Welcome, everyone!! I am very happy you are all here, your first time or not. I am Cassandra, the head of the London Institute, meaning I will be leading discussions for The Infernal Devices trilogy.  Welcome to the #READShadowhunter readathon! Be sure to visit the organizer of all of this, Stephanie, at Books in the Skye. First, let’s learn a little about what #READShadowhunter is.

 

The world is full of people who love the Shadowhunter series written by Cassandra Clare, myself included. Last year, Stephanie decided that she wanted to reread the series, and better yet, she wanted all Shadowhunter fans to join in. Thus, #READshadowhunter was created. This is no ordinary readathon though. We are only reading one book a month so that everyone can keep up even if their lives are busy with blogging or reading other books. I know that life can get crazy and things get in the way. Spreading out the reading like this helps us a little bit by creating smaller sections to read at once.

 

See more about this amazing even in my introduction post here.

 

Clockwork Angel Reading Schedule

 

 

Isn’t that super easy to follow along with?!?! That is roughly 5 chapters a week…less than a chapter a day! Each Monday there will be a discussion post with So, let’s get to our first #READShadowhunter Discussion Post of the year!

 

There may be spoilers so do not read if you do not want to see them!

 

1. Tessa, Will, and Jem are on their way to meet Camille. On the way there they have a conversation about good vs evil and damnation. Jem states, “I believe in good and evil … And I believe the soul is eternal.” Will states, “I believe we are all dust and shadows.” Which one do you side with?

 

This might be difficult for some to talk about but I know where I stand and I stand there firmly. I’ve always believed more along the lines of what Jem does, that the soul is eternal. I do believe in good and evil, spirits, and demons so to speak. I might not necessarily believe in the Christian idea of heaven but I believe in reincarnation. How else could I explain the instant connection I feel between some people I’ve just met? My husband and I, for example, we feel like we’ve known each other forever, we felt that way the first time we met.

 

I had a bad experience in high school where I was on a stair landing in the basement of a friend’s house. Nobody would go in the basement alone because it just felt…evil. I was at their house alone and I heard the sound of metal chains dragging on the cement floor. I thought it might have been the dog but I looked up to see the dog at the top of the stairs looking at me with its tail between its legs. I looked back down to the basement and there was a shadow of a person getting bigger and coming closer to me. You bet I ran up those stairs faster than I ever have in my life and slammed that door shut, locking it. I never went into that basement alone again.

 

My dad passed away when I was 17 and I’ve had experiences with his spirit as well. In my old house, he locked my cat in the closet…he was always a jokester. I saw his shadow at my dorm during my freshman year of college. I was so scared that I said I was not ready to see him yet. The shadow walked away and I haven’t seen it since. When I was doubting my writing and I didn’t think I’d be able to write this book, I walked upstairs and was shocked by what I saw. There was a single white feather on the floor by my side of the bed. Nobody in this entire house owns anything with white feathers…explain that to me. I took that as a sign that my dad was showing me his support, telling me that he has faith that I can do this.

 

There you have examples of why I believe in both good and evil. My 2-year-old came to me one day and said he saw a ghost. He walked me over to the spot and said it’s grandpa’s ghost. I asked him some questions so that he could describe him and he described him exactly. I know my dad is watching over us and he is for sure not evil but whatever was in that basement was without a doubt evil. I could feel it in my bones, it meant to harm me.

 

2. At one point, Will say that Camille is not “precisely alive.” She responds by saying “I value my existence as much as you do, Shadowhunter.” This shows they have different perspectives on what is considered living. What defines a person as living? Is it their heartbeat or something more?

 

This is a tough question…for me living is more than a heartbeat. For example, does someone who is physically alive but diagnosed with cancer who is on mandated bed rest every day…is that really living? I have a close friend who deals with cancer every day and she is exhausted. She tries to do as much as she can around the house but she is exhausted and does nothing else. Life to me is so much more than a physical heartbeat and I completely understand how Camille values hers as much as Will does his. He just might not see life the same way she does.

 

3. Jessamine mentions that she would not like to marry a shadowhunter. She does not want to “Dress like a man and fight like a man.” In fact, she believes women are meant to “graciously preside over lovely homes… uplift and comfort them with our gentle and angelic presence.” Charlotte, on the other hand, takes charge of Henry and says he can do something “if I allow it.” Tessa was confused because she thought the husband decided how things were run. This shows yet another controversial opinion among characters. Knowing modern times are different, how do you think you would have reacted in the times of Clockwork Angel? Would you be more like Charlotte or Jessamine?

