book review: a gathering of shadows // v.e. schwab
Series: Shades of Magic - Book 2
Genre: Fantasy + (New?) Adult
Synopsis:
It has been four months since a mysterious obsidian stone fell into Kell's possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Prince Rhy was wounded, and since the nefarious Dane twins of White London fell, and four months since the stone was cast with Holland's dying body through the rift--back into Black London.
Now, restless after having given up his smuggling habit, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks as she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games--an extravagant international competition of magic meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries--a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.
And while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night will reappear in the morning. But the balance of magic is ever perilous, and for one city to flourish, another London must fall.
Rate: 4.5 / 5 ⭐
"Magic and magician must between them balance. Magic itself is chaos. The magician must be calm. A fractured self is a poor vessel for power, spilling power without focus or measure from every crack."
Review:
Personally I didnt like this book as much I as loved the first one. This doesnt mean that it wasnt good. It was. I loved the event they added, the Essen Tach (a tournament between lands in Red London).
The sequel is more about exploring Red London's history and politics. And also introduces us to Alucard who is the captain of a pirate *ahem* privateer ship which is where we find Lila for the first half of the book. Lila in this book did get a bit on my nerves with her reckless and brash moves but slowly she grew on me. Kell on the other hand (one of my faves) just amazed me with his abilities time and again. My favourite is his relationship with his brother, Rhy, the love he has for him is just so.. so precious. Rhy is also another one of my favourite characters in this book. I loved his character development, the charismatic guy with a hidden layer of self doubt and self loathing.
One thing I loved about this one is that it didnt feel like a filler book. Usually the second book has a huge chunk in the middle that is stagnant and doesnt provide for the plot at all. But thankfully this book gave us an insight in the worlds along with the characters. It felt like a bridge that had the right information and details to connect the story from the first book to the finale.
And obviously I am in love with this trilogy so let's continue onto the third book's review (:
*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
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