Mundie Moms

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Clockwork Angel Read Along Day 16: Chapter 15 Foreign Mud


It's day 16 of our Clockwork Angel Read Along! Please be sure to visit our link here for our schedule, guidelines and to fill out the form to be entered to win some fabulous prizes. Feel free to answer any number of the questions asked. You don't need to answer all of them if you don't wish to.

Today we're discussing chapter 15. We hear Jem's heart breaking story, and learn why he looks silvery. There's much talk about the deadly automatons. War is on the horizon, and Nate's gone missing.


* There's so much to discuss about Jem. His story is so heartbreaking. I felt so bad for him hearing him recount what happened to him when he was eleven, but I admire him even more for trusting Tessa enough to tell her his story. I can also see why Will's been so protective of him. In keeping today's questions simple, I want to ask, If you were in Jem's shoes would you have made the same choice he did? No matter what he chooses it will kill him. Would you continue to take the drug to prolong your life, even it was slowly killing you, like it is Jem?

* Binding spells, demons, de Quincy and war. What in the heck is going on? Why would de Quincy want to make automatons and two, why would he use them to fight against the Shadowhunters? Why not just get an army of demons?

* Nate's gone missing. How does Nate tie into all this? Do you think he ran away?

31 comments:

  1. I think i would do the same thing if i had loved ones depending on me like he does. I may die, but while i was alive i could be of assistance to the ones i love. I think jem is very brave for telling tessa his story, it's very rare for someone, espicially a shadow hunter, to trust so easily.

    I think he used the machines because he thinks shadow hunters are invincible to demons, and also demons can't go on consecreted ground but the mechanical people can.

    I think he went looking for tessa and got lost, i hope he didnt go back to de quincy, that would be stupid, and he has already betrayed his sister i believe, after all his sister did to keep him safe, enduring all that the dark sisters had in store for her. I hope they find him for tessa's sake.

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  2. * I admire Jem, a lot. His story is heartbreaking but at the same time shows how strong he was... So yes, I would have done the same as him.

    * I guess the Magister is tired to have to deal with the shadowhunters laws, and want to end with this situation...

    * Nate is... mmmm Nate.. like I said a few days ago, there's something I don't like about him :(

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  3. Jem's story was really so heartbreaking! Seriously, I think I loved the guy more after reading it! But yeah, I would totally do what he's doing now- I mean, I might be dying, but at least it's good to now I'm doing something good with my life and helping others, you know? But still, poor Jem! At first I thought his silver hair was so cool, but I never would have thought the reason behind it was that terrible!

    And Nate. Ugh. I think I had about 2 or 3 comments about how much I hated him, and I'll say it again: that guy is a class one jerk!
    .....I will stop here before I spoil anything. :P

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  4. *This chapter just made me love Jem so much more. *sigh* He is so brave and strong. I think if I were in the same situation I would do the same thing. I love that he feels the need to tell Tessa the story and he tells her he trusts her. Oh Jem you make me swoon.

    *The automatons are a force to be reckoned with for sure. De Quincy knows that they will be hard to beat and I think he really wants to destroy the Shadow Hunters. I have a few other theories too, but I don't want to say it here for fear of possibly spoiling. (If anyone who has read it wants to discuss my theories feel free to email me alf421.af@gmail.com)

    *Ummm Nate...I don't want to say anything one way or another since I have read the book before.

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  5. If I were in Jem's shoes I would definitely have made the same choice he did. However, I'm really hoping that by the end of the series some kind of cure is found for him.

    The first time I read this I thought the automatons were being made because it would be easier to control an army of them rather than an army of demons.

    When I first read this chapter I thought Nate had run away because he didn't seem to trust the Shadowhunters and Brother Enoch to take care of him.

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  6. Jem's story was really intense to read. If I was Jem I would make the same choice and take the drug. He is alive and I am sure they will find a cure. But in the off chance there is no way to save him, Jem is a shadowhunter and he helps others which is brave and kind. I would also take the drug if it meant I kept others safe.

    De Quincy and the automatons make less sense to me more and more. He is a vampire I don't see why he would need mechanical "people" to do his bidding. I do not think he made them and I don't think he is using them. I think someone is framing De Quincy as a distraction. Yes the automatons are easy to control but once again De Quincy as a huge number of demon followers so no I don't think it's him at all.

    I think Nate is bad news. I don't think he ran away I think he running to something. I am sure he has something to do with everything that is going on. Tessa is his sister but I think Nate would easily give up family if he had the right price.

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  7. I think Jem wants to live, so he takes the drug. His situation is heartbreaking because not only did this demon kill Jem's parents, he enslaved him by binding his life to this terrible drug.

    Nate is 100% bad news and he's a gambling addict, really, so I wasn't surprised that he ran away.

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  8. I would hope I could be as strong as Jem and go on fighting...

    Still can't see the reason an Underworlder would want an army of automatons..DeQuincy should be strong enough and have demon minions to do his work

    Nate may have run back to the Underworld...I think he is in cahoots with someone very evil..just don't trust that man..

    StephAnnee

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  9. *Yes, I would probably do the same as Jem. I really hope by the end of this series a cure is found for him!

    *When I first read this, I thought Nate had just gotten scared and ran away like a baby haha

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  10. Jem's story was very heartbreaking to read about, but - as you said Mundie Moms!- I admire the fact that he trusted Tessa enough to tell her his story. His choices are so limited, and as said before,any choice he chooses will kill him. If I were in his shoes, I do believe that I would keep taking the demon poison to prolong my life. If I was a Shadowhunter, for me, there would be no choice ; I would fight, and I would die fighting.

    I have no idea why De Quincey would want to make those metal creatures! *shudders* There seems to be something odd with that whole set up. De Quincey could easily get a whole army of demon warriors to follow him, but to make a whole new race of mechanical creatures? I don't know, De Quincey (no offense to him, LOL) doesn't seem smart enough to come up with this plan.

    Nate probably went off somewhere to look for Tessa. In a strange place, filled with strange people, he was probably just looking for a familiar face. I doubt that he actually left the Institute.

    ~ Moujnir23

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  11. Jem! So, I read this chapter last night, and then today I was listening to the album "The Is War" by 30 Seconds to Mars and I feel like I just heard Jem's theme song! Specifically, the song called "Alibi" has these lyrics that are perfect for his character. Plus, the melody is sweet but sad at the same time, just like Jem. Key lyric: "I fell apart, but got back up again, and then I fell apart, but got back up again... (repeat)". Poor guy, I feel so bad for him, but it's obvious he has so much life left in him, I don't blame him at all for taking the drug to prolong his life. Oh, and if Will had a theme song, it might be "Night of the Hunter" (from the same album). Key lyric: "Honest to God I'll break your heart. Tear you to pieces and rip you apart". OK, maybe I'm being a little hard on Will, but he kinda deserves it, at least so far...

    Good question about why automatons... my question is whether they can breach hallowed ground, unlike demons and vampires -- thus, having the ability to infiltrate the Institute?

    Nate is missing! Maybe he has drunk some vampire blood, so he is drawn towards going back to them (like Simon in TMI..)?

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  12. If I were Jem, I would do the same thing. Though he dies either way, taking the drug prolongs his life. I would want to take the drug and do whatever I can with the time I'd have left to better the world. I think that might be what he is doing and I think that in the end, he will. He'll probably die in the end but his death will cause the war to end between the Shadowhunters and the Magister and his automatons. I think it's kind of unfair to both Tessa and Jem if they were to get together. Tessa would have to watch him slowly die and Jem would never get the life he wanted with Tessa. So I really hope they will fin a cure for Jem; whether he and Tessa date or not.

    I think something fishy is going on with De Quincey. Him creating automatons would not make sense since he already seems to be the head of the vampire clans. Technically, he could just use his vampire army so why he would make automatons is unclear... something is definitely wrong with this picture... we don't have all the pieces of the puzzle so we can't figure out why he would want the autosmatons.

