Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices Book 1) By Cassandra Clare

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 498 KB
Print Length: 448 pages
Publisher: Walker (September 6, 2009)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B0046EDMZ6

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

Ok I LOVED this book. I was hooked pretty much from the moment I started. Why was I resisting this author for so long? Oh probably because I am weary now of "hyped" authors that everyone in the blogging world raves about. Clare's series the Mortal Instruments has certainly generated some positive reviews around the blogging world.

This is set in the same "world" as the Mortal Instruments series but is a prequel to the series. Set in Victoria London (1878). This series follows Tessa, a sixteen year old girl who travels to London to live with her brother. Upon her arrival she is kidnapped by the Dark Sisters and forced to discover her unique ability. She is rescued by the Shadow Hunters and provided protection by them. However it is soon discovered she is pivotal to a plot to over throw the Shadow Hunters and upset the balance between the different supernatural beings factions.

There is some wonderful action and great pacing. Clare has a good balance between action, humour, and information. The story moved smoothly. This could be because Clare has already created this world and knows it inside out, so was able to explain it properly.

The love triangle is more like a love pentagon. With all the teenagers in this book in love with the other, who doesn't seem to return the love and is unaware of the adoration's of the other characters. I can see this getting messy in the books to come and create some teen angst and conflict Victorian style. Happily in this book it doesn't over power the story but it does get a little confusing.

Will is the bad boy with a heart. Gem is the sick but gentle best friend. Both were enjoyable characters who didn't quite fall into the cliche. Both would make good partnerships with Tessa. Tessa is brave and strong, but conflicted. For the first time I actually enjoyed the bad boy in the book.

You don't need to have read the mortal instruments series to read this series or vise versa. The author on her blog says neither gives away plot spoilers though names and characters do crop up in each series.

A good start to the series. I will definitely be reading the rest of the prequel trilogy and starting the Mortal Instruments series.

The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade; Original edition (October 5, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425236676
ISBN-13: 978-0425236673

First Sentence: "Mina hadn't predicted that sugar would wreck the Marchioness of Hartington's ball; she'd thought the dancing would."

DI Mina Wentworth lives in the 1800's. Only its not the 1800's as we know them. There are zombies, pirates, nanoagents in people, Europe is occupied by the horde, and there is flying boats. When a body is dropped onto the national hero's door step it is her responsibility to investigate who is the murderer. As she digs into the mystery it becomes clear this not a simple case of murder but a conspiracy that runs so deep the lives of everyone in England is threatened.

Alright I thought this was a paranormal novel, that it would have a touch of romance like they normally do. Little did I know this was more romance then anything else, and the sex scenes would make a harlequin romance heroine blush. I felt the sex scenes were for the most part unnecessary and distracting from a good story. By the tenth page or so of sex scenes I was, to be honest, getting bored. If however you like your romance hot and graphic then you will probably love this. But honestly I thought it just got in the way of a perfectly good story.

The world Meljean created is a fascinating one. The horde (which is never really explained as to who/what they are) infected people with nanoagents to control them. Zombies are, from what I can understand, people whose nanoagents have gone rogue. Most of Europe is infected with zombies. Clockwork and steam powered machines are common place (there are steam carriages and flying airships).Women can work but Mina's mother is leading a movement to reintroduce the institution of marriage and staying home to raise kids.

Mina is an interesting character. She is considered to have had a privileged upbringing but in reality is still quite poor. Her life has also been harsh being half horde. She is intelligent and brave but seems aware of her boundaries. Rhys is a typical pirate who has a rough exterior and a soft core. Scarsdale I thought was a fun character and enjoyed reading his scene's, especially the one where he was in prison.

This does lead to my other gripe which is minor. There were just to many story holes for me. Who exactly are the horde? why did they invade Europe and Asia and stop there? Why have they not taken England back? I suspect this is the first book in a series so I hope the author will reveal these answers later.

If you like romance and steampunk this is definitely for you.

Other Stuff:
Read an excerpt here.

Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate Book 1) by Gail Carriger

Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 473 KB
Publisher: Little Brown (September 2, 2010)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B0043VDIK6

First Sentence: "Miss Alexia Tarabotti was not enjoying her evening."

It's the 1800's and Alexia Tarabotti is soulless. A rare being born with out a soul and the natural enemy of the supernatural. If this was not enough to make her an outcast, in a world where Vampires and Werewolves are accepted, then being 26 and single with a large nose is. Strange new vampires are appearing on the scene, and old vampires and werewolves are disappearing. Can Alexia solve the mystery and save her friends?

A mix of various genres. A drop of action, a sprinkle of steam punk, a dash of supernatural, a dollop of romance, and a spoonful of mystery. Mixed together to make an interesting historical fiction story.
Carriger has done a wonderful job building this alternate world where supernatural beings are openly part of society. I enjoyed how she tied some of world history into events that happen with the supernatural beings. Also her interpretation on souls is interesting.

The book is quite humorous. Most comedy moments stemming from the rigid formality of 1800's England. Alexia is also a product of her up bring on one hand she is very rigid, conforms to societies view of her and fashion conscious, on the other hand she is intelligent, sharp tongued and brave.

My main criticism is the use of really big words. Most of them I could guess the meaning of but some had me reaching for a dictionary. This tends to frustrate me as I have to stop reading to find out what the word means. Its a minor quibble but there it is.

I couldn't stand Alexia's family. However they were not written in a particularly nice light, and to be honest I think they were in character with Victorian high society. Lord Akeldama was a delightful and flamboyant.Lord Maccon had the whole dark, dangerous going on.

An enjoyable first book in the series. Will try and see how the next book goes in the series.

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