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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
3.75
Enjoyed it enough to continue on with the series. Will Herondale is beautiful
Enjoyed it enough to continue on with the series. Will Herondale is beautiful
I absolutely loved this series! Even better then the Mortal Instruments!! I was hooked from the very beginning. I would definitely recommend this!
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
2.5 stars! ⭐
This isn’t my first book from CC. I picked it up after seeing all the raving reviews for The Infernal Devices. I was curious since I’d enjoyed the world and its magic system before. But honestly? This one left me disappointed.
The pacing started off fine, stumbled in the middle, and then wrapped up abruptly. I get that this is the first book in a trilogy, but as a standalone it felt weak and lacking in impact. The writing itself was easy enough to read, but it never held my attention. I kept getting pulled out of the story by the way the characters interacted. Jessamine was one of the biggest reasons I felt reluctant to continue, and Nate nearly pushed me into DNF territory. (A solid antagonist, but one that just made me dread turning the page.) Then there’s Tessa with her internal monologues. On top of that, I disliked how women were portrayed in this timeline. Jessamine’s insistence that women shouldn’t fight and should instead focus on being wives and mothers felt regressive and frustrating to read, especially when the story didn’t meaningfully challenge that view. Ugh. Honestly, I couldn’t connect with a single character. They felt flat, like recycled paper dolls with flaws tacked on for the sake of it. Jem, for instance, could’ve had a meaningful illness, but instead we got… addiction. Nothing about these characters stuck with me, except how much they frustrated me.
And the love triangle? Just no. Why does the FMC need to have love interests almost immediately after meeting them? One moment it’s Will, then suddenly Jem enters the picture and she’s drawn to him too. There's zero yearning. The worldbuilding also felt underdeveloped, and the book as a whole came across as clunky, with subplots stitched together by trauma rather than depth.
To be fair, Will and Jem both deserved much better than being sidelined by a half-baked FMC. Especially Jem. I’ll admit, I spoilt myself by reading the wiki out of pure curiosity (don’t do this if you plan to continue!), but in my case it saved me the pain of finishing the series. I know plenty of readers love this book, and I’m happy for them. Personally, it isn't for me and I'm glad it's over.
This isn’t my first book from CC. I picked it up after seeing all the raving reviews for The Infernal Devices. I was curious since I’d enjoyed the world and its magic system before. But honestly? This one left me disappointed.
The pacing started off fine, stumbled in the middle, and then wrapped up abruptly. I get that this is the first book in a trilogy, but as a standalone it felt weak and lacking in impact. The writing itself was easy enough to read, but it never held my attention. I kept getting pulled out of the story by the way the characters interacted. Jessamine was one of the biggest reasons I felt reluctant to continue, and Nate nearly pushed me into DNF territory. (A solid antagonist, but one that just made me dread turning the page.) Then there’s Tessa with her internal monologues. On top of that, I disliked how women were portrayed in this timeline. Jessamine’s insistence that women shouldn’t fight and should instead focus on being wives and mothers felt regressive and frustrating to read, especially when the story didn’t meaningfully challenge that view. Ugh. Honestly, I couldn’t connect with a single character. They felt flat, like recycled paper dolls with flaws tacked on for the sake of it. Jem, for instance, could’ve had a meaningful illness, but instead we got… addiction. Nothing about these characters stuck with me, except how much they frustrated me.
And the love triangle? Just no. Why does the FMC need to have love interests almost immediately after meeting them? One moment it’s Will, then suddenly Jem enters the picture and she’s drawn to him too. There's zero yearning. The worldbuilding also felt underdeveloped, and the book as a whole came across as clunky, with subplots stitched together by trauma rather than depth.
To be fair, Will and Jem both deserved much better than being sidelined by a half-baked FMC. Especially Jem. I’ll admit, I spoilt myself by reading the wiki out of pure curiosity (don’t do this if you plan to continue!), but in my case it saved me the pain of finishing the series. I know plenty of readers love this book, and I’m happy for them. Personally, it isn't for me and I'm glad it's over.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I love jem so so much 💗, all in love enjoyed the book and I love the immersive world building to a great deal 😌✋️.
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Al ser el primero es solo una introducción a la historia, espero que los otros sean mejor.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
sad
The characters and plot were such a breath of fresh air from the mortal instruments. I was finally able to enjoy the world building without feeling the urge to kill the protagonist (i.e Clary 🙄)