The one thing that led me to not liking this book as much as I potentially could have was the fact that the age of the narrator seemed so...undefined. I mean, I realize he is a freshamn in HS, but at times he seems to speak/act in a voice MUCH younger and at times a voice MUCH older. Partly, this may be because of his experiences as a child that do not get fully revealed until the end, but either way it seemed a bit inconsistent. I found that made it difficult connecting. The story though, of an odd young boy making friends with who he can and trying to "participate" in life, while suppressing memories that will later help explain why he is such an outsider, is very compelling. I also take issue with the language used...its too scripted. The author tries to make the characters seem so transcendent, etc. but the words he uses, the descriptions are too juvenile in tone to match that. I can see how, had I read it while I was a freshman in high school, it may have spoken more to me.

This book was really quite well done, but I think maybe I just wasn't in the right mood to read it. The author did a great job emulating Virginia Woolfe's writing style, I was very impressed. Also, the subtleties of how each character tied together to the whole was incredible. I remember liking Mrs. Dalloway and I wish I had read it more recently because even though I caught many of the ties, I think I probably missed at least that many more. Also, the "reveal" at the end was timed and executed well. I think what turned me off was the esoteric and philosophical bent many of the characters thoughts and actions had. I am not really into philosophy and while there were a few stunning spots, I think I was slightly discouraged by it all for the most part. For what the author was reaching for, he did a wonderful job and I am duly impressed. I see why he got the Pulitzer (philosophy included) but it just wasn't the book for me...or the time.

I would say there are some spoilers here, so watch out...This was not the world's best young adult fantasy novel... I had heard a lot about this series and that they are making it into a movie, so I decided to try it. I think I am most disappointed that the two main characters that should get together (and do a little) end up being brother and sister. There is really no other option for a love story in the books (that I would like at least, as I think Clary getting with Simon would be...blah). I see that the author didn't want to fall into the normal fantasy love story trap, but she played it up too much in the beginning so when it changed so suddenly, I felt a little icky after how much I had been hoping for something that would have turned out to be incest. Plus, letdown. Also, the main character bad guy person resembles Voldemort, idealistically, a BIT too much for my taste. Overall, I may read the next book just to see, since honestly it only took me two days to get through it, but I would say there are better young adult fantasies that I would recommend reading first.