Blog Tour: A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

Publisher: Tor
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.

Review: The Secret Life of the American Musical by Jack Viertel

Publisher: Sarah Crichton Books
Pages: 336
Received: Received a copy from Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: March 1, 2016
Buy From Chapters.ca / Buy From BookDepository.com

Goodreads Synopsis:

In The Secret Life of the American Musical, Jack Viertel takes them apart, puts them back together, sings their praises, marvels at their unflagging inventiveness, and occasionally despairs over their more embarrassing shortcomings. In the process, he invites us to fall in love all over again by showing us how musicals happen, what makes them work, how they captivate audiences, and how one landmark show leads to the next—by design or by accident, by emulation or by rebellion—from Oklahoma! to Hamilton and onward.

Structured like a musical, The Secret Life of the American Musical begins with an overture and concludes with a curtain call, with stops in between for “I Want” songs, “conditional” love songs, production numbers, star turns, and finales. The ultimate insider, Viertel has spent three decades on Broadway, working on dozens of shows old and new as a conceiver, producer, dramaturg, and general creative force; he has his own unique way of looking at the process and at the people who collaborate to make musicals a reality. He shows us patterns in the architecture of classic shows and charts the inevitable evolution that has taken place in musical theater as America itself has evolved socially and politically.

The Secret Life of the American Musical makes you feel as though you’ve been there in the rehearsal room, in the front row of the theater, and in the working offices of theater owners and producers as they pursue their own love affair with that rare and elusive beast—the Broadway hit.

My Review:

I am trying very hard to get out of my usual reading habits and try something new, I am not one for non-fiction but I'm seeing ones pop up that I believe are great ways to start with for me. I love plays and especially Broadway musicals, it's always been on my list to see a show on Broadway in New York City, so when I saw this book I was interested and I thought it was a great way to get into something new.

I definitely found this book to be interesting, the way Jack discusses how a Broadway play is made and the way he shows through many examples of different plays. I could sit there and picture other plays that definitely had the same story arc to get through. Jack Viertel definitely organized his book in the way that a Broadway play is put together, that I almost felt at times I was actually sitting watching a play myself.

The one thing that got me was that some of the chapters seemed to drag on a little bit, where it felt that Jack was overdoing his examples. Yet I understand, he wants to show that some musicals may veer a little off course yet they still stick to main plot line, making sure to have the lightness and the dramatic songs to keep the audience interested. The one thing that gave me trouble while reading it was Jack's comments on the racial side of Broadway. I'm not exactly sure how to explain it, but I can say it was a put off... it felt aggressive to me as a reader. That was the biggest thing for me, other than that, when Jack Viertel stayed on the topic of how a musical is set up it was great to read.

This book helped me get out of my comfort zone, and I'm definitely trying more non-fiction books. Despite some things this book definitely helped show me that other genres can be interesting and I just need to find the right topic. Hopefully more non-fiction books will catch my attention!

Review: Love, Lies and Spies by Cindy Anstey

Publisher: Swoon Reads
Pages: 368
Received: Received a copy from Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: April 19, 2016
Buy From Chapters.ca / Buy From BookDepository.com

Goodreads Synopsis:

Juliana Telford is not your average nineteenth-century young lady. She’s much more interested in researching ladybugs than marriage, fashionable dresses, or dances. So when her father sends her to London for a season, she’s determined not to form any attachments. Instead, she plans to secretly publish their research.

Spencer Northam is not the average young gentleman of leisure he appears. He is actually a spy for the War Office, and is more focused on acing his first mission than meeting eligible ladies. Fortunately, Juliana feels the same, and they agree to pretend to fall for each other. Spencer can finally focus, until he is tasked with observing Juliana’s travelling companions . . . and Juliana herself.

My Review:

The title of this book is what really peaked my interest, I didn't even really read what it was about, the cover was interesting and the title hooked me. After finishing this book, I'm still a little unsure of how I feel about everything that went on through the story. I liked the storyline and the romance and intrigue throughout, and yet I felt like everything went by so fast and then the story was over... I actually wish there had been more to the book.

I really enjoyed Juliana's character, she knew how to play her part and yet she also fought things in a bit of a more sly way. She acted interested and yet at the same time, used being in London to research more and also to find someone to publish the research her and her father compiled. What I loved is how Cindy Anstey opens this story up with such an intriguing first scene, I feel like I was hooked knowing that these characters we've been introduced to are very unconventional.

I can say that this was an adorable book in so many ways, I love how Juliana and Spencer interact and you can see how their relationship grows over the book. As they spend time with one another they learn more about themselves and they grow as people, learning that they can have everything. Juliana is able to continue her research and still have love. I really enjoyed their time together and how they helped each other through the season.

The one thing that disappointed me was that everything happened so fast, I would have liked to spend a little more time with these characters and learning more about them. One thing happened and then it got settled so quickly. I would have liked this book to be a bit longer so that we could get to spend more time with all the characters, I believe we barely scratched the surface with these people, and that Cindy could have gone a bit deeper.

But all in all this was such an adorable book, I loved the relationship and it definitely made me swoon (hahaha get it, because it's from Swoon Reads...) Everything was so cute and I definitely couldn't put the book down, I wanted more of Juliana and Spencer together because everytime they were put in a situation together I was so happy. This book was not at all what I expected and I really enjoyed it!