(Image from Barnes & Noble)

All 16-year-old Tessa Gray knows of Victorian England comes from the novels she inhales with unladylike regularity. Expecting the rolling hills and genteel society spoken of in her books, Tessa's shocked when she lands in dreary Southampton. Between the dismal weather, the filthy docks, and the rudeness of the crowds, she's surprised to find herself in a scene more Dickens than Austen. No matter. As soon as Nathaniel whisks her away to London, all will be well. There's only one problem: her brother is nowhere to be found. When a strange man bids Tessa follow him, she has little choice in the matter. If he says he's been sent by Nate, surely he has. It's only when Tessa steps out of the Dickensian bleakness into a waiting carriage that she begins to realize England might hold worse terrors than endless rain and lewd dockworkers. Mary Shelley, after all, had some strange tales to tell ...

Soon, Tessa's embroiled in a waking nightmare. Held captive by two strange sisters, she's being forced to Change into different women, all of whom are dead. The weird magic allows her to assume their bodies, voices and memories. How she's doing this, Tessa has no idea - all she knows is it's a valuable trick, one that is highly desired by the creatures of London's underworld. When an angel-faced rescuer frees Tessa from her awful prison, she's grateful, but wary. Could Nate have sent this unlikely hero? Can she trust a cad like Will Herondale? He says he's a demon slayer, a Shadowhunter with angel blood. After what she's seen, she doesn't doubt him. But that doesn't mean she's willing to put her life into his rune-covered hands.

Will takes Tessa to the London Institute, where he lives with a handful of other Shadowhunters. There's motherly Charlotte; her absent-minded inventor husband, Henry; snooty Jessamine; and Jem, who's open and friendly despite the secret he carefully guards. Her presence in their home causes some obvious tension, especially when Tessa discovers the shocking truth about who she really is. Still, the group seems willing to help Tessa find her brother, who's apparently gotten himself in deep with the wrongest sort of crowd. In turn, she pledges to use her "gift" to help the Shadowhunters fight their enemies.

As Tessa immerses herself in London's strange underworld, she faces enemies she's only ever encountered in storybooks - vampires, warlocks, fairies, goblins, even frightening automatons roam the streets. The most powerful creatures in that dark world are pulling out all the stops to steal her "gift" for their own nefarious purposes. Tessa would gladly give up her awful ability, but not if it means leaving her brother to the mercy of these monsters. Finding Nate, rescuing him, and returning them both to a normal life will be as intense and dangerous as the most rollicking adventure novel. And its ending may not be a happy one.

If you, like me, mourned the conclusion of The Mortal Instruments series, don't despair. Not only is Cassandra Clare expanding the trilogy, but she's also began a series of prequels, the first of which is the newly-released Clockwork Angel. With all the elements that drew you to the first books, plus a little steampunk thrown in, it's hard not to fall for this one as well. With engaging characters, a whole lot of action, and a love triangle almost as hot as the one binding Clary, Jace and Simon, it's sure to please Clare fans. While it didn't mesmerize me quite as much as the MI books, it still kept me royally entertained and left me wanting more, more, more. Keep 'em coming, Cassie Clare, because I, for one, just can't get enough.

(Readalikes: The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare)

Grade: B+

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for mild language, sexual innuendo, and multiple references to brothels/prostitution and opium addiction

To the FTC, with love: I bought Clockwork Angel from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.

Unlike City of Bones and City of Ashes, City of Glass takes place almost entirely in the ShadowHunter's fairy tale land of Idris. Having battled their way through a bloody fight with Valentine, the New York delegation is headed to their homeland to convince the Clave to stand against the power-hungry madman. Clary wants to stop her father as badly as any of them, but she's also desperate to save her mother - and the only one who can help her with that is a magician living in Idris. Jace is dead set against her going. Clary doesn't care. She's not about to be left out. So, when Jace tricks her into staying back, she finds her own way into the magical world. No one's too happy to see her, especially since she dragged a werewolf along with her.