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peterkeep's review against another edition
4.0
Well I was really pissed with the ending. not because it's bad, but because it came too soon! I wasn't ready to finish yet!
Another slow burn where in the grand scheme of things not a whole lot happens but the whole thing is entertaining and engaging. I liked Lila's story here, with the change of scenery and addition of some new characters. There was a lot of things to learn about the nature of magic and the parallel Londons, but it didn't feel too much like an info dump. There was some added politics, but nothing too distracting. it's still Lila and Kell and the supporting cast and a great concept.
Another slow burn where in the grand scheme of things not a whole lot happens but the whole thing is entertaining and engaging. I liked Lila's story here, with the change of scenery and addition of some new characters. There was a lot of things to learn about the nature of magic and the parallel Londons, but it didn't feel too much like an info dump. There was some added politics, but nothing too distracting. it's still Lila and Kell and the supporting cast and a great concept.
marygavin04's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? No
4.0
bookswithjk's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
After the way A Darker Shade of Magic ended, I was skeptical about how Schwab would continue the story. This sequel is a very good read, but Kell and Lila proved to be…frustrating.
The main gripe is that the tournament doesn’t happen until well towards the end of the book. The majority of the book is just filler, a lot of Kell and Rhy struggling to adapt to their bond and Lila emerging as “the girl unlike any other”. I’m still shocked that she’s able to use magic so well after some months - she’s definitely shaping into a Mary Sue character.
The main gripe is that the tournament doesn’t happen until well towards the end of the book. The majority of the book is just filler, a lot of Kell and Rhy struggling to adapt to their bond and Lila emerging as “the girl unlike any other”. I’m still shocked that she’s able to use magic so well after some months - she’s definitely shaping into a Mary Sue character.
audreytrml's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It didn’t get interesting until 70% through and by that point I just had to keep going because I hate DNFing but goddamn that was HARD
glassarrow917's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
hannah_ribeiro's review against another edition
4.0
this book was a bit slow, but the angst was so good. and that ending... shook.
justcallmecarol's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
sora_bird's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
5.0
I would pay anything to read this series again for the first time. A gathering of shadows (chefs kiss). The pirates, the games, the magic, the romance! Just amazing.
tealeaf8's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
slow-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
goldrushx's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
as it happened with the first book, whenever kell wasn’t involved i found myself wanting to get it over with so i could get to his part.
lila at sea was mostly tedious for me, maybe because i can’t seem to be interested in pirates at all, the way they’re presented in the book at least. i didn’t feel like there were stakes. except for the highlight which was lila’s relationship with alucard - he grew on me and was certainly an interesting character.
besides that and her exploration of magic (which mostly happened simultaneously), i don’t think there was a lot to explore aboard the spire.
holland, except for his very first appearance when we found out he wasn’t really dead (saw it coming, but enjoyed it nonetheless), how he came to be not-dead, and his plan for kell (very tense and gripping moment), was also tedious.
okja, we don’t even get to know much about her in this book, and i sense there’s a reason for that but still. couldn’t care enough for her.
with all the aforementioned points, i feel like way less pages were needed to develop those plots. they just didn’t work for me.
now, starting from page 180, part V - royal welcome (39% of the book), it’s an entirely different story. it read like a different book! i did not want to put it down.
the entire essen tasch was so interesting. these people from vesk and faro we get to meet, this glance into the intricate diplomacy between the worlds and how it’s actually balanced on a tightrope, alucard’s background, kell fighting, lila managing to get in as well as she further develops her magic, the battles themselves.
calla is delightful and i hope to see more of her with lila. rhy also stole the show with his charm and quick-wit and how much he loves his brother unlike the insufferable king and queen.
but, of course, my favorite thing was the anticipation for lila and kell’s encounter. beautifully crafted. and whenever they were together, it was always so compelling. exactly like this:
lila at sea was mostly tedious for me, maybe because i can’t seem to be interested in pirates at all, the way they’re presented in the book at least. i didn’t feel like there were stakes. except for the highlight which was lila’s relationship with alucard - he grew on me and was certainly an interesting character.
besides that and her exploration of magic (which mostly happened simultaneously), i don’t think there was a lot to explore aboard the spire.
holland, except for his very first appearance when we found out he wasn’t really dead (saw it coming, but enjoyed it nonetheless), how he came to be not-dead, and his plan for kell (very tense and gripping moment), was also tedious.
okja, we don’t even get to know much about her in this book, and i sense there’s a reason for that but still. couldn’t care enough for her.
with all the aforementioned points, i feel like way less pages were needed to develop those plots. they just didn’t work for me.
now, starting from page 180, part V - royal welcome (39% of the book), it’s an entirely different story. it read like a different book! i did not want to put it down.
the entire essen tasch was so interesting. these people from vesk and faro we get to meet, this glance into the intricate diplomacy between the worlds and how it’s actually balanced on a tightrope, alucard’s background, kell fighting, lila managing to get in as well as she further develops her magic, the battles themselves.
calla is delightful and i hope to see more of her with lila. rhy also stole the show with his charm and quick-wit and how much he loves his brother unlike the insufferable king and queen.
but, of course, my favorite thing was the anticipation for lila and kell’s encounter. beautifully crafted. and whenever they were together, it was always so compelling. exactly like this:
she hadn’t been this close to him in months. her skin hummed where he touched her. was that normal? if magic coursed through everyone and everything, was this what it felt like when it found itself again?
these characters are so well written and why i keep coming back for more. starting a conjuring of light asap. for someone who claims to not be a fan of series, v.e schwab has me biting my words.