This was tough because I really like Cassandra Clare. It has been so long since she (and I) have experienced her world-building, what with all of the shadow hunter books existing in the same universe, thus resulting in minimal world-building with each series. Plus those books exist in on the backdrop of the real world, whereas this book exists in a completely new world. I had a difficult job engaging in the book for the first half as there was a lot to keep track of and it made it difficult with similar names as well. Once I got to halfway I flew through the rest of the book! I really like the similar yet original take on religious and cultural themes of the Ashkar. I also really liked that Kel and Lin are not (at least currently) the immediate potential relationship. This diverts from the typical plot of most books and made it interesting and mysterious as to what path the book would take. The ending itself seemed a bit anticlimactic but I am excited to read the next book! I am glad to see Cassandra Clare branch out into a new series and I believe she will execute this wonderfully!