looking forward to the next one! ( )

looking forward to the next one! ( )

This book is on my list of YA books that enough book bloggers still talk about that I ought to at least read it. I like fantasy, and have read 2 other books with fantasy systems based in Christian theology, so I found it interesting comparing them. I did wish there was a bit more in this book about how the fantasy elements work, and I thought it was a bit unbelievably odd that Tessa, as a newcomer to the fantasy system, was not told more about how it works and how she might fit in. Throwing in the bit about how warlocks are sterile at the end of the book might have added a bit of suspense for some really clueless readers, but most of us probably figured out that Tessa's value to the Magister lies in her potential for making powerful babies. We probably worked that out at about the point where she was being groomed to marry the dude. So, that sort of background about warlocks and other magical species would have fleshed out the magical world without giving much away. And if Tessa was less clueless about the notion that she was to be used as a breeder for magical babies, we could have moved on to more interesting plot elements.
I found the 'suspenseful' bits annoying just in general, actually. It's not so effective hinting that the reader doesn't know some crucial info without providing good reasons for the reader to care. But, while the female MC and male MC do kiss, they have not yet fallen into the cliched romance that unfortunately will probably happen in the next book. Frankly the romance seems forced, and I see no chemistry between Tessa and Will, no matter how often the author makes them kiss. Nor does it seem necessary to make any romantic couples happen while there are clearly bigger problems to deal with. Maybe Sophie and Jem will become better acquainted and fall in love eventually, and that could work, but that's about it.
At least in this first book, though, there is more plot than romance, and even a decent amount of character development, enough that Tessa does not seem quite so hopelessly naive by the last chapter. If she is a key player in some fight to save the world, at least the world is not quite so screwed as it had seemed. I was hoping she would ask someone to help her learn to defend herself by now, which hasn't happened, and she doesn't seem at all curious about the true extent of her abilities, which seems false. No one I know, if they discovered they have special powers, would be so uninterested in finding out what their powers are and what they could be used for. Oh, well.
But, it was an entertaining book, and for its subgenre it was pretty good. The writing is well-edited, the characters all have back-stories, and they all are pretty consistent, even if they have annoyingly 'secret' pasts yet to be revealed. I just hope for the sake of the story that Will's big secret really is as dark and dire as he is making it out to be.
( )

I really liked Clockwork Angel. I absolutely LOVED the characters; Tessa was my favorite of course, Will was so funny but there were times when he could be annoying. Jem, I love Jem, he's so sweet. Jassamine got on my nerves, didn't like her at all. Charlotte and Henry were great, they were like the parents in the story except they weren't parents, lol. Tessa's brother Nate, I won't give an opinion of him cause it'll probably spoil the story but he's exactly what I thought he'd be. Overall all the characters were great, I did not see the twist towards the end, the story was amazing and I can't wait to continue with the next book and see what happens now.

**SPOILER ALERT BELOW**:

Can anyone explain to me how it is that Mortmain is the magister? He's human isn't he? How is it that the Dark Sisters (who are warlocks/demons) are afraid of him if he's human? I don't buy it, he's got to be something more if a demon is afraid of him. Also is it possible that Mortmain is Tessa's father or would that just be a really crazy theory? ( )

Amazing! I loved all the characters and am so anxious to read the next book. ( )