Hey whatsup hello my name is Emma and today I am starting Queen of Air and Darkness by
Cassandra Clare.
Yesterday was the release day of Queen of Air and Darkness and I had an amazing time
at Cassie's New York City signing.
Yesterday was so fun an amazing but also hectic so I wasn't able to start Queen of Air and
Darkness the second I got it.
But today I am now 86 pages in.
Honestly, not a ton of thoughts yet.
This is only like 1/10th of the book to be honest.
What I will say is that I feel like I have already read so much of these 86 pages.
I read every single snippet that was shared before the release of Queen of Air and Darkness
and I feel like the majority of them do take place in the very beginning.
There's only like a few scenes that felt very new to me.
Also, it is so sad.
The entirety of these first 86 pages that I've read are consumed by sadness and grief
and almost hopelessness and it is very very emotionally heavy to read but it's being
explored beautifully in my opinion and I'm really excited to read more.
I've seen a ton of people online saying, "I'm only on chapter 3 and I've already
cried so much" and I haven't cried yet, but there was one moment where my whole body
was consumed by chills and I just had to take a step back for a minute and take a few deep
breaths because it was just a really impactful scene and so I'm expecting many many more
to come.
I am smack dab in the middle of the final semester and I'm also going away at the
end of this week.
I don't know why Queen of Air and Darkness decided to come at the most inconvenient time
for me but I am going to be trying my very best to read as much as I can.
Today I have an appointment with the gastroenterologist to hopefully find out what's been wrong
with me for the last two weeks and I am sure I will be waiting in the waiting room for
quite some time so I will be able to hopefully get more of Queen of Air and Darkness.
My tripod is currently attached to my sink so I'm really hopeful that my camera doesn't
fall.
It is later the first day and I was able to read more of Queen of Air and Darkness in
between the drive to my doctor's appointment and while I was waiting there, I am on page
135 right now.
I will say that in between Lady Midnight and Lord of Shadows, Queen of Air and Darkness
does get into the plot the quickest out of the three of them.
We have an established mission for Emma and Julian, we get some answers about Jace and
Clary, and there already has been one moment where I'm genuinely shocked at the direction
where Cassie decided to take things.
I never would have expected this in a million years and I'm really surprised at both of
the characters that are involved in this one decision that was made.
UGH I can't wait to dive in in my spoilery discussion when I post it, or when I finish
the book and then post it.
But I am loving Queen of Air and Darkness and I decided that I wanted to take a nice
little bubble bath and read some more because it is hecka cold out and I wanted to find
an excuse to read more of Queen of Air and Darkness.
I'm trying a new tea tonight which is really exciting.
This is a toasty almond black tea, I forget the brand, but I don't normally try new
teas unless Natalia is with me because I am like a strictly plain black tea kind of girl
so adding some almond flavors in there that's not just almond milk . . . Really really good.
It's delicious, I'm excited to drink it in this adorable Christmas mug that I have
and I'm going to lay in the bath and read and I'm really really pumped.
I did absolutely nothing with my night.
I could have been reading Queen of Air and Darkness but no, no.
I wanted to scroll on Facebook and watch videos I don't care about for hours.
I also could have done homework but let's be real, I'm in Queen of Air and Darkness
mode, I will think about homework tomorrow.
I did do one thing tonight and that was finish decorating my bookshelf for Christmas.
And because I also decorated for Halloween and didn't get a single comment complimenting
my decorations, I'm going to shove my decorations in your face so you have to acknowledge them.
So this is the full view and honestly from a distance, it doesn't look that different
other than the tinsel.
I have these cute stockings that spell out "BOOKS" that I got at Target last year
which I absolutely love.
I also have this little music thingamabobber.
You twist it and it plays music.
It has Santa with a little girl on his lap that my mom has and I totally stole it from
her.
I have a tree.
I have a little block that says "Merry."
I got another tree.
I have a snow globe that has snowmen, or actually a snow family in it.
What do you know, another Christmas tree.
Then I have this tree made out of ornaments and basically everything I just showed except
for the "Christmas Wish" music thingamabobber is from Michael's.
And I get that you don't notice them as much in my videos because the size of the
ornaments are pretty close to the size of globe lights that I have.
But I have placed some cute Christmas-colored ornaments all around the first few layers
of my bookshelves which I love.
This shelf is nowhere near as festive because I just don't film in front of it a lot,
but I do have one tree and two tree that are probably from my mom as well and I have this
nutcracker that I think is actually from my grandfather.
