The Infernal Read a Long

Last month I announced along with Ely from Tea and Titles, we will be holding a 3-month read-a-long of The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare. You can check out the post here for more info. We have decided to read 1 book a month as it doesn’t leave too much pressure on us as we are both currently in university.

And, April was all about Clockwork Angel. Check out part 1 of this discussion on Tea and Titles.

I read this series for the first time nearly 4 years ago and I feel in love with them. But, coming back here, now. I loved it even more. We spoke about how we feel after re-read this series again on Tea and Titles, but quickly Ely what was it like re-reading Clockwork Angel?

To put it simply, I loved getting to reread this. I am so so excited to reread the rest of the series now!

You and me both. On Tea and Titles, we spoke about Tessa being brought into this shadowhunter world for the first time and for some people it’s their first time as well. But what I love about Clockwork Angel is that we find out so much more about this world than we did in the first 3 Mortal Instrument books. It’s funny because this book is set so many years before City of Bones. But they are so advanced. One of my favourite things about re-reading it was how female dominated the shadowhunter world is and could be. They are living in a time where females do shit and yet we have Charlotte fighting and running an Institute. What do you think about this?

I hadn’t really thought about it before you mentioned it, but we definitely do learn more about the Shadowhunter world in this short period of time than we do in the first three. Tessa learns through reading as much as experiencing it and I like that. I guess I like that aspect so much because we are also learning by reading.

As for the feminism, that’s another thing I totally missed when I first read it. In the first part, we talked about missing the diversity, and I guess that’s in the same strain for me—I didn’t know anything about feminism and female empowerment when I first read the series. Now that it’s something I’m passionate about, I absolutely loved it. Charlotte is a total badass, and so is Sophie. I think Sophie is such an interesting character as a whole. She’s a maid, and yet she doesn’t let herself get stamped on by anyone. I think we should just start a Sophie fanclub, you in?

Let’s start it! I love Sophie so much. Like you said she is a maid and for most maids in that time, they do what they are told. But, I love that Sophie doesn’t stand for that. I love that she keeps Will on his toes and doesn’t take shit from him. It’s fun to watch their interactions, as well as see Tessa’s reaction to all this. She is, for the most part, a girl of her time and seeing Sophie and even Charlotte act the totally opposite is so much fun.

Talking about diversity, one thing that didn’t hit me until I started reading again was Jem and his illness. If you don’t know already I suffer from chronic pain and seeing Jem in somewhat equivalent pain was a surprise. And I really enjoy it. Clockwork Angel didn’t delve into it a whole love, but I do know the other books do explore Jem and his illness. I connected with Jem in a way that I hadn’t before. What did you think of the representation of disability in Clockwork Angel?

I never picked up on it either. Or rather, I never thought of it that way. Jem’s illness was just that to me, but on rereading it I’ve definitely picked up more. Even though I don’t have chronic pain, I could definitely relate to Jem in that way. There were moments that reminded me of my diabetes and mobility issues, so I definitely appreciated that. My memory is kind of foggy as to how his illness is dealt with in the other two books, but for now, I’m really happy it’s in there. What do you think about Sophie and the representation of scarring? This is something pretty close to my heart, and yet I never thought about it before now.

My memory is foggy of how it’s dealt with in the next two books as well, but I am excited to see how it all pans out. So far I think that Sophie’s scarring is being dealt with quite well for the most part. We see that it doesn’t stop her from living her life at the moment, but we also see Jessamine show a dislike to it. But, I do think that is needed sometimes – to show that it’s not alright to say some of those things. I know her scarring comes up more in the next couple of novels and from what I can remember it’s dealt with well. What do you think of it?

There are definitely a few moments where the other characters shy away from it. Tessa is shocked when she first sees Sophie’s scars, but I think beyond that it’s dealt with pretty well. It’s never suggested that Sophie is anything less because of the scars, and I don’t think they’re used as a plot point at any time. I really appreciate that. Also, this has made my think of one of my classmates’ thesis, in which he’s writing about how scars are often connotated to evilness. With that in mind, it’s really nice to see a character who goes beyond that.

That is a really interesting point and something I can totally agree with. In Clockwork Angel betrayal is a huge theme and it’s heartbreaking at times to see a character that you love so much go through it. But, I also think that it makes them strong and it adds to their arc. Tessa is betrayed throughout the novel, but I can see her take it on and show that she can be strong. What do you think of this?

Obviously, I knew the big betrayal was coming, but it didn’t stop me from getting overly emotional for Tessa. She deals with the whole thing rather well. I know I’ve felt betrayed in my life, not to the life-threatening extent like Tessa, but it hurt a lot. I think Tessa is incredible for dealing as well as she does. What do you think of it?

I definitely agree. There is a major difference between the Tessa that started the novel to the one that we see in the end. She stands up straight and tries to take it all on her back. And I think it’s one of the main reasons why I love Cassandra Clare, she just writes beautifully written female characters that shine.

That brings our talk on Clockwork Angel to an end. Thank you so much, Ely, for chatting with me and don’t forget to check out part 1 on Tea and Titles.

What do you think about what we highlighted? Do you think re-reading helps you pick up on more? What do you think of Cassandra’s female characters? Let’s Chat.