I read the book because it was highly recommended by a friend. I knew nothing of the "drama" surrounding Clare and the supposed plagiarism. Browsing quickly through the other reviews wasn't quite enough to educate me, so this review stands apart from that.

I will say over all that I enjoyed the book. It wasn't the best thing I ever read, but it wasn't the worst. I liked the characters Clare created and unlike some reviews, I very much enjoyed the dialogue and character banter. Though people take issue with it in the midst of very dramatic plot points, it feels authentic to me, to have these sarcastic, irreverant 16 year olds.

I found myself skipping a lot of the descriptions Clare included. At the time, I thought I was just anxious to get to the action. In retrospect, I see that there was a substantial amount of "fluff" to sift through en route to main action.

I will continue reading the series. I'm not sure why this book has just a polarizing effect on people. I thought it was a good YA novel. It is what it is.