There were times I absolutely loved the book, but there were other times when I felt the characters were forced to make things more complicated by Cassandra Clare. I've said it time and again, I hate love triangles and this one is particularly excruciating. Clare stays true to the characters while still making them develop, which was really great. I'm not angry at Tessa because she really does try to stay away from Will after what he did to her in the last book. Usually I get annoyed at the girl in the middle of it all but not this time. No, I'm angry at Cassandra Clare. She couldn't have made it worse for the trio. She made the situations collide at just the right moment to make for optimum awfulness. This is not fair to Tessa, Will, Jem, and worse of all me.Oh, I have a horrible feeling about the next book.

I know people love the romance, and I am truly a romantic at heart but what is it with Jem and Will acting like they can't live without Tessa? I understand that people don't want to live without the person they love but whatever happened to being strong on your own? The best couples are the people who are also the best individuals. Aren't they? It's what I always believed. Really the only problem I had with the book was the love triangle which was actually a big part of this installment but there were times when I liked their interactions.

So now for the parts that didn't make me want to glare at Clare from hundreds of miles away. The characters development played a big part but not in the way that it doesn't seem plausible. Will is given a great deal of spot light which I knew would happen. You can't have a jerk (especially a love interest) in a story without a back story. Jem on the other hand is also given a lot of time...a lot of time with Tessa that is. I like it that we saw a little of the other characters as well. Charlotte and her husband add a bit of odd sweetness to the story, and I like the new maid. I hope she plays a bigger role in the third book. Tessa is a good heroine, she is not an idiot who puts herself into situations for feeble or senseless reasons. And lastly I like the setting. At times I felt it was a little too informal but I think the time period gave it a good atmosphere, especially with the Institution.

The ending is done in a oh no she didn't cliffhanger kind of way that just makes me want to read the next installment so bad. It set up the third book perfectly for some high emotions, hold your breath suspense, and rip roaring action. My expectations are high.