A review by bookishbrew
A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

4.0

I really do love Lila as a character. She is outspoken, extremely independent, and when she wants something, she will do whatever it takes. I love the tension in all the relationships. This story was super fun but was pretty low stakes. The game that takes place in this book to show off their magical abilities and see who comes out the victor was super fun but didn't feel high stakes enough. There was no fight to the death or even a "I HAVE to win because..." If the contestant lost, they just lost. I wish there was a little more to that, but the ending of the book did become more high stakes, and I hope that pays off in the final book.