City of Fallen Angels ~ Cassandra Clare (The Mortal Instruments #4)

★★★☆☆

I actually liked this way more than I did the first time! I understand the issues I had with it initially, but found that they were either non-issues or just not a big deal. I was definitely a more impatient reader 2 years ago. What I thought was boring was actually pretty decent slow-build, and this time, I really liked it. It definitely had a problem with too many plot lines and perspectives, and could have been cleaned up and made more succinct, but it wasn't dreadful like I made it out to be. I had forgotten how much I love Simon's story line and how interesting Jace's dark side was. Considering that most of my reread of this series has resulted in a lower rating than before, I'm so glad that this one actually rose a star. Without a doubt, it's a filler book that had to introduce a new conflict in what was supposed to just be a trilogy, but I think it did a decent enough job of doing that without straying from the main themes of the series.

(original rating: 3 stars)

The book has an interesting premise but a rather boring plot up until the very end, when things pick up. Unfortunately, that's just about the only good thing about this installment. While I read the first three books rather quickly and in quick succession, this book took me several months just to garner enough motivation to pick it up. The unnecessary character drama brings down the whole story, as much of it could have been done at a faster pace. Also, the writing seems lazier as I found many grammatical and spelling errors, as well as awkward punctuation or lack thereof.

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