What I've been Reading: Clockwork Angel By Cassandra Clare

Lately I've gotten back into reading. When I was younger I was such a bookworm, I always had my head in a book. I wouldn't say I leaned towards any specific genre as I do read just about anything. I used to love Jacqueline Wilson growing up and I was lucky enough to meet her when she visited my Primary School. I'm sure I have a signed copy of her book, Vicky Angel floating around my room somewhere. I was such a huge fan, I loved everything from fun writing style to the gorgeous illustrations by Nick Sharratt. Now a couple of years down the line I have a Kindle (wouldn't of thought something like this would ever exist back in the 90's) and I have to say I still prefer physical books. For me, nothing beats cracking the spine of a real book and looking at much loved titles on my bookshelf. I do like my Kindle but I have to admit I still pop into my favourite book shop (Hodges & Figgis) often to pick up the latest releases. Over the Summer I haven't had a lot of time to kick back, relax and read a good book. That said I have managed to read a couple on the go, my favourite of the bunch has to be Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare.

I hadn't heard too much about this series before I was given this book by a friend over the Summer. Clockwork Angel is the prequel to the Mortal Instruments series and Book One of The Infernal Devices series. The City of Bones, the first book in the Mortal Instruments has been made into a movie featuring Lily Collins and Robert Sheehan. I went to see it recently with Paddy and we both really enjoyed it. It  did think it was pretty scary though. Reading the blurb on the back of Clockwork Angel, I immediately thought this was another Twilight, I thought wrong. The main character in the book is Tessa Gray, an American who arrives in England to live with her brother. From the outset her world is turned upside down when she discovers that everything she's known about her life thus far isn't what it seems. She's introduced to London's Downworld were lots of supernatural dwellers exist. After seeking shelter with Shadowhunters, a clan that keeps humanes (humans) safe from demons, Tessa delves further into their world and what she discovers she may not be ready for. I'm terrible for ruining the ending of movies so I don't want to give too much of this book away.

Clockwork Angel is written really well and you actually get sucked into Tessa's World. There are tonnes of supernatural creatures in the book which may seem like overkill after Twilight but that's certainly not an issue here. There's so many twists and turns in Clockwork Angel, I seriously couldn't put it down. I brought it in my bag everywhere and being nearly 500 pages long, it wasn't the most practical book to carry around. My favourite character from the book is Will. He's mysterious and from the get go I was always wondering what his story was. I'm guessing I'll have to pick up the other books in the series to find out more. I'm glad I hadn't heard of these books when they first came out as I probably would of had to wait an age for the next installment. I don't have to worry now as there are tonnes to keep me going. I would recommend Clockwork Angel to anyone who is looking for a new read. This one is page turner so you get into it pretty quick. I'm really looking forward to picking up the other books in the series soon, I'm already trying to guess what happens next.

As always I'd love to hear what you guys thought of this post. I'd love to take a new direction with All-Made-Up-21 and add something different, maybe book reviews could be the way to go. I'm actually going to be ordering some books from Amazon today for my holidays so I'd love to hear some of your favourite reads! I'm heading to Spain for a week so I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to chill out in the Sun and read lots over there.

Laura<3