I have this little ceramic Santa Claus which is actually a part of a set but I only wanted
the Santa for my bookshelf and I have this Merry Christmas sign that I also got at Michael's
last year.
So now you have gotten the Christmas bookshelf tour which I love.
I just love decorating for Christmas, this is my second year doing it and I did Halloween
which I also enjoyed.
But now I am definitely just going to go read Lady Midnight – Oh my God this is not a
Lady Midnight Vlog, this is Queen of Air and Darkness – I'm gonna go read Queen of
Air and Darkness and make some progress and that's probably all I'm going to do for
tonight and I'm super happy about it.
So my mom and I have been watching Elf for maybe like 45 minutes and I've been trying
to leave for at least 30 but every time I get up she just- Mom:There's a funny scene
so come on, let's go.
Me:No I have to go read Queen of Air and Darkness.
Mom:10 minutes.
Me:Mom it's been 45 minutes.
Mom: The movie's over at 10:00.
Me:Oh ok well it's 9:49 it's time for me to go read Queen of Air and Darkness.
Mom:Why don't you wait until 10:00?
Me: Because I waited 45 minutes.
Me: Say goodnight to the vlog.
Mom: Goodnight vlog . . . But come here!
Me:No (laughs)
I just have to stop and say,
Oh.
My.
God.
I have not even finished reading this scene.
Like I read a line, and I just, I had to take a moment.
And now I'm getting emotional oh my god I have to turn this off.
Okay I'm back.
So I've noticed Cassie Clare does this thing with her conclusions.
It happened in City of Glass which was supposed to be the end of the series.
It happened in Clockwork Princess, it happened in City of Heavenly Fire, and now it has happened
in Queen of Air and Darkness.
Cassie does a great great job at . . . Ohh.
How do I say this without spoilers?
So there is no way for me to explain this point without spoilers but I think it's
a really cool find and I still want to discuss it so mute until this photo of Queen of Air
and Darkness goes away if you haven't read it.
This is the only spoiler filled part of this video.
Basically in every Cassie Clare conclusion thus far, a character dies at the beginning
of the story.
In City of Glass we have Madeline, in Clockwork Princess we have Jessamine, in City of Heavenly
Fire we have Jordan, and in Queen of Air and Darkness we have Dane Larkspear.
Now I don't know if this is something that Cassie does intentionally, if this is like
a conscious part of her writing formula or if it's just something that happened to
occur in all four conclusions but nonetheless, I think it's really cool to have this little
parallel between all stories and now for The Last Hours and The Wicked Powers, I'm watching
you, Cassie.
It is the next morning, a bitch fell asleep while reading.
Right now I am on page like 236 so I actually read like a lot yesterday, I was not expecting
to get 236 pages out of the way in one day.
It's mostly because I'm rejecting all other responsibilities to read Queen of Air
and Darkness but like, what else did we expect?
[yawns]
I stayed up until 1:30 in the morning reading which I haven't done in a hot second
and now I'm so so tired.
You know yesterday I had this whole idea that I'd start getting back to normal today and
that I'd go to the gym and I would start my normal diet because all I've eaten is
carbs because of my stomach, and then my body woke up and was like [shakes head] no.
Honestly though if I did magically wake up feeling fine and went to the gym this morning
[alarm rings] Who asked you?
Honestly though if I did wake up feeling fine I wouldn'tve had time to read this morning
so I guess it's a blessing in disguise.
We got like big reveal that we have been waiting for since Lady Midnight and personally I am
very satisfied by what information we were just given, but I am a little bit skeptical.
I don't doubt it's true but because it was revealed so early on in the book, I'm
like, I have a feeling that Cassie is going to set it up that this is what the characters
are going to be working towards, but it's going to totally change in the end and I have
no idea where things are gonna go.
But I am so excited to dive back in.
So I just want to stop and say, I took a few minutes to really look at the inside cover
art.
But I just got to the part where Christina actually wears this white dress and my immediate
though is "Someone's about to DIE."
If you remember, the Shadowhunter color for mourning is white and when I saw this jacket
in person yesterday or two days ago, I was immediately like "Oh my God, she's wearing
white, someone's gonna die."
And now she's putting it on as they're preparing to go somewhere and all I can think
is "Oh my God someone's literally right about to die" and I'm not ready.
I also have to say, I just audibly screamed not once, but twice on the same page.
