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nebraskanwriter's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
No plot.
This book suffers from “middle book syndrome”. The magician games served absolutely no purpose to the overall story, it’s just filler. Kell and Delilah don’t even meet back up for the first time in 4 months until about 80% into the book. It isn’t until 95% into the book that action actually starts happening that moves the plot forward. The rest of the book is just fleshing out the characters, Lila on a ship with mischevious pirates, Kell & Rhy navigating their new bond and then the magician games.
For an audio book that is over 16 hours long, how did nothing happen until literally the last 30 minutes? I’m both astounded and amazed that Schwab can write such a long book where literally nothing happens until the very, very end.
Side note: the two narrators did an amazing job, they were both so good and super engaging. I feel like if they hadn’t been so amazing, I probably would have DNF’d this book.
This book suffers from “middle book syndrome”. The magician games served absolutely no purpose to the overall story, it’s just filler. Kell and Delilah don’t even meet back up for the first time in 4 months until about 80% into the book. It isn’t until 95% into the book that action actually starts happening that moves the plot forward. The rest of the book is just fleshing out the characters, Lila on a ship with mischevious pirates, Kell & Rhy navigating their new bond and then the magician games.
For an audio book that is over 16 hours long, how did nothing happen until literally the last 30 minutes? I’m both astounded and amazed that Schwab can write such a long book where literally nothing happens until the very, very end.
Side note: the two narrators did an amazing job, they were both so good and super engaging. I feel like if they hadn’t been so amazing, I probably would have DNF’d this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Violence, Cursing, Death, Murder, and Confinement
reddeddy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i am just *inhales*……Delilah Bard…..you are insane….but you’re also a fucking badass…..i had some issues with this book through the middle and towards the end, but that ending….i’m kinda shook…..that final line gave me literal chills.
overall a solid sequel, and im so looking forward to the last one, especially after that cliffhanger…i mainly had issues with some of the character development, especially Lila, because i feel like she doesn’t get the same kind of nuance as Kell or even Rhy, especially with everything going on, it feels like she doesn’t ever get the same emotional depth the others do, but hopefully in the next book she will!
overall a solid sequel, and im so looking forward to the last one, especially after that cliffhanger…i mainly had issues with some of the character development, especially Lila, because i feel like she doesn’t get the same kind of nuance as Kell or even Rhy, especially with everything going on, it feels like she doesn’t ever get the same emotional depth the others do, but hopefully in the next book she will!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Death
Moderate: Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Classism, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Ableism, Confinement, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Cursing, Dysphoria, Grief, Torture, and Sexual assault
Minor: Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Dementia, Misogyny, and War
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-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
4.0
I appreciate the way that VE Schwab builds on the world in this book, giving us more about the magic system. Especially how it relates to other areas outside of London. The magical tournament was probably my favorite aspect of this story. While magical tournaments aren't new, I enjoyed the way it was written in this, and Lila's determination to join even if she isn't the most skilled magician.
Rhy might be my favorite character in this; I just think he is one of the most interesting and complex. Kell and Lila aren't terrible, but I found Lila to get a bit repetitive towards the end of this book. Becuase I didn't really realize how long this book was!
Overall, I do think this book suffers a bit from second book sydrome, especially at the beginning. It felt like it was a little longer than it needed to be, but I guess there is some build up for the third book. Which I'll definitely be reading, because I still need to know how it ends!
Rhy might be my favorite character in this; I just think he is one of the most interesting and complex. Kell and Lila aren't terrible, but I found Lila to get a bit repetitive towards the end of this book. Becuase I didn't really realize how long this book was!
Overall, I do think this book suffers a bit from second book sydrome, especially at the beginning. It felt like it was a little longer than it needed to be, but I guess there is some build up for the third book. Which I'll definitely be reading, because I still need to know how it ends!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Murder, Self harm, and Gore
Minor: Cursing and Kidnapping
creepypiespice's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Self harm, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Cursing
the_wandering_wisp's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Death
Minor: Cursing
claudiamacpherson's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
4.5
Lila has managed to find her way aboard a privateer’s chip (naturally, she is very disappointed that it isn’t a real pirate ship) and convince the charming Captain Alucard to give her lessons in elemental magic. When Alucard turns his ship back towards London for the Essen Tasch tournament, Lila begins to hatch a daring plan. Meanwhile, both Kell and Rhy are chafing against their new bond. Desperate for his brother to let off some steam and stop treating him like glass, Rhy enters Kell in the tournament under a false name. In another world, someone believed to be dead makes a deal with a power older and more dangerous than they can imagine.
It’s rare that a sequel captures the magic and heart of the first book, and rarer still when it improves upon it. This is one of those books. I enjoyed A Darker Shade of Magic, but I really loved A Gathering of Shadows. The expansion of the world—both with Lila’s adventures and the new nations introduced during the tournament—made the story feel richer and deeper. Alucard was a great addition to the cast of characters, and definitely gave me Sturmhond (of Shadow and Bone) vibes with his humor and cunning.
Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just the vibe of the ending): Cliffhanger, which is to be expected from the second book in a trilogy. Hopefully I can get my hands on the next book soon!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Violence
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts
jinglesmell1337's review
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Violence, Murder, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Cursing
yodareads12's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was so good and reminded me why I fell in love with V. E. Schwab after reading the first book in the series!
This book continues to follow the adventures of Kell, Lila, and Rhy. There is an epic game involving magic and some other unexpected visits from some new and old characters.
For those who've never read the first book, this series is about 4 different Londons (Grey, Red, White, and Black) and the different levels of magic contained within each one. Few can pass between them and we get to follow one of those few on their adventures.
I highly recommend for anyone who loves Fantasy! There is very mild cussing in the books.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing
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