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taryn_g's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Child death and Homophobia
Minor: Sexual content
lucygraham_27's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Murder
Moderate: Grief, Death, Sexual content, and Death of parent
lizgriffinwords's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
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
Perfection. No notes.
Okay, some notes, but only good notes! Schwab is a genius. The tension does NOT LET UP. Get the tissue boxes ready around page 450 because you’ll need them. The character dynamics among the entire cast are immaculate! I never want to leave this world.
Okay, some notes, but only good notes! Schwab is a genius. The tension does NOT LET UP. Get the tissue boxes ready around page 450 because you’ll need them. The character dynamics among the entire cast are immaculate! I never want to leave this world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content
alicew4k's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Homophobia
escapismforlife's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
As usual V.E. Schwab' fantasy world in the city(s) of London is amazing. Not to mention the magical characters. Also Rhy who is one of the best royal prince character ever. I never thought I would appreciate a character with that name but here we are.
The magicians are literally the central focus of this books plot. It's a differenf level of the dangers one person can bring in a city unprepared again. And I loved every second of this series conclusion. From how it continued seamlessly from book two. To the revelations of power and relations. It was such a journey that I can't wait to come back to read.
The magicians are literally the central focus of this books plot. It's a differenf level of the dangers one person can bring in a city unprepared again. And I loved every second of this series conclusion. From how it continued seamlessly from book two. To the revelations of power and relations. It was such a journey that I can't wait to come back to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Death, Self harm, and Violence
serena_hien's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content
lavenderbluestories's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Torture, and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Sexual content and Self harm
abbiemarie's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Sexual content, Homophobia, and Death of parent
cellyphane's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Currently grappling with the hole in my heart that this trilogy is going to leave.
I truly don't know what to say after having finished A Conjuring of Light. It has broken me and remade me in many ways. I added this series to my TBR so long ago, so having finished it I thought I would feel very accomplished, but instead I feel empty yet complete.
In a lot of ways, I am impressed by Schwab's writing. She does an excellent job at gripping you with gorgeous and heartbreaking prose, while also leaving room for exciting action and compelling romance. I cried (a lot) because her depiction of grief is especially gut wrenching and personally meaningful to me.
As I think about it more, there are certainly flaws, all of which make me feel that this book is closer to a 4 star rating. Admittedly, I can personally overlook some of those flaws more than others can, though I'll be transparent about my thoughts on them.
For one, I think the romance could have benefitted from more character development. While it certainly made me squeal, I still felt the romance was lacking because much of it depended on a natural chemistry rather than deeper emotional connection. We see our characters have vulnerable moments, yet when it comes to the romantic pairings specifically, that vulnerability is far less salient in their interactions, particularly between Kell and Lila.
That is, in large part, a result of their own character arcs. I've seen many already discuss it, but Lila's arc is somewhat disappointing. As someone who really enjoys character driven plot and development, Lila deserved more. Her arc is littered with themes of belonging, home, freedom, vulnerability, etc. yet they aren't explored. It's especially apparent when you compare the arcs of more minor characters to hers. They recieve heartwrenching flashbacks, giving us more insight into who they are, but Lila's arc isn't given quite the same effort beyond the same grief she's already been dealing with.
That brings me to discuss Schwab's use of death. For the most part, I think Schwab handles it well, describing death, grief, and mortality in beautifully heartbreaking prose. However, I must ask as to whether some of it is necessary.Some minor character deaths were more obvious than others, and while they need not always serve a purpose, it becomes excessive when all they add is grief rather than any development, not to mention how much of it is soon forgotten.
That being said, I still strongly feel that this book deserves at least 4 stars, and I'll be honest: I am definitely being more subjective here. I described many flaws, yet much of them are ones I personally overlook while others many not. From start to finish, I was immersed. Despite my thoughts on the romance, it was still exciting and squeal-inducing. The action and adventure was phenomenal, alongside the impending sense of doom. The multiple perspectives are ultimately something I really enjoyed and valued, and they all maintained purpose, which isn't always easy to do. Lastly, the world-building and magic remained absolutely gorgeous and was easily one of the best parts of this series.
