"Clockwork Angel" (The Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare

476 pages

Tessa's life hasn't been easy. Her parents died when she was only three, so she's been raised by her aunt Harriet and her older brother, Nate. Then, in 1886, Nate gets a job in London and moves across the Atlantic, and soon after that Harriet dies. Because Tessa is only sixteen and has no other family, Nate arranges for her to join him in England. However, Tessa is kidnapped and held hostage as soon as she steps on British soil. Her captors, the Dark Sisters, show her that she has the ability to transform into another person at will as long as she is holding one of their possessions. It turns out that there is a dark world that Tessa was never aware of before, a world of vampires, demons, warlocks, and other supernatural creatures. Her transformative ability means that she, too, is a "Downworlder," which is the collective term for all non-human supernatural beings. Tessa is eventually rescued by the Shadowhunters, a group of powerful warriors who act as police among the Downworlders and prevent evil creatures from doing harm to humans and other Downworlders. However, Tessa is far from safe even after her escape. She still has to find Nate and help the Shadowhunters find out who is behind the creation of a growing army of destructive robots.

I haven't read any of the Mortal Instruments series, which this book is a prequel to, but I will have to now because I loved Clockwork Angel! The action grabbed me from the first page, and the pacing is just right: it moves quickly, but there's enough time for characterization as well. I really cared about the characters, even some of the minor ones. I like that the vampires and other monsters are scary in this book, not all hot and sexy like in many of the other popular teen books that are out right now. Clare creates a really interesting world that I am looking forward to reading more about in the rest of the Infernal Devices series, as well as Mortal Instruments.