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A review by aldoregan
A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
5.0
third read: june 16, 2020
def feel like the more times i read this book the more i love it
second read: july 30, 2018
i know this is my second time reading this but GODDAMN I CANT BELIEVE THATS HOW IT ENDED HOW AM I STILL ALIVE AFTER ALL THAT IM GONNA ✈️ JUMP OFF A CLIFF
first read: june 12, 2017
“Magic is tangled, so you must be smooth.
Magic is wild, so you must be tame.
Magic is chaos, so you must be calm.
Are you calm, Kell?”
Reading the first and second books of the Shades of Magic trilogy, I've come to understand that Victoria Schwab's writing is the kind that I've, unknowingly, been searching for ever since I've entered this vast and fascinating world of the fantasy genre. Me and her writing style, we mesh perfectly together. Schwab forms her sentences in a crisp and clean way. No poetic and pretty words. No extensive usage of metaphors. Just vivid and straightforward writing. And yet, there is something about them that completely captivates me. It's the kind of writing that captures my attention from the first word to the very last. It's the kind of writing that oozes with so much enchantment. It's the kind of writing that makes me feel like the author casted a spell on me when I first opened the book. Perhaps Schwab's writing is magic itself! Which is why she has made a spot on my favorite authors list.
“She bent most of the rules. She broke the rest.”
A Gathering of Shadows is a lot more character-driven compared to the first book, and I think that the way it was executed was really well done. I love how Schwab put the Essen Tasch to weave the storyline of the characters perfectly. Because of the Essen Tasch, we get to discover so much about the world, the magic system, and the characters. We got to dive in deeper into the beautiful world of Red London and learn about the countries surrounding it. We got to discover the people's beliefs in magic and how each country's beliefs differentiate from each other. We got to know about the characters more and discover their complexities (i.e. their flaws, weaknesses, and strengths).
“The world is neither fair nor right, but it has a way of balancing itself.”
The characters were my favorite part of the book, despite the spectacular world that we get to read about. There's so much complexity and depth in each of the main characters. They are so different from each other yet they also complement one another. Kell is so loyal and so broken at the same time because of the power he holds and the family he once thought he had. Lila is reckless and stubborn but behind that facade she's actually such a fearless girl with so much behind her past. The cheerful and flirtatious Rhy that we once know of has become filled with guilt and regret. Because of the things that happened to these characters in this book, it gives them a lot of room to grow or to lead to a completely different road. I know there's just so many directions that these characters can go to and this makes their storyline very interesting and very nerve-wrecking to read about.
“A person chose their path. Or they made a new one.”
The storyline about the Black London King was also very creepy and twisted. I really like the way Schwab writes her villains because they absolutely terrify me and make me want to run so fast and hide!
The Shades of Magic trilogy has become one of my all time favorite series! I loved each and every aspect of A Gathering of Shadows and cannot wait to find out how the series wraps up!
"Perhaps it hasn't been possible for years, perhaps it's not even possible right now, but that doesn't mean it can't be. It doesn't mean it won't be. You say the magic guttered, the flame went out. But what if it simply needed to be stoked?”
06/12/2017
WTF WHY DID IT END LIKE THAT WHY
NEED TO CALM TF DOWN AND GATHER MY THOUGHTS BEFORE WRITING A REVIEW SHHDHEHSHHDMDJNJDJJ
def feel like the more times i read this book the more i love it
second read: july 30, 2018
i know this is my second time reading this but GODDAMN I CANT BELIEVE THATS HOW IT ENDED HOW AM I STILL ALIVE AFTER ALL THAT IM GONNA ✈️ JUMP OFF A CLIFF
first read: june 12, 2017
“Magic is tangled, so you must be smooth.
Magic is wild, so you must be tame.
Magic is chaos, so you must be calm.
Are you calm, Kell?”
Reading the first and second books of the Shades of Magic trilogy, I've come to understand that Victoria Schwab's writing is the kind that I've, unknowingly, been searching for ever since I've entered this vast and fascinating world of the fantasy genre. Me and her writing style, we mesh perfectly together. Schwab forms her sentences in a crisp and clean way. No poetic and pretty words. No extensive usage of metaphors. Just vivid and straightforward writing. And yet, there is something about them that completely captivates me. It's the kind of writing that captures my attention from the first word to the very last. It's the kind of writing that oozes with so much enchantment. It's the kind of writing that makes me feel like the author casted a spell on me when I first opened the book. Perhaps Schwab's writing is magic itself! Which is why she has made a spot on my favorite authors list.
“She bent most of the rules. She broke the rest.”
A Gathering of Shadows is a lot more character-driven compared to the first book, and I think that the way it was executed was really well done. I love how Schwab put the Essen Tasch to weave the storyline of the characters perfectly. Because of the Essen Tasch, we get to discover so much about the world, the magic system, and the characters. We got to dive in deeper into the beautiful world of Red London and learn about the countries surrounding it. We got to discover the people's beliefs in magic and how each country's beliefs differentiate from each other. We got to know about the characters more and discover their complexities (i.e. their flaws, weaknesses, and strengths).
“The world is neither fair nor right, but it has a way of balancing itself.”
The characters were my favorite part of the book, despite the spectacular world that we get to read about. There's so much complexity and depth in each of the main characters. They are so different from each other yet they also complement one another. Kell is so loyal and so broken at the same time because of the power he holds and the family he once thought he had. Lila is reckless and stubborn but behind that facade she's actually such a fearless girl with so much behind her past. The cheerful and flirtatious Rhy that we once know of has become filled with guilt and regret. Because of the things that happened to these characters in this book, it gives them a lot of room to grow or to lead to a completely different road. I know there's just so many directions that these characters can go to and this makes their storyline very interesting and very nerve-wrecking to read about.
“A person chose their path. Or they made a new one.”
The storyline about the Black London King was also very creepy and twisted. I really like the way Schwab writes her villains because they absolutely terrify me and make me want to run so fast and hide!
The Shades of Magic trilogy has become one of my all time favorite series! I loved each and every aspect of A Gathering of Shadows and cannot wait to find out how the series wraps up!
"Perhaps it hasn't been possible for years, perhaps it's not even possible right now, but that doesn't mean it can't be. It doesn't mean it won't be. You say the magic guttered, the flame went out. But what if it simply needed to be stoked?”
06/12/2017
WTF WHY DID IT END LIKE THAT WHY
NEED TO CALM TF DOWN AND GATHER MY THOUGHTS BEFORE WRITING A REVIEW SHHDHEHSHHDMDJNJDJJ