Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

oh I love happy accidents.

I often put my name on the longest hold list on the library - just for fun.  This was one of those.  While I waited through 400 something other people to read it I went on reading just about everything else.  I had never heard of Cassadra Clare or of the Mortal Instruments.  However, during my several month wait a friend introduced me to City of Bones and I finished the series quickly.  

The Infernal Devices are prequels to the Mortal Instruments and just when I was hungry for more shadowhunting my name came up!!!!  See... happy accident!  Clockwork Angel is my favorite so far!!!  Maybe because it was set 130 years ago and I kind of like that era, or maybe because I was already hooked.  When first reading I wondered which series would have been better to have read first.  I've decided it really doesn't matter.  Each alludes to the other but not in a way that depends on one another.  I am dying for the next one to come out.  There are so many secrets still left to be discovered!

First Line: The demon exploded in a shower of ichor and guts.

Summary: Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.
When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.
Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.
Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

The Infernal devices

Book #1 Clockwork Angel 2010

Book #2 Clockwork Prince 2011

Book #3 Clockwork Princess 2012

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

First Line: The cold snap of the previous week was over: the sun was shining brightly as clary hurried across Luke's dusty front yard, the hood of her jacket up to keep hr hair from blowing across her face.

Summary:
"To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters -- never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadow-hunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadow-hunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her new found powers to help save the Glass City -- whatever the cost?
Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the final installment of the New York Times bestselling trilogy The Mortal Instruments."

Clare may have intended for this to be the last book of her trilogy but I am glad she decided to do three more.  Things do get nicely wrapped up so if she stirs things up too much and doesn't fix it again by the end I'm gonna be upset.  I can't say much more because the fun of this series is unraveling all of its layers of SECRETS!!!

The Mortal Instruments

Book One: City of Bones March 27, 2007

Book Two: City of Ashes March 25, 2008

Book Three: City of Glass March 24, 2009

Book Four: City of Fallen Angels expected April 5, 2011

Book Five: City of Lost Souls expected May 2012

Book Six: City of Heavenly Fire expected September 2013

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

First Line: The formidable glass-and steel structure rose from its position on the Front Street like a glittering needle threading the sky.

Summary: 

"Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go -- especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil -- and also her father.To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings -- and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?
In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City's Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation."

Ackkkk! I don't want to ruin anything...

I loved it and I really really loved that my friend let my borrow her 'edited' copy! So much better :)

I finished it and had to start the next book right away (so now they are kind of blended together in my mind...)

The Mortal Instruments

Book One: City of Bones March 27, 2007

Book Two: City of Ashes March 25, 2008

Book Three: City of Glass March 24, 2009

Book Four: City of Fallen Angels expected April 5, 2011

Book Five: City of Lost Souls expected May 2012

Book Six: City of Heavenly Fire expected September 2013

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

What a rush! 

There were so many twists and turns in this book, I didn't know who to trust, or what to believe!

Definitely unnerving to be so unsettled and yet - WHAT AN ADRENALINE BOOST!

oh yeah, and the mother of all love triangles!

 

First Line: "You've got  to be kidding me," the bouncer said, folding his arms across his massive chest.

Summary:
"When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Clary knows she should call the police, but it's hard to explain a murder when the body disappears into thin air and the murderers are invisible to everyone but Clary.
Equally startled by her ability to see them, the murderers explain themselves as Shadowhunters: a secret tribe of warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. Within twenty-four hours, Clary's mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a grotesque demon.
But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know...."

City of Bones offered it all, Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, Wizards, Mermaids, Demons, Shadow Hunters, basically any and all things fanatical.  

The 'Muggles' of Harry Potter are referred to as 'Mundanes' by Clare, but just the same they are surrounded by things they cannot see through the glamour or even imagine in their wildest dreams.  My husband flipped through the book and said "hey I'm in here!"  No, not as a demon or vampire but as the VILLAIN - Valentine!  He asked if that's why I liked this book so much and maybe it is.  There was a lot to like about this book and what little there was to NOT like (such as my biggest pet peeve - swearing) it wasn't so much an issue because I borrowed the book from a friend who had "edited" it.  Ahhhh! so much better.  

Best part: it's the first of a series!!! WAHOOO - I LOVE books in a series, yeah baby :)

I do have a question to those who have read it though...

How do YOU pronounce Jace?  

...And do you think I could convince hubs to name baby girl Jocelyn instead of Jolee?

The Mortal Instruments

Book One: City of Bones March 27, 2007

Book Two: City of Ashes March 25, 2008

Book Three: City of Glass March 24, 2009

Book Four: City of Fallen Angels expected April 5, 2011

Book Five: City of Lost Souls expected May 2012

Book Six: City of Heavenly Fire expected September 2013