2-3-4 Challenge Book Discussions #2 discussion

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street—and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, but her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will—the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

Setting
London, England 1878
Yorkshire, England

Prologue
21 Chapters


Character List
(view spoiler)[
Theresa (Tessa) Gray: American 17-year old girl who travels to London after her aunt dies and she receives a ticket from her brother to join him. She learns she’s a shapeshifter and her brother has betrayed her.
William (Will) Herondale: Shadowhunter living at the Institute. He’s 17-years old.
James (Jem) Carstairs: Shadowhunter living at the Institute. He’s 17-years old and is infected with a demon virus, which is killing him. He uses opium to relieve the effects.
Jessamine (Jessie) Lovelace: Shadowhunter living at the Institute. She doesn’t want to be one.
Sophia (Sophie) Collins: Maid at the Institute. She bears a significant facial scar and was born with “the sight.”
Cyril Tanner: New driver for the London Institute to replace Thomas who was his brother.
Bridget Daly: Cook from the Dublin Institute who was sent to London to replace Agatha. She sings morbid, sorrowful Irish folk songs.
Thomas Tanner: Former driver for the Institute. He was killed during the attack at the Institute.
Agatha: Former cook for the Institute. She was killed during the attack at the Institute.
Charlotte Branwell: Head of the London Institute and married to Henry. She’s 23-years old.
Henry Branwell: Charlotte’s husband who is an inventor.
Cecily Herondale: Will’s younger sister.
Ella Herondale: Will’s older sister.
Benedict Lightwood: Shadowhunter.
Gabriel Lightwood: Benedict’s 18-year old son.
Gideon Lightwood: Benedict’s oldest child who lives at the Madrid, Spain Institute.
Tatiana Lightwood: Benedict’s daughter.
Josiah Wayland: Consul of the Clave. He named Charlotte to head the London Institute when her father died.
Victor Whitelaw: Inquisitor.
Lillian Fairchild: Shadowhunter and member of the Clave Council.
George Penhallow: Josiah’s nephew.
Magnus Bane: Warlock.
Ragnor Fell: Former high warlock of London and a good friend of Magnus.
Woolsey Scott: Werewolf.
Camille Belcourt: Vampire.
Archer: One of Camille’s human subjugates.
Aloysius Starkweather: Head of the York Institute. He’s 89-years old
Alexei de Quincey: Former powerful vampire and leader of the London clan. He was killed during the attack at his home when he was believed to be the Magister.
Nate Gray: Tessa’s brother who works for Mortmain in London. He betrayed her and is in league with Mortmain.
Axel Mortmain: The Magister who has created an army of machine fighters and wants to destroy the Shadowhunters and take over Britain. He’s the owner of Mortmain and Company, which manufactures most of the machine tools in London. Nate is in cahoots with him.
Marbas: Greater demon who left a tooth in Will and placed the curse on him.
Thammus: Minor demon.
Madran: Ifrit who works at the drug den where Will buys Jem’s opium.
Mrs. Dark: One of the two women who abducted Tessa at the train station.
Mrs. Black: One of the two women who abducted Tessa at the train station. She was killed when Tessa was rescued.
Miranda: Assistant to the Dark sisters. She turned out to be a machine.
Aunt Harriet: Tessa and Nate’s aunt who they lived with following their parents’ deaths. Nate killed her to force Tessa into coming to England.
Elizabeth Gray: Tessa’s mother, deceased.
(hide spoiler)]