I liked this installment MUCH better than the first. The first left me with such a bad taste in my mouth, I didn't think I could continue. But, I'm glad that I did. This was my vacation book and was the perfect kind of light reading that I could read with constant interruptions from my kids. I'm still annoyed that the issue with Clary and Jace is not yet resolved, and of course I'll need to read the 3rd installment to find that out.