virago reviewed on 3/29/2016 + 267 more book reviews

So this was so much better than I expected. It was slow-paced, but not in a bad way. I very much enjoyed learning each of the characters, even the ones I hated, particularly Jessie. She was awful. Will was a jerk, and I can very much see the resemblance of Jace to him; reckless, arrogant, and too pretty for his own good. Jem is a sweet muffin and I hate so much that he is 'ill'. I fear he will die in the next book and if not, then obviously in the third. Like Clary, I feel like Tessa has chosen the wrong boy to love. Jem I think is the better choice even with the looming of his eminent death.

My only complaint: NOT ENOUGH MAGNUS! He is my personal favorite character of the whole TMI/TID series. He's the most fun, which of course is why we don't get enough of him. I know we have The Bane Chronicles, but it'd be so much better if he was the star of his own series. But I digress...

This book was pretty good and unlike with The Mortal Instruments, I'm bothered by Tessa's naivety, but not because I think she's foolish. This is a different time where women were treated as weak, and possessions of the men in their lives--even among the Shadowhunters-- so it makes sense for her to be clueless and frightened and looking to someone else (a man) to save her. Clary is just foolish and selfish, but I'm getting off track.

Tessa being uninformed or surprised by strong women who could fight is understandable and even pitiable, because that is what woman of that era were spoon-fed from birth. But she is obviously undergoing positive changes. She fought to save not only herself, but her friends, and was even willing to sacrifice herself to thwart the villain. She showed so much more spunk and good sense that Clary, which is ironic considering the different times they lived in. Logically their behaviors should have been opposite.

All-in-all I enjoyed this and want to read the next book not just because of morbid curiosity like I did with the previous series, but because I truly want to see what happens next. Plus the prospect of more Magnus is always a good one.

My other complaint: while the narrator did a great job reading and using different voices for the characters, her pronunciation of a few words was wrong and it bothered me.

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