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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
3.0
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: Violence, Torture, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Ableism
Minor: Classism and Suicidal thoughts
takarakei's review against another edition
adventurous
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
Schwab’s writing had really improved since writing the original trilogy. I’m not sure why I was under the impression that previous characters were going to be less of the focus, but that was not the case! For readers of the original series this is great because we all love those characters, but it does mean this cannot be read without having read the original trilogy. Which is fine! Perhaps I just had a wrong impression. There are new and interesting characters introduced, but I’d actually say more of the book takes place from old characters pov.
Having just read the original trilogy earlier this year I felt a lot of the story was spent explaining things that I already knew. Perhaps this was done for people who had read the series long ago, but I found those parts to be rather redundant. My other criticism is that Schwab tends to tell the same plot point from multiple characters’ POVs without really adding much in each case so there were parts that seemed repetitive plot wise. Overall the plot seemed to be setting up for the rest of this new trilogy.
This was clearly a labor of love for a world and characters the author truly loves. There were many squeal-worthy moments between old characters. Fans of the series will find a lot of fun in this book (hence my personal high rating for this book).
Having just read the original trilogy earlier this year I felt a lot of the story was spent explaining things that I already knew. Perhaps this was done for people who had read the series long ago, but I found those parts to be rather redundant. My other criticism is that Schwab tends to tell the same plot point from multiple characters’ POVs without really adding much in each case so there were parts that seemed repetitive plot wise. Overall the plot seemed to be setting up for the rest of this new trilogy.
This was clearly a labor of love for a world and characters the author truly loves. There were many squeal-worthy moments between old characters. Fans of the series will find a lot of fun in this book (hence my personal high rating for this book).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Alcohol, Homophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Sexual content
deedireads's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? No
4.75
TL;DR REVIEW
The Fragile Threads of Power is everything I hoped it would be. V.E. Schwab is a master plotter, a master of the details, a master of sentences — just a master of everything
For you if: You read the Darker Shades of Magic trilogy (start there!).
FULL REVIEW
The Fragile Threads of Power was possibly my most anticipated book of the year. It has a LOT to live up to, kicking off a new trilogy that follows the bestselling (and a personal favorite) Darker Shades of Magic trilogy. I’m happy to report that I absolutely loved it.
The Fragile Threads of Power is set seven years after A Conjuring of Light, and it heavily features the characters we love most — Kell, Lila, Rhy, Alucard — while also introducing several new (excellent) characters. I don’t want to tell you much more, because I really enjoyed reading this without knowing any of the plot beats, but rest assured that it earns all of its 600+ pages and then some.
Darker Shades readers know this, but V.E. Schwab is a master plotter, a master of the details, a master of sentences — just a master of everything. Our beloved characters are seven years older and seven years harder. They’ve been through it — there was healing to be done after Conjuring that’s largely still in progress — and she’s matured them in a way that can sometimes feel not quite like what you expect, but always feels realistic and true.
I will warn you: There are a few places in the beginning, as she’s piecing together the events of the past seven years, when she tries to stress you out. But have faith, dear readers, she will not forsake you. I also counted two instances where the original canon was slightly broken (I reread Shades immediately before reading this, so it was very fresh), but they are things I can ultimately forgive.
Finally, what an ending!! Thankfully not as much of a cliffhanger as A Gathering of Shadows (IYKYK), but it’s a great setup for more books to come and I cannot WAIT for the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Homophobia and Child abuse
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
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