A Gathering of Shadows, by V.E. Schwab

Hey, all! 

*I'm a little sick so my review may be short and sweet rather than long and very detailed. Hopefully this will cut back some spoilers as well* 

I just finished reading a Gathering of Shadows, by V.E. Schwab! This series may be one of my new favorites, and I cannot wait to receive book 3! 

"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."


I'm so happy that this book didn't fall into the dreaded second-book syndrome! A Gathering of Shadows picks up 4 months after ADSOM left off - Lila is now a thief on a ship, while Kell and Rhy are trying to figure out life now that their lives are more entwined than they could imagine. This installment focuses on an event called the Magic Games, which makes magic users from different cities compete against each other using the elements they can control. 

Of course, both Lila and Kell find themselves in these games. Of course, things go wrong. It wouldn't be a good book if that didn't happen, now would it? 

The games were a lot of fun to read about! You really felt the competition in how it was written and in everyone's reaction to it. 

This book is constantly busy and flowing, in such a way that I never wanted to put it down! The only thing that made me slow down is that it took quite a while for the main plot of the book to begin - most of the first chapters were fluffy in order to explain what happened in the time before the Games were announced. 

Kell is still adorable - I love his character, how careful he is and how aware he is of Lila around him. Lila an interesting character as well, but very stubborn at times. However, I am not surprised about her true nature - I expected it since book 1! What I'm more curious about is her backstory - notably how she ended up in Gray London. 

A new character we meet is Alucard - the Captain of Lila's ship, and a strong magic user from Red London. I never really knew whether to trust him or not, until his past with Rhy was revealed. To be fair I wasn't surprised - Rhy has a flamboyant enough personality. However, I am very curious about how his role will be involved in book 3. 


I'm sorry about how short and messy this is! I'm giving this book 4/5 feathers :) 

Have you read A Gathering of Shadows? What id dyou think about it? Let me know! 

Stay bookish!