people's voices, and confuse me as to who was speaking at times. Not to mention her extreme lack of emotion while she was reading. A few times, it seemed as if she'd put some emotion into the characters voices, but then she'd end in an almost dead-panned voice that made it sound rather flat and dull, and extremely annoying. If it wasn't for the narrator, I would have given it five stars.

Fantastic book!!

Loved it!! If you liked the Immortal instruments you will love this book. Great plot, lots of interesting characters, I was a little worried because I didn’t think Cassandra Clare could make a book as good or better than the immortal instruments; but WOW this book was just as incredible. Full of adventure, mystery, romance and will make you laugh, and make you want to just keep listening. The reader did an exhalent job with the voices and accents, kudos Jennifer Ehle. I’m just disappointed I have to wait so long for the next book. However, this book was a great start to an intriguing series. So buy it! You won’t be disappointed =]