Queen of Air and Darkness By Cassandra Clare

Synopsis/Summary:

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 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.

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

This book is the third novel in The Dark Artifices saga from Cassie Clare; and, you probably must be tired of hearing only good things from it, but that is the pure truth: it is outstanding. Bear in mind that these three books have come to be my favorite saga as well as Cassandra Clare my favorite author. During this last book, you are going to see more about the Cohort. Yes, prepare to hate them even more, and after Livvy’s death at the end of LOS (where my eyes got dry after terribly crying) everyone in the Blackthorn family is prepared for the worst.

Like the previous ones, this book has it all. The world-building is excellent. Throughout the story, there are many places where the characters are located, including the Seelie and Unseelie court (the fey’s land), Idris, the Los Angeles Institute, and more ;). Emma and Julian go on a mission to seek the Black Volume of the Dead and in order to do so, they will have to travel through the fae land where no angelic power is useful. All the missions, how they overcome the obstacles presented, and the construction of the world are wonderful. You can really visualize where they are and why it is that they are not secure in that place. Through the description, you can see and understand the difficulty of the assignment and the danger found in a simple drink or a silly dance. The risk of the unknown and the menace of the known. All in this saga.

Even though Cassandra Clare publishes books quicker than I drink a glass of water- when you read one of hers you can appreciate the delicacy and effort she put into it. It is so well planned, everything has a repercussion in the future, nothing slips her fingers and nothing is there without having a meaning. In my opinion, she writes so well that she even made me fall in love with a sword. And if you have read The Dark Artifices you know that I am talking about precious Cortana. I think no author except Cassie is able of achieving that for an audience. The words written in Queen of Air and Darkness are like tiny gold knives that will cut your heart and soul in half.

Moreover, be prepared to find more meaningful appearances from characters that were protagonists in the previous sagas. Jace, Clary, Magnus, Alec, Jem and Tessa. You will see how they take part in this new adventure with new enemies but also new friends. You will see their evolution from the last time when they were only children fighting against the dark and now being all grownups with a completely mature mind.

Out of the three, this book is the one that made me suffer the most. I loved it and I am sure you will love it too; But, before reading it, prepare the bandages to heal the injuries this book will inflict on you. Once you have that in mind, be free to start the book and enjoy it because it will be the last thing you will read about these glorious characters as protagonists.