My opinion on this is basically one long extended screeeeam.
This was absolutely, earth shatteringly perfect. Am I obsessed with The Dark Artifices?? Ah, yes. Yes I am. And I’ve been through several Shadowhunter finales, but I still get nervous! I had fierce plans for my ships here and I was all tied up in anxious knots about it the characters, the plot…the stakes…
But, look. It was perfect. Just perfect.
(And it’s ridiculously hard to write a review when your brain is a catastrophe of emotions!!!!!!)
You can see my reviews for Lady Midnight and Lord of Shadows here!
This is a NO SPOILER REVIEW for Queen of Air and Darkness, but there WILL be spoilers from first two books!
(And for once this isn’t a book from a publisher! Just so you know haha.)
➸ I had so much emotions for these ships.
I had my expectations and my wishes…and they were met. Ok sure I also had some cool theories that didn’t happen (GUESS IT’S TIME FOR FANFIC) but otherwise I just adore how Cassandra Clare scares the absolute skin off us wondering if our ships will be ok and then (1) makes it satisfying, but (2) never easy or perfect by the end. I love her romances, loooove them.
I know it’s common to roll eyes and say, “It’s the end of the world and they’re caring about kissing? unrealistic.” But, hear me out: it makes sense. At one point Cristina told Emma she had romance problems, and Emma fully yelled, “THANK THE HEAVENS. LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT INSTEAD OF DEATH!!!!” And I get that. You put a crowd of super stressed teens in a super stressful situation, where there’s a 900% chance they’re gonna die or end the world — so yes they do some kissing too. And cuddling. There is a lot of cuddling here. It’s a distraction and a reminder of what you’re fighting for.
Also, more (((SPOILER))) ship thoughts ➸
➸ How my heart beats for my Blackthorns.
My Blackthorn kids are so stressed and wrecked in this book. They tear away from each other because they’re hurting so bad…and I loved that arc. How they realised they couldn’t be divided to heal. Helen getting to be there was AMAZING. She is a gift! And her wife, Aline, totally yells at everyone when they make Helen cry so A+ for Aline.
✧ Julian just went and SNAPPED, SON, DAYUM. He makes stupid decisions because he hurts so bad.
✧ Mark continues to be so pure, so soft and wholesome. (He makes donut sandwiches and he’s so pleased with himself while arranging the plates.)
✧ Dru has more of a part too which I loved. She so desperately wants to fit in with Ty/Kit and I love how Kit makes an effort to let her.
✧ Ty…honestly, I would’ve liked to see more reaction from him? He dealt with the death in his own way, but very emotionless and I’m worried that fits into the stereotype that autistic people don’t show emotions well. Just ONCE, I wanted him to blow up and cry, ok. But anyway. I still love Ty and he is amazing jfdkslad.
✧ Tavvy continues to be adorable and useless, bless him.
➸ Other character thoughts?
✧ Kieran is my absolute FAVE, I can’t even with how much I love him. He’s so intense and dramatic and he just melts for his loves and I adore that. Also fab hair.
✧ Cristina is a true hero, so unflappable unless one of her boys kisses her and then she just screams internally for 200 years.
✧ Perfect Diego is…less perfect! Well done. I don’t really care about him and Jaime, but eh, they exist.
✧ ZARA COULD GO DIE THANKS.
✧ Manuel could’ve used a bit more motive but ugh hate him.
✧ Ash???? WHAT IS GOING ON WITH ASH???????? MORE INFO NEEDED?????? (I take it he’s being set up for another series?)
➸ Was it too long???
Here’s the thing: I loved every freaking page as well as acknowledge the book was genuinely uncomfortable to hold. It took me forever to finish it. I wanted to, but it physically hurt to hold a 900 page book. (Yes I realise there are eBooks but I’d bought the paperback already?) It could’ve been two books.Two would’ve been great.
➸ The plot is so intense and exhausting…in a good way!
So much happened…it was a stressful whirlwind. I won’t give spoilers on the details, but least to say they went to a LOT of places and it was NOT dull. It was unexpected and clever and thrilling. And, even though it was so highly intensely emotional, it still squeezed in some famous Shadowhunter snark. Yas.
It balanced the soft moments (coffees and cuddles and coloured pencil smudges and beach kisses) with the hardcore action (fighting in Faerie, breaking immortal blades, using impossible black magic, heartwrenching traumaaaaa).
There are so many threads, so many details! It’s incredible how it references other series and sets up for more. It is just Clever™.
➸ Emotions? We gotcha emotions and we shall crunch them.
I laughed. I cried. I was a mess. (Also so so anxious the entire time?! ANXIETY LAUGHTER, LOOK AT ME GO.) I still live for the one-liners though, but I loved that this one talked about much darker topics: like grief and loss and moving on. And the character arcs were just brilliant. These kids grew up so much in three books and I love it.
