Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare


Posted December 31, 2018 in review Tags: , , , ,

Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra ClareQueen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare
Pages: 880
Length: 30 hours
two-flames

Series: The Dark Artifices #3
Genres: Fantasy
Setting: Los Angeles, Thul, Alacante
Source: Audible
Narrator: James Marsters
Also in this series: Lady Midnight, Lord of Shadows
Also by this author: Lady Midnight, Lord of Shadows
Amazon iBooks Audible
Goodreads

Dark secrets and forbidden love threaten the very survival of the Shadowhunters in Cassandra Clare’s Queen of Air and Darkness, the final novel in the #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling The Dark Artifices trilogy.

What if damnation is the price of true love?

Innocent blood has been spilled on the steps of the Council Hall, the sacred stronghold of the Shadowhunters. In the wake of the tragic death of Livia Blackthorn, the Clave teeters on the brink of civil war. One fragment of the Blackthorn family flees to Los Angeles, seeking to discover the source of the blight that is destroying the race of warlocks.

Meanwhile, Julian and Emma take desperate measures to put their forbidden love aside and undertake a perilous mission to Faerie to retrieve the Black Volume of the Dead. What they find in the Courts is a secret that may tear the Shadow World asunder and open a dark path into a future they could never have imagined. Caught in a race against time, Emma and Julian must save the world of Shadowhunters before the deadly power of the parabatai curse destroys them and everyone they love.

Seriously, do NOT read this if you aren’t caught up on the series! I have decided to break Queen of Air and Darkness into characters. There are spoiler tags when necessary; if you are like me and need to know, check the spoilers. If you don’t want to know, then DON’T CLICK THE SPOILER. You can also check out my review of the previous books, Lady Midnight and Lord of Shadow.

Ty and Kit: These two are heartbreaking. Ty’s pain is difficult to even read. The scene with Livie’s funeral was gut wrenching! Ty’s choices are tragic too. View Spoiler »

Mark, Kieran, and Cristina: Kieran grew on me throughout the books. By this one, I loved him as much as Mark and Cristina! Clare always writes diverse characters and that includes LGBTQ characters. So, I could see where she would take these 3 coming. The choice they make to be together is unacceptable even in their world (which, lets be honest is pretty liberal). I also liked seeing them grow into their own powers. Cristina became more than just a sidekick type character. She has a few lines that harken to Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride! Kieran accepted the responsibility of his people. Mark matured a bit, accepted his feelings and accepted what he desired. View Spoiler »

Jace and Clary: Yall know I love them so freaking much so their extended presence in this book was AWESOME! You also get a good dose of Alec and Magnus, and a glimpse of Izzy and Simon. View Spoiler »

Emma and Julian: Things are getting worse for them. The curse is surely going to kill them and now no one in power will help them. They travel to Faerie and then unwillingly end up in a parallel world. This was a fascinating twist! Clare used this as a way to envision how the world would be if Sebastian had won, Clary had died, and demons roamed free. For me though, the wonder of what will happen with these two was painful. Was there a way for them to be together that didn’t require them to either be exiled or destroy all the parabatai bonds.View Spoiler »

Dru: Listen, she is kind of my hero. Her family underestimates her. She is ALWAYS the forgotten one. She is mocked for her weight, her clothes, her personality. In the previous books, while I felt sympathy for her, she was still a moody, annoying pre-teen. In QOAAD though, she matures. She begins to find ways to support her family without changing who she is. She saves Emma and Julian.

Annabelle Blackthorne: So, after she murders people in the previous book, she continues to be a dangerous character. She escapes into Faerie, then escapes to Thul. She continues to be the most dangerous person. She has a level of magic that is scary, plus, she still has the Black Volume. View Spoiler »

Woven throughout the story’s plot is some hilarious one liners (“It was made by a very powerful warlock called Office Max”) and some beautiful lines that connect all the stories (“I love you. I love you. I love you.”). Clare is a powerful writer who uses words in a way so intricately beautiful it brings tears to your eyes. Queen of Air and Darkness served to remind me why I enjoy Clare’s books-they are always stunningly well written.

Like the previous books in the series, I listened to the audio. Like the other books, the audio is one of the best things I have ever heard. James Marsters is a master. His accents are perfect-Cristina, Diego, Jaime’s latin accent, Kieran’s Irish lilt, Mark’s English accent, and each character had their own individual sound. Its quite amazing really.

 

Breakdown
Hero
Heroine
Chemistry
Writing/Plot
Trope
Cover
Narrator
Overall:

authors like Julie Kagawa, Laini Taylor, Maggie Stiefvater…then you will probably like Queen of Air and Darkness!

 

Queen of Air and Darkness

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Samantha
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