[Infernal Readalong] Clockwork Angel Week 2: Chapter 9 - Chapter 10

Week 2: Chapter 9 - Chapter 10

Hey quirks! As you may remember from this post, I'm participating in a readalong of Cassandra Clare's The Infernal Devices! We are continuing to read Clockwork Angel through October. It's still not too late to join us, whether you've never read the series or are a TID old hat! Check out our reading schedule here. [Also, sorry I'm a bit late with this. Had a big book trip and company last week and got behind on the blogging. ^_^]

In my recap posts there is a high chance of  SPOILERS. If you do not want to be spoiled on anything, I suggest reading the listed chapters before reading this post or avoiding these posts if you haven't read the book.

Chapter 9
We start this chapter with Tessa practicing being Lady Belcourt, with Will and Jem helping/watching. I really enjoy the three of them together, especially the brotherly banter between Will and Jem. We finally get our first mention of those dastardly Hyde Park ducks as well. While Tessa is practicing, they talk of what she feels while being Camille, and she mentions that she usually gets the feelings/thoughts of the person, but she hasn't gotten much of Camille's yet. Jem ponders if Tessa changed into his deceased father, if she could tell what he was thinking when he died, which alarms Will, which was interesting to see since Will is rarely serious about anything.

They are interrupted by the Enclave arriving, which is some council of Shadowhunters. We see some Lightwoods, and when Gabriel Lightwood, a Shadowhunter not much older than Will, arrives, it is clear he and Will have some bad blood. When the three "children" are told to leave, Gabriel follows them out and he and Will get into a big argument that involves name-calling and insults. It is funny except for how serious Gabriel is about the whole thing. We also get a hint of what other Shadowhunters think is wrong with Jem (they believe he is addicted to opium). Finally, Papa Lightwood interrupts to get Gabriel back to the meeting. Will leads Jem and Tessa somewhere, and while they are walking, Tessa is asking questions, like what a parabati is and why Gabriel hates Will (has to do with Gabriel's sister, of course) and so forth. They arrive at a storage room where they huddle together over the floor. Will does a rune that makes the floor transparent and allows them to see and hear the meeting going on below.

In the meeting, Charlotte is explaining the vampire situation and the plan, and different Shadowhunters are giving their opinions. We find out that Charlotte is only twenty-three, and that one of the council members is her aunt. Henry arrives late with one of his inventions that will allow Will and Tessa to summon the other Shadowhunters during the vampire party. The council finally agrees that they need to go through with the plan, and then Henry demonstrates his invention, which knocks all the lights out, ending the chapter.

Chapter 10
This chapter is all about the vampire party. We start out with Will and Tessa in the coach on their way to de Quincey's and they are discussing some last minute things, like how Will won't speak unless instructed, which is funny because it's Will. Tessa seems to have gotten the hang of impersonating a vampire, but Will explains that if she can't keep up with the vampires at the party to not say anything, as one wrong social situation could get them killed. This makes Tessa more nervous, but then they get on the subject of literature and begin quoting books to each other, causing Tessa to see some vulnerability in Will she hadn't seen before. Then they arrive and Camille laughs in Tessa's head, so Tessa is a little relieved that she can finally tap into Camille's personality. I'm not quite sure how this all works with the person in Tessa's head bit, but Camille (at least the Camille that Tessa is impersonating) seems to have more control over Tessa than anyone Tessa has become in the past. I don't think the actual Camille, who is hiding out somewhere while this is all going down, is actually doing anything regarding Tessa.

Once inside, they see the grand, candlelit house and all the vampires and their subjugates milling around. Tessa is looking for Nathaniel while the Camille in her head is giving her names of the vampires and instructions on how to act. Then de Quincey appears, greets Tessa/Camille, and then starts to eye Will like he is a particularly appetizing steak. Tessa gets a flash of Camille's memories and comes up with something to keep de Quincey from biting Will. De Quincey departs, seeming to not notice that Camille is not Camille, and Magnus Bane arrives. YAY! I remember liking Magnus in The Mortal Instruments but he comes through much more here and I loved it. He brings Tessa and Will to a library adjacent to the ritual room used for de Quincey's human killing and they are able to peek in to see what he means. While in the library, Magnus talks about Tessa's power, says she is a warlock even if she doesn't have a demon mark, and then they discuss de Quincey's plan. They find some blueprints for automatons and there is a spell on them that binds demon energy into objects, so Will takes the blueprints and stuffs them in his coat.

Next, the trio leaves the library and enters the "ceremony" room. They find seats and de Quincey appears on the stage, next to a chair that has manacles for its victim's hands and feet. De Quincey makes a speech about how they, the vampires, will not be controlled by Shadowhunters or their Law. Then they bring out, as de Quincey describes him, a traitor of the vampires. The man has a hood over his face and he has obviously been beaten, and he is shackled to the chair. The other vampires cry out death and de Quincey slashes a thin mark across his throat, drawing blood. This is the point when Will can call the other Shadowhunters, and he is about to, while Magnus is trying to get Tessa out of the room, when the hood is ripped off the prisoner and it turns out to be Nate.

My verdict so far:
It was good to see some other Shadowhunters and see some of the families that are the ancestors of those in TMI. The vampire party plan was one I was not thinking would work at all because it seemed like one of those crazy plans that is bound to go wrong, but it worked pretty well. I was super happy to see Magnus and I hope we get to see more of him.

Check back later this week for recaps of Chapters 11 through 15!