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Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Kidnapping, Pandemic/Epidemic
i had moments where i was seriously frustrated with the characters, but it made me love them all the more, bc they were doing things that perfectly fit them and just showed how fleshed-out these characters really are. lila's my favorite fictional character of all time at this point. kell, alucard, rhy, and holland are all the great loves of my life as well but no one can top lila. i'm also biased bc we're birthday twins, but that didn't affect my rating. probably.
the romance subplots were phenomenal. the magic system was as stunning and fantastical as in the first two books. an absolutely incredible, thrilling finale to my new favorite series. i immediately bought the fragile threads of power and can't wait to dive back into this world. i cried for the characters, i cheered for them, this book ran me through a whirlwind of emotions and i will be recovering for a long time to come. even the slower parts, like the flashbacks, still captivated my attention and had me craving more. that might not sound like it makes sense but if you read it you'll get it. and you should absolutely read it. there was not one thing in this book that i felt like didn't belong.
i read this series through KU, bought the paperbacks to annotate, and got the collector's edition box set. schwab is my new favorite author, this is my new favorite series, and i'm never changing my mind. i will recommend this series, and all of their books, until the day i die.
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Self harm, Sexual content
Minor: Confinement, Kidnapping, Alcohol
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, War, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Sexual assault
Graphic: Death, Gore, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Torture, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: War
Minor: Sexual content, Pregnancy
Sometimes the book felt a bit too long, especially the first hundred pages or so but that does not take much from Schwab's writing style, it is just easy to forget that the scene cover barely a week and not, say, two.
On the other hand there are some things I forgot that had me shocked when I remembered.
Every plotline had a logical and satisfying ending.
Recommend for being one of my favourite series.
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual content
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Outing, Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail
Part of the charm of A Darker Shade Of Magic was it's self-contained story; while the stakes in A Conjuring Of Light are considerable higher, it feels like an inorganic extension of A Gathering Of Shadows. In fact, A Conjuring Of Light literally opens where A Gathering Of Shadows left off. This second part of the Shades Of Magic series (both A Gathering Of Shadows and A Conjuring Of Light) is a massive story to tell, totaling 1,133 pages. However, it feels as if the story was cut in two segments and padded for length. There are some legitimately exciting sequences in this book, but there are also several that drag on; pacing has been a major issue for these last two installments.
Contrary to what you have read already, I really did enjoy A Conjuring Of Light; in fact, I have thoroughly enjoyed Shades Of Magic overall. It is my willingness to point out the things I didn't like that would change this from a book that I really enjoyed to a book that I loved.
Peripheral characters are finally given sections that help flesh out their characterization, but this is nothing compared to the major salvaging that certain characters receive. Both Lila Bard and Holland receive wonderful character work in this entry, and turn from annoying main characters to important (and, more importantly, enjoyable) pieces of the story. Again, the magic system feels fresh and exciting, and it is thrilling to see characters display mastery over the elements. Battle and action is fast, detailed, and reads as a major motion picture or video game should.
The ending of Shades Of Magic concludes satisfactorily, while, of course, leaving the door open juuuuuuuuuust a little to allow for another set of adventures in the future.
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Gore, Hate crime
Minor: Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Gore, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail