Review: Queen of Air and Darkness

Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare
Narrated by James Marsters
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this, but I didn't love it. It was far too long for starters and there were way too many plot lines going on, some of which never get resolved in the series which really bugs me. This is the final book in a series, but we don't get resolution on alot of things, so I was left wanting at the end of all of it. I understand there are more books coming, but when a series ends, I want it to end and stand on its own. This kind of ends on a cliffhanger, which I don't like only to find out that we might find out more in a different series. I think the upcoming books are going to be great, and I'm looking forward to them, I just didn't like how this ended. The things that get resolved were just too convenient and easy. There weren't repercussions to some of the questionable actions that were taken. They kind of just got swept under the rug because worse things happened. I feel like this could have been broken up into 4 or 5 books like The Mortal Instruments to clean up the the characters and the plot lines so we could have gotten a more comprehensive series to set us up for the next ones.

There are alot of character arcs that seem to have significance, but not in this series. It is all a set up for the next series and I didn't appreciate that. If they had been introduced earlier or played a bigger role maybe I could get onboard, but it just feels like a bit of a marketing plot to sell more books later. I like Cassandra Clare's writing and I enjoy the Shadowhunter realm so I'm going to read her books, but I don't need some random set up to pull me in to some spinoff later. As for the main characters, I loved some of them and just wasn't invested in others. I think that comes from having so many characters and so many plots to follow. I didn't feel that way with the original series.

I will say there are some creative things in this book that you don't expect. I really do enjoy twists and turns in books, but some of them just didn't seem to make sense.

As far as a book summary goes...Julian and Emma are still trying to figure out how to deal with their feelings for each other and avoid the parabatai curse. I'm with many other reviewers on this that this was resolved much to conveniently. This was a major plotline of the series and I wasn't happy with how it played out in the end. I was never really invested in their romance from the beginning so all of their drama was just overkill for me. The Clave is back to its old ways of shunning Downworlders and that charge is being led by the new Inquisitor and his lackeys. Some of the fight was political and some was physical. We see some of the strategic moves made on the page, while others are mentioned and handled in the background. I think some of the resolutions were well played out, while others are still to be determined and I think we'll see them resolved in the future. That takes me back to the beginning of this review where I feel like much of this story still has yet to be told. I still feel invested in the story and the characters to find out what happens next.



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July Wrap Up

I did pretty good with my reading this month.  I didn't do so well with my reviews, but I got the ones done I needed to.  I'll add and update links to reviews if and when I get additional ones posted.  I read some really great ARCs, I checked off a few reading challenge prompts, and listened to several good audio books.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
• I was going to use this for a book about mental health for my reading challenge but I ended up using it for my book about a real person prompt.  This was a pretty interesting read.  Sylvia Plath wrote much of this about her own mental health and her recovery.  I understand she didn't want this published in the US as she didn't want to offend the people in the novel that were part of this time in her life.  I can see why so many people recommend this and why it is an important mental health read.
• The Sea Witch by Sarah Henning
• Review
• This was a fairly original retelling.  It isn't at all what I expected, but in a good way.  I loved the writing.  Its a bit slow paced, but stick with it, the ending is worth it.  I loved the mythology and history that is woven into this beloved tale.  This is out July 31st.
• Nyxia Unleased by Scott Reintgen
• Review
• This was awesome!  The story continues on the planet of Eden, with the teenagers who fought in a Hunger Games like tournament of sorts to make it to the planet.  The winners get to mine nyxia for the corporation they are working for and build ties with the planet's inhabitants.  This story is full of politics, action, adventure, friendship and so much more.  
• Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart
• Review
• This  is another ARC releasing at the end of July.  This follows 2 sisters on a brutal planet suffering from female oppression.  One sister is being groomed to be the heir's subjugate while the other one is rebellious.  The Heir picks the handmaiden not lady in waiting, and the story kind of takes off from their.  Both sisters end up in the opposite place of where they intended and they both have to fight for what they believe is right.  I couldn't put this down.
• Sadie by Courtney Summers
• Review
• I received a paperback ARC of this from Wednesday Books.  It is so captivating.  It is told in mixed media format in the form of traditional novel style and in podcast format.  I picked it up and couldn't put it down.  There are going to be actual podcasts to go with it and I highly recommend it.  This is another one I was drawn in and couldn't put it down.  I really loved this.  This comes out September 4th and you should definitely pick it up.
• Beard in Mind and Dr. Strange Beard by Penny Reid
• DSB Review
• BIM Review
• It is no secret that I love Penny's books and the Winston Brother's series is no exception.  Beard in Mind follows Beau, one of the twins, while Dr. Strange Beard follows the youngest Winston Roscoe.  I've had Beard in Mind on my TBR forever so it was fitting I read it prior to Dr. Strange Beard.  I used BIM as my mental health prompt book for my reading challenge as the female main character suffers from OCD and it is discussed at length in the book.  Highly recommend Beau and Shelly's story.  I received an ARC of Dr. Strange Beard for review and I love Roscoe and Simone.  This is out as of today and so many unexpected things happened in this installment.  We learn some things about some of the side characters, and as always the Winston family is there to provide comic relief and lots of love and support. 

Audiobooks

• A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
• Review
• I think this is the best book in the series by far.  I loved where this one ended and how the story progressed.  I can't wait for the next book.  This picks up where the last book left off and we follow 3 perspectives, Laia, Helene, and Elias.  We also get a cameo of the Nightbringer.  I loved how the story moved along.  Helene is one of my favorite characters.
• The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
• This was a little slow for me.  It was a good detective story, but I found the pacing slow and found myself losing interest frequently.  I just wasn't interested in the story or the characters.  I figured out who did it early on, and the build up to the reveal just wasn't exciting enough to keep my attention.  This completes a reading challenge for a book written by a woman using a male pseudonym.
• Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
• This took me forever to get through.  It was pretty long.  I think I need to go back to reading Clare's books vs listening to them.  I read them much faster than I listen to them.  The narrator was great, but there is so much going on in this with the different plot lines it was hard for me to follow on audio and the timing I had for listening to this wasn't good.  I just didn't have the time to give this good attention.  It is a good followup to Lady Midnight and the plot is progressing nicely.  
• 39 Clues by Rick Riordan
• I was going on a long drive with my kids in the car so I needed something elementary/middle grade appropriate to listen to on our trip.  It isn't very long, but I enjoyed it.  It has good humor, and is perfect for young readers.  While I don't think I'll carry on with the series, my 8 year old has picked it up and I'll hopefully get updates from him.

July TBR

I've got a bunch of ARCs that I've had for a while that come out in July that I need to read.  I'm actually really exited to read all of them.  I've either just been busy with other review copies or just reading other things for my challenge prompts or overwhelmed by life.  Once I get through my July  ARCs I have some challenge books I want to read but I don't want stress out about it. 

What are you planning to read in July?  Any recommendations for me?  I've been reading thrillers and retellings as of late. 

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
• I'm reading this for a book challenge about mental illness.  I picked it up at my library sale and it isn't terribly long.  I hope to get through it fairly quickly.  I've heard nothing but good things about this book.  I started it this past weekend and so far so good.   
• The Sea Witch by Sarah Henning
• This is the 3rd Little Mermaid retelling I've got on my docket.  I've had the ARC for a while and the book comes out in July.   I think this is the 3rd month it has been on my TBR.  I actually it today and the first chapter looks really promising.  This one tells the origins story of the Sea Witch so it is a little different than the others I've read.  I'm really excited to get to it. 
• Nyxia Unleased by Scott Reintgen
• I really loved the first book and I'm excited to see how the story plays out.  There is kind of a Hunger Games/Avatar kind of storyline where a bunch of teens compete for spots to go to a new planet to interact with the native lifeforms because they won't hurt children. The "crew" is supposed to mine Nyxia a new and awesome compound with endless possibilities.  At the end of book 1 they were headed to the planet.  This releases in July as well.
• Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart
• This  is another ARC releasing at the end of July.  This follows 2 sisters on a brutal planet suffering from female oppression.  One sister is being groomed to be the heirs subjugate while the other one is rebellious.  Sounds really interesting.

Audiobooks

I have a couple of things on hold but who knows what will come in when.  I have a fairly long wishlist on Hoopla and there is always something interesting available to listen to in the available now section at the library if none of these work out.  The waiting list is pretty long for a couple of these since they are new releases and popular books.

• War Storm by Victoria Aveyard
• I'm using this to fill a challenge prompt with a weather element in the title.  The last 2 books kind of dragged on for me so I'm hoping audio will help with the pace.  I really like this series and I'm anxious to see how it plays out.  This should be a pretty epic conclusion and I really have no idea how its going to end.
• A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
• This is another new release, and I've only listened to the books.  I love the narrator and I can't imagine reading it any other way.  I really like this series and how it has progressed.  I'm excited to see where the characters go from where they left off in the last book.
• The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
• I listened to The Thief in June and really liked it.  I loved the mythology, the characters, and the politics.  Hopefully the rest of the series is just as good.
• Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
• I recently picked up Lady Midnight and having read all of the previous Shadowhunter books, I'm looking forward to continuing in that world.  It seems to have a very similar story line from the original series with a few new twists.  I've started this one already and it picks up pretty much where Lady Midnight leaves off.  It is fairly long so it will keep me occupied for a while.
• Circe by Madeline Miller
• I love Greek mythology.  I've heard a couple of reviews that this book is a bit slow and I find that audio helps with slower paced books sometimes.  I've also heard really great reviews about this so I'm excited to get to it.  
• Warcross by Marie Lu
• I've read most of Lu's other books, and I've been meaning to get to this one for a while.  I need a cyberpunk book for my reading challenge and this one should fit nicely.  I've heard mixed reviews, but I'm hopeful.

