Book Review: The Infernal Devices – Prequel to The Mortal Instruments

Title : Clockwork Angel #1, Clockwork Prince #2, Clockwork Princess #3

Series : The Infernal Devices

Language : English

Author      : Cassandra Clare @cassieclare

Publisher : Simon and Schuster

Genre : Young Adult, Urban Fantasy

Already my bedtime but I can’t be calm without writing this review first. Okay, first of all I would say these trilogies are actually tense, full of action and have potential but please Cassandra, please remove that being too much self-pity in the characters and also repetitive description on the boys’ appearances. It’s getting too much! It illustrate over and over about Will’s beautiful face and his blue eyes, or Jem’s silver hair and pale skin, etc. I think maybe the series can be cut into just two books by omitting these illustrations.  

Another thing is when the boys confess their love to the main character Tessa Gray. They say ‘love’ too many times following with long-bullshit-fairy tale sentences that many times I fed up and skipped it in the end. Not to add that the idea of being in love with two persons at the same time. She even changed her name by taking both of boys’ family name to Tessa Herondale Carstairs. C’mon, really? Tessa Gray is being so greedy. 

I appreciate that Cassandra wants to raise heroine characters. I like it how Tessa developing from a simple girl to fighter but adding love triangle like this doesn’t work with me. It would be better if real problems take more space, like finding what kind of creature she is. Why can she shape-changing? What does Mortmain, the villain wants from her? Even in the crucial dangerous moment it seems that all she can remember is Will’s blue eyes (damn! I can’t forget his eyes-color now).    

Age Restriction

When it classified as Young Adult book, I think the characters should stick to 18-30 age portrait, not around 15-18 age. For me, some parts are surely not for young readers. 

Background-Setting

For those of you who are fan of anything British then the books might suit you. It describes ancient United Kingdom in its 1800’s from London with its Thames River and Blackfriars Bridge to countryside of Wales where Will having mad ride saving Tessa. Not to mention the breathtaking landscape of Cadair Idris and its lakes where the final fight end to Chiswick House of Lightwood’s property.  

to be continued...

Chiswick House and Garden, The Lightwood Property

Cadair Idris, Wales

Blackfriars Bridge around 1800's

Die-hard fans posted this on Blackfriars Bridge

More from Cassandra Clare: 

• The Infernal Devices Trilogy six book (Teressa Gray) 
• The Last Hours Trilogy (Lucie Herondale) on progress
• The Mortal Instrument (Clary Fray)
• The Dark Artifices Trilogy (Emma Carstairs) on progress

Companion Book: 

• Shadowhunter’s Codex
• The Bane Chronicles (A Collection of Ten Short Stories centred around Magnus Bane)
• Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy (The series follows the adventures of Simon Lewis, one of the stars of Cassandra Clare’s internationally bestselling series The Mortal Instruments , as he trains to become a Shadowhunter.)