Clockwork Angel (YA)

 Clockwork Angel. (Internal Devices #1) Cassandra Clare. 2010. Simon & Schuster. 479 pages.

The demon exploded in a shower of ichor and guts.

After her aunt's death, Tessa Gray comes to England hoping to start a new life with her older brother, Nate. She expected him to have met her when she arrived. Instead, she was met by the Dark Sisters and was imprisoned for many weeks as she was "trained" to take her 'rightful' place by their master, the Magister. For though Tessa didn't know it, she was a Downworlder, a warlock without the markings of a warlock. A warlock with special shape-shifting abilities. Tessa may not know much about magic, but she knows that the Dark Sisters are evil. And anyone they serve? Well, he'd have to be evil too. The fact that he wants to marry her?! It's all a little too creepy for her. To hold her brother--supposedly--hostage so she'll cooperate herself into a marriage?!
Tessa was already planning to try to escape when two Shadowhunters enter the scene. Will and Jem. They take her to the Institute, a hidden, protected place of the Shadowhunters, of the Nephilim. And that's just the beginning, for as the weeks go by she meets some very interesting people--only a few of which are fully human.

Tessa Gray may not have wanted this action-packed life, this dangerous adventure. But she may find that living a "normal" life is impossible now that she knows the truth. It is hard to know who to trust...and who to love. For she definitely finds herself falling in love with someone at the Institute.

I liked this one. It's historical fantasy. It's set in (an alternate) Victorian London. It's the first in a new series by Cassandra Clare. (Clare's previous trilogy--set in contemporary times--includes: The City of Bones, The City of Ashes, and The City of Glass.)

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews