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A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2) by V.E. Schwab

"It's been four months since the events of A Darker Shade of Magic and though some have found freedom, while others feel trapped, the Essen Tasch (Element Games) will bring everyone into the center of the fold and Schwab weaves the intricate webs of the story with expert craft. This was a fun, fast-paced, exciting read and the ending left me horrified and scrambling to my bookshelf to pick up the next book." 

5 Stars

Pros:  It was interesting to see how the soul bond that Kell created is affecting both Rhy and Kell, they're both struggling after what happened with the Danes and though they both have different ways of dealing with the memories, the soul bond keeps them linked/Holland, that's all I'll say. 

Cons: Lila's impulsiveness, her recklessness, gets tiresome/The fact that she always has to be right in the middle of everything gets old but then, of course, there wouldn't be much of a story. 

Full Review:
It's been four months since the tense and dramatic conclusion of the events in A Darker Shade of Magic. With no real home to go back to, Lila has taken it upon herself to become a member of the Crew of the Night Spire, a "privateering" ship led by the charismatic and dashing, Alucard Emery. He can read her like a book and figures out most of her secrets within the first week of her being on board, but he doesn't reveal her to anyone on the crew. Instead, he simply asks that she keep him company and be his friend. And in turn, he'll help her to hone the small bit of magic she's found herself able to wield ever since facing off against the Dane twins in White London. 

While Lila is free, Kell on the other hand, feels like a prisoner. After what happened with Rhy, and the possession charm of Astrid Dane, and the soul bond that Kell created to keep Rhy alive, the King and Queen have been cold and distant. They no longer treat him as a son, he's more of a prisoner. And with the Essen Tach fast approaching, a tournament where the best and brightest magicians across the Arnes Empire come to compete, Kell and Rhy create a plan to make it so they can have a bit of an adventure, since the Soul bond has left them both privy to each others moods, pains, nightmares. They both need a relief and Rhy thinks this is the perfect way for Kell to blow off some steam by competing. What could possibly go wrong? 

The Essen Tasch is the least of their concerns though as a world away, in White London, someone else has come to claim the throne in the vacuum that the Dane twins deaths created. And the new king shouldn't come as any surprise but it still does. And Schwab is great at keeping you hooked and curious, wondering how she's going to bring all the different threads together. 

She does so beautifully and by the end, the dreaded cliffhanger, you're horrified, panicked, completely bewildered at what just happened and, of course, scrambling to get your hands on the next book. 

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