A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab.
Published by Titan Books, 2016.
(Paperback)
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.
This series is a masterpiece. I could honestly stop there and not continue further on as I honestly think that the first book is already proof enough of the magic behind V. E. Schwab’s words and stories and of how much of an amazingly talented writer she is. But I love those two books and this series so much that I truly feel the need to rave about it again and again, every step of the way – or book in the way.
A Gathering of Shadows is as amazing as A Darker Shade of Magic if not better by some aspects. The world that Schwab built still amaze and impress me to no ends and makes me want to believe that maybe, magic did exist or does exist. The magic system she came up with is so fascinating and clever that I just want to throw myself at her feet and kiss the ground she walks on.
“Kell would say it was impossible. What a useless word, in a world with magic.”
But to me, what Schwab does best is building her characters. The whole book is a huge hit for me because of its characters and the relationship they have with each other. I already fell in love with Kell, Lila and Rhy in A Darker Shade of Magic but then she throws in a handsome and mysterious captain and a massive plot twist that I didn’t see coming and I am officially done for. I absolutely lovedmy holy trinity – Kell, Lila and Rhy – in this one and felt so much for them, especially for Kell and Rhy. We see a lot more of them and their feelings in this one than the first one and I’m all here for it.
“She bent most of the rules. She broke the rest.”
Now, I have to admit that seeing Lila finally reaching her dreams of travelling at sea and being a pirate and being even more bad-ass than usual was amazing, but what truly blew my mind away was the relationship between Kell and Rhy and how much they love and care for each other.
““What brings you to my room?” he asked, relief bleeding into annoyance.
“Adventure. Intrigue. Brotherly concern. Or,” continued the prince lazily, “perhaps I’m just giving your mirror something to look at besides your constant pout.”
Kell frowned, and Rhy smiled. “Ah, there it is! That famous scowl.” ”
Moreover, in A Gathering of Shadows we see a new side of Rhy, a more vulnerable and darker one than we did before and I loved that. I also loved reading about Kell’s deepest feelings and how he’s trying to cope with what happened in the first book and what it meant for him and his way of life.
“I gave him my life, but you cannot ask me to stop living.”
Beyond the characters and all their awesomeness, there is the story and, oh my. I would have never thought that Schwab would take on the direction she did in this book. I had no idea at all and that is the best part of it all; the surprise and excitement of not knowing what is to come. I have to admit that fort the first 100 pages I was a bit worried about the story as I felt that it wasn’t really going anywhere but this all changed quickly and then, I just could not let go of the book. A Gathering of Shadows just like the first one is full of magic, sarcasm, humour, tension and action but in so many more ways, so much deeper. And let’s not even talk about the last 150 pages that just nearly killed me because of all the twists and anticipation that came with them.
And then, well then Schwab decided to leave us hanging with a gigantic cliff hanger that made me want to rip my hair off. Fortunately, I do have the third and last book in the series and oh my, you can guess how excited and (not) ready I am for it.
Therefore, it is no surprise at all that I ended up giving A Gathering of Shadows a 5/5 stars, is it? And I truly hope that A Conjuring of Light is not going to let me down after those first two pieces of art.
Chloé.
“Everyone thinks I have a death wish, you know? But I don’t want to die – dying is easy. No, I want to live, but getting close to death is the only way to feel alive. And once you do, it makes you realize that everything you were actually doing before wasn’t actually living. It was just making do. Call me crazy, but I think we do the best living when the stakes are high.”
– V. E. Schwab, A Gathering of Shadows –
