Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - Zgromadzenie cieni

Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Zgromadzenie cieni by V.E. Schwab

41 reviews

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!

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bookaholic_in_wonderland's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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creepypiespice's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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toorsdenote's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional slow-paced

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

3.0

Definitely lower stakes than the first book, which was a bit of a disappointment. More Hunger Games than A Darker Shade of Magic. A+ love triangling though.

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maryjames's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

3.0

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claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

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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.

I loved the tension between Lila and Kell when they kept narrowly missing each other (the shop! Kell coming by to pay off her debt...but really to see if she’s come back!!). I liked how Schwab didn’t force them together too soon, which would feel out of character for them. I also liked the Rhy/Alucard pairing, though I’d love to see a bit more backstory for them and their history together. I also hope to see more of the Grey London storyline, because I liked Ned and his curiosity in this book.

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!

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