Before I review this I have to say that I stopped about halfway through for a few months. Partly because I was busy but also partly because it could not keep my attention and I was bored by it. So this book may be better or worse than I think it is having read the last half in two days. There are some spoilers in my review so beware.

This was recommended to be by a friend who is older than my thirty years and she loved it. I finally picked it up so I could read it and then watch the movie. Honestly, having finished the book, I think the entire section where Simon

gets changed into a mouse and the go rescue him from the vampires and then the werewolves put in an appearance to start a fight with the vampires,

etc could have been left out. That was where I stalled when I first started reading this in early August. Even when I restarted it a few days ago it took me awhile to get through all of that and gain my liking and momentum again. Those scenes only add small bits to the rest of the book so its not strange when Luke

is a werewolf, or Jace and Cary fly off the roof

at the end.

Ultimately, I think what took away from this book was the author trying to stuff all the supernatural creature reveals into one book when she's clearly writing a series. There's too much going on and too many characters that just slow the plot down because they have nothing to do with it. You get no real time to appreciate the main characters and get to know them so their actions are not flat or strange. There are some big reactions and huge emotional points that mostly fell flat for me.

The only reason this did not get two stars is because of the ending. The scenes with Valentine were great. The Hodge surprise was unexpected but felt a little like a prop. But Luke

coming back and finally giving a full explanation of the past was great. After all the lies and mistruths it was nice to hear a full true story from someone who was actually there and had no real agenda. But Jace learning about his father and mother was amazingly heart-wrenching. His indecision, Cary's anger and Valentine's reactions were perfect. It was honestly surprising that they are siblings. And its so weird what with their relationship.

So obviously there is more going on with this story and that is what will have me picking up the next book when I get a chance.