Title: The Infernal
Devices: Clockwork Angel
Author: Cassandra Clare
Artwork: HyekYung Baek
Publisher: Orbit
Published: November 2012
ISBN: 978 0356502250
Rating: 3.5/5
Look at the cover on this graphic
manga book. I love the steampunk
elements, along with all the colours used. It really is eye catching. The only thing missing are steampunk adornments/jewellery
on the character on the front imo.
This is the first ever
manga based book I’ve read, so my review is based from a complete newbie
perspective. I also haven’t read any of Cassandra
Clare’s books to date, so I can’t compare these to the books to see if there
are any differences.
This has some macabre scenes
(with blood) and some with ghoulish figures from clockwork creations, so this
isn’t something you’d want a youngster to get hold of imo…I had to keep this to
one side as our 10 year old is very much into comics/graphic novels, but I didn’t
feel this was appropriate as it’s obviously meant for an older audience.
I thought the storyline
itself came across really well. I’m not
used to reading from bubbled captions, but I was able to follow the story and
digest what was happening. I understood
that Jem had a secret, but not to what extent.
I also realised in advance exactly who Tessa was, but I reeled in shock
with her when she found out exactly what her parental future meant. I also had the storyline swept from
underneath my feet once the identity of The Magister was revealed – I didn’t
see that one coming!! Some characters in
this are truly despicable. I like the cliff hanger at the end as well.
My favourite pages in this
are those that are in full glossy colour, in all their glory. At the beginning of the novel there are half
a dozen full colour pages, which I love – the first of which is very similar to
the front cover of the novel. Whilst the
story kept me glues throughout with the detail and easy to follow dialogue, my
personal preference would be for colour pages all the way through. Some of the art freaked me out as they appear
to be unfinished..some of the characters had a blank half to one side of their
face, which I couldn’t get used to. I
liked how it occasionally changed to anime type art in some of the dialogue (at
least I think anime is the correct art term) although I don’t know the reason
for it.
Book synopsis:
A prequel to Cassandra Clare's 'Mortal Instruments'
series, 'The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel' is the story of Tessa Gray, a sixteen-year-old
American girl travelling alone to Victorian London who runs afoul of the city's
sordid supernatural underworld. Rescued by the Shadowhunters of the London
Institute, Tessa quickly finds herself caught up in an intrigue that may very
well destroy her new friends - including the two enigmatic young men, Jem and
Will, who have taken her under their wing . . .
Source – Many thanks to
the publisher, a copy was received in return for an honest review.
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