A Gathering Of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2)
By V.E. Schwab
Genre: Fantasy
Recommended For: Ages 17+ and readers who look for character driven stories with a hint of magic

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

The Gist:
I must admit, I was lukewarm about starting A Gathering Of Shadows because while I didn’t hate A Darker Shade of Magic, I didn’t enjoy it a lot either. However, I found myself much more entwined with the story in this sequel and more eager to know what happened. This sequel allows the reader a more in depth look at the characters and world Schwab has created, and while a tad slow plot wise, it did leave me anxious to read the final book to see how it all ends. All in all, I enjoyed A Gathering Of Shadows much more that its predecessor.

What I Liked:
The component that sucked me in the most in A Gathering of Shadows was the characters. The tension and dwindling timeline we felt in book one was replaced in book two with character development. After reading this, I truly feel like I know the main characters (and even a couple side characters) as if they were people in my real life. We get to see the motivations and desires of each character, along with their struggles and internal battles. For me, that created a compassion for them I didn’t have in book one. I felt invested in their outcome, and this is what kept me so engrossed in the story throughout and kept it from dragging. By allow a small break in crises if you will, Schwab allowed us to form a connection to Kell, Lila and Rhy. I’m invested in them now.

And it wasn’t just the characters we got to know more. With Lila at sea with her new pal Alucard, we got to see and learn more about the world Red London resides in. We meet people from all over and see what life is like in this land of magic. It was fun to see this wider view of the world Schwab has created through the eyes of Lila, a young woman who has craved adventure all her life.

Schwab also used the Essen Tasch, a magical battle with echos of the Tri-Wizard tournament in Harry Potter, to showcase the magical system she has created for this world. It was a genius way to allow the reader to see why types of magic exist and how they can be wielded. We saw a whole new scope of magic in book two compared to the first book.

It was also sweet to get to see things through Rhy’s point of view every now and then. We really get a sense of the deep ties he shares with his brother Kell. Since they were together for pretty much the entire book, we see their interactions, their arguments, and their brotherly devotion to each other. It was well nuanced and character building for both of them.

What I Didn’t Like:
There are so many things I like about Lila Bard as a character. She’s strong, independent, courageous, adventurous, and lots of other things I admire about her. I love that she is a woman who wants to prove she’s as good as anyone else. What I didn’t like though was how thick-headed and stubborn she was sometimes in proving this. Sometimes, in an effort to show her strength, she proceeded to do things without any regard for other people. Now, I try my hardest not to comment on an author’s choice for how to write a character. Me not liking aspects of Lila’s personality doesn’t make this a bad story. And it doesn’t make her a bad character. What bothered me was I didn’t feel like I saw enough personal growth on her end in this arena. I can’t recall her spending that much time regretting any choices she made, or trying to make better ones that didn’t hurt people. Perhaps that will come in book three though.

It was clear to me that the point of this middle book was to allow the read to get to know, and fall in love with its characters. I say this because it felt completely lacking in the plot department. For the first 80% of the book it felt like nothing big was going to happen. Sure, there were hints that something devastating might happen, but they were small hints at best and didn’t effect any of the main characters until the very very end. The ending was great, full of action and tension, but I wish it would have started earlier and laid more of a foundation for the cliff hanger.

LunasLuckyRating: 4/5 Lunas