A Gathering of Shadows, by V.E. Schwab – It takes its time but it delivers

A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab
Series: Shades of Magic #2
Published by Macmillan ISBN: 9780765376497
on February 23, 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Action & Adventure
Pages: 512
My rating:
Check it out in 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-and so to keep magic's balance, another London must fall...

 

I came to have a sort of love-hate relationship with A Gathering of Shadows, book 2 in the Shades of Magic series. But the binge reading is still going strong. At the moment of writing this review, I’m about 15% into A Conjuring of Light, which to be honest is off to a better start than this one was.

 

The plot takes oh so long to come to be

This one is the reason it didn’t get a higher rating than the previous one and my biggest, if the only pet peeve I had with this book. It started out so slow. If it hadn’t been because I wasn’t that busy, I’m afraid I would have even jumped ship. I’m aware that many scenes were necessary to establish certain things about the characters, their emotional state and relationships, but.. but.. this author has shown before that she’s capable of doing this while giving motion to the plot as well.

 

 

Lila and Kell aren’t as fun apart

These two are just unbeliavable together. Their dynamics are so entertaining and that’s what made the first book so charming. This one… I just kept waiting for the moment they’d see each other again. On the other hand though, maybe the anticipation did help, because I felt like I was Kell, restless and seeing Lila everywhere (poor baby).

 

But that last 40% of the book? Perfection

Oddly enough, the last chapters in the books didn’t feel rushed or anything. It was like normal pace for the Third Act of a book, which meant high stakes and fast-paced action.

 

The Essen Tach tournament

This competition reminded me of the Tri-Wizard Cup from Harry Potter. This one was even better, due to a few aspects that made it even more dangerous for the characters. I really loved how it linked with the characters and also gave us some background about the world beyond the Maresh empire.

 

The antagonistic force

Since the beginning, the forces of bad were assembling, which was appreciated because it was great to know what was brewing while the characters had no idea. During this part of the book, our antagonists come front and center. And they’re pretty good ones. Plenty powerful too.

I really like the Kell isn’t made out to be this chosen one that has powers above and beyond. I mean, sure, he’s Antari, in their own language blessed, but he’s so at disadvantage it’s almost laughable. I’m really starting to worry about how on earth he’s going to solve this one.

In the other book, it was just a rock, an evil, sort of sentient rock, but a rock nonetheless that was causing all the trouble. Now the bar has raised and Kell is quite overwhelmed by the odds.

 

Lila and Kell and Rhy, but mostly Lila and Kell

I really love these characters and their insecurities and their strenghts. And once they can see each other once again, it feels as if the story breathes again. As if the book had been in slow motion before they reunite and now it resumes.

 

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Overall, it was very enjoyable but it could have been better had most of the story been so dreadfully slow!

 

When books start out slow do you keep reading or abandon ship?

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