Story by Nicolette Sarmiento
Co-Photo/Graphics Editor
[Rating:5/5]
Fortunately for young adult book readers, Cassandra Clare writes neither about a vampire and a human falling in love nor about falling in love with your best friend. From “Twilight” to “Harry Potter,” young adult books have become repetitive, and frankly, cliché.
Clare’s newest addition, “Clockwork Angel,” marks an excellent beginning to her prequel series for the bestselling “The Mortal Instruments.”
At first, I was nervous about finding an identical story to Clare’s first three books. However, once I delved into the story, I realized that this book was anything but ordinary.
The story is set in 18th-Century England, where 16-year-old Tessa Gray comes to search for her missing brother, Nate. Upon her arrival, Tessa finds herself kidnapped by two mysterious old women known as the Dark Sisters. While she is in their care, Tessa learns that the world she knows is not as it seems. The terrifying duo trains Tessa to unleash a supernatural power even she does not understand.
From the start, Clare artistically executes character development and plot structure throughout the entire novel with the characters’ witty, sarcastic personalities and the build up of supernatural entities. Her humorous creativity of character personalities made me laugh out loud countless times.
Clare’s bizarre twists and unexpected turn-of-events kept the story enticing until the very last page. Like her first series, Clare has made the first book of her prequel just as addicting. Unlike most YA fiction, Clare’s plots are unpredictable and jaw-dropping. She remains to be one of the most underrated writers of the YA genre.
“Clockwork Angel” is a refreshing story full of unexplored dimensions of fantasy. Clare even incorporates her linguistic skills by including Latin quotes and phrases from both the Mass and the Bible. Instead of emphasizing on vampires or werewolves, Clare focuses on the mysterious angels and demons.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys paranormal, action-packed, suspenseful love stories.
