V. E. Schwab’s A Gathering of Shadows is the second book in the Shades of Magic trilogy. Four months have passed since the events of A Darker Shade of Magic. Four months since, Kell’s smuggling inadvertently brought chaos and death to his magical home of Red London. Four months since Prince Rhy died, and Kell bound their two souls together. Four months since the cunning Lila Bard swaggered away from Red London’s Antari and into a magical world she knows little about. For four months, tension and power grew out of the scars left from the encounter with the Dane Twins. Now, as an international magic competition draws closer, the power of both good and evil bubble over.
For Kell, much of this book is about consequences. He once felt embraced and loved by red city, but, by smuggling the object from Black London, he unleashed horrors upon Red London. As a result, the king and queen who once embraced him as a second son now treat him coldly, and the city that once admired him, fears him. Because Rhy and Kell are bound together, their emotions are amplified changing their peaceful relationship into a volatile one. This is made worse by the fact that both can feel each other’s pain, causing Kell to feel like he is walking on eggshells everywhere. All of this turns the city of London into a prison that Kell can never escape.
Contrastingly, there are no consequences for Lila Bard. As a Gray London thief dropped into the middle of Red London with no knowledge of the language or customs, Lila is at a serious disadvantage. But, as she is the amazing Lila Bard, she masters a complex, new language and magic in four months. Her boldness and bravery win her a spot on a pirate ship, while her intelligence and charm pull her out of any trouble she manages to find. Her absurd growth in power is a huge detriment on her character that is only dwarfed by her inability to listen to those who are more knowledgeable than her. As she fails to follow advice and walks straight into trouble, the magic of plot armor saves her from repercussions. Despite her deus es machina level power growth, Lila does have other assets that make redeem her character. Although she is surrounded by the comforts of stability, she cannot accept it. Her instincts as a thief constantly berate her growing complacency and scream for her to flee the people around her.
A Gathering of Shadows is in excellent sequel. After the complete ending of A Darker Shade of Magic, a second book didn’t seem necessary, but V. E. Schwab wasn’t done. There was still one more story she needed to tell, and to tell it, she needed to write a book that was almost entirely set up and filler. That isn’t to say the book was boring and full of useless information. What I mean is that the book moved slowly revealing all the loose ends left by the previous book and setting up for a bigger finale.
The books plot progresses slowly for the first 300 pages as it explains the after effects of A Darker Shade of Magic and establishes the changes in the characters over the past four months.
The first 300 pages also gives Red London a something all the Londons lacked in the previous book, a sense of place. As previously mentioned, Lila Bard charmed her way onto a pirate ship, allowing her to explore the expanses of Red London’s world. Through her eyes, we say different customs and people from different countries and empires creating a open and wide world independent of the other Londons. While Kell was trapped in London, we gained an idea of countries through the political eyes of kings and queens. Together, they both gave meaning and life to an approaching international event, the Elemental Games.
The Elemental Games takes up the latter half of the book and is full of exciting tension that could only have been created by the setup of the previous pages. The Games were high stakes fun that worked to speed up the plot, connect characters, and spark the exciting, new plot. Unfortunately, the focus on Red London comes at a cost. There is very little attention payed to White and Gray London, but the time there lays the ground work for the succeeding book. While little happens to the plot in this book, a lot happens to the characters.
All of the characters were affected by the events of A Darker Shade of Magic, and A Gathering of Shadows provides the slow plot necessary to process those changes. Prince Rhy, Kell, and Lila take center stage as the three stars and all o f them change over the process of the book. Prince Rhy struggles with the after effects of being brought back from the dead and with the added burden he now places on his brother. Kell deals with the consequences of his actions and fights the ever-present feeling of oppression that encapsulates him. Lila overcomes the difficulty of her new surroundings and is the only one to truly flourish. Other characters are relegated to one dimensional character traits or tropes, as they are not the primary focus of the story.
In all, this book is undeniably a filler, but an plot relevant and interesting one. I give this 509 page book 5 stars.
Shades of Magic
In this intriguing world there are four parallel universes that are all connected by the magical city of London. Red London is a city filled with magic at the heart of the Maresh Empire. Grey London is a familiar city living without magic. White London is a dying city where people cling for the remaining bits of magic. Black London is a dead city, that is only spoken about it whispers and rumors. Each London is separate and only an Antari can traverse through them freely.
Series Analysis
Many books boast a fantastical world full of magic and excitement. Some worlds even promise an extensive fantasy world with complex politics, intricate class systems, and interesting people. Only V. E. Schwab can create not one, but four worlds of magic and intrigue, with distinct differences. Journey with Kell into a London of dying magic, a London overflowing with power, and one carrying on with out a drop of magic in it. This plot driven breathes new life into the retired trope of elemental magic and provides a great story with great characters. This series receives 4.833 stars.