Shades Of Magic (After The Fall)

The Shades of Magic Series

---

Further, I felt like there was a lot of pandering going on here. Currently, YA books are trying their darnedest to be inclusive, which I personally think is a great step in modern storytelling. This book took me longer to finish than I would have thought, simply because the writing is so dry and flat. On nearly every page I pendulated from interested to bored and back again like a metronome.

The story itself is captivating in parts, but the actual prose has no life. There's no heart in it at all, and you don't care about the characters so when they die it's no big deal. It sits there listless and says, Our main character is Kell, and he is oh so original. Wait though, he has a completely black eye and does blood magic and there is only one other blood magician in the story so of course they have to face off.

The other half of this stone belongs to the villain! By the end, she has a pirate coat and is seen looking at a bunch of ships deciding which one to steal. Especially, trying to remember the differences between the 4 Londons. Yes, there are 4. If you just want a mindless popcorn book made up of ideas seen elsewhere and are clueless enough to think that one-note tertiary characters are progressive, then you'll probably love it.

View all 8 comments.

As far as I can tell this happens to me for one of two reasons: This was a 2 situati Reviewed by: This was a 2 situation. And even though it's been over a month, I'm still kind of at odds about what to say. Firstly, it is a fact universally acknowledged that I am a character-driven reader.

I was not more than mildly invested in these characters until I was more than halfway through it. Yet there was very little romance in this book. Characters I didn't immediately connect with. Little to no swoons. Do you see why I needed time to traverse the dark and twisty paths of my mind? But ultimately, it comes down to this: Victoria Schwab is a bloodydamn genius. She created a world so vastly different from others I've encountered, with hinted at conundrums for a later date, and characters who are. They are also broken. In remarkably similar ways despite the disparity of their situations.

Kell is a member of the royal family. Brother to the heir. And he knows it, they know it, everyone knows it. Just like Kell pretends not to be consumed with questions about what came before. She is astonishingly intelligent. If she had a middle name, it would almost certainly be Hubris. And yet, she is bitterly fragile. She wants nothing from no one, and accepts nothing she cannot immediately repay, negating any debt she feels is owed.

She's painful to watch. But I had to watch. The rich strutted around, assuming they'd be safe, so long as they stayed in the good parts of town. But Lila knew there were no good parts. Only smart parts and stupid parts, and she was quick enough to know which one to play. And honestly, I have no idea what my problem was. I've already said that, yes, eventually, they began to tug my heartstrings, but why it took so long.

It shall remain a mystery. But things like this: As for world-building, take the things you think you know about magic systems and toss them out the window. When I first learned that one of the rulers of Red London had a special talent for controlling the will of others, I was like, "Well, that sucks," and when Kell walked up the fortress steps that were guarded by ten soldiers who were indeed controlled, I thought, "That is such a waste of power. How many people could this guy possibly control at once, and how could he have any power left over to defend against a direct magical attack?

Arthos can control as many people as he wants. All he has to do is brand them with his particular kind of magic. And that, my friends, is terrifying. You will laugh at drunk men stumbling groggily on stairs HA! My other reviews for this series: View all 31 comments. I love it so much. I can't believe I actually get to move on to book 2 this time.

There were one or two things you maybe didn't love quite as much as everything else. View all 7 comments. T who arrives in London. This is my sixth month on Goodreads and throughout that period, there are three series that always appeared on my feeds and probably everyone else. Endless arrow pinned me to a wall. I actually liked this book for a while until the underwhelming climax happened. There is nothing remotely interesting about the plot. These days, there are a lot of stories and themes that have been overdone but somehow managed to deliver immersive and intriguing plot with great casts of characters and their developments.

There are no developments at all for the main characters except Lila. There, I talked about the main characters personality and their development progression throughout this whole book within one sentence. Seriously, out of everything I ever read, Kell is one of the most boring character of all time. The only thing intriguing about him is his coat and it's always a bad sign when the clothes is more captivating than the person. Finally, the last problem I have with the book is the underwhelming magic and climax. If there's one thing that V. Even all the action scenes in the book are really standard and provides zero intensity.

I read the climax sequences with a face and emotion so flat that drinking a hot Chamomile tea will give more reaction to my emotion. Because of these 3 factors that really shine from aDSoM. All 4 version of London have their unique characteristic. And for the love of all that is holy and sacred not this abomination Despite everything, I still like the book enough to finish it and I still have hope for the future sequels.

