A Gathering of Shadows

Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Cover image and summary from Goodreads:

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—meaning that another London must fall.

This was one of my most-anticipated books of the year. I LOVED A Darker Shade of Magic when I read it last year, and I had such high hopes for this sequel.

Everything that I loved about ADSOM was back in this book, along with new characters to love and a great story that involves the Element Games, a tournament of magic! How cool is that??

The story is kind of like a slow burn – it takes time to set everything up for the Element Games towards the end of the book, and I savoured every moment. When would Kell and Lila cross paths? Would Rhy’s plans for the Games succeed? Who was Alucard? Would anyone make out? These were the questions I was excited to have answered, and of course, Victoria Schwab’s writing was amazing.

This book was flawless. The writing, the story, the pacing, the characters – everything was perfect. I found myself wishing for more time in the day so I could keep reading. I did not want to put this one down for one moment!

As soon as I finished reading my ARC (thank you Raincoast!), I pre-ordered a finished copy, which has already arrived. And now the interminable wait for book number three begins!

This series – and any of Victoria Schwab’s books, really – is highly, highly recommended. I just love this series and the world Victoria Schwab has created so so much and I want everyone else to read and love it too!