The Shades of Magic Trilogy Slipcase
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- Create Date：2021-05-23 10:54:13
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：V.E. Schwab
- ISBN：1789096448
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Summary
The complete Shades of Magic trilogy by New-York-Times-bestselling author， V。 E。 Schwab。
Most people only know one London; but what if there were four？ There's Grey London， dirty and crowded and without magic， home to the mad king George III; Red London， where life and magic are revered; White London， ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne。 But once upon a time， there was Black London。。。
Meet Kell Maresh， one of the last Travellers， and Lila Bard， a thief with quick fingers and ambition for great adventures。 Together， they will fight to save all these Londons， and preserve the delicate balance of magic。
Discover the spectacular fantasy phenomenon that is the Shades of Magic trilogy。
Most people only know one London; but what if there were four？ There's Grey London， dirty and crowded and without magic， home to the mad king George III; Red London， where life and magic are revered; White London， ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne。 But once upon a time， there was Black London。。。
Meet Kell Maresh， one of the last Travellers， and Lila Bard， a thief with quick fingers and ambition for great adventures。 Together， they will fight to save all these Londons， and preserve the delicate balance of magic。
Discover the spectacular fantasy phenomenon that is the Shades of Magic trilogy。
Reviews
Haley Haley
，
This is a review of the entire series， not just the first book， but it wont contain spoilers。My first thoughts on finishing this series （over 1，500 pages in the entire trilogy） is that I wish there was more。 I'm delighted that Schwab is releasing another companion trilogy， but I doubt that will be for a while unfortunately。 The first book of the series was good， the second okay and the third brilliant。 In the first book we are introduced to Kell， Lila and Rhy， three of the main characters in the This is a review of the entire series， not just the first book， but it wont contain spoilers。My first thoughts on finishing this series （over 1，500 pages in the entire trilogy） is that I wish there was more。 I'm delighted that Schwab is releasing another companion trilogy， but I doubt that will be for a while unfortunately。 The first book of the series was good， the second okay and the third brilliant。 In the first book we are introduced to Kell， Lila and Rhy， three of the main characters in the series， though more important characters do enter in the first， second and third books。 'A darker shade of magic' was only a taste of what the rest of the trilogy held， an introduction in a way， while at the same time it was it's own fantastic story。 I gave it 4 stars。 It was an adventure novel with the typical 'quest to defeat the bad magician' yet it was so much more than that。 I'll write about the world building and characters soon， but the plot alone would earn the book high stars。 It was well thought out， exiting without being rushed， clever without being confusing， there was build up without the boredom。 Schwab left no loopholes， the only unanswered questions I had were ones she wanted me to have to add suspense。 It was brilliantly done， very enjoyable， a proper journey through worlds just as the blurb promises。'A gathering of shadows' was my least favourite of the series， though still enjoyable。 I gave it 3 stars because I felt like it was more of a build up to the third book than it's own story。 The first 60% or so felt a little bit dragged on and the action at the end seemed like a climax without any resolution， left for the third book to wrap up the loose ends。 I also felt the least connected with， or invested in， the characters in this book。 I'll admit， I did almost stop reading it at a few points but I'm really really glad I didn't because the last 30% or so and the third book are superb。 That's pretty much all the bad I can say about the trilogy。 Besides that， it was still fun， enjoyable and I really enjoyed the last quarter of it， and as I said it was a build up for the third novel which was so so so worth every bit of the second novel I wasn't overly gone on。As I said， 'A conjuring of light' was my favourite and I gave it 5 stars。 It was the type of book that kept me glued to the pages in a rush to finish， and feeling lost at the end wanting the story to keep going。 The plot developed a great deal from the first book， while still containing the same themes that dragged me in in the first place。 I really connected with the characters in the final book， rooting for ones I had previously had no interest in and liking ones I had previously despised。 Schwab was able to create an action filled plot without it feeling as if the author was just trying to throw challenge after challenge at the characters to make it more interesting， which just makes the whole thing feel forced。 Instead this book flowed with brilliant twists and exciting turns。 No spoilers， but it was great！ The only thing i will say is I still had a few questions at the end。 Not things the author left unanswered exactly， just things about the characters and worlds I would like to know but were kind of left open ended for the reader to think about。 I'm hoping that in her companion series （which will supposedly have the same characters in it） will answer these questions， though we'll probably have to wait a while for it。 Overall I would give the series 4 stars and if you see this review then read the trilogy。 It's good。The world building， the thought behind the magic， it was all done in such a brilliant， believable way that allowed the reader to become fully immersed。 In this type of book it's so often the author creates a setting with plot holes that leave the reader lost or rolling their eyes， but if Schwab turned out to actually have visited these places my only response would have to be 'Ah， that makes sense。'The author created not one world in this story， but four。 Each one had it's own history， it's own traditions， it's own languages and norms。 The main one even had other nations and cultures， different races and traditions。 Each world was realistic and detailed， super informative and although the detail could drag on a little bit at points， it wasn't overdone。 There was nothing too heavy where the reader got lost under all the description and detail。 I didn't lose track of the story， it just added to it because it made sense to know all of this stuff。 It wasn'tile some books where you stop being able to picture what the author was writing about， it was the opposite。 Schwab wove images of her world right into her readers minds， in a sort of magic of her own。 The magic in the series was done just as incredibly。 Again， so often I find myself left disappointed because magic in this type of book either is hard to follow or just doesn't make sense， but Schwab's does。 There are rules to the magic， it is explained how it works， and why it works。 We know what happens if there is too much， or too little。 Where it comes from， how its passed on， how it flows。 Some of the aspects of the magic are left as mysteries， but again it's done in such a deliberate way that it makes sense。 In the trilogy some aspects of the magic cant be explained by the characters so， in a similar way to religion， different people have different beliefs and it allows the reader to connect with it more because they have to think about which could be true， which they want to believe。 The magic is it's own thing in this series， it's not just a tool but a living force with consequences and the way the characters interact with it is interesting， I haven't read a series where magic is treated like this before and it was mind blowing in a way to learn this other perspective on something that is explored in almost every fantasy book。The characters were another aspect of the trilogy that was done really well。 They had depth to them， emotions， desires， struggles， fears。 The were relatable for the most part and I was able to enjoy them。I did find Lila a little hard to connect with， especially in the first half of the second book， because she seemed a little too badass。 I didn't like her enough to feel interested and it took away from the story a bit。 She was too good at everything and didn't care enough about anything， but I was really rooting for her by the end of the series and her character development ended up adding to my enjoyment in the end。 I ended up admiring her because of the fact she was such a bad ass and she was so resilient。 The same could be said for some of the other characters。 Some of their development was deeper and more enjoyable than others， while some were simply funny or admirable and a few just entered the book to break the readers hearts a little bit。 This is very much a fantasy novel full of good versus evil， but there are plenty of other enjoyable themes throughout， all of which are done in depth and detail， instead of just feeling like a trope added because it should be。 Theres death， grief， betrayal， suffering， imprisonment， loyalty， love， hope， romance， trust， adventure， bravery， sacrifice。。。 the list goes on。 And I'm not just listing these out for the sake of it， every one of these themes adds to the plot， adding more feeling and weight to the story， making it more real。The romance is present in the background throughout the trilogy but is mostly explored in the third novel。 There are two main romantic relationships， one heterosexual and one homosexual and both are very well done and emotional， making the reader really wanting the characters to get their happy ever after。 There is also a really good relationship between Kell and Rhy， the brothers in the trilogy that really shows the bond， loyalty and love between brothers and is super heart warming and also hilarious at times。There is struggle and hardship too， but although some of the deaths in the novel were sad and some of the suspenseful moments had my heart racing， there weren't any truly tear jerking or scream worthy moments。 Still， it was the type of book that stays with the reader for a while， and although it's not something I immediately want to start to read again because I know what's happened and dont feel the need to relive all those moments （also it's too long） I can see myself re-reading it again in a few years and am really looking forward to the companion series。 。。。more
Sofia
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That was quite a ride。 I always knew I would finish the series because I am stubborn and because the story is good。However， it was just so painful。 The author took likable and multifaceted characters and made them go through hell on both physical and emotional level。I believe it's the first time when reading a book was so stressful just for sheer amount of suffering。 The language is drawing in， the word building is very good， the interactions look realistic， the plot is fast-paced and has unexpe That was quite a ride。 I always knew I would finish the series because I am stubborn and because the story is good。However， it was just so painful。 The author took likable and multifaceted characters and made them go through hell on both physical and emotional level。I believe it's the first time when reading a book was so stressful just for sheer amount of suffering。 The language is drawing in， the word building is very good， the interactions look realistic， the plot is fast-paced and has unexpected twists。 Also I get emotionally attached to the characters。 So I couldn't stop。 The things are made myself go through 😐I am confused how it is possible to love this book。The book just feels like the characters would just talk， then argue， then fight， then one of them f*cking dies randomly and the other is paralyzed for 10 years thinking about this story every other day。 And also the world almost got destroyed by evil forces。 The plot repeats this emotional cycle with too brief intervals of inside jokes and people kissing each other。 How am I supposed to stay sane reading this ？！Phew， couldn't keep it inside。 All in all， good books if you love beauty， pain， magic， your beloved characters in pain， catastrophes and， ehm， unlikely friendships。 Truly， I do enjoy a good bit of suffering now and then， but this was to much for me。Beware。 。。。more
Tiffany Magnolia
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Who doesn't love a plucky thief？！ Who doesn't love a plucky thief？！ 。。。more
Arman Purewal
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for my friends:~ overall series: 5/5 ~loved the series bro she did such a good job at building the world and developing the characters。 as the books went on longer i only liked them more and kell and lila r so amazing i actually loved both protagonists for once and even holland who was like a very grey character was amazing。 just everyone is great bro and the actual concept of the book w the 4 londons is super cool！！！ （4 londons w a varying amount of magic in each） super sick tho will be rereadi for my friends:~ overall series: 5/5 ~loved the series bro she did such a good job at building the world and developing the characters。 as the books went on longer i only liked them more and kell and lila r so amazing i actually loved both protagonists for once and even holland who was like a very grey character was amazing。 just everyone is great bro and the actual concept of the book w the 4 londons is super cool！！！ （4 londons w a varying amount of magic in each） super sick tho will be rereading 。。。more
Yasmine Ahmed
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I’ve truly， truly wasted my time reading these 3 books。 No character development （except Lila somehow managing to get more annoying）， romance feels half assed， like the author wanted to incorporate it but didn’t want actual chemistry so instead she fills the holes with Lila and Kell constantly thinking of each other （book 2）。 The 2nd book didn’t even half them MEETING each other until 300+ pages in， so tell me， do you enjoy reading a book where the 2 main characters don’t interact with each othe I’ve truly， truly wasted my time reading these 3 books。 No character development （except Lila somehow managing to get more annoying）， romance feels half assed， like the author wanted to incorporate it but didn’t want actual chemistry so instead she fills the holes with Lila and Kell constantly thinking of each other （book 2）。 The 2nd book didn’t even half them MEETING each other until 300+ pages in， so tell me， do you enjoy reading a book where the 2 main characters don’t interact with each other for that long？？ And somehow they’re supposed to LIKE each other？ It was more than obvious Lila was Antari （with her missing eye， her ability to travel with Kell between worlds）， but it took her 4+ months to realize she could do that？ She didn’t， not ONCE， think over the fact that that’s unusual？ Lila continues to be her annoying， infuriating， “I’m so dark and no one will ever understand me” self， which once again， proves her lack of character development。 And this isn’t over one book， it’s over THREE books， 1400+ pages， and let’s be honestly， the only interesting things that happened can be summed up into 300 pages。 。。。more
Samira Warsame
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Amazing！
Robyn Everard
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These books are fab if you like sarcastic， teenage female protagonists。 Not too overcrowded with romance。 This book has a heavy focus on internalisation， the responsibilities we carry with us。 Some standard plots， some surprising。 Would recommend for a fun read。 Explores magic in a cool way and the villain is quite fun！
Lauren
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Clever concept and kick-arse characters who are not without flaws， making them likeable and relatable。
Rita Lei Chen 雷晨
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London is the setting of many fantasy stories。 Welcome everyone to come to the Wizarding World of London again。 This time there are four different atmospheres of London。 Which one would you like to go to？These four Londons are distinguished by red， white， gray， and black。 The ordinary people have no magic。 They don't know the existence of other Londons， and they use different languages， just like a parallel four-dimensional space。 The male protagonist Kyle is one of the few remaining magicians。 London is the setting of many fantasy stories。 Welcome everyone to come to the Wizarding World of London again。 This time there are four different atmospheres of London。 Which one would you like to go to？These four Londons are distinguished by red， white， gray， and black。 The ordinary people have no magic。 They don't know the existence of other Londons， and they use different languages， just like a parallel four-dimensional space。 The male protagonist Kyle is one of the few remaining magicians。 He can come and go between different Londons and help the royal family send letters to other London royal families。 He only knew that the royal family of Red London had adopted him， but he did not know his true background。 This， I think， paved a developmental route for the future story。In addition， there is also a magician like him， but he is not as lucky as Horan， who has a different personality and is bound by White London。 Because their destiny is different and they are in different worlds， their endings are also very different。 It is very important to have a heartbeat。Magic， magic， everyone wants to have it。 To put it bluntly， don't you just want the ability to control others！ I especially like the use of willpower to control magic in the book。 The mysterious willpower is the source of power。 Everyone should make good use of it， and then they can have magic。 Magic is also like the supreme power。 If it is in the hands of the right people， it can benefit most people; on the contrary， if it falls into the hands of the wicked， the consequences will of course be worrying。 In fact， if you want to have it， you have to be the chosen one。 If the ability is insufficient， magic cannot be possessed for a long time。 。。。more
Stolperstein
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TL;DR: If you care about character motivation， character development and plot holes bother you， then the Shades of Magic trilogy is surely not for you。 - The setting with multiple Londons is nice but feels underdeveloped and underused。 The story would have worked just as well in a ordinary geographic arrangement。- The final antagonist is basically a cliché incarnated without any character of its own。- 。。。 which isnt too bad since most characters are flat， dont develop and whenever it comes in ha TL;DR: If you care about character motivation， character development and plot holes bother you， then the Shades of Magic trilogy is surely not for you。 - The setting with multiple Londons is nice but feels underdeveloped and underused。 The story would have worked just as well in a ordinary geographic arrangement。- The final antagonist is basically a cliché incarnated without any character of its own。- 。。。 which isnt too bad since most characters are flat， dont develop and whenever it comes in handy they all act completely against their own backgrounds， believes and motives。 Don't get me started on how Lila Bard is forced into the main story multiple times。 - The plot。 The holes。 So many。 - The name of some characters sound like the author lost a bet。 Alucard and Tuttle？ Sure its nitpicky， but the cringe was real for me。 。。。more
Alexandra I
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 3。5 starsDefinitely original， which I always appreciate。 Got into a mini reading slump while reading this series because I didn’t love all the perspectives of the characters， and at times the plot was a bit slow for me。 Loved some of the characters’ storylines， but I just didn’t feel too attached to them。 Had a nice ending though！Update: I realized that we don’t really learn about Kell’s backstory。 It is emphasized that he doesn’t know his past， and he is told that the memory spell did not have 3。5 starsDefinitely original， which I always appreciate。 Got into a mini reading slump while reading this series because I didn’t love all the perspectives of the characters， and at times the plot was a bit slow for me。 Loved some of the characters’ storylines， but I just didn’t feel too attached to them。 Had a nice ending though！Update: I realized that we don’t really learn about Kell’s backstory。 It is emphasized that he doesn’t know his past， and he is told that the memory spell did not have to last so long as he is willing to glimpse into his past。。。 but nothing happens with that in the ending ！！！ 。。。more
Amanda Scheifele
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This series is very important to me。 I am rarely adventurous in my reading so I usually stay within my YA comfort zone。 The rare times I’ve reached out I have been punished for it so reading these books that are adult fantasy was a big step for me and I was at last rewarded for trying something new。 These books are by far one of my favourite series of all time。 They are intricate， brutal， funny， sexy and fascinating oh and there’s pirates。 I couldn’t ask for more
Anushka
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I’ve had these books on my shelf for quite a while。 I can’t exactly say why I waited so long before reading them， but after finishing #theinvisiblelifeofaddielarue by the same author， I decided it was finally time to start this trilogy。 ADSOM - The story is set in a world where there are four parallel Londons， each with varying levels of magic。 Kell serves the crown of Red London， carrying messages to Grey and White London， but also secretly smuggles objects for sale during his travels。 Unfortun I’ve had these books on my shelf for quite a while。 I can’t exactly say why I waited so long before reading them， but after finishing #theinvisiblelifeofaddielarue by the same author， I decided it was finally time to start this trilogy。 ADSOM - The story is set in a world where there are four parallel Londons， each with varying levels of magic。 Kell serves the crown of Red London， carrying messages to Grey and White London， but also secretly smuggles objects for sale during his travels。 Unfortunately， one of these exchanges go awry。 Kell finds himself in danger and this is extended to Lila， a thief who steals the smuggled item。 AGOS - We meet an extended cast of characters and it expands the world of Red London， introducing us to neighbouring countries。 This story’s focus is on a magical tournament， one of my favourite tropes！ACOL - The gang has to save Red London from the magic that corrupted Black London。 This is a fantastic end to an already wonderful series。Overall， the shades of magic trilogy is a fun and exciting read。 There are some slower paced parts， but it never comes across as boring。 Whilst the plot itself is amazing， the absolute best parts are the characters。 The banter between Kell and Lila， all of Rhy and Alucard， and even Holland’s arc throughout the series， were all simply fantastic。 I hope you give this a read and if you already have， what are your thoughts？ 。。。more
OutOfTheDark
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My favorite trilogy so far and i doubt that it Will be overthrown
J Aislynn d'Merricksson
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How have I not read this series before now？？？ I fell in love with the world and characters straight away。 Normally I don't like bouncing between two characters （or more） because I usually favour one over the others。 Not here！ I did guess Lila's truth early on， but it didn't detract from my enjoyment。 Holland became a favourite for his complexity， and history。 Highly recommended series！ How have I not read this series before now？？？ I fell in love with the world and characters straight away。 Normally I don't like bouncing between two characters （or more） because I usually favour one over the others。 Not here！ I did guess Lila's truth early on， but it didn't detract from my enjoyment。 Holland became a favourite for his complexity， and history。 Highly recommended series！ 。。。more
Hailey Autumn Hamm
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Now That I've Read This Series As A Whole I Can Tell You How I Truly Feel About It I Really Liked Every Aspect Of This Story And The Series As A Whole The Magic System Was Fantastic And Breathtaking I Really Loved Following These Characters For 3 Amazingly Breathtaking Hell Of A Ride Book Series I Think The Last Book Wrapped Up The Series Very Well And I Have Read Addie Larue From This Author So I Knew She Could Write Beautifully Fleshed Out Characters And Great Backdrops And Gorgeously Breathta Now That I've Read This Series As A Whole I Can Tell You How I Truly Feel About It I Really Liked Every Aspect Of This Story And The Series As A Whole The Magic System Was Fantastic And Breathtaking I Really Loved Following These Characters For 3 Amazingly Breathtaking Hell Of A Ride Book Series I Think The Last Book Wrapped Up The Series Very Well And I Have Read Addie Larue From This Author So I Knew She Could Write Beautifully Fleshed Out Characters And Great Backdrops And Gorgeously Breathtaking Writing That Draws You In And Will Make You Binge The Whole Series A Darker Shade Of Magic Book # 1 - 5/5 Stars A Gathering Of Shadows Book # 2 - 4/5 Stars A Conjuring Of Light Book # 3 - 5/5 Stars Overall This Series Was Great 。。。more
Avani ✨
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I love this series so much 🤩Everyone please read it 😀
Kat Alina
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Just AMAZING。。。
Maykhoy Sir
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I looooooveeeeeee this serieeessssss
Jonathan
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The series starts off well， and the interactions between the cast being somewhat amusing。 However， by the third book， the teen-age angst and the irrational decisions made by almost every character grated on me， and the series almost made it onto my DNF list。The magic system also personally grated on me。 I cannot understand why every magician in the series go for flashy kills， when all it would take would be a small piece of ice/fire/air-bubble in the brain/heart to kill a group of adversaries。 E The series starts off well， and the interactions between the cast being somewhat amusing。 However， by the third book， the teen-age angst and the irrational decisions made by almost every character grated on me， and the series almost made it onto my DNF list。The magic system also personally grated on me。 I cannot understand why every magician in the series go for flashy kills， when all it would take would be a small piece of ice/fire/air-bubble in the brain/heart to kill a group of adversaries。 Even a small remote tug on the spine would cripple anybody。The big-bad in books 2 and 3 is also particularly underwhelming; a personification of magic for the world being limited to just one city。 What？ Is the world limited to London？ What about Asia/America， the rest of Europe？Also:（view spoiler）[Why did the king go out by himself to challenge the big-bad， when it would serve no functional purpose？ Especially when he warned his son not attempt a similar action。（view spoiler）[ （hide spoiler）] （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Alli Massie
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I loved this series！ It felt nostalgic in a way that I haven't felt with a series since I read Harry Potter more than a decade ago。I ripped through these in less than a week， truly grateful there was always one more。 I absolutely loved the characters， even if I felt frustrated at times with them。The romance was lovely， I truly was overjoyed to be surprised by a same-sex couple。So glad I stumbled across this， I will absolutely ready more by the author。 I loved this series！ It felt nostalgic in a way that I haven't felt with a series since I read Harry Potter more than a decade ago。I ripped through these in less than a week， truly grateful there was always one more。 I absolutely loved the characters， even if I felt frustrated at times with them。The romance was lovely， I truly was overjoyed to be surprised by a same-sex couple。So glad I stumbled across this， I will absolutely ready more by the author。 。。。more
HaaYa
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All in all， I would give the series 3。5， but I'll stick to official 4 stars。 It was a decent read， at the time of opening first tome I hadn't touched fantasy or fiction for quite some time， so it was kind of refreshing to read something with magic， pirates， nobility and ancient evil （now when I write this out， that is a surprisingly weird combination！）。 The story kept delivering new places， concepts， characters and action， it was difficult to predict what is going to happen next， so except some All in all， I would give the series 3。5， but I'll stick to official 4 stars。 It was a decent read， at the time of opening first tome I hadn't touched fantasy or fiction for quite some time， so it was kind of refreshing to read something with magic， pirates， nobility and ancient evil （now when I write this out， that is a surprisingly weird combination！）。 The story kept delivering new places， concepts， characters and action， it was difficult to predict what is going to happen next， so except some long fragments， books kept me engaged。 I really enjoyed often changed POV of main characters， author skilfully gives us insight into their thoughts and reasoning， so even when characters did unreasonable （or simply stupid） things， it was somehow understandable。 As for characters， they were inconsistent， especially what they can achieve with magic。 Sometimes we are convinced that one magic user is unparalleled， second later to learn someone else is more unparalleled and later someone else unparallelest。 I had a feeling that characters didn't grow or develop considerably along the way， no new relations sprouted except one romance。 There was one more pre-existing couple in the series。 As weak as they were， I'd rather not have them at all， especially when they are not a driving force for anyone。 I really liked the concept of other Londons， relations and dynamic between them that was introduced in the first book。 Sadly， what we have learnt there was barely touched or developed in second or third tome。 I'm not the only one who saw a lot of unused potential in that premise。 。。。more
anusha
，
“Magic was a truly beautiful disease。 But only when the hosts are strong enough。” Let’s just say that it should be a fact universally acknowledged， that I should’ve read this trilogy much， much sooner。 V。E Schwab creates a richly imaginative world with characters exquisitely threaded with darkness and depth that I just couldn’t get enough of。 ‘Grey for the magic-less city， Red for the healthy empire and White， for the starving world。’ In an original twist， the story follows 4 worlds， each with “Magic was a truly beautiful disease。 But only when the hosts are strong enough。” Let’s just say that it should be a fact universally acknowledged， that I should’ve read this trilogy much， much sooner。 V。E Schwab creates a richly imaginative world with characters exquisitely threaded with darkness and depth that I just couldn’t get enough of。 ‘Grey for the magic-less city， Red for the healthy empire and White， for the starving world。’ In an original twist， the story follows 4 worlds， each with their own London， enriched and encumbered with varying degrees of magic。 Black London， burned and destroyed by magic’s vicious flames， White London， tarnished but bleakly alive， Red London， anointed with magic’s reforming touch and Grey London， devoid of magical influence altogether。 The Londons are connected only by the Antari （blood magicians）， who are gifted with the ability to travel between them。 In Shwab’s universe， only 2 remain， Kell and Holland， serving as political ambassadors for their worlds。The plot establishes itself quickly - deprivation and conflict swirling together to create an incredibly captivating premise， exploding into power lust and carnage of epic proportions。 It is almost deceptively easy to get lost in Schwab’s action sequences， romantic yearning and intricate twists tied together in her vivid language。And then， there are her characters。 I love how every character is so fleshed out， enmeshed in their own inner turmoils and fascinating quirks。 There’s Lila， resourceful but so reckless， Kell， loyal but equally jaded， Rhy， charismatic， promiscuous and woefully insecure and Alucard， a royal outcast， adaptable and cunning。 Lila Bard - “Kell looked down at Delilah Bard， a cutthroat and a thief， a valiant partner and a strange and terrifying girl。” Lila Bard is my absolute， favouritest character and the fact that I am not adventuring with her on a pirate ship is the real tragedy here。 Lila is a paradox - brought up on the streets of London， she’s a skillful thief with a killer instinct for survival。 And yet， she’s extremely reckless and would sell her soul for the promise of adventure， and a chance to experience the extraordinary。 Her need to transcend the routine of life often overwhelms her need for self- preservation。 And yet， it is her will to stay alive that infuses her with suspicion and paranoia， preventing her from ever letting people in。 “She bent most of the rules。 She broke the rest。” Kell Maresh - “Kell has only two faces。 The one he wears for the world at large， and the one he wears for those he loves。” Yes， I do have a slightly overwhelming crush on him， okay？ Kell is so different from other protagonists， willing to protect his empire while embittered by the realization that he’s more a powerful pawn than a son to the royal family。 He is heartbreakingly lonely， and unbelievably skilled， his love for Prince Rhy and his need to live his life， constantly conflicting with each other。 His mercilessness shaded with his protectiveness when it comes to Rhy， and his will to know where he truly comes from create the edges and crevices of his persona， permeating him with a greyness that I can’t fangirl enough about。 “Standing there on display was painful enough。Now came the truly unfortunate task of socializing。” Did I mention that he was also super relatable ？Rhy Maresh - “Even glass can be strong，" said Rhy， "if it is thick enough。” Rhy is the Prince of Arnes， Kell’s adoptive brother and pretty much a slave to his own whims。 Promiscuous and charismatic， he is extremely fond of his people， willing to do anything to keep them safe。 But， he is constantly torn apart by a sense of inadequacy， his lack of magic （unlike his parents） leading him to believe that he is not good enough to be a king。 Quintessentially， a cinnamon roll， would die for everyone。 “He’s … charming and spoiled， generous and fickle and hedonistic。 He would flirt with a nicely upholstered chair， and he never takes anything seriously。” Alucard Emery - “I’ve found that watching is the quickest way to learn， and the safest way to stay alive。” While he’s introduced only in the second book， Emery is one of the most intriguing characters。 With a clouded past， unmatched magical abilities and a desire to live on the edge， Alucard glints with an energy similar to Lila’s， except with slightly more regard for his own life。 I love his back story， his devotion to his one true love， his quick-witted sense of humour and his urge to protect everyone on his crew。Also， the romance is breathtaking。 Schwab melds romantic yearning and slow burn so evocatively that you can’t help but ship the characters。 There’s angst and denial， a complicated history and so much pining， I almost cried。 （If you’ve read the books here’s 2 playlists that I made because I just love the couples so muchFor Kell - < a s Romance For Rhy - "https://open。spotify。com/user/40z4524。。。 Rhy's Romance ） Shades of Magic is hauntingly intriguing and unlike anything I’ve ever read before， effectively evading the cliches of the genre to offer a uniquely ingenious read。 Highly， highly recommended to anyone who enjoys fantasy。 。。。more
Roeki
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A very fun， imaginative， absolutely engrossing book series。 The author is writes lovable characters that sometimes do very foolish things yet somehow you are rooting for them while also having unlovable characters that are deliciously antagonistic。 The pacing， unraveling， and conclusion of each book was spot on。 I never felt bored or like I was reading to 'just get through it'。Definitely worth a re-read。 A very fun， imaginative， absolutely engrossing book series。 The author is writes lovable characters that sometimes do very foolish things yet somehow you are rooting for them while also having unlovable characters that are deliciously antagonistic。 The pacing， unraveling， and conclusion of each book was spot on。 I never felt bored or like I was reading to 'just get through it'。Definitely worth a re-read。 。。。more
Janet
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This was probably my most favourite fantasy series since Harry Potter。 It's another series that makes me believe in magic。 I consider it a crossover between YA and adult classification。 The main characters are only a few years past their teens。 The characters are interesting and complicated and the description of this fantasy world and its magic is detailed and layered。 The romance takes a while to build， but it is so worth it。 There are even some laugh out loud bits in the witty dialogue。 The w This was probably my most favourite fantasy series since Harry Potter。 It's another series that makes me believe in magic。 I consider it a crossover between YA and adult classification。 The main characters are only a few years past their teens。 The characters are interesting and complicated and the description of this fantasy world and its magic is detailed and layered。 The romance takes a while to build， but it is so worth it。 There are even some laugh out loud bits in the witty dialogue。 The writing stands out and there are some quotes that refer to universal truths。 My favourite is one by the captain of the ship in A Conjuring of Light:“Love and loss，” he said， “are like a ship and the sea。 They rise together。 The more we love， the more we have to lose。 But the only way to avoid loss is to avoid love。 And what a sad world that would be。” 。。。more
Gabrielle
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🤩😍💗
Surrah
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This is my hands down favourite series ever。 The first book can be read as a stand alone， whereas the second book is like an introduction of new characters， back stories， and the beginning of a new plot， （basically "and the plot thickens"）， the third book is the action of the series。 I've always rather hated when books are filled with unnecessary detail throughout the entire body and all the action is in the last two remaining chapters。 Having it set up like this works so wonderfully for me！I lo This is my hands down favourite series ever。 The first book can be read as a stand alone， whereas the second book is like an introduction of new characters， back stories， and the beginning of a new plot， （basically "and the plot thickens"）， the third book is the action of the series。 I've always rather hated when books are filled with unnecessary detail throughout the entire body and all the action is in the last two remaining chapters。 Having it set up like this works so wonderfully for me！I love that Schwab doesnt shy away from death （a little bit too excessively） and the banter， god I live for the banter between the characters。 They're each so different and have different dynamics to each other， which is so beautifully visible in the books。 They're flawed， they're afraid， and they're so relatable。 I love each and everyone of them; I cant choose a single character to call my Favourite because I love them all in different ways and for different reasons。 I'm trying to figure out how I stumbled upon them so I can find more amazing books like these。 Whatever made the stars conspire to have me find this series I'm thankful for it。 。。。more
Alli Duckworth
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This series was entertaining for the most part。 There were some lulls in the story that felt like they dragged on for too long。 I enjoyed Lila’s story much more than Kell’s。 This was a situation where I liked all the supporting characters much more than the main character。 Overall， a pretty good series full of magic！
Danielle Marks
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ADSOM - 4 starsAGOS - 5 starsLila bugged me quite a bit in book 1， but I think it’s mainly because I’m intimidated by her confidence and self-assurance。 In that way I identify much more with Kell - not that he’s not confident or anything。 He doubts though， and he feels and he cares about what others think far more than Lila does （for good or ill） and I get that。 It’s funny when you think about how powerful Kell is， and all he really wants is to belong somewhere。 He’s got the power to do whatever ADSOM - 4 starsAGOS - 5 starsLila bugged me quite a bit in book 1， but I think it’s mainly because I’m intimidated by her confidence and self-assurance。 In that way I identify much more with Kell - not that he’s not confident or anything。 He doubts though， and he feels and he cares about what others think far more than Lila does （for good or ill） and I get that。 It’s funny when you think about how powerful Kell is， and all he really wants is to belong somewhere。 He’s got the power to do whatever he wants but he doesn’t do half of what he’s capable of， and Lila doesn’t even know what she’s capable of but does whatever she wants anyway。 They really are perfect together， as a team。 Shout out to V。E。 Schwab for somehow writing a “romance” （in quotes only because it’s very much a non-traditional sort of romance） that isn’t focused on any of the normal tropes。 I appreciate that Kell appreciates Lila for reasons I’m not even sure he understands and I’m glad it’s not explained away in any typical fashion。 I suspect Kell envies Lila for all of the reasons I’m sort of jealous of her， and that’s very much part of his attraction I’m sure， but you’re not being hit over the head with it。 Oh， and I LOVED how Lila decided on having a big Cinderella-type moment not to impress a guy or show she could be a girl with the best of them， but mostly just to fuck with people。 。。。more
Kiara Segal
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