I think the Mortal Instruments series started off really strong for me, and then something happened as I was reading City of Ashes. I can't put my finger on what it is, but this one didn't draw me in like the first one did. The first 100 pages or so were slow and I was really bored. A lot of times, I would continue reading the book just to get it over with so that I could move on to the next one. For me, that is a definite sign of not really loving a book, which is disappointing, because I really like the first one. 
 The action, mystery, and intrigue are still there, as they are in the first book, but not as much. When the action did finally start to pick up, I thought it was interesting, and I wanted to find out how this one ended, but I still wasn't that excited about or moved by things. I also didn't really care as much about the characters; I didn't really feel connected to them this time around. When characters were killed, were close to being killed, or there was a possibility of characters already being dead, I honestly didn't really care. Another definite sign. However, there are some things I did still enjoy. I like the interactions between Jace and Alec, and learning more about the faeries and their world, as well as the vampires. The Demon of Fear is very interesting, as is Valentine's plan. 
 Even though I still enjoyed some things in this book, I'm still somewhat disappointed, and, hopefully, City of Glass will pull me back in.