✨ A ✨ 's Reviews > Queen of Air and Darkness

I actually thought this series had the potential to become one of my favourites, maybe even be as great as TID (lol what was I thinking). Alas, it seems QoAaD follows in the many footsteps of final books of a trilogy - good but not as good as the first two.

⚠ If you have not read book 1 & 2 (Lady Midnight and Lord of Shadows), do not go any further ⚠



“This is the nature of having a soul, Kieran, and a heart. We all stumble around in the dark and we cause each other pain and we try to make up for it the best we can. We are all confused.”


Chapter one opened up exactly where Lord of Shadows left off. And for some reason I was not expecting that.

There I am, reading the first page and I'm already crying? Cruel Cassie, just cruel.

I was an emotional wreck during the first few chapters. And had to pause every so often because of how much I was crying.


After the chaos that Annabel leaves in her wake, the Blackthorns and Emma are (understandably) grief stricken. But there are still many problems and enemies around. Julian and Emma are sent to Faerie to retrieve the Black volume from Annabel, while the rest of the family and Cristina head back to Los Angeles to find an antidote to the blight and warlock disease.

Zara Dearborn and the Cohort become more than just a little problem. They manage to use the chaos to their advantage and the Shadowhunters are now facing a civil war.

Just when Emma and Julian are close to a solution to their love predicament, Livvy's death and Annabel's crimes knock everything they had planned off course. And though Emma is also shattered, she has to be strong for Julian and the Blackthorns.


I could feel Julian's grief as if it were my own. The lengths he goes to in this book to keep himself together so that he can do what needs to be done was heartbreaking. Honestly Julian is such a great and complex character. I think Cassie really did a good job with his arc.

His whole life had been built around exerting control over himself, over the mask he showed the world, and now it was cracking.

The whole Blackthorn family (+Kit+Diana+kieran) are precious to me. But I'm not going to speak about them in this review. I'm going to just get to the reason why I lowered my rating.

The first half of this book was great and I really liked it. But then the excessive cameos and over used themes started to get to me.

But the real reason was the most anticipated parabatai curse reveal. After all that build up .... I burst out laughing (view spoiler)[when it turns out they turn into giant nephelim. (hide spoiler)]. That whole scene was ridiculous I couldn't believe it. It was stupid and weird and ruined the book for me.

I get that Cassie will be continuing the Shadowhunters franchise but I'm a little tired of her ending a series with cliffhangers that ensure that people are desperate to read her next books which we have to wait a billion years for.

A well rounded off Cassie Clare series is all I ask for, honestly.
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My reviews for:

The Infernal Devices Series
Book 1: Clockwork Angel
Book 2: Clockwork Prince
Book 3: Clockwork Princess


[Sorry no reviews for TMI, I read it too long ago and don't plan to re-read]

The Dark Artifices Series
Book 1: Lady Midnight
Book 2: Lord of Shadows


The Last Hours Series
Book 1: Chain of Gold