Infernal Devices (1) - Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
And now to Cassandra Clare's second Shadowhunter-series - The Infernal Devices, starting with Clockwork Angel (in German Clockwork Angel, L'Ange Méchanique), I read it in German, where it had 569 pages. Age: 13 (girls! & [boys??? depends]) Original published 2010.
Leaving nothing behind but memories, Tessa starts her journey from New York to London of the 19th century… to go live with her brother. But it’s not Nate that picks her up from the port, but two mysterious women. Who have Nate imprisoned and want Tessa to change her shape. Because apparently, there’s a lot more out there than Tessa knows – and she herself has an invaluable gift the women’s master – some Magister – needs desperately. But Tessa would rather die than help a madman! Thankfully, a Shadowhunter helps her escape and brings her to some institute… where Tessa has to find out more about the world she landed in, herself and the mysterious inhabitant who all have their secrets.
This series is wonderful, my favourite of the Shadowhunter universe – even though the Dark Artifices might rival it someday, I don’t know yet. In case you don’t know about the world, here’s a link. And now, to the characters.
Tessa thinks of herself as a grey mouse, but she’s courageous, creative, loyal, altruistic, fierce, iron-willed, determined, self-ironic and a book-lover. You see, I’ve pretty much fallen in love with her after the first page. Tessa does a lot for the people she loves, but within reason. And she’s not exactly a martyr happy in her role, either. She’d let her capturers teach her all that stuff with minimal resistance, but she did resist. And when they pushed her too far, she tried to run. Basically, Tessa gave up all hope of ever seeing Nate again – understandable, after all – while still trying to fight for him through convincing the people in the institute to help her find him. But she wouldn’t sacrifice her life and heart. She wouldn’t stay in hell for him. This sounds terrible of course, if you put it like that. But actually, it’s amazingly realistic. After weeks of torture and a prospect of marrying a psychopath, helping him with some schemes and probably never seeing your loved one again (and a big fat chance he’s dead already), you try to make yourself stay in such a hellhole. It’s actually pretty amazing that she managed to stay so strong and focussed this entire time.
Actually, when I think about it, it’s unrealistic that she doesn’t even have any kind of aftermath. Like fear of confined places and locked doors, stuffy rooms and stuff like that… at least feeling uncomfortable in it because it reminds her of her captors. Sure, she was only there for a few weeks, but a few weeks can feel like a lifetime – and can make as much impact.
Back to Tessa. She’s a strategist. She has a big and kind heart and would do a lot to make the people around her happy, but she has a core of iron. And some buttons you better don’t push. She’s too independent for her time, but (even though I probably have to delete something for that in the rating,) I personally like that about her. What I don’t understand, though, is why she didn’t have anyone she left behind in New York. Sure, her aunt died, but she lived there 1 ½ decades. She should have encountered people she would miss, right? People she’d think about – friends, neighbours, anyone? It doesn’t make a difference to the actual plot, since they couldn’t/wouldn’t help her either way, but I think that it’s unrealistic she doesn’t have anyone but her brother and aunt until she comes to the institute.
Apart from that, she’s passionately and self-ironic, always up to a new adventure.
The institute – or rather, its inhabitants. That would be Henry and Charlotte Fairchild – Henry is a crazy scientist with a bright mind and a kind heart, a bit clumsy, but always meaning well. He adores the people around him like a puppy and dreams away quite frequently… which makes others ridicule him frequently. His wife, Charlotte, is the pragmatist, the one that pulls all the strings and keeps everything and everyone together. A big burden to bear, especially in that household – and she has to fight against practically anyone, while she doesn’t have anyone really on her side. Her husband is usually too lost in his head, Jessamine hates the life and tries to keep out of it, Will pushes everyone away and Jem has his hands full with Will and his illness. She only has Agatha, Thomas and Sophie, and though they are formidable friends – with Sophie as the most loyal follower she could ever hope for – they’re still “only” human and don’t have much influence in the conclave.
Sophie. She’s a kind, sassy girl who likes order – she’s loyal to the core and a good friend. Capable at everything she does (which is a lot) and learning fast. Unfortunately, we don’t find much out about Agatha and Thomas – only that Thomas’s in love with Sophie.
Well. Jessamine is a brat, a spoiled and very, very unhappy brat that set her sides on the easy lives of Victorian women. Because she only sees the safety, the pretty dresses and seeming adoration of the men. She doesn’t realise how unsuited she’d be for this life, how she’s too independent and strong – she only knows her parents chose it instead of the lives of Shadowhunters, and now that they’re no more, she has to stay and be the very thing they hated. If she wasn’t so unlikeable, I’d be sorry for her. But Jessamine isn’t all bad and stupid, she can stand up for herself and does so for Tessa as well… just not for Sophie, since she’s a maid. Pffft.
Jem is the kind heart of the group. He’s polite, accepts everyone for who (s)he is, pretends to be okay so others won’t worry about him and, all in all, tries to be as little a problem as he could be. He’s calm and quiet, in the still-waters-run-deep way, and managed to be content in a situation that should kill him for real and mentally. He’s amazingly strong, sees far more than he lets on and understands even more. He’s amazingly wise and lives entirely for others. He’s… he’s simply a really, really good guy. Who has a terrible, terrible weakness.
Spoiler:
Poor Jem. Really, poor guy. That background story, living with the fact that you’ll die – because of the substance you need to survive? The substance you hate, you didn’t choose? Shit.
The person Jem’s closest to is his parabatai Will, his seeming opposite. Will is arrogant, self-destructive, charming as hell and even funnier. He’s a raging fire that preys on itself – a lot like Jace in a way, but in a very real way more mature and bitterer. He has his reasons for being sarcastic, just as much as Jem has reason to be gentle.
I adore the dynamic of the three, by the way. Especially how Tessa’s the only one next to Jem that can challenge him and walk away from it, or how Jem’s the only one that makes Will show his kinder side – it’s a really nice dynamic.
Well. The other important characters would be Magnus, of course, because every Shadowhunter’s book needs some glitterdust, Camille (who’s amazingly interesting), Mortmain and Nate.
Spoiler:
I knew something was up with the two of them. But seriously, Nate’s such an idiot. Such a self-centred idiot. But I love how his behaviour triggers Jem’s harder side (which we don’t get to see often) and how the dying scene shows Will’s true self. And I hated him for destroying it afterwards, at least before the sequel. Poor guy, seriously. He only ever tried to do the right thing.
Tessa’s abilities and her trick were fantastic, by the way. Just because I forgot to mention it above. And, because I forgot to mention that as well: In City of Bones (D) they say that Isabelle never learned how to cook because her mother didn’t want her to be shoved into the traditional role – because it was a recent development that Shadowhunter girls were allowed to go hunting.
Well… seriously?
In brief:
Characters deserve a style, as do style and ideas. Minus one for content, plus SoGH.
Prequel/Sequel Series:
The Mortal Instruments
starting with City of Bones
& The Bane Chronicles
starting with What really happened in Peru
Sequel: