Queen of Air and Darkness

“I whisper your name, Ty. I whisper the most important thing:
I love you. I love you. I love you.”

First, I want to thank Erin for continuing to buddy read with me whether that be Cassandra Clare's books or something else when we are both desperately needing a break from Clare's books. I'm really enjoying our pretty much monthly buddy reads. 

This book had me feeling all sorts of emotions but mainly frustration and anger because of all the stupid ridiculous decisions being made. I swear if there's a bad decision to be made Clare's characters are going to make it. At this point I don't know why I'm still surprised by it because Clare pretty much follows the same formula in all of her books it's just different characters/time periods. 

The best way to describe what happens in this book is that it was a dumpster fire. That's what Erin said to me when we were talking about it, and I thought that was the perfect description. A lot of things happen in this book. I was wondering how the author was going to be able to resolve everything by the end but for the most part she did. The last 25% of it is when things really started to happen. Just when you think things couldn't get worse, they did. There were some resolutions that I really wasn't happy with, but I am hoping we will get more from those characters in future books. Also, something finally happened with my favorite character in this world, and I am so glad we finally got to see it. It was so perfect. Sorry I'm being vague but I'm trying to keep it spoiler free. 

I'm still enjoying the journey of buddy reading Clare's books with Erin even though it's kind of frustrating at times the books are still very entertaining.

3.5 stars
Finally finished this book.
It was entertaining and I enjoyed a lot of it. There were so many things happening and yet this book felt way too long.
I think the most interesting aspect about Julian and Emma's relationship was the fact they were parabatai. The two of them together... the emotional connection was there but the chemistry not so much. Not my favorite couple in the Shadowhunters world.
I enjoyed a lot more some of the other characters like Dru, Ty, Kit, Diana and Gwyn. Even though I did enjoy Clare, Jace, Alec and Magnus' moments in the story, it felt like they had too many. That meant there were a lot of POVs and a lot of subplots that felt a little unnecessary.
That being said, there were a few important topics discussed in the book and I liked how it was done. The antagonists in the story, and what they were doing in pursuit of their evil objectives, were engaging too (even if sometimes it felt almost like Valentine 2.0 events).
The Blackthorns as a family are so incredible and I loved their moments together.
I wasn't a fan of the ending. Some aspects of it were well done, but how it ended... opens the door to refocusing (again) on characters the future stories should be moving on from. Not that I don't want those characters in the books, that will pick up the events after this book, but I don't think they should have such a chunk of page time.
Overall, a solid, entertaining conclusion to this trilogy.

4.5/5

Después de leerlo por segunda vez no entiendo tantas críticas negativas, lo único que le saco negativo es como se resuelve todo lo de la maldición, pero todo lo demás es tremendo, en fin, stan familia Blackthorn

I have realized the issue that I have with all of Clare's books and that is the fact that there are SO MANY. I am horrible at remembering details of books, especially if it has been years since I've read them, and there are too many overlapping characters in her novels - characters in which I don't really remember anything about their background. Part of this is my fault because I have not read any of the novellas, so I know there are a lot of character story details I am just missing in general. I love the Shadow Hunters world, but there is simply way too much to try to keep up with.

As far as this specific book goes..... the thing that bothered me the most was Emma and Julian's relationship. I found it very irritating when Julian asked Magnus to turn off his feelings, and the whole time Emma was like “my Julian” this and “my Julian” that. Her whining over and over again about him being different just really got on my nerves. Not just with Emma and Julian, but with the majority of the characters, I feel like romance was too much of a focal point. Not every character in a book has to have a romantic partner.

Relatedly, Emma and Julian just turned into giants out of nowhere????? And just started destroying everyone?? That whole scene was bizarre and cringy to me, especially when their family thought that just talking to these giant beings that could crush them with one flick was going to make everything okay. And later, when their parabatai marks just got stripped out of nowhere - like they didn't even suffer any consequences of their feelings and decisions - everything just worked out so nicely for them. Part of me wanted something bad to happen in the end, but instead everyone stayed alive and everyone got what they wanted. I understand happy endings, but sometimes I want there to be a little bit of suffering.

Also, the battle scene lasted way too long in my opinion, and it didn't feel like a battle. My vision of Dru and Tavvy had them chilling on the outside of a fence or something while there's danger happening right in front of them and somehow basically no one noticed they were there.

Also, Ty and Kit trying to raise Livvy from the dead was a build up to a bunch of nothing. (I'm assuming this will show up again in a later book?) Sometimes, it's just best to let dead characters be dead.

Also, WAY TOO MANY points of view. I like a little multiple POV, but not changing every paragraph. There were so many different storylines that it was hard to keep up with.

I know this is a lot of negative - the reason it got 2 stars was because I enjoy the ShadowHunters world, although it just didn't feel the same as TMI or TID. TDA is my least favorite out of the 3. Hopefully by the time I read The Last Hours (not anytime soon though since the whole thing isn't out and I KNOW I'll forget every single thing that happened by the time the third one comes out), I'll at least read a little bit of background information about the indefinite endless amount of characters.

I really wish I liked this trilogy but it was a torturous experience.
All the characters were bland, yes even the returning characters from the authors other series who I loved.

This trilogy relies heavily on characters. Characters 1st, plot and story second. So if someone didn't like the characters then is the story enjoyable at all since the characters and their relationships are always there?

estoy llorando, no puedo creer que mi trilogia favorita haya acabado.
cassandra nunca decepciona peace out

Sólo puedo decir que Wow! He alucinado con éste libro e igualmente con los anteriores, pero con éste ha habido algunos giros que me han gustado mucho. Al principio me costó mucho empezarlo debido a la muerte final de “El Señor de las Sombras”, recordar ése momento fue duro y los primeros capítulos se me hicieron cuesta arriba, pero una vez pasado eso todo ha sido un no parar, me sorprende que Cassandra todavía nos pueda sorprender de esta forma y sólo le puedo agradecer todo lo que ha escrito y lo que escribirá porque te llena de unos sentimientos tan intensos o por lo menos para mí que se disfruta de una manera muy especial y sencilla.

4.75*
It could have been a little bit shorter, but love Cassandras writing style.

2nd read Feb 2020This book is big and so epic. Like, it is epic at a level that Clare has not reached before, and I assume it will only become bigger as we move on to The Wicked Powers in a few years time. However, this is also the main reason why it has half a star knocked off its rating because it is not a finale. Yet it is marketed as such. So, okay, rant:
I get the reason; Clare writes her stories in trilogies and the only reason why TMI is a six books series is because the last three were not part of the original plan when the first was published. I love TMI and I think it makes sense for that series to be one single series, but could of course easily be read as two seperate ones. TID works easily on its own as a trilogy and it makes sense to me already that TLH will also be its own trilogy (I've yet to read TLH though, but I highly suspect). The Wicked Powers, however, is a direct continuation of the plotline in TDA, this is obvious not only because of where the plot goes and will continue to go, but because we will be dealing with the characters we already know well from this series (not the same mains, but we know them well enough and in LoS and QoAaD they even have their own storylines). I believe TWP will be two or three years into the future but it will undoubtedly be a continuation of the fallout from TDA, and because of that QoAaA is not a finale, which makes it somewhat unsatisfying with two many strings still to be tied up, so I had to knock of half a star. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Okay, rant over, let's continue.
I loved Ty and Kit working on scary shit that you know is going to go wrong. Like, it's a recipe for disaster yet I still think it works.
The book is so long that I feel like it's hard to distinguish where it began from where LoS ended, which I think speaks miles about the journey we go on throughout and the epicness of it all that I've already mentioned. We go beyond in this one, and it's awesome (and also the reason why the ending is not satisfying enough). Although, I do think towards the end we get a little too much magic. It might sound weird to say, but you know, to the point where you sort of lose sight of where the limit is, you know what I mean? And that's a bit of a problem, but I do think Cassie will put a lid on it somewhat in the future. There were also a few times where it suffered from being just a tad too convenient for my taste. And by now I've mentionend several things to take down the rating of the book, and yet I still only knocked off half a star, but guys. Guys. THE BOOK IS MORE THAN 900 PAGES LONG. I mention the problems because they stand out among all the greatness of the book!
It was hilarious how they tried to play off Julian's ruthlessness as less than, because we all know he would kill any bitch to protect his family. Like, he has no quamls about it whatsoever. And that's why we like him! (at least I do.)
I loved loved loved seeing more of Diego and Jaime in this one, and I especially loved seeing Diego and Kieran spending time together. Though it was brief, it was chef's kiss. Kieran in general, actually, he has my heart. Seriously, Kieran, you want it? You can have it, here. It's yours.
Drusilla is also an absolute darling, and I can't wait to have more of her in TWP and I'm even more excited about her storyline in regards to Ash and how all that will go down. I'm sure Jaime will be part of it somehow but I very much hope he will be a side character, who just pops up occasionally because otherwise... yeah, we don't want that. Ash, yes. More Ash, please, and thank you.
I'm super excited for more of Kit in TWP too (and obviously Kitty), but also because I just want to see how comfortable he becomes in the life he's chosen, I really want that domesticity.
Honestly, me talking about everything I'm looking forward to, really just drives in the point that this is not a finale, IT IS A MIDDLE BOOK.
Diana was amazing, Christina was amazing, Jia Penhallow was fucking great, and HELEN AND ALINE. OH MY GOD, DID I GO THIS ENTIRE REVIEW WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT HELEN AND ALINE???? Queens, my badass lady wives, I loved seeing their relationship, it was open in an entirely different way than Magnus and Alec (because we know how Alec is), and I just had such heart eyes for them. such queens, the both of them.
I love the family moments, though they are few and far between in this one, but whenever we get them it's amazing. The family dynamics have always been one of this series' key selling points, and I think it's so wonderful.
The more I know of faerie, the more intrigued I am (which is actually the opposite reaction of the first time I read TDA, where I was always hesitant about the parts in faerie. I've come to appreaciate it so much more). Everytime we visit, there are new things to discover about the place, things that are entirely unknown to at least the reader and often also the characters.
Anyway, this has gotten really long, I think it's time to close up my thoughts.
It's a fantastic book. I love all of the charcaters. I adore the last 50 pages. I'm so excited about what comes next. It was not a finale.
Fin.

I've put my first review of the book as spoilers because, while I don't think it reveals major plot points, it does mention a few things that I feel could be easily classified as spoilers, so... read at your own discretion.

1st read5 stars
Spoiler
Oh my god, Jace and Clary at the end. Clary is always so weirdly worried that Jace doesn't love her, and it's just like.... dude. he literally went to hell for you. what more does he need to say????

as for everything else:
oh my god. oh my god. holy shit. i can't even. the marriage, it was so beautiful, like i can't even. this was so good, it literally doesn't even feel like a finally finale, like i mean it does because of how it ends but also THERE ARE SO MANY NEW QUESTIONS! i can't even believe it's over. these will never be main characters anymore. i'll have to wait like a bajillion years to get the next part of ty and kit's story. of ash's story. dru's story. oh my god. like i just can't, i'm so done but i'm also so NOT done, like holy shit, i need another book continuing this story line ASAP! Thule Jace is so scary and he gives me the creeps, i just, shit man, why is cassie so good?? i had really hoped for things to go differantly with ty and kit, but i'll have to wait for new books for that to happen and it's literally going to take like six fucking years I CAN'T. At least there's The Last Hours to keep me company along the way from like november 2019.... I'll just cry myself to sleep, thanks. 
But wow, man. That was so good. It's just so good. I love Cassie's world, her characters, I love them so much.

this is without a doubt a three star book because cc doesn't know how to write books that aren't overly long with unnecessary scenes that essentially detract from the plot BUT i'm rating it four stars for kit/ty and mark/kieran/cristina

4.5

When I saw the new Cassandra Clare book the first thing I thought was “Wow, it's massive”, it would appear that Clare is trying to outdo herself with each subsequent installment in The Dark Artifices series and at nearly 900 pages this one is a hefty undertaking for any reader. Following up from Books 1 and 2 in this series, Lady Midnight and Lord of Shadows this book picks up immediately after the end of Book 2 and the impact of the ending of that book which left many readers shocked and heartbroken.

From there we follow Julian and Emma, our main protagonists for this series as they cope with the resulting chaos and try to help all the different children of the Blackthorn family to cope. Alongside this we have their ongoing concern about the growing love for each other and how this is going to drive them to evil as they are sworn parabatai and how it is forbidden for parabatai to fall in love. What is great about this book is that right from the outset we have much more than just the Blackthorn family on the pages, we have Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane, Gwyn and Diana, Kieran the son of the Unseelie King and all the characters we have come to know and love through this and the other Shadowhunters series'. It's a very collective book featuring everyone we've met so far and with the result a couple of times I had to go and google what exactly had happened in each characters storyarc up to this point just to make sure I had everyone straight.

Initially I was really enjoying this book, I flew through the first few hundred pages and was pretty invested but then I began to tire a little. Why? Because, I really began to get frustrated with the number of pages that were dedicated to the same ongoing dramas. If we talked about Julian and Emma's love for each other and how they shouldn't be doing it and their parabatai bond once we did it a million times. Each chapter seemed to feature a segment where this was front and centre. Alongside this we had the Mark, Christina, Kieran love triangle/threesome where if we heard it from one of their perspectives we had to hear it from all, Mark talked to Christina, Christina talked to Kieran, Kieran talked to Mark and on and on and on it went going round in circles. Again this was featured so often my eyes began to glaze over. This repeating of plot points throughout the book added at least 400 pages and the further I read the more it annoyed me.

As if this was not bad enough we then featured a section of the book where we reintroduced characters we thought had died books and books ago. Sebastian was back, I mean really did we need to revisit that old chestnut again? Mortal Instruments is most people's least favourite series and that's because Clare is meant to have grown since then and I was not the biggest lover of this storyline first time around so why did I need to live it again? And mean Jace was back, from the time Sebastian had him under his control, again this was from books and books ago and now I felt we were just recycling plot points.

And then we had the ending, the great showdown between the Unseelie army, the Cohort and our heroes. I was really into it and was quite engaged and then that thing happened with Emma and Julian, I'm not going to spoil but it just infuriated me. It was so much a recycling of how Clare always resolves complex battles. It's been done in Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices could we please not have found a slightly different way of winning the day? I hated it. Why can we not just have the Shadowhunters win through the wits, their friendships, politics and their alliance with the Downworlders instead of some cataclysmic thing happening to save their skin? And then the twist at the end, don't even make me go there, the ending of the Epilogue was not a “OMG” moment just a “Please not again!” one.

All this said there were bits of this I loved. I loved the Kit storyline, I wanted so much more of that. We kept getting hints of it all the way through but we'd touch on it and we'd move on so fast. I wanted to really delve in there and find out more. We've been teased about this through all 3 books in this series so I felt a little cheated not to explore it more. I also loved the time we spent in the Unseelie court this felt like we could have explored it more, the politics, the fact of how Kieran was loved by his father's people whilst his brother was useless. This was another aspect I really enjoyed but it felt undersold.

And then we come to Magnus. I love him so much. He is the only reason I am still reading these books. Each and every single time he's on the page it sparkles, he is vibrant and he's funny and he's honest and real and his story arc could be massive. He is the one factor that joins everyone together and he holds all the cards from the past and present. What kept me reading through all the mush in these books was Magnus. I cannot wait for The Red Scrolls of Magic and a book dedicated to Magnus and Alec. The ending of this book was so beautiful for Magnus and I really felt happy with where we went.

I wanted so badly to love this book but of the series it felt the weakest link. I pray we are going to be taking a little break from Emma and Julian for now. Not sure I could face them again for another novel. I pray we focus moving forward on Magnus through the new trilogy dedicated to him and Alec and I am excited for the new historical Shadowhunter novel Chain of Gold which is due for release in late 2019 as surely if we go back in time we won't be able to feature some of the newer characters we have become so stuck with and can explore some new aspects of the world.

Only a 3 out of 5 stars for me, I didn't love this one.

Even though I was always talking about waiting for the release of Kingdom of Ash, I forgot that this is the book I've waited for the longest amount of time. And my first thoughts are that it was worth it. It made me laugh and cry, feel thrilled and tense and horrified and I couldn't have asked for a better reading experience.

The story starts off almost immediately after the end of Lord of Shadows, so it's very emotional for most of the first part. Clare captures the various kinds of grief that everyone in the family feels very vividly and we as readers are not exempt from feeling the same. It was very difficult to keep my tears at bay when all the Shadowhunters bade goodbye to Livvy and I kept hoping that nothing like that would happen again.

The story then follows various different tangents as we explore more of the Fairie lands, Idris and the Brocelind Forest. There is also a very new realm - almost like an alternate dimension - that some of our heroes travel to, which is horrible and dreadful but also gives us great insight into how little differences in history can have very far reaching consequences in the future. 

The writing is very fast paced, with twists upon unexpected twists revealed in quick succession, always keeping us on our toes and playing a guessing game as to who is loyal to whom, and when the next betrayal will occur. Cassandra Clare is also excellent at writing multiple romantic plotlines but never taking us away from all the action - which is exactly what she does here too. Many of our favorite ships are in peril and it was very exciting to see them face their fears and prevail over the dangers that want to harm their loved ones. All the various storylines converge to give us a thrilling battle and I could not have asked for a better ending to this trilogy.

Why I find The Dark Artifices trilogy so much more interesting than the previous ones is because of how realistic all the issues feel. We've always known that there exists lots of prejudice in the Shadowhunter community and it has shown in ugly face multiple times, but the emergence of the Cohort, the politics of hatred and trying to control the minds of the people by fear mongering is too close to the current state of Western politics. The ways in which the Dearborns and others use scare tactics to rile up everyone against the Downworlders and their supporters, even going as far as to imprison their own people mirrors our reality so uncannily, that I was amazed and horrified because I could see no end to it. The book doesn't offer us clear cut solutions because sometimes, such pure hatred and prejudice can't be purged easily, but it shows that everyone should fight for a just cause, for love and family and whatever is right; not out of malice and cruelty towards others.

This trilogy has also been about family - the one we are born into and the one we choose. This spirit is predominant through every single page, every single person fighting and sacrificing for their family and there is one single scene during the battle that truly embodies the strength of the Blackthorn family - one that gave me goosebumps and filled my heart with pride for these wonderful characters.

There are so many great characters here that I can't possibly write about all of them and do them justice. Our central ones are still Emma and Julian, still trying to escape their curse and find a way to be together. They each go through some very dark moments here, but the other is always there is to protect and that is true strength of their relationship. Nothing will stop them from having each other's backs.

Ty is the one who struggles the hardest with the death of his twin, but never shows it. He decides to deal with his grief by traversing forbidden paths and I'm not sure if we have yet seen the complete consequences for his actions. Kit is torn between his desire to be with Ty every step of the way and to do the right thing. I did not expect the explosive truth about his heritage and though the issue seems rested for now, I think it's going to be very central to whatever the next series is.

Dru is a definite revelation in this one. She has lost a sister too and with Julian and Emma on a mission far away, she feels very alone in her grief but it also strengthens her resolve to do whatever she can to protect her remaining family. She finds her voice in this book and it was wonderful to see her actions really turn the tide in the war. She is going to be one formidable Shadowhunter in the future and I can't wait to see more of her adventures.

My most favorite part of this trilogy has always been the Mark, Keiran, Christina love triangle and I was quite scared about their fate, because I didn't want to choose. I adored the progression of their relationship here - the uncertainty, the vulnerability, the all consuming love - it's all depicted so beautifully that I just wanted more. And I especially thought the character development of Keiran was marvelous and we get to know so much more about his true character.

Diana is such a powerful formidable character that even the Cohort is scared of her. She is so fearless in the face of peril and I loved that she always stood true to her convictions.

It is also always nice to see old favorites and it was a delight whenever Jace, Clary, Alec, Magnus, Tessa and Jem show up. They all play important roles in trying to resolve the conflicts and it felt great to see them more grown up and contemplative. The last chapter (not the horrifying cliffhangery epilogue) was utterly beautiful and I don't think I could have asked for anything else.

Despite that tense epilogue, I thought the arcs of all the major characters are resolved pretty well and this book will definitely leave you satisfied, even if a bit emotionally drained and bittersweet. However, the Shadowhunter world has changed in unimaginable ways, both good and bad, and I'm even more excited to know what happens next. I really don't need to recommend this book to anyone because if you love this universe, I know you will read it.