If this battle was merely the first in a second war, the next book’s final battle should be epic because I would have been quite satisfied to see Simon stab Sebastian and end the series in this book-and not just because it would mean heroism for Simon and death for Sebastian and freedom for Jace.
Simon ought to have had a grand role this book and was set to be the ultimate hero, but his glory was literally taken from him by Clary so that Clare could further complicate her relationship with Jace and possibly so that Sebastian could escape to complicate the sixth book. Clare was trying to pull the wool over our eyes and make us believe in a changed Sebastian, so we were denied access to his mind. Sebastian’s control of Jace rendered Jace’s POV null. This book never really settled on a protagonist. I’ve proved myself right: City of Lost Souls, the fifth book in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, is far better than the fourth, City of Fallen Angels, though it still lacks the clockwork tight plot and sharp twists of the first three books.
