Shades of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Welcome to my book reviews for the Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab.

A Darker Shade of Magic Book Review

Most people only know one London; but what if there were several? Kell is one of the last Travelers—magicians with a rare ability to travel between parallel Londons. There's Grey London, dirty and crowded and without magic, home to the mad king George III. There's Red London, where life and magic are revered. Then, White London, ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. But once upon a time, there was Black London...

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A Darker Shade of Magic has been on my TBR for a long time, and similar to A Throne of Glass I was a wee bit worried that it wouldn’t live up to the hype. I’m thrilled to say that it did, and I fell in love with the magical alternate Londons that V. E. Schwab conjured up. Even the harsh and unyielding world of White London captivated my interest. Everything about this book blew me away. The magic and world-building are magnificent, the characters are refreshing and interesting, and the story is bold, beautiful and heartbreaking all at the same time. It was no surprise that I quickly gobbled up the second book, the third book and then the graphic novel series.

A Gathering of Shadows Book Review

Kell is plagued by his guilt. Restless, and having given up smuggling, he is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila. As Red London prepares for the Element Games - an extravagant international competition of magic - a certain pirate ship draws closer. But another London is coming back to life, a shadow that was gone in the night reappears in the morning. Black London has risen again - and so to keep magic's balance, another London must fall.

I was very impressed with A Darker Shade of Magic and hoped that book two, A Gathering of Shadows, would continue on the same level. I didn’t expect it to blow it completely out of the water. What do you do when a book is already 5 stars and the next one is even better? It’s like GCSEs where you have an A and then an A*. Well, considering this is 5-star +!

It did take a little while to get there for me though because the place where the book starts wasn’t really that interesting to me, and it took me a while to warm up to those characters. Eventually though when everyone ended up back in London for the Element Games I was fully engaged. So many twists and turns! I found myself constantly on the edge of my seat, biting fingernails and at some points wanting to hide under my duvet.

A Conjuring of Light Book Review

The precarious equilibrium among the four Londons has reached its breaking point. Once brimming with the red vivacity of magic, darkness casts a shadow over the Maresh Empire, leaving a space for another London to rise. Kell begins to waver under the pressure of competing loyalties. Meanwhile, an ancient enemy returns to claim a crown and a fallen hero is desperate to save a decaying world...

In the final book of the Shades of Magic trilogy, everything is at stake and tensions are running high. When I get to the end of a trilogy or series I expect everything to be on the line, every page to bring new dangers and never to know who is going to survive. A Conjuring of Light had everything I wanted and more, and it was a fantastic wrap-up of a trilogy that I’m going to miss. I’m looking forward to the upcoming series set in the same universe that V. E. Schwab is working on as I never like saying goodbye to characters and there were a couple of threads that were left hanging at the end there.