May Wrap Up

I can't believe May is over already.  I had a pretty good reading month.  I didn't get to everything I planned to, but I read some things I hadn't planned on reading at all, I'll call that a win.  I read 3 ARCs, 3 E-books, 2 physical books, and listened to 8 audiobooks.  I haven't had time to write up reviews for eveyrhting this month.  I'm hoping to get caught up eventually.

Ebooks/ARCS

• Bad Boy Brody by Tijan (ARC)
• Review
• I got an ARC of this to review before it came out but it was pretty good.  Definitely an Adult Romance for the 18+ crowd.  It features two fairly broken main characters who find peace in each other.  
• Furyborn by Claire Legrand
• Review
• I really enjoyed this one.  This features angels, magical powers, action, assassins, what more could you want from a fantasy adventure?  I really liked the mythology Legrand created to go with the world
• Beard Science by Penny Reid
• I'm slowly getting caught up on the Winston Brother Series.  I only have one more to go. I've been dying to read Cletus' story, and it not disappoint.  I loved getting to know Jennifer and Cletus, and I always love seeing the rest of the Winston clan.  
• Moonlight Seduction by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• Review
• This is another ARC I was able to review.  I really enjoyed this.  Is suspenseful, got a good romance, and the characters are interesting.  I love that the de Vincent house is almost a character of its own.  You aren't quite sure what to make of it.  I really enjoy this series.  
• The Oracle Queen and The Young Queens by Kendare Blake
• Review
• I recently read One Dark Throne, the 2nd book in the Three Dark Crowns series and was able to pick up the companion novellas.  I recommend them for fans of the series, neither really spoils anything

Physical Books

I do most of my reading on my kindle because its convenient, but I have lots of physical books.  Most of them I've read already, but I do have a large stack that I need to get to some day.  With baseball and soccer season in full effect now that spring is cooperating, I tend to read actual books this time of year.  I don't have one of those cool kindles that you can read in the sun, so my physical books come out during the spring and summer.

• The Martian by Andy Weir
• I picked this up at my library's annual used book sale.  I started it got a couple of chapters in and put it down.  I just couldn't get into it.  I picked it back up and wasn't able to put it down.  I loved all the science and Mark Watney's humor.  I always wanted to be an astronaut but I'll have to settle for vicariously living through books.  I recently purchased the movie so I can continue my enjoyment of the book, I hope the movie is just as good as the book.
• Oblivion by Kelly Creagh
• I read the first two books in this series quite some time ago, but my libary didn't have the 3rd book.  On a whim I checked to see if they had a physical copy, one of the other branches had it and I was able to get it sent to me.  While it was confusing at times, I think partly because it's been so long since I was in this world, and partly because there is so much going on, its a good ending to Isobel and Varen's story.  I really enjoyed all of the dark world building and Poe references.  Overall I really liked the series.

Audiobooks

I didn't have much on my to listen to list for May, but as usual I still got through a ton of audiobooks.  I just kind of went with whatever was available this month.  I normally have a ton of items on hold or on my wishlist.  May was just kind of adhoc.

