Queen of Air and Darkness by cassandra clare

After the devastating ending in Lord of Shadows, it was an agonizing wait for Queen of Air and Darkness, the last book in The Dark Artifices series!

In the aftermath of the tragic deaths, the Clave now teeters on the brink of civil war. Fascists are trying to control the Clave and dictate how Downworlders should be treated. In Faerie, the Seelie and the Unseelie court are trying to hurt each other, while the Unseelie King has something that the Seelie Queen doesn’t want to live without. Warlocks are hurting, so many of our main cast of characters are missing, and so many people are grieving the loss of loved ones.

“There was blood on the Council dais, blood on the steps, blood on the walls and the floor and the shattered remnants of the Mortal Sword.”

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.

This third and final installment in The Dark Artifices series does get rather dark, with all grief and sorrow, and the growing hatred, mistrust and revenge going on, but the chapters in faerie were exciting and I liked seeing so many different characters play a role. Simon, Isabelle, Jace, Clary and more appearing was so fun and I loved the cameos. And the part thereafter, with Emma and Julian just giving up the fight and allowing their love was so amazing, definitely my favorite part!

“Perhaps being parabatai was a weakness that could trap you. But so was any kind of love, and if love was weakness, it was strength, too.”

What I love so much about this series is the characters. I love stories that have strong relationships and this has so much love between the characters you can’t help but become invested in them. To start with Emma and Julian, honestly all the way throughout I was so worried for what was to come, their love for one another is just so strong and I just wanted them to be happy! Then we have the trio that is of course Cristina, Mark and Kieran! The balance between them all is just so pure and perfect. They all just fit together in ways that just balance each other out, just so pure and perfect. And I loved seeing the family dynamics, it was so lovely to see Helen and Aline back

Overall I’m so happy with the way this turned out, it was my most anticipated release for the year and it didn’t disappoint! It’s bittersweet that it’s over but hopefully there will be more to come? I mean, the way in which it ended, it’s not what I expected what so ever and now I’m super intrigued to find out what’s to come, surely there must be another series continuing the plot?

Rating:
5 stars

Get your own copy:
Bookshop.org
Amazon
Book Depository

​Author info:
Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunters