Review Detail

Although I was fairly happy with the ending to book three, I am also totally okay with her continuing the series. Book four was, to me, totally consistent with the quality of the series up to this point. This is one of those series I have a love/hate relationship with; sometimes I want to stop reading and sometimes I am completely, shamefully drawn into all of the melodrama.

Most of all, let me say how much I do not care about Clary and Jace. They suffer from the overdramatic, overly mushy, want-to-be-together-but-can't thing that has made so many main couples exceedingly obnoxious. Other prime examples from the fantasy world are Buffy/Angel and Max/Liz (from Roswell). As with both of those television shows, I do really enjoy the supporting cast. Any section of the book that followed Simon, Alec or Isabelle, I was much more likely to appreciate.

Still, I did not like the way she paired everyone off toward the end of the book. Which is not to say the pairings are all doing well, but they are all definitely heading in an obvious direction. That just felt a bit too quick. Everyone was more forgiving than seems particularly likely. Plus, I didn't like that Simon never had to choose between the two girls; the choice was sort of made for him and he just rolled with it. Am I supposed to ship a relationship when he never really seemed to care for one more than the other?

All in all, another calorie-ridden, guilty pleasure. I know the next book will be just as agonizing and annoying as the others, but I also know that I will be reading it as soon as I can get my hands on it.