BOOK REVIEW 'The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel'

The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel
By: Cassandra Clare
Remember the book series I reviewed last week, The Mortal Instruments? Yes, well there's a prequel. The Infernal Devices. It's set in 1850's London and is even more heart wrenching than the present day series.
For this series I present to you, Tessa. She's from New York and has been living with her aunt since her parents died but then her aunt died too, and now she is going to live with her brother Nate, in London. The minute she disembarks the ship into the country of British accents, she is ushered away by a pair of old women who have a note from her brother that she should go with them. Thinking it would be safe because of her brother's note she goes.
As it turns out The Dark Sisters, as they call themselves, imprison Tessa and force her learn to use a power she didn't even know she had. They believe she can shape-shift and take on the body and memories of anyone, living or dead. At first they push and push her with no result, until one day it works. Tessa transforms into a body of a dead girl about her age and can remember everything about her. The Dark Sisters are pleased and tell her they were training her for who they call 'The Magister' because he wants to marry her. They refuse to tell her anything else except that the wedding will be soon. They get her to continue this training because she believes they have her brother and will hurt him if she doesn't corporate. 
Tessa is taking it day by day hoping to some how escape and save her brother at the same time. She attempts escape, only to be caught and told that her brother would suffer if she tried again. Until the day a strange man named Will Herondale breaks in, for an exploration mission on Shadowhunter business turned rescue mission and breaks her out. They escape, and Will takes her to the London Shadowhunter Institute, a world she knows nothing about and that I explained in my last review so if you haven't read the books I'd suggest reading the other review, http://oakforest.patch.com/groups/rachel-fimbiantis-blog/p/book-review-the-mortal-instrument-city-of-bones , it'll simplify things a lot. 
Back to the story, the London Institute is run by Charlotte and her husband Henry. They currently have three houseguests, Jessamine, Shadowhunter by blood but in her mind anything but, Will, the character that you don't know whether to love or hate, and Jem, the sweetie who the aftereffects from when he lost his parents haunt him and his health. All three are orphans, so Tessa fits right in.  The thing is, no one quite knows what she is. She definitely isn't completely human for obvious reasons, and no one has ever seen any power like her's before so she doesn't seem to fit the description of any Downworlder they know of. But, Charlotte promises Tessa that they will do everything they can to figure out what she really is and where her brother is. 
I guess the thing I found most interesting about this book is the setting. Being set in the 1800's, people act differently. The girls refuse to do certain things because they think it will be unladylike. Tessa finds it weird that Shadowhunter women wear pants and what she calls 'men's clothes' and although I consider myself to know a lot about history I still couldn't believe the things that seem so simple to me to be wrong in her eyes. 
I also loved all the book references. It is clearly painted that Tessa loves to read and I can relate very much with all the things she said about the beauty of books. She talks about classic literature from the time period, some things that I have read and I just found her so much more likable because of it.
Pages: 479
Read In: 3 weeks
Rating: 7/10
Ages: 13 +up
Four Categories: Death, paranormal creatures, romance
Also on a side note, today begins banned books week! Its a week celebrating our right to read and learn about what we want through reading books that have previously been banned or challenged in a certain area of the country. Books have been challenged for things such as religious views, language, being deemed unsuited for an age group, homosexuality, and satanism. Many books that I have read and loved have been challenged, such as 13 Reasons Why, Harry Potter, The Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I urge anyone else who feels the same as I do on this matter, that censoring books from the population to keep the spread of new ideas is about as impossible as trying to stop a hurricane to pick up a banned book this week and open up you're imagination to the new ideas someone doesn't want you to see.http://www.ala.org/bbooks/