• A Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
• Review
• After waiting forever for this audiobook, I was surprised to find out that it was less than 4 hours long.  It is a delightful, strange story about one of the side characters in The Kingkiller Chronicles named Auri.  Auri is a strange character and we meet her in The Name of the Wind, she is odd and her strangeness is explored quite a bit in this short story.  I quite enjoyed it.
• The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare
• I loved this.  Magnus is such a great side character in both The Infernal Devices and the Mortal Instruments, but we only get to know a little about the real Magnus.  I love that this is dedicated to him and we get to see his backstory and his true nature.  Part of this are laugh out loud hilarous and the one liners are great.  I really liked getting to know not only Magnus but we also get to know Raphael better as well as some of the other side characters that make appearances throughout the series but may have only had small mentions or minor parts.
• Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
• It has been a while since delving back into the Shadowhunter universe.  I needed a book with a time of day in the title for my reading challenge and I've been wanting to read this anyway.  It fits right in with the series.  It has the same feel as the Mortal Instruments series, forbidden love, murder, paranormal characters, teen angst.  If you are a fan of the original series you'll enjoy this as I did.  
• The Prophecy by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• I've been waiting for this to come out on audio forever.  The book has been out for a while,but I loved the audio of The Power so much I wanted to finish up the series on audio.  This one focuses heavily on the romance between Seth and Josie, so it is heavily contemporary while still maintaining the mythology plot line with the Titans and the action we've come to love that follows the Army of Awesome.
• The Hooker and the Hermit by L.H. Cosway and Penny Reid
• If you read any of my posts, you know I'm a huge fan of Penny Reid, she co-authors this series with L.H. Cosway.  The 4th book in The Rugby Series comes out in mid-June and I still haven't picked this up.  I have a copy in ebook, but I have more time to listen than I do to read so I grabbed it from Hoopla.  I didn't love this, its not bad, it just doesn't fit my taste.  I am going to use this for another challenge prompt for a book written by 2 authors.
• Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
• I picked this up as a challenge prompt for a book made into a move I've already seen.  The movie was pretty funny, and this is the rare time that I liked the move adaptation better.  I really didn't care for the book at all.  The movie was more of a comedy where this was more gruesome and dark.  I think I was expecting it to be more like the movie and because my expectations were different than what I got it really impacted my enjoyment of the book.  Plus I really don't enjoy most zombie books or movies.  Its just not my preferred genre.
• Chainbreaker by Tara Sim
• This is a continuation of the Timekeeper series.  It follows Danny and Colton on another adventure.  Their romance is a bit more intense in this one, and they both are trying to uncover the secret behind clock towers falling in India.  There is quite a bit more action in this one.  
• Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman
• I'm working on this one right now.  Its pretty short so I'm going to count it as completed in May because I'll likely finish it before the month is out.  So far its pretty strange, but I think that is part of the appeal.  I think I'm might be able to use this for another challenge prompt.

May TBR

I have a couple of things I want to get to in May.  I'd like to get caught up on all of the things I didn't read last month, and maybe knock out some of the ARCs I have for June and July to review.

• Furyborn by Claire Legrand
• I started this but I haven't finished it.  It is much longer than I anticipated.  It is really good.  There are angels, elemental powers, spies, assassins, prophecies, so there's alot going on.  This comes out on May 22nd.
• Smart but Scattered by Peg Dawson
• I'm still working through this.  I'm learning alot and hoping to figure out my exective skill strengths and weaknesses as well as those of my 2 boys so we can figure out how to work together instead of against each other.
• Lucky Charm and Charmed by J.A. Armitage
• I need to to get to both of these in May.  I enjoyed the first one and I'd really like to see how the story ends up.  It is an interested reverse fairy tale about Cinderella.
• Beard in Mind and Beard Science by Penny Reid
• These are rolling over from last month.  I've been wanting to get caught up on this series for a while now.  I finished the Knitting in the City series a few weeks ago, and I need to get back to the Winston's.  The next one in the series is coming out in July and I want to be caught up by then.
• Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi
• I keep extending my hold on this.  I really want to get to it.
• The Fragile Ordinary by Samantha Young
• I received an ARC of this via Edelweiss+.  Sam is one of my favorite authors, and while contemporary isn't my favorite genre, I'll read it if she wrote it.  I just love the way she writes and develops her characters.  This will be out in June, but I'm anxious to get to it.
• Moonlight Seduction by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• I received an ARC of this and I'm anxious to continue the series.  I really enjoyed Moonlight Sins, it was a romance, a thriller, a mystery, and had a little bit of paranormal mixed in.  I expect the same from this installment which follows Gabriel another of the de Vincent brothers.  This comes out in June so I'm hoping to get it read and reviewed well ahead of it's release.
• Bad Boy Brody by Tijan
• I just received an ARC of this, it comes out May 7th, so I'm going to read and review that first then back to the regularly scheduled reading program.  I've only recently discovered Tijan, but I really like her writing style.  This one is about a grieving Hollywood starlet turned bad boy.  

Audiobooks

I have a couple of things on hold at the library, the only two I really want to get to is A Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss and Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare.  Lady Midnight is for my reading challenge prompt for a book with a time of day in it plus I've been meaning to get to this book for a while now.  Everything else would just be a bonus.  I'm hoping my library or hoopla gets the last book in the Titan Series by Jennifer Armentrout on audio, it supposed to be out in May I think.

I'm always looking for audio recommendations.  Who are your favorite narrators?  What are your favorite audio books?