Reviews with content warning for Xenophobia - Queen of Air and Darkness

I have so many emotions about this book and most of them are good :D

It took me 8 months to finish this book, not because it wasn't good but because it is 893 pages long and I couldn't afford to drown in that many pages because I am a student and if I had let myself to that I would've let many things slide. So instead I read a lot of shorter books and now I finally, finally managed to finish this one.

Honestly, I have by now made my peace with Cassandra Clare books in the sense that I don't expect a perfect fantasy book with the perfect romance and no plot holes because that is seldom what you get (in general as well). I expected quite a few of the solutions and plot twists and while the solution to the big problem felt a little too easy to me I couldn't really mind in the end. I was just so happy that no one else had died and that they could catch a damn break :D

<spoiler > I spent most of the book being mad at Ty for attempting something as stupid as necromancy (although of course I get that he is devasted) and mad at Julian for being another guy that thinks magically making his feelings vanish is going to solve his problems. Poor Magnus really can't catch a break from Shadowhunter boys turning up at his doorstep looking for help. But I think Ty will do well at the Scholomance and Julian also finally got his shit together.

When your twin leaves the earth you live on, it never turns the same way again: the weight of their soul is gone, and everything is off balance. The world rocks under your feet like an unquiet sea. I can't tell you it gets easier. But it does get steadier; you learn how to live with the new rocking of the new earth, the way sailors gain sea legs. You learn. I promise.

Anyways, I friggin loved Christina and her relationship with Mark and Kieran (who I expected would become king) and I'm so happy they found a solution that will make it possible for them to spend time with each other but they also all have their own path to take now. I'm happy for Diana and Gwyn, for Helen and Aline, for Emma and Julian, for Jace and Clary, for Simon and Isabelle and most of all for Magnus and Alec. Because god damn if those last few chapters didn't make me yell into my pillow out of pure happiness. I don't care if it was kitsch (which usually I do) it was absolutely beautiful with Alec's spontaneous proposal because he gets to make the rules now as Consul, everyone preparing the beach and wearing their marriage runes and warlock blue, the runes, the rings just ... ugh sometimes you just gotta be a sap about it okay? Leave me be.

“And when one day people look back on me and what my life meant, I don’t want them to say, ‘Alec Lightwood fought in the Dark War’ or even ‘Alec Lightwood was Consul once.’ I want them to think, ‘Alec Lightwood loved one man so much he changed the world for him.’ ”

“We will stay as close to you as the tide to the shore,” said Kieran. “Neither of us wishes for anything else.” He reached out a hand. “Please believe us, Lady of Roses.”

Of course the epilogue had to give us the hook for the next books and I think it wasn't hard to guess that the Queen of Faerie would stay peaceful for long. I am interested to see where this will continue to go.

Content Warnings

wordswoods's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

leahsbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I've come to notice that CC series always seem to have some things in common: strong female protagonists, characters who don't always think through the consequences of their actions, love triangles, and perhaps the most frustrating thing, CLIFFHANGERS AT THE END OF A SERIES?!?! Why? There is literally no need for that nonsense. I completely understand (although I don't always appreciate) having a cliffhanger at the end of a book IN a series. But when I come to the end of a series, I expect things to be neatly tied up with a freaking bow on top. Instead, I'm left hanging and waiting for a book that hasn't been written yet. I'm a bit frustrated, and it definitely impacted my rating. *end rant*

The story picks up right where Lord of Shadows ends. Literally, which surprised me a bit. It was so painful watching the family go through their grief in their own way, while also dealing with their own individual issues at the same time. You know, the Emma-Julian forbidden love, the Cristina-Mark-Kieran love triangle, Ty and Kit's super secret plan, Dru feeling left out of everything, and Helen trying to reintegrate back into the family.

In addition to all of this stuff, there was a lot of other chaos occurring. The situations in Faerie, the situation between the Shadowhunters and the Cohort, and the tension between the Cohort and the Downworlders all come together to create a perfect storm. It also creates a number of plots to follow in the story, all of which converge magnificently, although I was all about it up until the very end. I kind of felt like it detracted from the story in a way, which also impacted my rating.

The book is huge, but it's fast paced and features a lot of my favorite characters from previous books. I was thrilled to see them reappear and play such a big role. The whole time, I was honestly waiting for the members of the Cohort to be on the receiving end of some serious payback. This was a seriously dark book, and it really brought up some echoes of actual history. I guess I'm just going to have to go ahead and wait an unspecified amount of time for the next series to come out to find out what happens next.

Content Warnings

typedtruths's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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