A book review: The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare (The Infernal Devices #1-3)

I was sprawling on a couch, relaxed and enjoying a lovely Sunday afternoon, when an idea suddenly lit up on my mind: “Life is too short, why not read something different, something I never imagined myself reading?” My quest, to adventure outside of my reading comfort zone, took me to Goodreads, the hub of all bookish adventures. I browsed at its “recommended book” section, and there on the cyberspace, The Infernal Devices greeted me.

What is The Infernal Devices? Authored by Cassandra Clare, this is a trilogy of YA fantasy/romance novels. The Infernal Devices has conquered the hearts of millions of young readers, and it also has a huge following from the female readership.

“Great!”, I thought. YA fantasy is a minority in my reading domain, and I don't usually read romance novels. Everything about The Infernal Devices smells of chick-lit, and this is exactly what I was looking for on this occasion.

I trekked to the local library, walked (gingerly) to the YA isles, and loaned the entire trilogy. I came home with all 3 books: Clockwork Angel, Clock Prince, and Clockwork Princess. I stared at the covers of these novels. Other than the author's name, Cassandra Clare, those covers betrayed no information about the story. I did not know what to expect inside those pages. But hey, I already borrowed the books. So I opened Clockwork Angel, the first installment in the series, and dived headfirst into the story. In the next 2 weeks that followed, The Infernal Devices occupied most of my spare time. 3 weeks later, I am sitting down on the same couch, writing a review for this trilogy and sharing my thoughts on it.

How should I begin my review? Let me start it by telling you a story about a young girl named Tessa Gray.

Synopsis:

Since a time immemorial, the forces of light and darkness clashed in battles. These struggles shaped the course of history, and its echoes can be heard and felt by all creatures of this world; including a 17 years old girl called Tess Gray.

The year was 1878. Under the gray and misty sky of London stood Tessa, who came to England from America. In her heart, Tessa bore the hope to be united with her brother. Instead of finding a warm family reunion, Tessa discovered her brother was missing. But that was not all, upon her arrival on the English shore, Tessa was kidnapped and forced into London's underworld. A world of supernatural reality, a world where a group of semi-angelic beings, known as Shadowhunters, waged wars against the dark creatures of the night.

It suffices to say, this new experience opened Tessa's eyes to a world she didn't know existed. It also marked the beginning of a new chapter in her life, where she was attracted to two mysterious boys, Jem and Will, both were Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Having her heart split in two, however, is not the only problem for Tessa. For she possessed unusual abilities, and Tessa did not know who, or what she was. The only person who held the key to solve this mystery, was also Tessa's mortal enemy.

This is how Tessa Gray's story began, but how will it end?

My thoughts on this book:

Firstly, I am reviewing the entire trilogy. This is because I believe these books should be read back to back, as one story. If you are toying with the idea of reading this trilogy, then I strongly recommend that you pick up all 3 books and read them sequentially.

Now that's out of the way, the short summary for my thoughts on The Infernal Devices is - I like these books.

However, if you want to know why I like these books, then please feel free to read on.

The first thing that struck me about The Infernal Devices, was its well-written characters. The portrayals for all characters, from the 3 protagonists, the supporting characters, to the villain, they will leave lasting impressions on your mind. Each character has a distinct personality, and none of them feel like cookie cutters. Furthermore, these characters didn't remain static, they grew and change as the story unfolded. On a few occasions, some characters in these books developed in ways that took me by pleasant surprise. Meanwhile, readers followed the journey of the story's central character, Tessa Gray, whose tale is weaved by both joys and sorrows. Cassandra Clare did an excellent job at depicting, how Tessa's experiences lead to the subtle, but gradual transformation of her character. I also want to applaud Cassandra Clare for a non-sexualized depiction of Tessa Gray, where the spotlight was often shined on Tessa's personal qualities. I think the depiction for Tessa is both welcoming and refreshing, especially because in the world of fantasy fictions, the depictions of women are often sexualized and objectified.

