Clockwork Angel

Opinion essay

Clockwork Angel

By: Cassandra Clare

“May make my heart as a millstone, set my face as a flint,

Cheat and be cheated, and die: who knows? we are ashes and dust.”

Is this an action, mystery, romance, drama or suspense novel?

Every book has a specific genre, yet this book is probably the one with the most indecisive genre I have ever read. I particularly love the fact that it has a bit of everything as well as some comedy, that it is great for mostly anyone of any age and is sure to conjure up many emotions.

The mystery and suspense part of the novel always keeps the reader guessing and offers a well layered plot.

The identity of a mysterious man referred to as the Magister, is a secret at the beginning but then revealed, yet the author keeps the readers suspicious as to whether the revelation is true or not by using foreshadowing.

One of the things I do dislike about the mystery of the Magister is that the characters believe the word of only one man about the true name of the Magister and are fooled. Yet this seems necessary for the plot to thicken and for the drama to take place. This mistake the characters make is also necessary for the suspenseful battle scene to occur at the end and for more revelations to be made.

And despite this big mystery there other smaller mysteries that ad to the plot, like for instance, Tessa’s ability and how she is what she is. Or even where Nathaniel Gray might be and that in the end he ends up being one of the ones to fool the main characters.

The romance and drama is mostly what the book revolves around.

As the mysteries unravel and the plot thickens two possible romances start to build. Yet it seems that the author is adding another layer to the plot by making one of the romance stories impossible.

The romance between Tessa Gray and William Herondale is very dramatic and seems impossible because Will is resisting his attraction for Tessa, for a reason or another, and creating more drama than there already is by giving in and then pushing Tessa away. The second romance between Tessa Gray and Jem Castair develops more slowly yet is as dramatic or more because Jem is William Herondale’s best friend and eldest companion.

But not only romance creates drama, another example of this might be the betrayal of Tessa’s brother, who single-handedly hands her over to the man she is running from.

The action and comedy seem less present but make the book more interesting and more enjoyable. Without all the humorous dialogue and descriptions the book wouldn’t connect to younger readers and would be depressing and sad. These parts are the most enjoyable and made me laugh continuously upon reading.

The action ties in with the romance and drama as the characters fear for the safety of the ones they love. And the battle scenes are often described humorously and/or have funny dialogue in them.

This book has everything you could wish for; from mysteries to romance and drama to action and comedy.

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