Title: A Gathering of Shadows
By: V.E. Schwab
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 512
Release Date: February 23rd, 2016
Rating: ★★★★★
Summary from Goodreads:
It has been four months since a mysterious obsidian stone fell into Kell's possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Prince Rhy was wounded, and since the nefarious Dane twins of White London fell, and four months since the stone was cast with Holland's dying body through the rift—back into Black London.
Now, restless after having given up his smuggling habit, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks as she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games—an extravagant international competition of magic meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries—a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.
And while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night will reappear in the morning. But the balance of magic is ever perilous, and for one city to flourish, another London must fall.
Review:
A Gathering of Shadows takes everything I loved about A Darker Shade of Magic and sharpens it. The stakes are higher. The tension is thicker. The characters feel like they’re standing on a knife’s edge and daring the world to push them.
The Essen Tasch? Obsessed. Magical Olympics but make it elegant, cutthroat, and slightly unhinged. Every round felt like holding my breath underwater just to see who would surface.
Kell is still carrying the weight of multiple Londons like it’s stitched into his bones. Lila Bard continues to be chaos in boots, and I love her for it. Rhy broke my heart in quiet, unexpected ways. Even the side characters felt deliberate and alive, like pieces on a very dangerous chessboard.
And that ending? Cruel. Absolutely cruel. Dark, layered, character driven fantasy with a pulse. Five stars. No notes.
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