 

There are a lot of gender norms addressed in this book. In this time period I think Jessamine’s view would be more likely to be found most often. However, I love that Charlotte challenges those norms. I want to believe that I would be more like Jessamine, and in my past I might’ve been. Now…I think I’d be more like Charlotte. I am strong and stand by my own opinions and don’t let men boss me around. I am not afraid to tell someone they messed up or comfort them when they need it. I’ve grown and become more like Charlotte, it might have come with age or just maturity and growth beyond my past experiences but whatever it was I am happy it happened.

 

 

Further Thoughts

I want to share with everyone one of my favorite quotes so far from this.

 

You have a power of incalculable value. You need ask nothing of anyone. You need depend on no one. You are free, and that freedom is a gift.

 

This still resonates with, probably even more than it did last year. I’ve grown personally, so much. I’ve realized that I’m not as alone and helpless as I thought. I’m a strong woman and can make it through anything. I think so many of us fail to look within to see our true power. We don’t need to depend on others to bring it out in us, just take that time for yourself. Learn who you really are and love it because there is nobody else like you in the entire world. You are perfect as you are and those things you call mistakes? They paved the way for you to learn more and thrive into this stronger, more confident, and intelligent person. Embrace that power and live your most perfect life.

 

I will admit though, this next quote had me laughing so hard.

 

“I”, said Gabriel, “Would rather have my entrails yanked out and tied in a knot in front of my own eyes than apologize to such a worm.”

 

First of all, yes I am a little strange for laughing so hard a such a saying. If you think about it though, he must harbor some incredibly deep hatred for Will if he would go to such lengths. It makes me thirst for more information about their history and what happened between the two of them to bring such hatred to the surface.

 

 

Do you have any favorite quotes so far?

 

 

Let’s talk Magnus because he is amazing and I just love him so much. He is such a profound character and no matter how many times I read about him, I can’t get enough. He is not afraid to be who he truly is, he embodies the quote I mentioned first. This is probably my favorite thing about him. As a warlock, he’s lived to see many lives flash before him and lived to remain his true self despite the opinions or influences of others. I really love that despite the times, Magnus is not afraid to let on that he is bisexual. Yay representation!! He mentions that De Quincy would like to be more than friends with him and Tessa was confused. I love how Cassandra tossed that in but did not reprimand a character for it. She really represents the setting of the story but brings topics such as this to light without putting a ripple in the plot. Although being LGBTQ is sadly still not accepted by everyone, it is much better now that what it once was. There is a huge community of those who accept LGBTQ individuals, I am one of them. It frustrates me that sexual orientation can be one factor that decides how a person is treated by others.

 

What would you feel like if you lived in a period where you had to hide a part of who you were because it was hated or looked down upon?

 

I know I would feel lost, empty almost. I am discovering my spiritual path and I’m very open about being a pagan witch. When I tell people, I am often met with nasty looks or hateful comments. Many think that being a witch is wearing a pointed hat, making potions, and cursing people. It is something they don’t understand, it’s against the status quo or norm so they don’t like it. I feel for those who can’t openly be who they are at heart, it’s awful. I had to hide my interest in paganism my entire life. No longer! I am an adult and I am going to make my own choices and be who I feel I truly am. I think many of us have hidden something from the public at one point or another. It gives us empathy to feel for characters like this in the story.

 

If you could shape change like Tessa, who would you want to change into? Would it bother you that you knew all of their thoughts and memories?

 

I think there are many people I would like to change into but I wouldn’t want to stay any of them. It would be really cool to change into my kids so I could see how they are thinking at times. Especially what they were thinking when doing some of the things they get into trouble for. I’m not sure I’d be comfortable knowing all of that personal information about someone though. If I was doing it to give closure to a family or solve a murder or even prevent some terrible thing from happening sure…but just for fun, no. I believe in personal boundaries and I would never cross those with people I care about. Besides, I feel like knowing what those people thought or felt would change how I behaved toward them unintentionally.

 

Demon Pox…Will always mentions this and everyone else tells him it does not exist. Have you ever had an illness people refused to believe in?

 

Mental illness comes to my mind here. Many used to believe that things such as depression or anxiety did not exist, that they were imagined. I am happy times are better now and many with mental illnesses can seek the help they need. Unfortunately, there yet remains a large stigma over talking about such issues at times and people do not always feel comfortable seeking the help they need.

 

Well…there you have it! Week two’s discussion post is officially done. What did you think? I’d love to see your responses below. Are you following along with the book? How are you liking Clockwork Angel so far? Do you have a favorite character? Come on and comment, I would love to hear your thoughts.