It won't be soon but I will continue with the series eventually with really low expectation. It lacked a touch of brilliance to make the book reach its maximum potential that the concept provides and I sincerely hope the sequels will receive the shade of magic it needs. Jan 19, Hannah rated it really liked it Shelves: My spoiler free video review is now up!!: Schwab is truly a master when it comes to crafting multidimensional, well rounded, and flawed characters.

Rhy is so pure and precious. Kell deserves love and happiness. Lila Bard is my new queen. This was truly one of the most realistic fantasy worlds I've ever read about. I mean that in the sense that the world seemed like My spoiler free video review is now up!!: I mean that in the sense that the world seemed like something that could actually exist. The world was complex and intricate, but just grounded enough that the concept of 4 parallel London's is something I can truly conceptualize.

In other words, it made me believe that the magic was real. As always, Schwab's writing was absolutely engaging. It's concise and simplistic, yet still full of warmth and depth. This book was a bit slower paced but I thought that it matched the world perfectly. It was fast-paced and action-packed where it needed to be and still took its time to develop the world and characters completely. Needless to say, I loved it. And I can't wait to continue on in the series!

May 21, Miranda Reads rated it really liked it Shelves: Being an Antari, he travels between worlds. He knows of four worlds and all four of them have one, conveniently overlapping city: Grey London - Magicless, technology driven. Red London - Magic is considered a gift and is practiced with careful determination White London - Magic is cruel, often needs to be stolen and locked into bodies Black London - Magic is hungry and all-consuming, magic apocalypse happened here.

All magic, artifacts and people from Black London is banned from the other worlds. Kell frequently travels in and out of the Londons - passing along correspondence, adventuring and smuggling artifacts that last bit is hugely illegal. After a visit to the cruel king and queen of White London, Kell is given an innocuous black stone and told to bring it to Red London.

A bit buzzed and confused, he travels between worlds only to discover that the stone is actually a part of Black London. By smuggling the stone, Kell committed treason against the crown of Red London his adopted family but more importantly, the black stone contains remnants of that world's magic - seduction and hunger. Delilah "Lila" Bard lives in Grey London not that she knows it. It's the only London without magic and she's spent her entire life looking for a way out. And then Kell lands on her doorstop. I'd rather die on an adventure than live standing still. Kell immediately struggles with the power of the stone.

And he soon realizes that although he may not want it, help will come to him in the form of one very, very stubborn Lila Bard.

See a Problem?

I really enjoyed the start to this series! Schwab had such a unique idea - with the four Londons and their varying degrees of magic - and executed it extremely well. I loved all the details she included - it really made the story come alive. As for the characters Lila at times a bit over the top really balanced out the seriousness and coldness of Kell. The two of them working together had a really natural feel - as evidenced by their free-flowing banter. I was not myself. Audiobook Comments Read by Steven Crossley - and he did a great job.

This was a rather well-read audiobook. I do wish he would've had more emotion when it came to his characters but then again, Kell is supposed to be a little stand-offish. View all 20 comments.

2 customer reviews

Apr 22, Sana rated it really liked it Shelves: I usually end up hating on the most hyped books loved by all my friends. This book is dark and gripping book full of magic. I loved it and I wanted to give this 5 stars, I really wanted to, but the beginning took some time getting into and it was very dull and boring. The beginning of this book felt like I was reading a textbook.

The writing was bland and there was lots of info dump towards the beginning. Later on, I did grasp the idea of the different Londons and magic. This book has such a fantastic world building and once the info dump was over, I understood it all. Anyways, the book did get better, a lot better when Lila Bard made an appearance. This book is literally almost perfection from multiple Londons, complex sexy coats yes I have issues , badassery, badass female leads, RHY my new husband, guys , KELL, magic, and evil. Another thing that made this book much much more enjoyable for me was turning innocent quotes into dirty quotes.

I want to adopt Kell as my new son and go cut some bitches with Lila Bard. Oh, I would particulary like to cut that Holland bitch right in the face, that would be great! Jun 30, sreeja rated it it was amazing. But in short, this is just perfect. Every page is magic and every scene has a purpose. The characters bring life into this book. The magic system and the writing style is unique and a breath of fresh air.

Reading this book feels like stumbling into something wholly new and familiar at the same time. Reading this was an adventure with magic and drama. Reading this felt like taking on this world, and other worlds , it was such a fun experience. View all 77 comments.

Apr 04, Kai rated it it was amazing Shelves: I'm stunned and I'm in awe. Incredible world-building, beautiful language and an intruiging plot make this 5 out of 5 stars. And let's not forget about the "cross-dressing thieves", "sadistics kings and queens " and my favourite the "royal who is equal parts Prince Harry and Jack Harkness". This novel started as it ended: It is as beautiful from the outside, as it is from the inside. It's the kind of book you want to keep reading and at the same time to never end.

