Clockwork Angel
Cassandra Clare, 2010
Fantasy HorrorYoung adultHistory
A girl who can become anyone by touching their belongings is held captive in gaslit London, where angels and clockwork hide in plain sight. Gaslit London closes in around a girl who can become others, and the mood stays gothic, tense and hungry for a place to belong.
Feels like dread and longing. About identity, freedom and power.
Who it’s for
You may like it if you enjoy YA fantasy with a Victorian chill, romance and a heroine piecing together who she is. Some scenes are grisly—a face crushed like paper—so it may not suit younger or very squeamish readers.
Why read it
It gives you a shadowed London where angels and clockwork hide in plain sight, and a heroine whose search for identity carries real dread.
A page from the book
What it means when a shattered face doesn't bleed.
It connected with a sickening sound. Miranda reeled back—and then straightened. Tessa shrieked and dropped the globe, staring—the whole left side of Miranda’s face was crushed in, like a paper mask that had been smashed flat on one side. Her cheekbone was flattened, her lip mashed against her teeth. But there was no blood, no blood at all. Cassandra Clare.Before her novels, Clare wrote hugely popular Harry Potter fanfiction under the pen name Cassandra Claire.
Books that feel like this
More by Cassandra Clare
City of Bones
Cassandra Clare, 2007
A girl who sees what others can't is pulled into a New York of tattooed demon-hunters, rune-magic and a boy with gold eyes who is trouble.
City of Glass
Cassandra Clare, 2009
Clary crosses into the Shadowhunters' hidden city of glass to save her mother, with Jace, Simon and a war following close behind.
City of Ashes
Cassandra Clare, 2008
The second Mortal Instruments book: Shadowhunters, demons and a bond that won't break, in a New York where every loyalty is tested.
Where to get it
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Questions readers ask
- Is Clockwork Angel for me?
- You may like it if you enjoy YA fantasy with a Victorian chill, romance and a heroine piecing together who she is. Some scenes are grisly—a face crushed like paper—so it may not suit younger or very squeamish readers.
- What is Clockwork Angel like?
- Gaslit London closes in around a girl who can become others, and the mood stays gothic, tense and hungry for a place to belong. Feels like dread and longing. About identity, freedom and power.
- What should I read after Clockwork Angel?
- If you liked Clockwork Angel, try Unravel Me (Tahereh Mafi), Scarlet Angel (S.T. Abby) and Midnight Sun (Stephenie Meyer).
A taste of the feed
There is a horror in the person who seems already perfect at hiding.
Romantics always believe in revenge, because romantics love harder, suffer loss more painfully, and hold onto a grudge that has shattered their hearts. Their hearts are of the greatest importance, above all else—body, soul, or mind.
Scarlet Angel · S.T. Abby
The old story that turns a lover into a god of the underworld.
For just a second, I saw Persephone, pomegranate in hand. Dooming herself to the underworld. Is that who I was? Hades himself, coveting springtime, stealing it, condemning it to endless night.
Midnight Sun · Stephenie Meyer
The answer to a private question, given in front of everyone.
Are you still pretending?” I said, reveling in his gaze. Ravyn gave a surprised laugh and, in front of everyone, leaned in and kissed me. “I never was,” he whispered into my lips.
One Dark Window · Rachel Gillig
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