This book was so much better than I thought it would be. With books 4 & 5 of the series being much less entertaining, (that includes bratty, shallow characters, and much less of an adventurous feeling) I had pretty low expectations of this book.

This book brings back from the grave of her first three novels, the adventure. It seemed like there was a lot more going on in this book then in the last two. The risks being higher, and the villains crazier, made for a more appealing book.

The characters have grown up remarkably since the beginning of the series. There is even a lovely little speech near the end, given by a person who once thought that "to love is to destroy", but has grown to be a much better person, right along with his siblings and friends. T
The characters are so detailed - passing a trait on from an early ancestor, or inheriting something from the area that they grew up - it was terrifying starting the book. Because I was so scared to lose the characters that I loved so much.

The villain: the villain of this book has to be one of the best villains ever. EVER. He was creepy and mysterious from the beginning, and I hated him more than I have ever hated another villain. AND YET... Cassandra Clare somehow made me pity him.

She works her way in and out and up and around things, making connections to everything, as little a thing as it might be. There are NO coincidences. Not in Cassandra's books. Every single detail is intertwined with another, most even carrying on through her other series. I think this is one of the things that I really love about her books. It's one of the things that keep me reading her books.