Book Review: Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare

Rating: 10/10

Overview: 

This is a trilogy by Cassandra Clare, and was actually another recommendation from the same friend that let me borrow her copy of Six of Crows. The series is set in a monster-infested Victorian London and tells the love story of Tessa Gray, James Carstairs, and Will Herondale. It's a love triangle (obviously) with the added twists and turns of demons, curses, grudges, and addiction. It's told in the third person, and the focus shifts perfectly between the three main characters and a variety of secondary characters, each with equally loveable personalities and their own unique struggles. 

As a Reader: 

From a reader's perspective, Infernal Devices chewed me up and spit me out. I was THIS close to crying (and I have never shed actual tears over a book, FYI. I get misty every once in a while, but never full on tears. In fact, I challenge you guys to recommend a book that'll make me cry like a baby.) I just got completely sucked into the characters, so when people started dying and leaving and getting maimed for life, it was a TINY bit difficult to see my babies dealing with all that pain. My friend summed this book up perfectly in just one word: Bittersweet. I actually had to have a conversation with her after reading Six of Crows and then Infernal Devices to make it clear I wouldn't be able to mentally handle any book recommendations from her for a while, at least not until I stitched my heart back together. I actually came across a reference to Infernal Devices a few days ago in an article about how to write love stories. There was this whole section on how overdone and unrealistic most love triangles are (cough cough, Twilight), but then at the end, it listed Infernal Devices as the ONLY successful love triangle this person had ever come across. I completely agree because, as the article said, the reader has no idea throughout the whole series which of the two boys Tessa is going to choose. While this was done very effectively, I will say that Tessa was probably my least favorite character in the book. I can't exactly put my finger on why. My only guess is that most of the time it wasn't clear to me what she WANTED, whether it came to boys or what to put on her plate for breakfast. In contrast, Jem (James) and Will seemed so much more real and alive to me (Jem is my favorite by the way). I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an elegant love story, a healthy dose of Victorian level sass, and the sweet sound of a well-played violin. 

As a Writer: 

From a writer’s perspective, this series really made me look hard at how much of an emotional effect my story would have on a reader. I think when it all boils down, it's without a doubt the characters that people really get attached to (I mean it's not like anyone ever cried over the setting). The more you let the reader become attached to your characters, the more upset they'll be when something goes wrong. There was actually a moment when I got blurry eyed over MY OWN WRITING. Now I'm not saying this to make some arrogant point about how my writing is so good it can even bring the AUTHOR to tears. I think the gist of it is I know my characters so well that they're basically like little pieces of my soul. So when I had to write a scene where the male protagonist was reading a letter from his recently deceased mother figure, as soon as he started to get emotional, naturally I did too. And it's because I GOT it. I understood why he was sobbing like an infant. I KNEW how much she meant to him and how empty he felt with her gone. Now I just have to make sure my readers can get to that level of understanding so the emotion hits them too. What makes you guys get teary while you read? Has anyone else ever gotten weepy at their own writing, or is that just me being weird? Let me know in the comments!