I absolutely loved this book. I honestly have no idea why I've been putting off reading this for such a long time (Note: this statement is only true if I keep denying to myself that I was slightly intimidated by this book's lenght - 650 pages isn't that long, but it ought to take a while).
But really, the older I get the more I love Simon. He's such an amazing character and the way things ended with him in the end of [b:City of Heavenly Fire|8755785|City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments, #6)|Cassandra Clare|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1460477794l/8755785._SY75_.jpg|13629068] just wasn't satisfying.
This book was sometimes a bit too slowly paced, but otherwise it had everything: action, romance, bromance, internal growth, very funny moments and some other extras for bigger fans of The Shadowhunter Chronicles who've read all three (well, now four) series and Magnus's book… and a lots of other things.
But back to the funny element. Because it was mainly all from Simon's perspective it was all geeky, cute and self-aware. I loved that Simon could make joke of his amnesia, NY's rodents and him actually being one. I also adored Malec being compared to Brangelina (more true than anyone would like to admit).

Spoiler

This book's ending just really reminded me of the ending of [b:Lord of Shadows|30312891|Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices, #2)|Cassandra Clare|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1479513427l/30312891._SY75_.jpg|19104295]. You know, the one where just everything looks good and bright until you have just 10 pages left and everything f*cks up.

Throughout the whole thing I kept putting little post-its bookmarks at the moments I liked. Turned out I've ran out of them so I hope you can find it understandable that I put here only a few (you know, 'cause I actually want to get some sleep tonight and it always takes me an eternity to write one single review). So here we go:

So instead Simon looked for his friend Jace, who was kneeling by himself in the overgrown grass and sharpening a short blade against a stone.

This is a quote from the earlier pages and it really both shocked me and made my heart all warm and funny seeing how Simon though about Jace as his friend Jace

"Well, I'm a Lovelace,"said George. "My family quit Shadowhunting due to laziness in the 1700s, then went and settled outside Glasgow to become the best sheep thieves in the land."

And here, ladies and gentleman, we have the moment the world fell in love with George. Isn't he just perfect for Simon (and everyone else). I loved those two together. They made an iconic duo.

There was a time, not long ago, when Simon Lewis had been convinced that all gym teachers were actually demons escaped from some hell dimension, nourishing themselves on the agonies of uncoordinated youth.
Little did he know he'd been almost right.

I think, there isn't much to add to this. That's the story of my life.

"I cannot recall a situation you did not think was special and required his presence," said Gabriel dryly. "You have been known to call upon Brother Zachariah for a broken toe."
"It was turning green," said Will.

And here is the moment I was waiting for since reading all the jokes about Will calling Jem all the time for nothing. Dreams really do come true.

Izzy,
Nope. Definitely not. They were not at pet names yet.

It doesn't look natural when he's so weirded out by calling Izzy "Izzy", but it's also so cute seeing that brave guy we all love so much turning again into that funny and quirky boy he's been in [b:City of Bones|256683|City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)|Cassandra Clare|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1432730315l/256683._SY75_.jpg|2267189].

Father borrowed Uncle Gabriel's new carriage so he could take James from Alicante to the Academy, just the two of them.
Father did not ask if he could borrow Uncle Gabriel's carriage.

I have missed Will so much and these sentences just prove my point. The "rivalry" between Will and Gabriel will never grow old.

"And I would prefer to have intelligent student," said a voice behind them. "Yet here I am teaching at a school for the Nephilim."

Ragnor. Here's another nostalgia. I must admit in The Mortal Instruments I didn't care about him much. He was just another victim of the war, but since [b:The Bane Chronicles|16303287|The Bane Chronicles|Cassandra Clare|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1395159015l/16303287._SY75_.jpg|22436394] it's a completely different story.

Father was always inventing excuses for Uncle Jem to come to them - once he claimed a flowerpot was possessed by a demon.

I simply had to put here one more Will and Jem moment. And come on flowerpot. Actually, yes, that sounds like Will.

"You let Jace plan our date?" Simon said, incredulous.

And here you can witness the officially worst idea ever.

"Shadowhunters, vampires, and now faeries, all longing to throw me in prison," Simon said aloud. "Why exactly was I so anxious to get back all these memories? Why is it always me? Why am I always the chump in the cage?"

The question we are all asking for a while now. But if you think about it, it's all kinda poetic, ehm ehm, sorry can't write now. I'm laughing too hard about Lord Montgomery.

"Why, Lord Montgomery," Isabelle murmured. "It's been such a long time. i was worried I'd never see you again."

Here I am speaking of the devil or rather Lord.

Where thou diest, I will die, and there will I be buried…"
Shadowhunter rituals, always cheery.

And that's one of the blizzardies of this would that I kinda twistedly like. I mean, it is always hard to teach children about death, but not for Shadowhunters...

"No," said Jon. "What's first aid? Is there a … second aid?"

That sound literally like me this week during our biology lessons learning about CPR and stuff.

The Nephilim, lacking imagination and intellectual curiosity? You astonish me.

By now, you should know that this book contains a LOT of nostalgy, but hearing about Raphael always stings a bit with a sad smile all over my face. I love him so much.

"RIP, Jon Cartwright the Thirty-Fourth," George said solemnly.

At this point I don't know what's more crazy. The fact that they had there over 34 rats of that they named them all Jon Cartwright even when he wasn't such a douche anymore.

The Law was hard, but it was also riven with loopholes. Hadn't Clary taught him that?

Good, they're learning. It's actually really funny to watch the disrespect for law evolving over the years. For example Will's generation didn't exactly follow everything, but they still went with it and acted by it most of the time. Meanwhile characters in The Dark Artifices are like: "What is the law? Lex malla, lex nulla…."

He was still a teenager - he wasn't supposed to know this many people who had died.
And me, he thought suddenly. Don't forget about that one.
Because it was true, wasn't it? Before life as a vampire there'd been death. Cold and bloodless and underground.

If you can determine and exact moment my heart was ripped out of my chest and ripped into pieces, this would be it. Sorry, I wanted to end at a happy note, but I guess today's just not the day.

Note: I didn't include any of the highlights from Magnus's point of view, because that would mean I would have to transcribe the whole thing and not only I'm lazy, but the word limit won't allow me to.