This is one of the best examples of world-building there is. A world or better: There is so much to see, so much to feel, so much to find out. A book like this keeps you pondering for quite a while and even longer. Victoria Schwab turns out to be one of my new favorite authors. Find more of my books on Instagram View all 29 comments. So you may notice this book is kind of polarizing within the adult sff community; a little bit And for me personally it is Red London, a land of magic and peace.

White London, a land of turmoil and war and an overuse of magic. And Black London, the land where magic went wrong and burnt out. Only a few people can travel between worlds, and when one of the only two left, Kell, discovers a magic stone that could destroy his world, he and non-magical Lila go on a journey to put it back.

Let's get the problems out of the way - the plotting is a mixed bag. This book is a page wild ride. The characters don't even have a quest until around page , and it makes the entire book feel just a bit messy. Her smile only sharpened. It was nigh-impossible for me to not be engaged in this story. The writing style is SO GOOD, lyrical and gorgeous and with a really nice flow to it; one of my good blogger friends discussed her sentence structure, and it is so fantastic.

The worldbuilding is creative and intriguing and perhaps best of all, makes a surprising amount of sense for such a wild concept. Also, I would die for these characters. Oddly, they didn't totally grow on me until like While I could recognize from the beginning that the leads were well-developed and interesting, it took me a while to feel as if I had a concrete concept of who they are. And then we got to the ending and I was screaming in agony at the thought of these characters dying, and I was like "oh shit" and realized how much I love Kell and Lila and Rhy and how much I care about their relationships.

Schwab does a lot of showing, not telling, which makes the character development a bit more subtle; these characters are based off their motivations perhaps even more than their actual traits. Slow start, flawless payoff. I actually want to talk a little more specifically about these characters because when I think back on this series, they are always what come to mind.

Kell is a grumpy child who we love anyway. Lila is a fucking badass genderfluid thief with a soft side and I love her. Rhy is a bisexual prince [literally] who spends half his time dragging people. Even Holland, the sort-of-villain, is a super dynamic and intriguing character. Oh, and then the relationships: They are perhaps two of the most different people ever and they love each other so much it's beautiful. Super highly recommended for fans of creative, engaging fantasy.

Blog Goodreads Twitter Youtube Aug 03, jessica rated it really liked it. Jan 31, Nat rated it really liked it Shelves: Magic was a living thing—that, everyone knew—but to Kell it felt like more, like a friend, like family. He was, after all, Antari. I went into this book not knowing much abou Magic was a living thing—that, everyone knew—but to Kell it felt like more, like a friend, like family. I went into this book not knowing much about the plot except that it involved magic and that everyone seemed to love it. In Verity, August has become the leader he never wished to be, and in Prosperity, Kate has become the ruthless hunter she knew she could be.

Officially he serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador. After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure. Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn.

Four months have passed since the events of Darker Shade. 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—meaning that another London must fall.

The precarious equilibrium among four Londons has reached its breaking point. Once brimming with the red vivacity of magic, darkness casts a shadow over the Maresh Empire. And who will take control? Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures only Librarians can read.

The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive. Mackenzie is Keeper, tasked with stopping often violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters.

Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself may crumble and fall. Last summer, Mackenzie Bishop, a Keeper tasked with stopping violent Histories from escaping the Archive, almost lost her life to one. Claudia I read this book and thought, "that was just ok. Three stars, I guess" and then logged in and read this review and realized i agree with all of it. Audrey I loved every bit of this review! Dec 12, You feel safe when you finally get the next chapter. The tension that plagued you while reading the prior installment, coming ever closer as you neared the end, like Reviewed by: The tension that plagued you while reading the prior installment, coming ever closer as you neared the end, like footsteps speeding up behind you, making you curse your stupidity for taking a walk alone at night in an unfamiliar city.

That tension isn't there. You've developed a trust, a camaraderie. You have been duly warned.

A Darker Shade of Magic

When we last left Lila and Kell, they were parting ways. We were sad, but we expected no less. PLUS, you know, there's that thing that happened, that thing that tied him even closer to the royal family. The royal family he's meant to be part of. The royal family that instead treats him like a commodity. Lila, on the other hand, is having the adventure she's always dreamed of.

She got her position by killing another crew member. A little too well, actually.