Overall, I felt satisfied with the ending, as well as the entire trilogy, and I will miss it dearly. I have no regrets about investing my time into this series, and I strongly believe many others would benefit from reading this wonderful end to the Shades of Magic trilogy.
I truly don't know what to say after having finished A Conjuring of Light. It has broken me and remade me in many ways. I added this series to my TBR so long ago, so having finished it I thought I would feel very accomplished, but instead I feel empty yet complete.
In a lot of ways, I am impressed by Schwab's writing. She does an excellent job at gripping you with gorgeous and heartbreaking prose, while also leaving room for exciting action and compelling romance. I cried (a lot) because her depiction of grief is especially gut wrenching and personally meaningful to me.
As I think about it more, there are certainly flaws, all of which make me feel that this book is closer to a 4 star rating. Admittedly, I can personally overlook some of those flaws more than others can, though I'll be transparent about my thoughts on them.
For one, I think the romance could have benefitted from more character development. While it certainly made me squeal, I still felt the romance was lacking because much of it depended on a natural chemistry rather than deeper emotional connection. We see our characters have vulnerable moments, yet when it comes to the romantic pairings specifically, that vulnerability is far less salient in their interactions, particularly between Kell and Lila.
That is, in large part, a result of their own character arcs. I've seen many already discuss it, but Lila's arc is somewhat disappointing. As someone who really enjoys character driven plot and development, Lila deserved more. Her arc is littered with themes of belonging, home, freedom, vulnerability, etc. yet they aren't explored. It's especially apparent when you compare the arcs of more minor characters to hers. They recieve heartwrenching flashbacks, giving us more insight into who they are, but Lila's arc isn't given quite the same effort beyond the same grief she's already been dealing with.
That brings me to discuss Schwab's use of death. For the most part, I think Schwab handles it well, describing death, grief, and mortality in beautifully heartbreaking prose. However, I must ask as to whether some of it is necessary.
That being said, I still strongly feel that this book deserves at least 4 stars, and I'll be honest: I am definitely being more subjective here. I described many flaws, yet much of them are ones I personally overlook while others many not. From start to finish, I was immersed. Despite my thoughts on the romance, it was still exciting and squeal-inducing. The action and adventure was phenomenal, alongside the impending sense of doom. The multiple perspectives are ultimately something I really enjoyed and valued, and they all maintained purpose, which isn't always easy to do. Lastly, the world-building and magic remained absolutely gorgeous and was easily one of the best parts of this series.
Overall, I felt satisfied with the ending, as well as the entire trilogy, and I will miss it dearly. I have no regrets about investing my time into this series, and I strongly believe many others would benefit from reading this wonderful end to the Shades of Magic trilogy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
3.0
Okay, I know a lot of people love this series and more power to you! I just thought this last book was too long. A lot of the plot feels too drawn out, and even if the characters make up for it (most of the time), it just still felt too long. There didn't seem like much of a point as to what was happening? Maybe it just needed a better edit.
Hands down, Alucard and Rhys were my absolute favorites and I would 100% read a book about just them. I loved their interactions, their relationship. It just worked so well for me. Kell and Lila had some chemsitry, but there wasn't a spark like there was for Alucard and Rhys.
While I get that there's this big bad villain, it didn't seem like he had too much motivation? A lot of the magic also seemed a bit too convenient, especially when it came to Lila. Pieces of her character arc were to be expected, but there was also no explanation for a lot of it. Actually, there was a lot of just forgetting about the past and why things were the way they were. Maybe I just wanted more explanation.
All in all, this is an enjoyable series, I just wanted something different from this final novel.
Hands down, Alucard and Rhys were my absolute favorites and I would 100% read a book about just them. I loved their interactions, their relationship. It just worked so well for me. Kell and Lila had some chemsitry, but there wasn't a spark like there was for Alucard and Rhys.
While I get that there's this big bad villain, it didn't seem like he had too much motivation? A lot of the magic also seemed a bit too convenient, especially when it came to Lila. Pieces of her character arc were to be expected, but there was also no explanation for a lot of it. Actually, there was a lot of just forgetting about the past and why things were the way they were. Maybe I just wanted more explanation.
All in all, this is an enjoyable series, I just wanted something different from this final novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Torture
Minor: Self harm