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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
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Sexual content
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
Oddly enough I thought Lila was a little annoying in the first book. Only enough the roles were switched in the second one between her and Kell lol
Just thought it’d be fun to share
Just thought it’d be fun to share
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Confinement, Murder, Alcohol
Minor: Cursing, Death, Kidnapping
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Self harm, Sexism, Torture
Minor: Child death, Kidnapping, Death of parent
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Loving this series, gives TOG vibes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Blood
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Like the first book in this series, I felt like the action really started about halfway through--there's quite a bit of setup for both Lila and Kell before the plot really gets going. I don't mind, since the setup is generally interesting, though I definitely preferred hearing about Lila's time on the Night Spire rather than Kell's confinement and personal drama. I found I almost didn't care about Oshka and White London and Holland, and that I was somewhat annoyed when the Red London bits were "interrupted" by White London cutting in. The narrators are both very good, and I think having two different narrators for Lila's and Kell's separate threads is an improvement over the first audiobook; it makes it much clearer whose thread we're following. The ending is a total cliffhanger, and I'm absolutely gnawing at the bit and the 12-week wait for a copy of the third book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really liked that in this book we got to know more about the other kingdoms in red London.
I hope it would somehow be relevant in the third book.
I hope it would somehow be relevant in the third book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-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 would say 60% of the book reads as filler setting up the final showdown. The plot drags until it reaches the actual Essen Tasch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Confinement, Murder
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
V. W. Schwab did it again. Usually the second book in a trilogy is weaker but I can’t say that about this book.
Pirated, tragic love, a magical tournament, unexpected twists and deceptions. What more can one ask for?
Pirated, tragic love, a magical tournament, unexpected twists and deceptions. What more can one ask for?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder