Review: A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab

* This review may contain spoilers for the previous books in the series.

A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic #3)
By V.E. Schwab
Publisher: Tor Books
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: With the shadow king Osaron on the verge of taking control of Red London and all of its people, Kell, Lila, Rhy, and Alucard race to discover a way to stop him. They find themselves bargaining with shady figures, making unlikely allies, and sacrificing whatever is necessary in order to stand even the smallest chance against Osaron. As unstoppable as the shadow king seems, though, his weakness may be underestimating the determination of those fighting to save Arnes.

Review: I may have set a personal record for longest amount of time taken to read a book while reading A Conjuring of Light. It took me about five months from start to finish. This had absolutely nothing to do with the book itself and everything to do with my mindset due to all the goings on outside the world of books. Finally, though, I found myself with some time to get reacquainted with this novel, and once I dove back into its fantastic world of magic, multiple Londons, and a many-sided coat, I devoured the remaining pages, reading more in two days than I had in almost two months.

The previous book in the series, A Gathering of Shadows, ended on one hell of a cliffhanger, and mercifully, A Conjuring of Light dives right into seeing its resolution. Don’t be fooled into thinking, however, that the book is done giving you heart palpitations because it’s only just beginning. I felt rather wrecked by the time I was done reading A Conjuring of Light. Even when there isn’t an action scene taking place, the threat posed by Osaron, the evil magic that’s taking over Red London, is always so palpable that you’re on edge for just about the entire book, waiting for the next stab to your heart, as sharp as one of Lila Bard’s knives or quips.

Osaron seems such an unstoppable foe, and every clash with the shadow king and the unwilling followers he creates by invading their minds is a fierce battle. Not only do Kell, Lila, and Alucard need to contend with that in order to escape Red London in the hope of finding an object that may help them, but they also have to fight off vicious pirates and literally bargain with their lives. Sacrifice also looms large over the main characters, both the ones who wield magic and those who do not, as they’re all pushed to their physical and emotional limits—sometimes beyond.

In addition to creating an incredibly immersive magical world, Victoria Schwab has exquisitely crafted complex characters. What I especially love about them is that they’re flawed. They make mistakes, and there are consequences, and that is what makes them so relatable. Schwab also possesses a knack for writing the best morally gray characters, like Victor Vale from Vicious and Holland from Shades of Magic. Holland has been an intriguing, complicated character from the outset of the series, and with the addition of some backstory in A Conjuring of Light, Schwab once again demonstrates just how gifted she is at creating characters with seemingly endless depth.

I absolutely love badass thief/pirate Delilah Bard. No matter how hard or how many times this resilient lady gets knocked down, she gets back up and keeps fighting. I can’t emphasize enough how intense this book can be at times, usually with Lila right in the thick of the action.

My list of favorite things about this book and this series could go on and on, so I’ll only mention one last highlight: the bond between Kell and Rhy. Of course, it goes way beyond just being brothers because of the magic Kell used to tie their lives together in order to save Rhy’s life. Here again, Schwab examines all of the facets of Kell’s actions back in A Darker Shade of Magic. Yes, Rhy is alive, but he continues to struggle with the weight of what happened to him as well as with the weight of his crown—a prince without magic whose people are under attack all around him. Rhy’s arc is as compelling as it is outstanding, and the same can be said for the arcs of Kell, Lila, Alucard, and Holland.

As a series finale, A Conjuring of Light delivers in every way imaginable. It’s heart-pounding, sometimes even humorous thanks to the witty dialogue, occasionally heartbreaking, and most definitely magical.

All in All: If you love books about magic, this series is not to be missed. A Conjuring of Light is an absolutely stellar close to Shades of Magic. Anoshe, indeed.

Review: A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

* This review may contain spoilers for the previous book, A Darker Shade of Magic.

A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2)
By V.E. Schwab
Publisher: Tor Books
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: With Lila off realizing her dreams of adventure and maybe a little piracy on the high seas, Kell lives practically confined to Red London. Once revered by its citizens, he’s now regarded with suspicion and even fear following the terror unleashed by the Dane twins of White London that has forever magically entwined the lives of Kell and his brother, Prince Rhy. Hoping to lift his brother’s spirits, Rhy hatches an insane scheme for the upcoming and highly anticipated Element Games, an event that also draws the attention of a certain sassy thief/pirate with a crazy plan of her own for the games.

Review: With a single book, last year’s superb A Darker Shade of Magic, Victoria Schwab instantly became one of my favorite authors thanks to her superlative storytelling talents. The best fantasy novels carry you away to other worlds so immersive and real, you don’t want to return to your own. It was with much anticipation that I returned to Schwab’s alternate Londons, and once again, the trip was an absolute blast.

When we last left off, Kell and Lila had saved Red London from the evil, evil Dane twins of White London. While Lila has sailed away on board the Night Spire to chase her piratey dreams, Kell finds himself living under the constant watchful eye of the royal guards and the mistrustful eye of most Arnesians. Even Kell’s adoptive parents, King Maxim and Queen Emira, have distanced themselves from him. The relationship between Kell and his brother, Prince Rhy, is also tested, with both brothers feeling guilty over the events that led to Rhy being brought back to life with dark magic and their lives tethered to each other. Unlike their parents, however, Rhy continues to treat Kell like his blood brother, and of course Kell would still do anything for Rhy. It’s not all gloom and doom between them, either; their snarky exchanges made me chuckle quite often.

