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glund_01's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse and Death
Minor: Homophobia and Sexual content
cams's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Reading this book was a comforting hug from my favourite characters and fantasy world.
VE Schwab did not disappoint me, and boy, was I afraid to go back to London since I've adored the Shades series so much.
This book was everything I had expected and more. It was filled with Antari, magic, adventures, thieves, sea, family, ghosts from the past, banter and treason. Perfect.
VE Schwab did not disappoint me, and boy, was I afraid to go back to London since I've adored the Shades series so much.
This book was everything I had expected and more. It was filled with Antari, magic, adventures, thieves, sea, family, ghosts from the past, banter and treason. Perfect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Death
seastheday's review against another edition
adventurous
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
I wasn’t sure how Schwab was going to pull off reviving the Shades of Magic characters for a new series- but it worked spectacularly. I absolutely loved the plot and the way new characters were melded into the mix instead of just thrown in. Their world building is top tier & it’s unlike any other fantasy author I’ve read. The execution is flawless- easy to comprehend and digest. The book was enrapturing and I did not want to put it down. But alas, I do have children, so I was unable to devour it like I previous could in another life.
However, I did notice a few things that were inconsistent from SOM to FTOP. My main ones were that Rhy has fire magic in the first book. It’s not a ton, but it’s there. However, in this book he has absolutely none. But the inconsistent part that annoyed me the most was that, you can’t travel from boat to land/vice versa using Antari magic. But that rule was thrown out the window for FTOP.
However, I did notice a few things that were inconsistent from SOM to FTOP. My main ones were that Rhy has fire magic in the first book. It’s not a ton, but it’s there. However, in this book he has absolutely none. But the inconsistent part that annoyed me the most was that, you can’t travel from boat to land/vice versa using Antari magic. But that rule was thrown out the window for FTOP.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Death
bessadams's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Torture, and Child abuse
Minor: Alcohol and Sexual content
some_random_person_hi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? Yes
3.75
Holland ilysm being in denial abt you dying in ACOL paid off 🥰
All around, felt like fanservice for ADSOM fans but I'm the fan that's getting served so I'm not complaining. Kosika chapters were kinda draggy at times (but also really engaging at other times!) From a pacing standpoint this book has so many problems. I also doubt that it can be understood well/easily/at all by someone who didn't read the ADSOM trilogy beforehand because of the sheer number of characters.
All around, felt like fanservice for ADSOM fans but I'm the fan that's getting served so I'm not complaining. Kosika chapters were kinda draggy at times (but also really engaging at other times!) From a pacing standpoint this book has so many problems. I also doubt that it can be understood well/easily/at all by someone who didn't read the ADSOM trilogy beforehand because of the sheer number of characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Torture, Death, and Ableism
Minor: Domestic abuse, Self harm, Kidnapping, Homophobia, and Blood
Self harm is to get blood for magic.jackiepreston's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Unfortunately I didn't connect with the new characters as well as I did with the old ones. Hopefully the next book will make them more interesting and hopefully the White London storyline will start to connect more directly to everyone else
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Kidnapping, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Moderate: Homophobia and Child abuse
artmuseam's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
currently at a loss for words right now after that ending. i genuinely believe ve schwab is one of the greatest writers of this entire universe and her books will never fail to leave me utterly speechless and yearning for more whenever i finish them! okay, first i will admit that the beginning was a bit slow and it took me a while to adjust having the new characters in the picture since i wanted to gatekeep the returners and always get a bit annoyed when new people take the spotlight (weird habit of mine, i know). BUT once things started kicking off, especially after 1/3 of the book, i was hooked. my love for the shades of magic world exponentially increased during this read and i found myself literally holding my breath in the last parts of the book. trust me, this book is something you do not want to miss!! time to distract myself with other books while i wait for the sequel to come out :,) 4.5/5 stars <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Torture, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing
quinnyquinnquinn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Blood, and Torture
maddiebusick's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol, Classism, Mental illness, Murder, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, Drug use, Grief, Medical content, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Confinement
g_monaghan's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-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
3.25
I adore the characters in the darker shades of magic trilogy however I was slightly disappointed with this book - I thought this novel was a final installment and not the beginning of a new series set in the same world. This is my own misunderstanding but I think the expectation ruined my reading experience slightly, despite this some interesting characters have been added to the mix and the storyline is now set up for a 2 or 3 book installment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Blood, Grief, and Ableism
Minor: Classism and Suicidal thoughts