This gory tale, with its cast of vampires, demons, warlocks, and menacing clockwork creatures, seemed an appropriate choice for my Halloween weekend reading. I had no problem speeding through the action-packed adventure in a couple of days, and found much diversion (and a certain measure of aversion) along the way. But beware: this is only Part One of the new “Infernal Devices” trilogy (a prequel to Clare’s bestselling “Mortal Instruments” series), so if cliffhangers scare you, stay away.
When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray boards a boat to take her from New York to Victorian England, she’s hoping to find her brother Nate there with open arms. Instead she walks into the clutches of the two Dark Sisters, who are forcibly grooming her for a mysterious destiny, using supernatural powers she had no idea she had. When she manages to escape, it’s into the equally mysterious realm of the Shadowhunters, half-angelic warriors who fight to preserve humanity from the ravages of demonkind and other evil elements in the so-called Downworld. As Tessa is drawn into the Shadowhunters’ world and the dangers that face them, she is confronted by the question of her own character and destiny, as well as that of her new friends, and the brother she does not truly know.
Meanwhile, the many episodes of ripping, puncturing, burning, and dismembering forced me to confront my own squeamishness, and admit that I am probably not as cool as the multitudinous readers of Clare’s earlier work, who evidently weather such scenes with aplomb. Fortunately for me, between the bloodlettings there’s space for some calmer character interaction, notably between Tessa and two Shadowhunter boys: the tragically handicapped James, who radiates positive energy but is being slowly drained of life himself, and his unlikely best friend Will, a blue-eyed, black-haired Welsh bad boy–irresistibly attractive to Tessa, of course. What’s the secret in his past that makes him so dangerous and unattainable? That’s the question we’re left with at the end…and for me, it’s the one that would make me seek out the sequel, rather than the prospect of yet another Shadowhunter battle.
Cassandra Clare swiftly draws you into her world with a large cast of memorable characters–both quirkily sympathetic, and deliciously villanous. I haven’t read the Mortal Instruments books, but I can imagine fans of that series (which is set in present-day New York) being thrilled with this venture into Victoriana. If you haven’t yet entered Clare’s Downworld, this is a fine place to start.
(Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2010)
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