Queen of Air and Darkness is the third and final book of the The Dark Artifices trilogy.
Description[]
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 Livvy 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 "blight" 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.[1]
Chapters[]
The chapter titles are taken from Edgar Allan Poe's The City in the Sea.[2][3]
Part One: Feel No Sorrow
Part Two: Thule
|
Part Three: Lady Vengeance
Epilogue |
Characters[]
Shadowhunters[]
- Emma Carstairs — one of the most skilled Shadowhunters of her generation, Emma takes a stand against the Cohort while racing against time before the parabatai curse destroys them and everyone they love.
- Julian Blackthorn — the patriarch figure of the Blackthorn family, Julian struggles with the loss of his sister, Livia, while fighting his feelings for Emma to delay the activation of the curse, all the while continuing to take on an active role in the battle against the Cohort and the Unseelie King.
- Mark Blackthorn — half-faerie, half-Shadowhunter, Mark's heart is divided between Kieran and Cristina while he tries to save his family and friends.
- Cristina Rosales — Emma's best friend, Cristina finds herself falling for Mark and Kieran while attempting to save the ones she loves and finding a way to put the Cold Peace to an end.
- Ty Blackthorn — Livvy's twin brother, Ty is unable to accept his sister's death and instead tries to find a way to bring her back.
- Kit Herondale — a descendant of the lost Herondale line, Kit reluctantly helps Ty in his quest to raise Livia and unknowingly becomes the target of the Riders of Mannan for an even bigger secret his father has been keeping.
- Dru Blackthorn — second to the youngest Blackthorn, next to Tavvy whom she constantly looks after, Dru is frustrated at not being allowed to help with "adult" matters for being too young but constantly makes discoveries around them.
- Helen Blackthorn — the oldest of the Blackthorn siblings, Helen, recently returned from Wrangel Island with her wife, Aline Penhallow, struggles to find her place back with her family and in her new position as co-head of the Los Angeles Institute.
- Diana Wrayburn — the tutor of the young Shadowhunters of the Los Angeles Institute, Diana is in a relationship with Gwyn and actively fights the Cohort.
- Diego Rosales — a Centurion from Cristina's past who stands up against the Cohort.
- Jaime Rosales — Diego's younger brother and keeper of the Eternidad.
- The Cohort — a faction of Shadowhunters who seek control of the Clave and purge the world of Downworlders. Most notable members consist of Horace Dearborn, Zara Dearborn, and Manuel Villalobos.
- The heroes of the Mortal and Dark wars, namely: Clary Fairchild, Jace Herondale, Alec Lightwood, Isabelle Lightwood, and Simon Lewis.
Downworlders[]
- Kieran — the son of then Unseelie King, Kieran goes from outcast Hunter to the Unseelie Prince forced to take action for the preservation of his kind with the Shadowhunters on the brink of a war.
- Gwyn ap Nudd — the leader of the Wild Hunt, who is in a relationship with Diana Wrayburn and sets aside his differences with Shadowhunters to help fight against the Cohort.
- Magnus Bane — High Warlock of Brooklyn, Alec's fiancé, and one of the most powerful warlocks, Magnus is running out of time as he becomes afflicted by the mysterious warlock illness.
- Unseelie King — the King of the Unseelie Court.
- Seelie Queen — Queen of the Seelie Court, always dealing with and tricking Shadowhunters to get what she wants. Her ultimate goal is to retrieve the one the King had stolen from her.
- Oban — an Unseelie Prince and Kieran's brother who has allied himself with the Cohort.
- Ash — a boy kept under lock and key in the Unseelie Court.
Gallery[]
Art[]
Editions[]
International covers[]
Trailer[]
Special content[]
- First edition: The limited first printing of the book contains ten black and white illustrations and a full color poster printed on the back of the book jacket by Alice Duke, as well as a short story, A Love That Never Tires, that functions as a sequel to A Long Conversation.[4]
- Fifth anniversary edition: A special edition by Simon & Schuster UK to be released on September 14, 2023 to commemorate the book's 5-year anniversary since its first release. It includes an introductory letter from Cassandra Clare and a bonus letter from Kit to Jace Herondale.[5]
Trivia[]
- The book picks up right where Lord of Shadows left off, though there was originally supposed to be a time jump of about a week.[6] The main events of the book spanned about a week,[7] with one part taking place around three weeks after the main story,[8] and the epilogue taking place about two weeks after.[9]
- The title is a reference to the poem Her Strong Enchantments Failing by A.E. Houseman.[10] It can also refer to Mab, Queen of the Faeries in Romeo and Juliet, amongst other folklore.[11][12]
- As with Lady Midnight and Lord of Shadows and its eponymous characters, there is a character called "Queen of Air and Darkness": Annabel Blackthorn.
- Annabel is also featured on the cover. She is wearing a red dress, which in Shadowhunter tradition is "to call enchantment down," and has no runes, a reference to a certain section in the book. Like the previous Dark Artifices installments,[13] the character on the cover is also underwater. The backdrop features a distorted image of ruined skyscrapers, and a ruined highway.
- Cristina Rosales is featured on the spine of the book, marking the first instance where the cover and spine characters differ.[12] Mark Blackthorn was originally intended to be on the spine,[14] but this was later changed, in part because the publisher was unwilling to feature a male character on a book with the word "Queen" in the title.[12]
- This book is told from several points of view, namely: Emma, Diana, Helen, Mark, Cristina, Kit, Julian, Diego, Dru, Ash, Jace, Alec, Manuel, Kieran, Clary, Magnus, and the Seelie Queen.
- The book was initially slated for release in 2019, after Chain of Gold,[15] but in September 2017, it was announced that the release order of the two novels was switched, partly because of writer's block on Chain of Gold but also because the publishers "wanted to keep the momentum from Lady Midnight and Lord of Shadows going."[16]
- As a pre-order incentive, US citizens could get a promotional copy of the Classics Reimagined booklet if they submitted proof of having preordered the book.[17]
References[]
- ↑ Queen of Air and Darkness on Amazon.com
- ↑ "All the titles are taken from Poe's City in the Sea." Cassandra Clare on Tumblr
- ↑ "All are taken from Edgar Allan Poe's poem The City in the Sea." Cassandra Clare on Tumblr
- ↑ Cassandra Clare's January 2018 newsletter
- ↑ Cassandra Clare's May 2023 newsletter
- ↑ "About a week." Cassandra Clare on Tumblr
- ↑ "... QoAaD happens in a short period of time — like a week —" Cassandra Clare on Tumblr
- ↑ A Love That Never Tires, a Queen of Air and Darkness short story
- ↑ "About two weeks after the last chapter ends." Cassandra Clare on Tumblr
- ↑ "The Queen of Air and Darkness" — Cassandra Clare on Tumblr
- ↑ "And yes, the Queen of Air and Darkness can refer to Mab," Cassandra Clare on Tumblr
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Queen of Air and Darkness" — Cassandra Clare on Tumblr
- ↑ "They're all underwater, like sunken cities." Cassandra Clare on Twitter
- ↑ "Mark will, however, be on the spine of the book..." Cassandra Clare on Tumblr
- ↑ Books, books, books — Cassandra Clare on Tumblr
- ↑ Cassandra Clare Newsletter from September 2017
- ↑ Shadowhunter Army October 2018 newsletter