    I think something might be wrong with Nate. You know, mentally. He seems pretty messed up in the head so I think he did run away but he has odd/impure intentions. I don't trust him though. Something's off about him and I don't like it. I think he knows more than he's letting on and that makes me suspicious. Maybe he's more involved with De Quincey than we originally thought? Or maybe he feels loyal to De Quincey! Sort of like a slave! Hmm... so many questions.

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  13. I think is great hat Jem trust Tessa with his story. If I was in the same position as Jem I would take the drug. And being a shadowhunter it does not surprise me. He will not die without fighting it.

    It does not make since about De Quincey and the automatons. I can not see these automatons being built just to fight the shadowhunters there has to be more of a reason.

    Nate is missing. Very suspicious.I think he has just wondered off looking for Tessa. If he actually left the institute then I would then think to definately not trust him.

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  14. I love Jem's story. It is my favorite part of the book. I feel so terrible that Jem is suffering and has to go through the pain and torture of knowing that his parents are dead and that he is heading that way too. I don't even want to think of what I would do in that situation. I'd like to think that I would have the courage to go on but being all alone like that would make me want to give up. I think Jem is such a strong person for trying to live on and work through life like that.
    As for de Quincey- He is a wack job in a human like shell. His desire for automatons seems like a crazy fascination with human toys. He dosen't seem that dedicated. He seems to do things on a whim. Him being Magister dosen't really seem to add up to me.
    Nate- Wow. Something is freaking wrong. He just seems to be a suspicious character. His story is vague. His words are uninformative. As quoting Olivander in Harry Potter "Curious, very curious."
    I have already read the book, and as to not give anything away, I am waiting to see how it all ties together in Clockwork Prince.

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  15. Poor Jem. I think it says a lot about him that he would trust Tessa. I love that Sophie is in love with him. I also love how protective Will is of him. I would probably take the drug like Jem is.

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  16. Jem decision is such a hard one to make. In terms of what I would do..I think it depends on what I had to live for. If I was all alone, I might want to die as soon as possible. But Jem has things to live for. He has a family with the shadowhunters, and he has Will. It might be worth it to him to be able to live life as much as possible before it is too late.

    I do think Nate ran away b/c he knew he was going to get caught.

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  17. So doesn't make sense that a vampire would need a automaton army. I, however, stink at trying to figure out who the real bad guy is.

    I think it's brave of Jem to choose a slow death as a child who has lost everyone he loves.

    The first time I read this I still felt sorry for him at this point, but thought it was a bit weird that he was hiding. What a baby!

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  18. - I thought that Jem telling Tessa the truth was a very respectful thing to do, he's such a good person, it's admirable really. I think I would end up doing the same, I mean he has no other choice, and at least he is enjoying what's left of his life right ? I really hope they find a cure in the following books :(

    - Automatons are perfect for war with the Shadowhunters, with seems is what The Magister wants. Like the automatons and Tessa said, they are neither from Heaven nor Hell, they have much more resistance and possibility of beating the Shadowhunters than demons do. The Shadowhunters are not prepared to fight mechanical creatures, they have been trained to fight demons, their "magic" works with them but not with the automatons. It's practically the perfect plan.

    - The first time I read it I thought he had run away, or that someone had taken him...

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  19. If I were in Jem's place, I would do the same thing but I also would not give up looking for a cure. I would ask Magnus for help with that.

    De Quincy is not the Magister. The Magister, Mortmain, wants to build a clockwork army that runs on demon energies, the way the motorbikes do in the MI series, so he can take over the world.

    Nate is a big phony but Tessa doesn't realize it.

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  20. It is human nature to want to live as long as possible. We do things every day that could take years off our lives. I think Jem is doing exactly that. At least with the medicine he can live life as he wishes, otherwise it is over quickly for him. It is sad that he is reminded every single day of the torture he and his family lived through for those two days. Knowing his story makes me like him even more...he is strong and noble.

    Not sure what is going on with the automatons. They were able to get on Institute property unlike downworlders so that might have something to do with their creation.

    What is up with Nate? He is an odd character so far. Don't know what to think of him!

