Before I start my thoughts on this book, I do have to mention a few large flaws I spotted. When they go to Luke's house, the question of whether or not there's a back door comes up to which the answer given is no... however, Jace, Simon, and Clary came in through the back door... I have no idea how Ms. Clare's editor didn't catch this error. The second large error I spotted was the first time Valentine's death is told, it was stated that he burned alive with his wife and child... however, in the second time the story of his death is told, the child is omitted from the telling and it's stated that he and his wife were found, and then in the third retelling, the child is back again.
Aside from the errors mentioned above, the story is an interesting on. It definitely demands to be paid attention to. The characters are well thought out and well developed. I'd heard of the controversy surrounding Ms. Clare and her series, but I didn't see any of the things she'd been accused of, except in one character... The cat in the institute not only shares the same name, but bares a striking resemblance to the cat Church from Pet Sematary by Stephen King. Which I feel was more than likely done deliberately since I've named pets after ones from movies and books too >~.^<
I spotted the odd grammatical error here and there, nothing too obvious, and nothing that will stop the reader from being engrossed in the story.
The story itself is unique in many ways, and yet still holds the lore of Niphilim every Urban Fantasy about them holds.
There are a few questions that remain unanswered, but with seven books in the series, I don't foresee them going on unanswered forever.
All in all this was a great story and I look forward to reading City of Ashes, the second book in this series.
I give this book 3 of 5 paws. (I would give it 5, but the two errors are entirely too big and need to be fixed)