Lila develops a sort-of friendship with the captain. She earns the respect of the crew. Worse , she begins to feel like she herself is a true part of the crew. So when Captain announces his intent to return to Red London and participate in a prestigious wizards' tournament, Lila decides that she won't be going with them when next they leave. But not for the reasons she anticipated. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

What does it mean that Kell's life is now tied to another's? What will happen now that a living being from Grey London has permanently crossed over into Red London?

Related Books

And what would you say if I told you that you only think you've seen chaos in White London? If you have yet to check out Schwab for yourself, what are you waiting for? This world and the characters that populate it are one of the most unique I've encountered in ages. My other reviews for this series: Sep 03, Kai rated it it was amazing Shelves: Tore my heart into pieces and stole my soul. I am officially and utterly dead. Victoria Schwab worked her magic like a genius. This book was flawless, from start to finish. From cover to characters, from plot to setting, from language to imagination.

Nothing can compare to A Gathering of The prince shrugged. Nothing can compare to A Gathering of Shadows. But, I mean, please Lila is a unique character but Saints she annoyed me in the end. Stubborn to a point of being stupid! I've never been much of a shipper but these two give me everything. Rhy is one of my favourite ever characters and even if everything goes to ruins, as long as Rhy and Alucard are together in the end, I will be satisfied. But no, really, I don't know where this is going.

Lila will probably save Kell, I guess. And I won't be surprised if one or more important characters end up dead. But that's as far as it goes with my guessing. What is happening to Rhy? Grey and White London? The King and the Queen fuck them tho. I have no idea. Meaning endless waiting time for the sequel. How will I survive this? Find more of my books on Instagram View all 8 comments. Jan 27, Hannah rated it it was amazing Shelves: My spoiler discussion is now up on my channel!: View all 7 comments.

Feb 17, Ben Alderson rated it really liked it. Aug 04, jessica rated it it was amazing. View all 23 comments. Please don't mind my heart. Feel free to crush it. I don't do holding grudges. Truth is, when I started A Gathering of Shadows , one of my best friend asked me if I thought she would like, and strangely, I wasn't able to answer straight away.

How comes this series holds such a strong grip on me and still I am hesitating when recommending it? They sneak up on you. There's honestly not that much action in the first halves of BOTH of them and yet you're never bored. I expressed how tired I was of the beloved GAG pattern implying that the only reason women fought was for their families, as if women couldn't, for the life of them, be badass for the thrill of it.

Lila made a liar of me. She'd always thought it was better than letting trouble find her , but floating in the ocean in a two-person skiff with no oars, no view of land, and no real resources save the ropes binding her wrists, she was beginning to reconsider. Eaten by guilt, confused by his sudden thrives for darkness am I bad to love that part? But then everyone would know it's you. Okay, okay, I have to admit that he made me narrow my eyes several times at first. I come from a loyal bunch frowning boy, remember?

But in the end, his character added so much wit and fun to the story that he won me.

A Gathering of Shadows | NewSouth Books

She'd said something very similar once, to Kell. Before she knew he was a royal. And a thief, for that matter. Oh Rhy, Rhy, Rhy. I cannot say that I always agreed with his choices, but the complicity between him and Kell - the loyalty - prevents me for holding any grudge if I was into grudges, that is "There was a new restlessness to his motions, a taut energy that mirrored Kell's. And yet, Rhy's was different. His moods were darker and their turn sharper, cutting the span of a second. They're the best, and they both balance each other's perfectly.

Separated, they lose a little bit of their charm in my opinion. There's something to say about a fantasy plot that stays unpredictable , because trust me, when you read a lot of fantasy, it becomes rarer and rarer. This is why I'm rounding up my rating. For more of my reviews, please visit: View all 47 comments. Jul 05, karen rated it really liked it. Tieran fixed her with his gaze. I've heard it all. It's a wonder I'm still alive. A chorus of doubt so loud her boots took a step back of their own accord.

In one of the other stadiums, the crowds cheered as an Arnesian emerged victorious. Lila retreated another step.

V. E. Schwab

And then she caught sight of the flag - her flag - in the stands, and her steps ground to a halt. I am Delilah Bard, she thought. Her fingertips began to thrum. I have crossed worlds and taken ships. Fought queens and saved cities. Her bones shuddered and her blood raced. I am one of a kind. This tournament is not only a game. It helps to maintain peace with our neighboring empires, and it allows us to show them our resources without implying any threat.

