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A review by rainbowofcrazy
A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
dark
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
I really liked Book 1. So I was really excited to tackle Book 2, and I liked it even more than the first!
I love Kell and Lila and Rhy and their whole dynamic is adorables. I forgot how much I missed Kell and Rhy's banter. I loved how Kell and Lila found each other again. The author leans into the "female lead is quirky and not like other women" trope.. but honestly it doesn't bug me much in this series because Lila's whole thing is figuring out who (or what) she is anyway. I am down for this ride.
I liked how the characters grow through the second book. I also liked Alucard and the flavour he brings to the series. I liked the whole concept of the Element Games and of COURSE Lila has to find a way to get into it. The whole thing with the games was fun to read and how it would end kept me on my toes.
I enjoyed the slower-ish pacing. I was in no rush to get to the games. But good lawd did shit get amped to the max at the tail end. Everything was being thrown at me all at once and I was DREADING IT BECAUSE UH HELLO,HOW DOES THIS ALL GET RESOLVED WHEN THERE ARE ONLY SO MANY PAGES LEFT. I WAS SO STRESSED! I did not enjoy the pacing at the end, but overall, really enjoyed the book. I NEED THE THIRD BOOK.
And unrelated to the actual book, but I originally borrowed the audiobok, narrated by Kate Reading and Michael Kramer, and I really liked Kate Reading's narration.. but Michael Kramer had a tendancy to constantly end sentences on an uptick so it sounded like he was asking a question? With every sentence? Every time? And I tried to get used to it BUT THEN I COULD NOT. And I had to switch to the ebook.
When Kell saw the fake Kamerov Loste and he's all like WHO THE F IS THAT hahaha I died
I love Kell and Lila and Rhy and their whole dynamic is adorables. I forgot how much I missed Kell and Rhy's banter. I loved how Kell and Lila found each other again. The author leans into the "female lead is quirky and not like other women" trope.. but honestly it doesn't bug me much in this series because Lila's whole thing is figuring out who (or what) she is anyway. I am down for this ride.
I liked how the characters grow through the second book. I also liked Alucard and the flavour he brings to the series. I liked the whole concept of the Element Games and of COURSE Lila has to find a way to get into it. The whole thing with the games was fun to read and how it would end kept me on my toes.
I enjoyed the slower-ish pacing. I was in no rush to get to the games. But good lawd did shit get amped to the max at the tail end. Everything was being thrown at me all at once and I was DREADING IT BECAUSE UH HELLO,
And unrelated to the actual book, but I originally borrowed the audiobok, narrated by Kate Reading and Michael Kramer, and I really liked Kate Reading's narration.. but Michael Kramer had a tendancy to constantly end sentences on an uptick so it sounded like he was asking a question? With every sentence? Every time? And I tried to get used to it BUT THEN I COULD NOT. And I had to switch to the ebook.