Series: Shades of Magic #2
Pages: 512
Received: Received a copy from Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: February 23, 2016
Buy From Chapters.ca / Buy From BookDepository.com
Goodreads Synopsis:
Four months have passed since the shadow stone fell into Kell’s possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Rhy was wounded and the Dane twins fell, and the stone was cast with Holland’s dying body through the rift, and into Black London.
In many ways, things have almost returned to normal, though Rhy is more sober, and Kell is now plagued by his guilt. Restless, and having given up smuggling, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks like 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.
But while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life, and those who were thought to be forever gone have returned. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night reappears in the morning, and so it seems Black London has risen again—meaning that another London must fall.
My Review:
Oh, I am so happy to be a part of this tour! I have fallen in love with everything and anything that V.E. Schwab writes. Honestly, the way everything ended in A Darker Shade of Magic easily could have been left at that but I am so glad V.E. Schwab had more to tell with these characters. I fell in love with Kell so easily in the first book, and Lila as well, both of them are strong individuals and yet very stubborn about how they see the world.
This book picks up four months after the events of A Darker Shade of Magic, not to say that we don't get glimpses of what happened over those four months, we definitely do slowly get to see everything after Kell and Lila parted. This book was a lot different than the last one for sure, and yet I was still absolutely enamoured.. I needed to see when Kell and Lila met up again, how would they react after so long apart. This series is not disappointing at all, what I loved is that this book introduced new characters and more information about the different kingdoms. But also we got a deeper look into Rhy's mind and how he feels after the events of A Darker Shade of Magic.
It's interesting to watch Kell and Rhy live now that they are so closely linked to one another. Everyone is more aware of how these two live and they are under more scrutiny to make sure that nothing bad happens. Kell is having nightmares of a darker time and it is making life more difficult, as well as having Rhy spend night after night getting himself into trouble just to feel good about himself.
I can say that this book was not as intense as A Darker Shade of Magic but there were still a lot of great scenes and it was interesting to learn more about each of the characters. It was really nice to see Lila grow more in this book, but the way things ended I need the next book immediately! It was so intense and I'm scared to see how everything is going to play out. V.E. Schwab has written another amazing story and I know that she will always deliver some of the best fantasy stories I will read.
On top of my review I got to ask one question for V.E. Schwab... There are also still many other blogs along this tour, check out some of their great reviews!
What inspired you to write mainly in the science fiction/fantasy genre, were there certain books that influenced your love of the genre?
To be honest, I grew up wanting the world to be stranger than it was, and that shaped me, first as a reader, and then as a writer. I love Gaiman’s Neverwhere, Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Holly Black’s Curse Workers, Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter.
I still believe in magic, or at least, in the presence of things beyond our understanding, and at the core of my stories, both the ones I live by, and the ones I put on paper, is the belief that there’s more to the world than we can see, we simply lack the right perspective. I write what I want to read, which are stories where those perspectives shift, align, and we’re allowed in.
This book picks up four months after the events of A Darker Shade of Magic, not to say that we don't get glimpses of what happened over those four months, we definitely do slowly get to see everything after Kell and Lila parted. This book was a lot different than the last one for sure, and yet I was still absolutely enamoured.. I needed to see when Kell and Lila met up again, how would they react after so long apart. This series is not disappointing at all, what I loved is that this book introduced new characters and more information about the different kingdoms. But also we got a deeper look into Rhy's mind and how he feels after the events of A Darker Shade of Magic.
It's interesting to watch Kell and Rhy live now that they are so closely linked to one another. Everyone is more aware of how these two live and they are under more scrutiny to make sure that nothing bad happens. Kell is having nightmares of a darker time and it is making life more difficult, as well as having Rhy spend night after night getting himself into trouble just to feel good about himself.
I can say that this book was not as intense as A Darker Shade of Magic but there were still a lot of great scenes and it was interesting to learn more about each of the characters. It was really nice to see Lila grow more in this book, but the way things ended I need the next book immediately! It was so intense and I'm scared to see how everything is going to play out. V.E. Schwab has written another amazing story and I know that she will always deliver some of the best fantasy stories I will read.
On top of my review I got to ask one question for V.E. Schwab... There are also still many other blogs along this tour, check out some of their great reviews!
What inspired you to write mainly in the science fiction/fantasy genre, were there certain books that influenced your love of the genre?
To be honest, I grew up wanting the world to be stranger than it was, and that shaped me, first as a reader, and then as a writer. I love Gaiman’s Neverwhere, Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Holly Black’s Curse Workers, Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter.
I still believe in magic, or at least, in the presence of things beyond our understanding, and at the core of my stories, both the ones I live by, and the ones I put on paper, is the belief that there’s more to the world than we can see, we simply lack the right perspective. I write what I want to read, which are stories where those perspectives shift, align, and we’re allowed in.
WASN'T THIS BOOK AMAZING!?!? I don't know how Schwab does it, and I don't care, as long as she keeps doing what she's doing! ADSOM#3 could not come soon enough. :D
ReplyDeleteCongrats on making the tour!!!
Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!