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adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I love these books so much. Kell and Lila live with me all the time and they are such wild strong characters. I also love Lila being such a fun gender vibe all the time and you never knowing what she will do next. Also the tournament in this book is so fun!! I'm hyped to read the next one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Murder
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really like this series. Definitely felt like a “middle book” of a series in that there was a lot of character growth and set up for the next book. Still really enjoyed all the action of this book and the plot on its own!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I firstly just wanted to preface by saying I was not in the best place emotionally whilst reading this book and I read it for longer then I usually read a book so this possibly has impacted on my review and ratings.
This was a decently good follow up/middle book. I’m a sucker for magical trials and I love the way the scenes were written. The magic and world building is still immaculate: Alcuard has now become my second favourite character and I’m really hoping we see more of him and I loved the secondary romance that developed.
Kell my boy, oh my god you really go through it in this book. It was a whirlwind reading how affected he was by the events of the first book and adding more depth into his characterisation. The romance, the pining & longing oh boy slow burns is how it’s done. I really wish we had more Kell chapters to be honest.
Lila … Lila Bard I have such confusing feelings about the character. Most of the time I admire and like the character a lot in her personality and the way she handles herself. Especially her chemistry with Kell but oh boy did some of her actions and decisions had me stressing. I really was pleased though to see more of the intentions and thinking/reflective process behind why she is the way she is. I really appreciated also this having a bit more of a new adult feel to it.
I adored the writing even more in this one. Some of the quotes/lines really got to me. I enjoyed the illusion and villainous energy of the white London chapters and the pacing/setting of the chapters.
Personally why it wasn’t a five star for me was probably my mood during reading it I would have been more captivated/impacted. I thought the plot focused a little too much on Lila plot and I wanted more of a balance between the other characters plots. I felt personally the ending just rushed a bit so much happened in such a short time. But the cliff hanger and final line got me hooked !!. I also felt it took a bit too long to get to the actual magical trials part.
But other than that such a solid, worthwhile and delightful second follow up. Personally for me does not follow within middle book syndrome and I’m very excited to see how the last one in the trilogy plays out.
3.75/5 Stars ⭐️
This was a decently good follow up/middle book. I’m a sucker for magical trials and I love the way the scenes were written. The magic and world building is still immaculate: Alcuard has now become my second favourite character and I’m really hoping we see more of him and I loved the secondary romance that developed.
Kell my boy, oh my god you really go through it in this book. It was a whirlwind reading how affected he was by the events of the first book and adding more depth into his characterisation. The romance, the pining & longing oh boy slow burns is how it’s done. I really wish we had more Kell chapters to be honest.
Lila … Lila Bard I have such confusing feelings about the character. Most of the time I admire and like the character a lot in her personality and the way she handles herself. Especially her chemistry with Kell but oh boy did some of her actions and decisions had me stressing. I really was pleased though to see more of the intentions and thinking/reflective process behind why she is the way she is. I really appreciated also this having a bit more of a new adult feel to it.
I adored the writing even more in this one. Some of the quotes/lines really got to me. I enjoyed the illusion and villainous energy of the white London chapters and the pacing/setting of the chapters.
Personally why it wasn’t a five star for me was probably my mood during reading it I would have been more captivated/impacted. I thought the plot focused a little too much on Lila plot and I wanted more of a balance between the other characters plots. I felt personally the ending just rushed a bit so much happened in such a short time. But the cliff hanger and final line got me hooked !!. I also felt it took a bit too long to get to the actual magical trials part.
But other than that such a solid, worthwhile and delightful second follow up. Personally for me does not follow within middle book syndrome and I’m very excited to see how the last one in the trilogy plays out.
3.75/5 Stars ⭐️
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Confinement, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Blood, Kidnapping, Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
On round two, we think we know this world, but there is much to continue to explore and unearth. Again, Schwab is truly great at World building in a satisfying way that does reward readers for paying attention to detail. That being said, this book really does feel like that middle chapter in a story, whether that be due to the sudden cliffhanger at the end or the fact of how long it takes for the main event of the book "The Essen Tasch" to begin roughly 340 pages into the story. Don't get me wrong, I like all the subtle drama and back and forth viewpoints of events (which works out really well in some chapters where the event picks up from different POV seamlessly), but for how much the event is talked up, it's a relatively short-lived part of this story. I'm genuinely more intrigued by Lila as we keep going forward, albeit sometimes ya just wanna yell when she makes some choices. Rhy seems like a more well rounded character in this outing and the brotherly conflict and care seems much more genuine. Now to seek out book 3 to find out what Osaron, White/Red London, and Kell/Lila/Rhy have in store!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Self harm, Murder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Stalking, Alcohol, Classism
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love everything about the Essen Tasch and getting to explore the culture that is entwined with the magic systems in this world. A riveting continuation of what is proving to be a memorable story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Blood
Moderate: Violence, Murder
Minor: Death, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Four months after the events of A Darker Shade of Magic, Kell, Lila, and Prince Rhy are all dealing with the fallout and consequences of their actions. As Red London prepares for the Element Games, reunions are on the horizon for our main characters. While everyone has new tricks up their sleeves for the games, something sinister is brewing in another London...
I have mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed A Darker Shade of Magic and I'm realizing it was due to all of our characters' relationships and interactions with each other. This book separates out some characters for a majority of the book and because of that, it felt pretty slow to me for a while. I thought that it took a while to get to the actual plot of the book, and even then, this book felt like mostly filler in the trilogy? I enjoyed the Element Games and wished that had lasted longer or even been the bulk of the book. I loved the addition of our new pirate character, Alucard, though! He was instantly charming and fun and I wanted to find out more about him immediately. And as always, I still love Lila, Kell, and Rhy! All in all, I still liked this book overall, but would like to see a bit more action in the final book!
I have mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed A Darker Shade of Magic and I'm realizing it was due to all of our characters' relationships and interactions with each other. This book separates out some characters for a majority of the book and because of that, it felt pretty slow to me for a while. I thought that it took a while to get to the actual plot of the book, and even then, this book felt like mostly filler in the trilogy? I enjoyed the Element Games and wished that had lasted longer or even been the bulk of the book. I loved the addition of our new pirate character, Alucard, though! He was instantly charming and fun and I wanted to find out more about him immediately. And as always, I still love Lila, Kell, and Rhy! All in all, I still liked this book overall, but would like to see a bit more action in the final book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Self harm, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Death