The king had laced his fingers. And we control the music. It's the perfect color. For blending into shadows. I let you go to the last one in black, and it has bothered me all winter. Lila's gaze raked over them, and she cringed at a yolk-yellow skirt, a velvety purple sleeve. They looked like pieces of ripe fruit, like decadent desserts.

Lila wanted to look powerful, not edible. I loved A Darker Shade of Magic so much that I was nervous to see if the second book would hold up, but let me tell you, it absolutely did, and now I am both horrified and desperately in need of seeing how it all ends up. I have set foot in three different worlds, and lived. I have shed the blood of royals and held magic in my hands. Her brash, headstrong, clever nature is only magnified even further as she comes into her own in the world of Red London, and while she still feels this evident need to prove herself and to come out on top, her entire attitude has been tempered—if only slightly—by the pains that her previous actions have caused.

It is not my cosmic dance. But I do know that you come asking after one another, when only a few strides and a handful of stars divide you. On top of everything else, his relationship with his brother, Rhy, is one of the most wholesome, pure, and precious things I have ever seen in my entire life. Rhy Maresh is, I think, one of the most lovable fictional characters who has ever been written. He broke my heart so many times during his struggles with the lengths Kell has gone to in order to save him, and the fact that he values his own presence in the world so little is crushing, yet nevertheless, Rhy is a constant source of drama, amusement, and sweet brotherly love in a world full of violence and fear.

The fact that both of these princes would so readily give up everything for one another is perhaps my single favorite aspect to this gorgeous series thus far. Alucard Emery, privateer, playboy, magical aficionado, and captain of the Night Spire crew. He is hilarious, delightful in every way, and an absolute deviant who never fails to keep you guessing.

I love his entire presence in the story, and though I am left with a million and one questions about his past and how it relates to the lives of the Maresh family, it is easily one of the things that I am most excited about tying up in A Conjuring of Light.

Magic is wild, so you must be tame. Magic is chaos, so you must be calm. Are you calm, Kell? View all 14 comments. If you have not picked up this series yet, pick it up now. I feel I can't even put into words how I feel about this book - but I'm going to try anyway. I liked the characters and the world building was so unique and engaging. The story was good- but it left me wanting more to happen to the characters which was perfect, because I knew there was a sequel coming ou Wowowowow.

The story was good- but it left me wanting more to happen to the characters which was perfect, because I knew there was a sequel coming out. And I'm not gonna lie I wanted a spark between Kell and Lila. This book took the story to a new level. I mean- I was totally mind blown. There are so many good points to hit on. Yes you read that right. Just to break it down a little bit though Heavens I love this girl. I can't explain it.. The characters are so beautifully woven together. The plot is absolutely fantastically and horribly unpredictable.

Oh and the writing - oh it was superb. Beautiful in every way. Lila and Kell are apart for a very good chunk of this book. SO so so so so worth it. Plus, there are so many great moments in their separate paths before they reunite. But I promise you this- there are some very fulfilling moments before the ending. Now go read it so we can talk about it more because I am not satisfied with only writing a blog post!

View all 32 comments. Mar 11, C. Ohhhh good book is GOOD the second time round too. Who'd have though, right?!? Also can she please chill on hurting the precious magical children. And it's raining on my face. I care about them so much and they really carry the entire story and make my heart so full.

My only note is that: I listened to the audiobook and have to admit I didn't like it. This could be partially because I had a bad experience reading Well of Ascension which has the same male narrator?? I hated WoA and got aggressively abused for my dislike of it on twitter and so it was kind of flashbacks to that. But the female narrator also annoyed me for making all the male voices so weird. Aaaanyway obviously it didn't dampen my enjoyment!!

Like I actually expected to be more stressed out by it than I was? But I love them for it. Where do I even start with shrieking about this masterpiece?! Which I exactly loved. Characters are the best , and I love it when a book manages to weave an interesting but not overwhelming plot and focus on developing the characters. But I still liked it. I'm a sucker for people punching each other magically I guess.

And since it was charactery that's a word, shhhh let's have a brief look at all the darling dangerous scary babies: Do you know what always slays me? And he is in such pain in this book. He's having a mid-life-Antari-crisis. He gets tons of POV chapters and All the partying of Rhy and the quips and the flippant attitude?

• Renew Yourself Through Juice Fasting and Detoxification Diets
• I Made It! How Not Achieving Your Dream Can Lead to Ultimate Success
• Die unheimliche Bibliothek: Erzählung (Taschenbücher) (German Edition)
• Just Another Monday
• The Chronicles of Konstantinos: A Crusader Kings II Narrative Guide
• Never Send Flowers (John Gardners Bond series Book 13)