You can tell several things by reading Clockwork Angel after the first three Mortal Instruments books: Clare gets better with every book she writes, she truly enjoys the Shadowhunter world, and she only knows how to write certain types of characters. Will Herondale is almost a carbon copy of Jace, albeit slightly more unlikable. Jem is Simon, Jessamine is Isabel, Tessa is Clary (though much, much less annoying and more talented), the villain (who I won't reveal due to spoilers) is Valentine... you get the idea. It's basically a copy-paste of her first trilogy, but she's toned down or ramped up their personalities only slightly to make it different enough. If you can get past that, it's actually a rather enjoyable story. Tessa is a highly capable shape-shifter living in Victorian London, who runs into the shadow hunters and learns all about the world she didn't know existed or was a part of. The Clockwork creatures provided a nice touch, and added an interesting mystery element to the story. The double reveal at the end was well done- and I suppose easy to spot if you knew what to look for, but I was happy with it.
One of the only sticking points I have here is the character of Will Herondale. He was so smug, nasty and narcissistic, that I had zero interest in him. Yes, I understand he's got some tragic backstory that lead him to act that way, but so did Jem, and he's not an ass. The very fact that Tessa was drawn to him was infuriating. I have a feeling that Tessa will end up with him- so he'd better do a complete 180 if Clare wants me to hop on this ship. My favorite character was Henry. Let's see more of him in the next one, huh?
I will definitely continue with this trilogy, but not right away. I need a break from smarmy Will.

The first time I read this book, I didn’t finish it because I thought it was kind of boring. But a few months later, I read it again an I found it to be a very interesting and pretty awesome book.

For those of you who have already read The Mortal Instruments and liked it, I suppose reading Clockwork Angel will be a somewhat pleasant, somewhat unpleasant deja vu. The basic premise is almost exactly the same as City of Bones. Doesn't exactly prove Cassandra Clare's versatility, does it?

The world building that Clare crafted throughout all six books of TMI never seemed too rushed, though I admit it got rather exposition-y at times; whereas, Will Herondale literally hands Tessa a book of Shadow World 101 that she spews verbatim at the reader only a few chapters in. Besides that, the plot didn't really stand on its own. I know Clare was a fan fiction writer before writing TMI, but making a fan fiction out of your own story? It's just a City of Bones copy that got a period piece twist. It wasn't until more than halfway through, when the clockwork automatons became important, that it differed significantly at all. The robots were undoubtedly the coolest and most original part of the story.

The character introductions seemed forced sometimes too, because everyone treated Will like he was an awful person, even Tessa sometimes, when up until that point, he hadn't actually done anything to justify that. His first rude thing was leaving Tessa alone when she didn't know how to navigate the Institute because she had been attempting to pry into his past when obviously he has a tragic backstory. I felt like Tessa was more of a jerk than he was at that point. Granted, later on, he does do some pretty mean things, but Tessa already had formed an unjustified opinion of him. In general, the plot was predictable. I was rarely surprised and was far more often annoyed with the characters' blindness and stupidity.

Overall, I liked it enough, but significantly less than TMI, which is disappointing because so many people recommended it, many of which regarded it higher than TMI. I'll still finish the trilogy though. I'm in too deep. No turning back now.

A absolutely wonderful series. I could not put them down. The connection with the characters from the "original" make this so much better. You get to find out some much about where it all started and how things impact the future with out you knowing.

Hands down my favourite book. I'm in love with the setting and adore all the characters! You have to read this!

i recommend for teens. good.

Actual rating: 3.1 stars (I know this is totally specific). This rating is for my Will and Jem ship as well as the plot, NOT for Tessa Gray. I don't care about Tessa.
I gave this book a 3.1 because I have many mixed feelings about it. The biggest problems I had all related to the characters.
We have Tessa Gray, a girl who is crumbling down every day because she's a "monster". She's supposed to be smart but ends up trusting people too easily. Tessa looks down on people who are uglier and is jealous of those who are prettier. At the same time, she says that she "won't try" to learn more about the Shadowhunters, but she sounds so desperate and is constantly asking Will about his past.
Will, the classic, mysterious boy who's captivated by the beautiful Tessa Gray. Blah, blah, blah. Could this romance be any more cliché?
And finally, Jem Carstairs, the final component to this triangle. Why did there have to be this triangle?! I definitely would've preferred it if he and Tessa were totally platonic. But of course, I would have loved it if he and Will were a thing. To me, Tessa doesn't really deserve either of them.
Anyways, I really did like the plot and story overall. There was a lot of suspense and mystery as well as action, but often, I found that the characters destroyed what could've been greater. The negatives definitely outweigh the positives in this review, but I truly believe there was a strong story.

I loved this book so much. It's so awesome to read it and finishing all of the pages of the book of a story. :)

In my opinion, this new portrayal of The Infernal Devices in a Japanese manga form can be valid for readers who have, or have not, read the original books. Most of the chapters are rendered correctly, with exceedingly small details. These are often shown through Japanese manga styles, such as the incorrect proportion of a character's head when angry, or much more. I highly enjoyed reading this comic, as I have re-read the books by Cassandra Clare multiple times, and it is nice to put it through/ into a different perspective. However, as mentioned before, new readers to this series may find delight in reading this beforehand, if they want a more vivid image in their minds. I think they should make comics of The Mortal Instruments as well. 5/5 stars.
- @Siri of the Teen Review Board at the Hamilton Public Library

The book was a lot better than what I’m used to when it comes to Cassandra Clare and her Shadowhunters. The world building was good and seemed somewhat accurate with its time frame of the Victorian Era. The characters were pretty good and well developed. I will admit, I’m not the biggest fan of Tessa but my love for Jem and Will makes up for my dislike for her. The ending was brilliant, full of action and surprises. The plot had some issues but nothing drastic. My main issue with this book is that I could already sense a love triangle happening between Jem, Will and Tessa. I find that the trope is overused and could easily be butchered. Overall, it was a good first book and I can’t wait to read the next two! Rating – 3.5/5.
@Average_Bookworm of the Hamilton Public Library Teen Review Board

As a young adult thrust into a world she had no idea existed and a heritage no one can explain, Tessa Gray explores the “Downworld” in a very short period of time with her new found friends: William Herondale and Jem Carstairs along with their friends. This book is an amazing prequel to The Mortal Instruments series and certainly was an amazing read. With interesting characters with even more interesting backstories and secrets that are just waiting to be told. The characters along with the amazing story just all wraps up into an amazingly fun and bumpy read for those that enjoyed The Mortal Instruments and wish to understand some of the characters more thoroughly. It is a great mix of comedy, action and information that just adds so much more to the characters. I loved the book and would not hesitate to give it a 5/5 rating.
- @abibliophobic of the Teen Review Board at the Hamilton Public Library

What books by Cassandra Clare aren't worth reading? In this beautiful introduction to The Infernal Devices, we learn about the story of Tessa Gray, and about shadowhunters of London in earlier times. In such Victorian times that restrict woman, our protagonist undergoes a series of events leading to her meeting those of the London Institute. I have always felt as if Tessa and Will are forever meant to be, but perhaps others feel differently. Anyhow, I enjoyed how the author started it all off, and especially her introduction to all these wonderfully imperfect characters. Great read!! 5/5
- @Siri of the Teen Review Board at the Hamilton Public Library