3.5 Stars. Potential spoilers.

Not one of my favorites so instead of an in-depth review, I'll add brief pros and cons.

Pros: The "idea" of the series is entertaining. It has fantasy, escapism, magic, etc. The writing, while not great, is sufficient. In this book we learn a lot more about Valentine and he appears several times and I think that the plot progresses, which is good.

Cons: The romance plot is a mess. The entire false notion that Clary and Jace are siblings and their star-crossed, potentially incest lovers theme is off-putting but more importantly boring. Nothing really happens or occurs to develop their relationship and as such it remains superficial. Despite the progression of the plot I felt that the characters were fairly stagnant, particular Clary. As for the men, maybe I have high standards but Jace and Simon both lack any really redeeming or likeable qualities with the exception of Simon's devotion to Clary. ( )

Full disclosure, I have not finished reading this book but I am finished with it. I just can’t take the implied incest; yes, I’m sure the characters are not really brother and sister, but they have no reason to believe they are not. Just not my cup of tea ( )

Loved it. My favorite genre! ( )

Vampires

I was surprised at what Clary can do, but I won't spoil it!! :D I felt bad for Jace because of what he had to go through. It's worse than not having a father, ( )