Reviews with content warning for Death - A Conjuring of Light

Reviews tagging 'Death'

A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab

116 reviews

trintrin's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-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

5.0

Arnesians had a dozen ways to say hello, but no word for good-bye.

When it came to parting ways, they sometimes said vas ir, which meant in peace, but more often they chose to say anoshe—until another day.

Anoshe was a word for strangers in the street, and lovers between meetings, for parents and children, friends and family. It softened the blow of leaving. Eased the strain of parting. A careful nod to the certainty of today, the mystery of tomorrow. When a friend left, with little chance of seeing home, they said anoshe. When a loved one was dying, they said anoshe When corpses were burned, bodies given back to the earth and souls to the stream, those left grieving said anoshe

Anoshe brought solace. And hope. And the strength to let go.

Tears were spilt, smiles were given, nails were bitten, fists were clenched, relief was felt. Beautiful worlds, beautiful characters, beautiful writing, beautiful plot, and a beautiful conclusion.

Anoshe.

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sofiadanielle's review

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adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

Ah, the world of Shades of Magic completed and done. I’m honestly saddened by the loss, but so entirely grateful to have read the series.

For me, A Conjuring of Light was definitely the strongest book of the trilogy. Schwab makes 600+ pages fly by- almost in a way that I wish I could slow it all down.

I think I’ll remember this story for a very long time; I’ll hold these characters close with me.

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marine2907's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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shadowspinner's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad 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

5.0

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grrr8_catsby's review

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Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

A Conjuring Of Light is the last entry in the original Shades Of Magic trilogy (with rumors of a brand new Shades Of Magic trilogy on the horizon). While an improvement over its predecessor, A Conjuring Of Light suffers from being a sequel.

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.

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asipofcozy's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful 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

4.5

Going into A Conjuring of Light I didn't have many expectations as I found the 2nd book to be slow and lacking in the plot department, man was I blown away by this book in the first 20 pages.

Schwab has a way of writing tense scenes, mixed with lighthearted banter, mixed with real emotions. You could feel the pain and frustration of the characters when it was needed but you could also feel those moments where they were trying to make a good/funny situation out of a bad one. The bantering was never misplaced.

I felt overall this has to be one of the best books I have read in a while with really great character development. I felt by the end that many of our characters had the closure they needed to move on from there pasts. Yet at the same time there was that pain still lingering, that everything while not great would be okay one day. Kell, Lila, Rhy, Alucard, and Holland have come such a long way since A Darker Shade of Magic. Each have grown into themselves and their power.

I could definitely see myself picking up more books by V.E. Schwab. If not for her amazing plot and worldbuilding then for her ability to create loveable and rich characters.

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audrey5's review

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I think that the other books in the trilogy where much better than this one... I still loved it though! A lot of the the things said and done in this book made me slap my fore head and cringe but it was kind of funny too.

I will say that the part where Alucard's sisters dies and he just starts flirting with Rhy makes me really confused... Like you just had this traumatic experience and your going to flirt about the scars?

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