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

Great story but not a good narrator

I loved the story! I’ve been told this trilogy is one of the best of the Shadowhunter world and I have high hopes! Unfortunately the enjoyment is dampened by the narrator who needed more practice with the voices. One moment it sounded like Charlotte then it was Tessa. She kept changing accents and it wasn’t very good to be honest. That’s the only negative about the audiobook though.

Loved loved loved the story

The narrator was okay.
This was my introduction to the Shadow hunter stories; what a great series!
Great story, great characters, lovely romance, steamy without being too graphic, lots of action.

Nice to spend the time

I did not like the “romance” scenes.. It did not look natural to me.. but the overall history is not bad.

Great story, poor naration

This was difficult to get through only because of the narration. Accents were strange and she made the characters sound almost elderly when they are actually teenagers.

Love the book, Loathe the narrator

I love this book and trilogy but the narrator is so awful. The English accents she does are just…. Unbearable.

Great read

Highly recommend, I really enjoyed the performance at first it did feel a little slow but definitely picks up. If you are looking for something to take you into another world this is the book I would recommend. Starting book two now! Can’t wait to finish this series!

Love the book, hate the narrator.

Will Herondale is supposed to be Welsh. The Narrator of the third book should have been asked to do all three. I don’t understand why they get American actors to read books set in the UK. He even got the Starkweathers’ correct dialect. Her voice is just grating on me and I don’t like to listen to this book as much as the third. I know the main character is American but Brits can do American accents, it’s rare that Americans can do a credible British one… especially regional dialects.

long time lover

I read this series first in 2012, when I was 14. now as a 26 year old, I can still enjoy and appreciate this story. I think the narrator was eh but love the stories still.

Great Start to a Wonderful Series

Clockwork Angel is the first book in Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments spinoff: The Infernal Devices series. Call it blasphemy, but (having read the current entirety of both series) I think The Infernal Devices is considerably better than its already awesome predecessor. Do not fret if you haven't read the Mortal Instruments series yet, Clockwork Angel is set a hundred years before the City of Bones and the series absolutely can stand on its own.

The characters are better developed and infinitely more clever and snarky (which I love). Where Jace came off a little pouty for my tastes (in City of Bones, etc.) somehow Will pulls the same sentiment off with less churlishness and more aplomb! Fans of the earlier series will be delighted to see some of their faves make cameos in this series (such as Magnus Bane!). As the Infernal Devices series progresses, it is interesting to see where plans are laid that impact the present Shadowhunter world and Easter Eggs abound for die hard fans of Clare's work.

So, the story goes, that our heroine, Tessa Gray, comes to London from America at her brother's request after the death of their guardian Aunt. Immediately upon arrival, however, Tessa is Shanghaied and introduced to the dark secrets of Downworld. She has powers of her own and is thrust into plots, plans and manipulations that she would have never suspected existed in her previous life.

Along the way, she meets the Shadowhunters at the London Institute and becomes a part of the family, fighting for good. No supernatural YA novel worth its salt would dare show its cover without including a love triangle, so naturally, we are treated to one in Clockwork Angel. While this device generally annoys me, in this instance (and in the subsequent novels) the triangle is natural, touching and (spoiler alert) eventually heartbreaking.

Audio Notes:

Jennifer Ehle has been one of my favorite actresses since her turn as Miss Elizabeth Bennett in the BBC version of Austen's Pride & Prejudice. As the sole narrator of the audio version of Clockwork Angel, Ehle puts her acting chops to work by playing all parts to great effect! Her wry sense of humor shines through while playing Will and she conveys a true sense of innocence and strength while portraying Tessa. I would highly recommend the audio version and it is one of my favorite audio adaptations of all time.

Clockwork Angel is a must-read novel that will pull you into the world of Downworlders and Shadowhunters, Angels and Demons, Tessa, James and Will and will keep you begging for more of this amazing series!

Steampunk and Vampires

Seriously, how can you possibly go wrong with steampunk and vampires? I absolutely enjoyed this book. The character of William in particular was great fun. He had me laughing through the most absurd moments, and then ticked me off in other places. What a wonderfully complicated character.

That being said, I only gave the story four stars because there were a few elements that I found predictable. Still, Will's humor through it all kept me engaged and I look forward to reading more in this series.