For reviews on all the hottest to the underhyped books in YA lit check out my review site Zach's YA Reviews (zachsyareviews.com) 
 Review: 
 Protagonist: The character of Tessa was severely strong ever since the beginning of the first book, but she gets stronger still as she delves further into the shadow world in hopes of finding out more about herself and the plans of the cruel and malicious Magister. In addition to growing in the knowledge of who she is and who she might be she and Sophie, the Institute's maid, are taught to defend themselves by the reluctant Lightwood brothers. Due to this she begins to stand up for herself more and becomes all the more independent. That being said, she does do a few things that I feel like are either foolish or too hasty, though as I like to say having a protagonist that's too perfect makes for an boring story. 
 Romance: The love triangle in this installment becomes even more pronounced as now both Jem and Will want to be with Tessa. However this is made all the more complicated as Will refuses to admit his feelings to her and tries albeit unsuccessfully to push her away, and Jem doesn't want to saddle Tessa with his illness and the fact that he may not live much longer. Tessa however remains oblivious to Jem's affections through a large portion of the book and is still trying to figure Will out. There are of course other couples who have their own problems as well as those who are starting new. I, at times, preferred learning and reading more about these couples rather than the main romance as they can be a bit less complicated and more enjoyable. 
 World-Building: In this installment we learn more about the London Institute and the current heads of the Clave. We also get to meet Gideon, Gabriel Lightwood's older brother as he starts to train the Institutes maid, Sophie while Gabriel trains Tessa. We get to see more about the history of the Lightwood and Fairchild families and why Benedict Lightwood hates Charolette so much. We find out why Will treats Tessa so badly when it's evident that he cares for her and why he is only himself around Jem. Tessa learns more about who her family really is and a secret that she never knew comes to light from the most unpredictable source. 
 Predictablilty: I have to say that I loved how much information was presented in such a shocking and unforeseeable way/ Most of the information had a bit of foreshadowing attached to it but there were a few times that things came out of the blue but, interestingly enough, not in an annoying way that sometimes happens when a large plot point is revealed with no warning at all. I have to say that a lot of Cassandra Clare's books in this world have a great way of catching you off guard and shocking you senseless. 
 Ending: There is a great cliffhanger in this book, one that has a bit of foreshadowing, but in spite of this I felt a bit down at the end of this book. There were fun and exciting parts but there were also parts that were heartbreaking and full of things happening just a little too late leaving characters feeling sad and helpless as they watch the happiness of others. I do have to say I was so happy that I waited a bit to read this series as I don't have to wait very long at all to dive into the next and final installment. 
 Overall I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars it does a shining job of following it's previous installment and raising the stakes as the the clock ticks down and the final battle will begin.