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  21. The fact Nate has gone missing is very suspicious to me. There seems to be an evil plan behind it.

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  22. *honestly I think I would prolong my life. i wouldnt want to die when i was young. there are too many things to experience.

    *sigh Nate i still dont like you...
    I know whats going to happen so i wont say anymore

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  23. I think I would make the exact same choises Jem did. I would take the "drug" to keep me alive, if only for a little while longer. I would also not it define who I am. When you actually know you won't live that long you should live just how YOU want it, not everyone else. If Jem wants to live his like a Shadowhunter, even though it WILL kill hem faster, then I think that's what he should do.

    All these question's you ask makes me wonder if it really is de Quincey.. which I have doubtet for quit some time... it would be to easier. At least where Cassie is concerned :P

    He is either somewhere where just no one found him or he really is not as good as Tessa thinks...

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  24. The discussion about the automatons being able to get on hallowed ground sounds reasonable. It is just so much more work though than using human subjagates.

    When Nate disappeared, I thought it was possible that he was kidnapped out through the open windows. Maybe DeQuincey wants to use him again as bait for Tessa.

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  25. omg jem. when he told that story.. i felt so bad for him. it sounds terrible, and i just have even more respect and love for him for being so kind and caring towards others even when something so horrible happened to him and his parents. for jem to take the drug or to die would take courage. i myself.. i would probably take the drug. it would be scary knowing that i would be fully dependent on the drug, but might as well do the job as a shadow hunter and do some good in the world.

    well i think that he would prefer automatons because the shadow hunters are trained to kill demons. and with the automatons, even if he has to make them all, he can add things to them to help make them stronger, faster, better, etc and help the magister to take tessa or something. and yeah, maybe also because the institute is hallowed ground? so if the magister managed to find a way into the institute, he could just send a huge wave of automatons which can enter the institute. plus, if he made the automatons, they would definitely obey his command. with demons, he would have to have a way of controlling them.

    with nate.. he was either kidnapped, ran away, or hiding somewhere in the institute. i doubt he would be hiding again, so it has to be one of the former two. if he ran away, then there's something highly suspicious going on.

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  26. JEM JEM JEM. *cough*, Alright, I'm good. In his shoes, I'd have rather died. Cowardly, but true. I couldn't imagine losing my parents to something so awful. It would be such a cold and empty life. Now, if I'd have known I'd find an adoptive family like he has now, I'd have reconsidered my choice.

    This is one of those questions where I sit in front of the computer...ponder for a while..and come up with nothing. His motives are so confusing, I think anything could happen.

    Oooh...maybe Nate joined the Dark Side (how punny). I think he's too scared to face what's coming at him.

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  27. What I found most interesting while reading this for the second time was the banter between Jem and Will after Jem's told Tessa his story. It's not as lighthearted as the times before, if you notice a little animosity coming from Jem as well as from Will. We expect it from Will, but not from Jem at all. I found that rather interesting that they were almost arguing (playfully as it was,) about who would be best suited to care for Jem during the night. I could tell there was some jealousy on Will's part for Jem confiding in Tessa, but I think also that he's jealous of Jem's growing admiration for Tessa as well. How conflicted this boy is, he just can't get a break anywhere!

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  28. Jem broke my heart in this chapter. I honestly don't know what I would do in his shoes. He is so strong and such a good person. There aren't many people like him, especially his age.

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  29. * Jem's story is so sad. I think if i was in his situation, I would have made his same choice. Life is worth living one day at a time. I would not want to give up.

    * I have no idea what the big plan is.

    * I'm not sure about Nate. Everything I have learned about him, I do not like.

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  30. I think ill do what Jem did, If I have a choice to live even if it's the hard way ill still choose to live. Instead of doing nothing I can do something to prevent what ever that happend to me to others. I also think there is a cure for his sickness.

    Like what Valentine's cause of taking all the mortal instruments I think the magisters cause is to build an army of automatons to rule the world and kill the shadowhunters.

    He didn't ran away. I believe he has been reporting to the magister.

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