As for Miss Delilah Bard, she’s found a place for her sassy self among the crew of the Night Spire, captained by the enigmatic Alucard “I’m a Privateer Not a Pirate” Emery. Alucard is a fascinating new addition to the series and just as cagey as Lila when it comes to revealing anything personal, though both try to coax backstories out of each other. In A Gathering of Shadows, Lila proves that she truly is suited to a pirate’s life and backs up every bit of the Bard bravado. Oh, she still swaggers like hell and gets up to some seriously crazy hijinks, even for Lila, but I have to give her credit for living every second like it’s her last. Which it very well could be when you look back at some of Lila’s previous escapades.

Schwab’s world-building in A Darker Shade of Magic was absolutely brilliant, and she works her magic again here. I love how the Arnesian language is sprinkled throughout and the meanings of words and phrases always made clear by showing instead of telling. The Essen Tasch (Element Games) brings guests from other empires to Red London, giving us a more expanded view of this world. The matches between the competitors in the games are riveting, not just because of all of the action but also because you feel like you’re actually there in the arena. Plus, it’s elemental magic that the entrants wield here. In between reading A Darker Shade of Magic and this, I binge watched Avatar: The Last Airbender, and let’s just say that I have a newfound appreciation for elemental magic, which is put on spectacular display during the Element Games.

Although the majority of A Gathering of Shadows follows Kell and Lila and all of the pomp surrounding the games, we also check in from time to time on a developing story line that becomes extremely significant by the end of the book. I simultaneously love it for its ingenuity and cringe at it because of what ensues. “Cringe” is probably an understatement; “scream” would be more accurate.

And now it’s back to the torture known as Waiting for the Next Book. In the meantime, I’ll replay my favorite moments from this one in my mind: the ones that made me swoon, the ones that gave me the chills, and the ones that awed me because they were written so brilliantly (i.e. ALL OF THEM).

All in All: This has quickly become one of my favorite series, which means that I’m pushing it hard to anyone who hasn’t read it. A Gathering of Shadows is a mighty sequel that astounds in every aspect: the flawed characters you love because they’re not perfect, the fantastic world, the witty banter, and the beautiful prose. And now I must go cope with this severe book hangover.

Review: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1)
By V.E. Schwab
Publisher: Tor Books
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: Kell is one of the Antari, one of the few who possesses magic that enables him to travel between alternate versions of London: Red London, Kell’s home; Grey London, where King George III sits on the throne; and White London, ruled by twins with an insatiable hunger for more power. Black London has long since been sealed off to travelers, destroyed from within, but when an extremely dangerous object from that forbidden place finds its way into Kell’s hands, he knows that he must return it to its origin, no matter the cost.

Review: It took me about a month to read A Darker Shade of Magic, and let me tell you, that had absolutely nothing to do with the book itself. Nope—it had entirely everything to do with lots of real life stuff imposing on my reading time. I had to read this in bits and bursts, when all I really wanted to do was devour it in one sitting. A Darker Shade of Magic is the kind of novel that demands—and deserves—your undivided attention to the point where you wish that you could just press a pause button for the rest of life so you could curl up with this book. Hey Kell . . . maybe a little help here with that?

Aside from Harry Potter, which I regard on its own plane of amazingness, I don’t know if I’ve ever been so thoroughly impressed by a book about magic. Every time our hero Kell cast a spell, I got a little chill because the magic felt so real. The world-building is absolutely stunning here and leaves you with no doubt that alternate Londons could exist in parallel. I found the four Londons utterly fascinating, even the versions that didn’t sound quite as appealing to visit. Each London is given a distinct vibe, and whenever Kell journeys between them, it’s as though you’re right there beside him and not simply reading about his travels.

Like the Red London that he calls his home, Kell is an endlessly intriguing protagonist. One of the first things we learn about him upon being introduced is that he dons a very unique, multiple sided coat. And like everything else about the world of A Darker Shade of Magic, of course you believe that such a coat exists. Kell is every bit as faceted as his coat is, too; it’s hard for me to individually list all of the reasons why I love him because I just love everything about him, including his flaws. It’s his little smuggling operation that rains a heap of trouble down on his head, but were it not for Kell’s rather large dilemma, we wouldn’t meet the wonderful Lila Bard.

Lila is a thief from Grey London who aspires to be a pirate. Yes—a pirate! How freaking cool is that?! It’s very fortunate for Lila that she’s so game for adventure because once she crosses paths with Kell, there’s a lot for someone who’s unaccustomed to magic to absorb. But Lila is keen to leave her London behind, even though Kell warns her of the potential dangers of the travel for a non-Antari, as well as what may await them in the other Londons. These two—despite their occasional squabbling (which is very amusing, by the way), they make an incredible—and formidable—team.

There’s some seriously intense action in this book, thanks in part to Holland, an Antari like Kell, but that’s about where their similarities end. Holland oozes lethality with every word and every move, which isn’t surprising when you get up close and personal with the folks he answers to. They would Astrid and Athos Dane, the twin rulers of White London, where the throne has traditionally been seized by force. Not only are the Danes more than okay with striking down anyone who gets in their way, but they revel in their cruelty. And they’re crazy. As much as I wanted to see Astrid and Athos’s horrible reign end, I have to say that they were compelling antagonists; you never knew what their next move was going to be, only that it involved copious amounts of evil. Guaranteed.

Finally, I must mention how exquisitely written A Darker Shade of Magic is; it’s as though the prose itself is enchanted. Nothing makes me happier than reading a book that makes me fall in love with its words as well as its characters, its setting, etc., and I adored EVERYTHING about A Darker Shade of Magic. I cannot wait to catch up with Kell and Lila in the next book!

All in All: Simply brilliant. This is truly one of the best, most immersive magic books I’ve read, and I don’t know what else to say to convince everyone to read it, too!