Meeeeh :/
I am not a huge TMI fan anyway, but I somehow got sucked into the first three books. I read the first, didn't really like it. Re-read it and liked it more, so I read the second. I liked it ok, so when I found the whole series on sale, I went ahead and bought them. Now I kind of wish I hadn't. TID was definitely better (although I really didn't like the first book) and I feel like this series should have never been picked back up for more books after the third.
The third book tied everything up nicely. It had a satisfying ending, and I think I would have liked the whole story better if it had just stopped there. But no, more books were written and now I'm stuck with them because I'm too stubborn to abandon the series completely because I own them (and have no one to give them away to).
I feel like everything moved backwards in this book. Simon was more...I'm not sure. Immature, maybe? He annoyed me for sure, which was a little weird because I loved Simon in the first three books, I think. Although I felt bad for him at times, what with the Mark of Cain (why is that so popular these days, anyway) and being a Daylighter and all that. But I feel like he redeemed himself just a little at the end, especially when he threw himself in front of Clary and ended up taking out Lilith by being struck by her whip instead. But, he pissed me off with the dating Maia and Izy thing. Not because he was dating both, but because he didn't tell either of them. Just...Ugh. He annoyed me throughout most of the book.
I am kind of having Twilight flashbacks iwth this series, because I like all these characters that aren't the main characters (Magnus, Alec, Isabelle, Luke, Maia, etc.), and the main characters just kind of irritate me and bore me. I can be fine with a difficult relationship and the people involved having to go through a lot, but this is hitting Anita Blake levels of ridiculous (not the same thing, but almost the same level of groaning and literal headdesking happening as I read).
Before I even picked this up, I knew Johnathan/Sebastian was making a comeback, without even seeing any spoilers about it. I just had a feeling after the third book. Lilith showing up was a little surprising, but not in a good way for me. I feel like it was kind of a cliche or something, honestly. I get it, but I felt like I'd read and heard almost the exact same things about her from other forms of media many times before, and it was boring.
Basically, I'm just so annoyed by this series, and I wish it had ended as a trilogy. But, the books are entertaining(ish) and quick reads, so I'm still probably going to finish the series. If I didn't own them, and I hadn't challenged myself to start finishing all these series I've started but haven't finished yet, I don't know if I would bother. Actually, I'm about 90% sure I wouldn't, if I had stuck to checking these out from the library.