Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Soap opera-like fantasy series has mature sexual content.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 5 parent reviews
Based on 12 kid reviews
Kids say the book is an enthralling installment in the series, praised for its characters and emotional depth, yet some reviews indicate it could be overly long and contain mature themes that may not be suitable for younger readers. While many enjoy the relatable characters and representation, concerns about the level of violence and romance for a younger audience are frequent, suggesting a need for parental guidance.
- emotionally engaging
- mature themes
- character representation
- lengthy narrative
- parental guidance needed
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In QUEEN OF AIR AND DARKNESS, the Blackthorn family prepares for their sister's funeral in Idris. No one is coping well, least of all Ty, who climbs the high funeral pyre before it can be lit. His brother Julian, always the caretaker, climbs up to retrieve him. Some of the audience remain solemn, but some begin to taunt them. Especially Horace Dearborn, a fanatic who believes the superiority of all Shadowhunters who choose not to mix with faeries and Downworlders like warlocks, werewolves, and vampires. When he becomes the next Consul, it means only bad things for the Blackthorns, with two half-faerie siblings and plenty of secrets. They're targets, which Julian and Emma find out when they're forced to accept his quest to rescue the Black Volume of the Dead from the land of faerie. One of Horace's zealots follows them and nearly kills them. When Mark, Cristina, and Kieran get wind of the danger they're in, they set off for faerie as well. The rescue mission does not go as planned. Julian and Emma fall into a dystopian dimension with little hope of return.
Is It Any Good?
This 912-page volume is more soap opera saga than fantasy tome, with a cast of characters so large and brooding that the otherwise intriguing story falters. Cassandra Clare has always focused heavily on the inner lives of characters faced with horrible choices. That's her strength. But here, with many characters at once facing love problems, family problems, loss, identity crisis, and more, it weighs down the story. And when something big happens, just like in a soap opera, readers must digest pages of dialogue as different sets of characters talk it out together.
When the Shadowhunters are on the move, in the land of faerie and in a dystopian dimension, the story picks up again. Though the land of faerie could have used more description to thoroughly place the reader there. It's much harder to picture than a decimated L.A. landscape. After a climactic battle that miraculously draws this huge cast together, the last 100 pages languish in happy-ending revelry and oceanside smooches. If that's still not enough closure for the series' rabid fans, there's a bonus story, too.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the relationships in Queen of Air and Darkness. What do you think about Kieran, Cristina, and Mark's choice? What problems do they face? How are they similar and different from the many couples in this story?
The dystopian dimension that characters visit packs in a lot of violence and loss. Is it easier to absorb knowing it's not the main reality of the story? Or just as jarring?
This book is more 900 pages long. Is that idea thrilling to you, or off-putting? Could the main ideas of this story fit into 500 pages and still satisfy fans?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Alice Duke
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : McElderry Books
- Publication date : December 4, 2018
- Number of pages : 912
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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