I think the thing to take away from this review is: WOW I LOVED THIS BOOK. It ruined me and rebuilt me and it was such a beautiful collision of love and grief and hate and revenge. It was a stark reminder of the state the world is in today (that feel when fantasy is not so fantasy). And it gave us MAXIMUM BLACKTHORN TIME which is perfect. Plot twsts, cunning schemes, love and destruction. I shall scream for a very very long time and not be back for many days.
I have not read a Cassandra Clare book in so long, taking me back to my teenage years! Great review 🙂
Lotte | http://www.lottelauv.blogspot.co.uk
Aw thanks for reading!! She is still such a favourite of mine 😍😍
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE DARK ARTIFICES AND SHADOWHUNTERS AND EMMA AND I SHALL FLAIL WITH YOUUUUU. I thought the giants ending was a liiiiiiil anticlimactic, but I did REALLY LIKE QoAaD!!! my favourite character is emma, because she’s like, the best. I thought we didn’t get enough of her POV in QoaAaD and I was very sad
IM’M SCREAMING IT WAS JUST THE BESSSST. I did expect more death, lol. Is that horrible to say? But it did seem a bit easy at the end, but at the same time, my heart needed a break haha. Emma is just amazing. 😍She’s like a sparkling glitter beam of death.
Ooooooooooooo I have to read itttttt.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh *puts it on hold at library*
Now, to WAIT.
(I’m really curious about this Ash character cause in my book I’m writing I have a character with the same name. So obviously I’m curious)
YOU DO!! IT’S JUST SO GOOD!! Ash did turn up in the end of Lord of Shadows though! But like yeah…so many questions 👀
Ajhgfdgsgfhgjjhfsd I loved this book sooooo much!!!! I admit, it was a *tiny* bit anticlimactic, but also I don’t care I loved it with my entire heart!! Although same I didn’t ACTUALLY think Emma would die, but like… I feel like she SHOULD have. Even though I’m happy she didn’t. I feel like AT LEAST Jaime or Perfect Diego or someone should have died. Even if nobody cares about them, at least I would have felt horrible for Christina. (Wow I’m a horrible person.)(But somebody needed to die.)
I just adore all the Blackthorns so much though! Mark is soooo precious! And Helen and Aline are badass and fantastic! And ahhhhhhhh I have so many feelings!!! And I loooove Emma and Christina’s friendship! It was so pure! I READ THIS BOOK ALMOST TWO MONTHS AGO WHY AM I STILL THIS MUCH OF A MESS????
I LOVE IT. MY HEEEART. 😍😍 And yes I wanted a bit more death lmao, but maybe we are just heartless monsters over here. I’m also kind of secretly glad it had a nice ending after all the STRESS I went through. But yeah, Diego should’ve died or something at least. 😂 I just love how he got so done with the “Perfect Diego” title and started yelling lmao.
Mark is just afjkdlsd my favourite.
*peeks from behind tbr stacks* oooh, i still have yet to start this series, cassandra clare intimidates me, big time. there’s like 394894283 pages and i dont have the patience or stamina for that 😓
There ARE a lot eep. I caught up most a few years ago because I was way behind.😂But even now I haven’t read the Shadowhunter Academy whoops. I love them so much, so gotta recommend. 😍
My favorite character is Kit moves-to-another-continent-after-getting-rejected Herondale because apparently all my favorites end up being Herondales??? and i really really really adore this series for the simple reason that it ended so perfectly. like i dont even care about emma and julian, and i wouldn’t even have minded if they hadn’t ended up together, or if emma died and julian suffered BUT ALL THOSE OTHER SHIPS! MALEC WEDDING! I MEEAAANNNN IF THAT ISN’T PERFECTION IDEK WHAT PERFECTION IS!
OMG IF KIT AND HIS DRAMA ISN’T SO RELATABLE. 😂 I love him so much …but hATE how it ended with him/Ty ajfslad I assume that’ll pick up in their next series though.
lmao. I LOVE Emma and Julian but I legit was banking on one of them dying. I am so…heartless.😂
GAH! I know this is literal heresy but I … haven’t readanyCassandraClaire.
I said it!
So intimidated and overwhelmed at the sheer VOLUME of them but also the amazing reviews her books have gotten! What if I don’t love it as much as everyone else?! What if I love it TOO much and then I spend all my money and also never leave my room again because of the sheer VOLUME of them?!
help.
AW I get that! There are a LOT. I think a lot of people aren’t super fans of her first series (I am haha) but maybe try one and see? I don’t think the fandom is too rabid. 😂
RIGHT?? RIGHT?!!!
UGH this bok was so long but honestly so much fun to read. And also I was laughing at how you wrote : “heartwrenching traumaaaaa).” with all the a’s. It really shows your appreciation lol. ALSO ALSO the TRAVEL part was rlly rlly nice tho dark bh. ALSO THE ENDING JUST-
IT WAS THE BEST AND I’M SO DEAD STILL AHHHHH. I just wish there were more though, because I already miss the Blackthorns. 😭