It wasn't a scream of fear it was out of satisfaction because I'm so happy this reveal
has finally come and I'm so excited to read more.
I am such a dork.
I'm such a dork, love that for me.
"Maybe I'll be Tracer.
I'm already Tracer.
What about Widowmaker?
I'm already Widowmaker.
I'll be Bastion.
Nerf Bastion!"
So I have been stressing about the fact that I haven't updated you guys in days but then
I realized you're watching this all at once so it doesn't matter how far in between
my vlogs are, you're seeing it at the exact same time.
I have no idea where I left off on my last update but I did go to Florida and I spent
four days at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter with my friends.
So I didn't get a ton of reading done at the amusement park which is why I haven't
been able to update you guys but I did read a little bit more on the plane both ways and
then this morning when I woke up I got to read more so I have so much more to update
you guys on.
Currently I am on page 636 and I'm really close to approaching part three which is the
final part.
I had a moment this morning while reading where I just realized how close I am to the
end of this book and I honestly was like, "Imma put this down now, I don't wanna
go any further."
I really need to like just savor my time finishing this book because I am so not ready for it
to end.
I've read basically the entirety of part two since I last updated you guys and oh my
gosh.
One of the main things that struck me in what I've recently read is just the fact that
I've read two of the most amazing fight scenes that Cassandra Clare has ever written.
It was so visual and well-choreographed.
It was really easy to see all of the different things that were going on during these battles
and honestly I feel that there was just a level of intensity to some of these battles
that doesn't even compare when it comes to a lot of the other fight scenes we've
read in The Mortal Instruments series, they were just all so suspenseful and amazing.
Julian has gone through quite the ringer in this book and honestly, there have been times
where he's been really pissing me of with how inconsiderate he's been to other people
but then I'm also so feeling for him because he's at a really crucial point in the story.
I've been really enjoying getting to see more of not only Kit and Ty because I'm
obsessed with them and can't wait to read more about them in the Wicked Powers, but
it's also been really nice to see Dru integrated into the group more and being included.
And especially Kit being the person that brings them together in this new sort of group.
I really like the dynamic between Kit and Drusilla.
And again, I'm really excited to explore it more in The Wicked Powers.
I definitely have softened up to Kieran at this point in the book.
When I first read Lady Midnight, I hated him and then the second time I read it, I felt
for him a little bit more, like I wasn't as pissed off about him.
And then in my third reread of Lady Midnight and Lord of Shadows I was like, "Nah, nah
I still don't like him."
And now in Queen of Air and Darkness, I'm like, "He has a pretty satisfying redemption
arc."
Although I definitely don't care for him in the way I care for many many other characters
in Queen of Air and Darkness, like, I could tolerate him.
He's fine, like I don't have a problem with him anymore and I'm actually really excited
to see where the rest of his character goes 'cause I think it's very difficult to
foresee at this point.
I've also really enjoyed getting to see more of the characters from The Mortal Instruments
series because they are playing a very central role in the story at this point.
And so, I love them as adults so much and I always feel so blessed when they come into
scenes because I'm so happy that I get to see them continue to grow.
Before I talk about Thule, because I HAVE to talk about Thule, I will say a few of my
theories have come true which is pretty dang cool.
I don't know how exactly they are going to play out in the end because there's still
quite a chunk to go, but Imma pat myself on the back for being right.
This isn't a spoiler, Cassie has revealed that there is this place called Thule that
we go into in the book.
And I've the section in Thule and oh my God.
A bitch was not ready.
Are you making fun of me for repeating myself?
[Doug from the other room]: yeah 'cause a bitch was not ready.
[laughs] Stop it you're distracting me I'm gonna mess up more now.
[Doug from the other room]: the bitch is not ready!!!!!
Stop! [ laughs] (cut 15:18-15:30) I will say, I think the overarching concept of Thule was
like, a little cheesy, but there was just so much about it where I could put that aside
and I just loved every second of it.
I really can't wait to film my review so I can talk about this in depth, but I just-
I loved Thule.
It was so different and so far beyond anything I expected from the story but it really satisfied
me as a reader and I had so much fun with it.
And where I am now, things are about to get very very intense.
I also love seeing Aline and Helen at the Institute and interacting with the rest of
Helen's siblings because Aline's character is so distinct and she has this really strong,
abrasive vibe that I love.
And it just comes across in a great comedic relief way throughout the story, which I've
been loving.