The Infernal Devices has werewolves, vampires, demons, angels, and lots of sword fights. At the story's centre stage, however, IS a love triangle. Indeed, it seems to me, the supernatural elements and the sword fights are just vehicles for exploring the love triangle between the 3 protagonists; Tessa, Will, and Jem. All right, so you are about to roll your eyes at the mentioning of a love triangle, but hold on a second and hear me out! Ok, look, these books definitely smell cheese on quite a few occasions, but I enjoyed reading about the love triangle here nevertheless. Why? A story about a love triangle often involves romantic feelings based on jealousy, selfishness and possession. However, the love triangle in The Infernal Devices is different. Tessa, Will, and Jem were in a love triangle, but their love is noble and courageous; instead of jealousy there is trust, instead of selfishness there is sacrifice, and instead of possession there is giving. While the love triangle between our 3 beloved protagonists is a tad dramatic and cheesy, but their story is on the whole, upbeat and positive, and I liked it. Perhaps you think this kind of story is unrealistic, that the reality is a lot uglier than the stories, that no one can be as near flawless as these characters. I agree with you. But hey, maybe this is why we read pages and pages about made up characters and their fictional lives, because stories inspire us to be better people and there it lies the value of fictions.

I also want to make a note about the diversity of characters in The Infernal Devices. In speculative fictions, there aren't many lead characters who are Asian males. In Hollywood movies, for example, the “biggest” role an Asian male character can play in the story, is a supporting character; and often these Asian male characters are portrayed as thick accented, asexual martial artists, or some gangster from China Town who can't even speak English. The reason? Some people said it is because casting Asian male leads won't make money. If this is true, then I want to applaud Cassandra Clare for having the courage and the open mind to casting two biracial male leads in her books. As I mentioned earlier, at the centre of this trilogy lies a story about a love triangle between 3 protagonists. One of the protagonists, is a young man called Jem. In the story, Jem was born of an English father and a Chinese mother. He grew up in Shanghai, he carried a walking stick with a jade dragon on its top, and Jem spoke Mandarin throughout the entire trilogy. 

Jem is biracial, but these books portrayed him for having a very deep and strong connection with his Asian heritage. This is probably the first time, when I am encountering a work of speculative fiction where an (arguably) Asian male character is the lead. Furthermore, the cover art for the 2^nd book in this trilogy features the picture of Jem, and the model's look was obviously a young Asian man. In my research for writing this review, I encountered an interview with Cassandra Clare (click here to read the interview), where she revealed an interesting story. Cassandra had always insisted the model for Jem to be an Asian male. The initial draft for the cover art, however, had the model wearing a full hat and pulling it halfway down his face. Upon seeing this cover art, Cassandra wasn't happy about it, and she insisted a re-shooting of the photo to reveal the model's full face, an Asian face.

I admire Cassandra Clare's audacity and open mindedness to include diversity in her books. Did her books sell badly as a result of having an Eurasian (arguably Asian) male lead and an Asian male model on the book's cover? No, her books sold tens and millions of copies. It is a massive hit! I hope more writers will follow Cassandra's suit and bring diversity into the world of speculative fiction.

The Infernal Devices surprised me, and I am very glad to have picked this trilogy to be my adventure for experimental reading. The only (and very minor) complaint about these books, is the extended epilogue at the end of its final installment, The Clockwork Princess. I thought the epilogue was too long and it was dragging the story. Having said this, when the story reached its final pages, the tale of Tessa, Will, and Jem concluded beautifully, on a hopeful tone. The ending was bittersweet, but it was a marvelous ending that left me thinking about it for days after I finished the book. Look, even someone like me, who is obviously NOT the target audience for this type of books, enjoyed The Infernal Devices immensely. Therefore, I think my own story can vouch for the quality of these novels. I recommend this trilogy to my fellow readers, especially to those who are fond of YA fantasy novels of a romantic persuasion.