Reading time: 7 days
Genre: Historical Fantasy/Young Adult
The sequel is here! And I finally got a hold of it! Although, I almost felt like too much time had lapsed since I read the first one, Clockwork Angel, this summer. So many details! Maaaaybe I forgot some...
So what's going on? The Clave and the Institute run by Charlotte and Henry Branwell are still trying to hunt down Axel Mortmain, the bad guy. The Institute is given a two week deadline before they must hand leadership over to the Lightwoods, a rival family of shadowhunters who just scream "Malfoys" for those who have read/seen Harry Potter. Of course, it's not that Charlotte's doing a crummy job, circumstances, yadda yadda. Anyway, Will's still a handsome prick, Jem's tall, silver, and mysterious, and Tessa's disappointed yet hopeful about her brother being a traitor and betraying her, how sweet of him. Of course, you'd be blind not to see this coming, but both boys have the hots for Tessa, Will being hot and cold but Jem consistent and NICE. HMMM. Both do sound relatively attractive (However, if Clare had one more paragraph about how handsomely charming Will is, I might have screamed at her. I got it. He's a babe. He's misunderstood. I GOT IT.) Further details are revealed about everyone's past, minus Jem. Not so much on him. Someone turns out to be a traitor, and boohoo's about it. If you've read the first you can take a wild guess who's unhappy and cranky enough about shadowhunters to betray everyone.So, while all these hormones are stifling everyone, more information comes up to get the gang hotter on Mortmain's tail. Go team! Most of it comes together with two smaller climaxes ending with a nice cliff-hanger because of couse, you need to read the third book in the series (not yet out).
I was trying to think what makes you root for these characters, and get so disappointed when the LOVE COUPLE you want doesn't end up holding hands all sappy in the end. Clare makes Will a tragic hero, he's moody and cruel, but once we find out why we can only pity him and want to give him a big hug. Clare quotes a heckuva lot of literature from the time, even a Tale of Two Cities (coincidentally one of my fav. Seriously. Y'all need to suck it up and read it. Dickens gets better). She set up that love triangle you see in ATOTC. Will's Sydney Carton, down on his luck but hopelessly in a love he can never have (break my heart already!) and Jem's the good guy (Charles Darnay) who's so good he deserves all the love of the heroine, but he's lacking that character flaw that makes you root for the underdog. He's so great you almost don't want to let him down... Tessa, is probably one heroine I actually do like. She knows she's torn up about it, doing that dumb girl thing of rationalizing with your head when your heart pulls another direction. She's in love with both buuuuuuuuuuuut I think I can call how this will turn out in book three. Just a guess....
Grade: A-
+Fast read
+Plot thickens, but not muck
+Variety of characters now have their stories more fleshed out!
-Uhhhhh, the ending was a little too happy for me. Just a personal preference. Also forgot some details that I was waiting to be reminded of. Clare does not remind you of them. Read closer together with the first one.
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