So at the point I am in the story when I last stopped, I'm about to start chapter 27 and
I just know that things are going to get so so intense.
You know how the tagline of Queen of Air and Darkness is "everything changes," well
I can tell that everything about the Shadowhunter world is going to change forever in this last
little chunk of the book and I'm so scared.
I've gone through reading this so excited and so ready to find out what happens.
So I am extremely excited to get back to reading but I do have a bit of a busy day and rest
of the weekend.
I have my final day of grad school coming up on Monday and I have a poster presentation
and a final that day so I have so much to do and I don't known when I will get to
finishing Queen of Air and Darkness but I will of course keep you updated.
So I drove all the way to school to work on my poster but I decided I'm gonna read Queen
of Air and Darkness instead.
[exhales] So . . . I just finished Queen of Air and Darkness [anxious laughing] So I finished.
So, I finished. It's done.
I've read every page of this book.
Honestly, I don't even know how to film this last clip because I feel like everything
I want to say is on the borderline of spoilery and I feel like it would just be better to
talk about in my review.
What I will say specifically about the end of the book is I thought it was really really
great.
Things went in a completely different direction than I expected like honestly, if you had
any theories about how Queen of Air and Darkness and you haven't read it yet, like, throw
them out the window.
You're never gonna guess where things are gonna go.
The Shadowhunter world truly has changed forever.
Cassie made a very bold creative choice that I really loved in the end and I'm just like
so blown away by it and I can't wait to explore it in future books.
As for characters, I have to say, I'm pretty satisfied with the way everything wrapped
up.
Again, it's not what I expected but it just turned out so well and I really loved it.
I'm only upset by the outcomes of two characters and I'm just like, dying inside because
I can't believe things left off this way.
I feel like Queen of Air and Darkness is more of a City of Heavenly Fire conclusion compared
to a Clockwork Princess conclusion and I was expecting it to be more of a Clockwork Princess
conclusion but I'm really satisfied with the way everything turned out, if that made
any sense at all.
The thing that really made me lose my mind, like, literally lose my fucking mind at the
end is this epilogue that was only like 5 pages long, it's so short but like . . . ohmygod.
My throat closed up and my chest got all tight and I couldn't breathe and it was a lot.
It was a lot to process.
Literally the first thing I did when I finished Queen of Air and Darkness is I DM'ed Cassie
and was like, "First of all, I finished Queen and it was amazing.
But second of all, what are you planning!!!!!"
My heart really can't take it.
I don't know how I am going to survive the upcoming years without the sequel series which
is The Wicked Powers, because yes, we have The Eldest Curses and Chain of Gold and other
things coming out, but it's not a continuation of this story and I need it so badly.
Like, I feel like I've never needed something more from a book in my entire life than I
need The Wicked Powers.
Oh my God, what am I gonna doooooo.
Oh and I also LOVED the final short story at the end following Jace and Clary.
Like it was so emotional and so full-circle and I just lost it.
The one very bizarre thing about my experience reading Queen of Air and Darkness is I did
not actually cry once.
There were a lot of moments where I came very close, one involved a certain Blackthorn and
another was the last final story from Clary and Jace because you know they're just my
favs.
But that was just really overwhelmed with emotion and like my nose started stifling
and I felt it in my chest once again but I did not have tears falling from my eyes throughout
the entire book which is very bizarre for me because I cry hard over some Cassie Clare
books.
So yeah, Queen of Air and Darkness was amazing.
5/5 stars as I'm sure you could guess.
I honestly just want to reread it all over again, like I know I say that every single
time but like, this is a 900 page book there is no way I accurately consumed every single
thing that was put into this book and I just feel like I need to read it over and over
again.
Might do that, we'll see.
So that really concludes this Queen of Air and Darkness reading vlog.
I had an amazing time reading the final installment in the third Shadowhunter series, what the
heck!
I will have a Queen of Air and Darkness review coming very soon, I just gotta get through
all these book darts and then write notes about them and then film and upload.
It will be a moment, okay?
Like, give me some time.
So stay tuned for that.
If you have finished Queen of Air and Darkness like myself, I would love to hear your thoughts.
But please please please tag your spoilers because I don't want to be responsible for
people finding out what happens.
But I just so desperately need to discuss this book with other people so let me know
your thoughts, but that is it for this reading vlog.
Thank you guys so much for watching and I will see you soon for a new one.
Bye!!
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