Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare [Book #3, The Dark Artifices]

Content Tags: Murder, Necromancy, End of Days, War, LGBTQIA+


Description from Storygraph:
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 disease 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.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I started reading this book in January 2022... It was sooooo long that I got overwhelmed and underwhelmed simultaneously and it took me many months to finally finish reading it. Sorry, Buddy Read Partner, that it took me forever to finally actually participate!

This is like the fiftieth series from Cassandra Clare in the Shadowhunter world. And some of the prominent figures from previous series' made reappearances. There were so many moving pieces and people with this book and series as a whole. But this last book had what felt like a lot more going on. I could've done with a touch less, honestly. This is Cassandra's cash cow, though, and she's definitely going to keep on milking that.

In general, I enjoy the Shadowhunter realm and the books I've read so far. This was one of my least favorites so far. This could be because it's now been so many years of reading these books that I've learned and grown more and have started to notice more problematic tropes and such that Cassandra Clare engages. It could also be that the more books she adds to this realm, the less focused her writing becomes. The world may never know.

The one main positive from this book that hasn't been in the others yet is that finally a poly relationship wasn't circumvented or shied away from.


Book Reflection Wrap-up:
Would you ever consider re-reading it? Why or why not?
Doubtful. It was over 800 pages long after two other incredibly long books in the series. And it was not my favorite. If I re-read any Shadowhunter series, it will be The Infernal Devices. (Also, I'm reading the Mortal Instrument series to the kiddo currently, so that one, too.)

How does the book's title work in relation to the book's contents?
Kinda spoiler-ish, so don't read if you haven't read the book. (Which is unlikely since I'm pretty sure only Dewey reads this blog and knows about its existence.) But the book is named after a character in the book that is the cause of the start of the book and pops up like... twice after that. I feel like it could've been named after someone or something else.

Added to TBR: August 2018 
Removed from TBR: October 2023
Finished 10/28/2023

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