A Conjuring of Light
Ratings351
Average rating4.2
I like the second book quite a bit but this felt like it was just going through the motions to finish the series. The Big Bad never felt ominous, the character deaths were very easy to see coming, the plot felt like a way around taking down an enemy they didn't actually have a good idea how to defeat. Several scenes had a lot of build up and no payoff. There was also a good bit of attempting to raise emotional stakes by constantly flashing back to scenes before the series, but that often falls flat for me. It's strange to have a tense scene and then “oh hey this would be better with some emotion, lets have a flashback” thrown in.
Oddly enough once the winding down scenes at the end of the book started I was interested again. Despite this being a let down I'm actually somewhat optimistic about the Fragile Threads of Power sequel series.
Well, this is a terrific trilogy of books. V. E . Schwab, where have you been all my life.
The book begins immediately from the end of the second book and then gallops along at breakneck pace.
You do think that this pace cannot be maintained and it does slow down.
One of the things that is really good about Schwabs writing is that her world building skills are really impressive. Rather than bogging down the reader with complicated prose that describes the world, Schwab moves her characters through the world as part of the story.
She also has a brilliant skill of expanding the characters and she does with the minor characters as well as the major characters like Holland and Alucard.
The relationship between Rhy and Alucard is explored further, and one of the best things about this is that it is completely natural and there is no fuss about it.
Definitely, one of my favourite fantasy series.
I've got tears in my eyes because of how perfect this ending was. Thanks, V.E. Schwab, for another masterpiece.
I liked this one the least of the (currently) 4 books in the series, mainly because the first 1/2 felt like it dragged on quite a lot and I didn't love the arc of having Osaron show up at the beginning then basically do nothing for a while as the main characters set up their plan to defeat it. But overall it's still really good, with exciting action and interesting characters (Holland being the best).
My eye is twitching because yet ANOTHER powerful being had their power dimmed/removed for the sake of an ending....but they could never make me hate my boy Kell
Such a perfect ending! It was a such a great trilogy. Did I cry? Almost... I held it in. I would recommend this series to anyone and everyone. Even if you are the kind of person who is not into fantasy. It's not complicated and the story is heavily character driven. Super sad to be leaving these people but happy to be getting a new story in this universe this September.
And finally thebstory ends. I liked many of the characters and much of the story. It surely doesn't shy away from killing of major characters neither which I always think is a good thing in trilogies.
I do wish there would be more stories tied up. This started out as a story about 3 different Londons. Expect in the end it was really only about red London. The stories in the other colours where almost abandoned is briefly mentioned. I had hoped to see more of their future as well.
4.5 stars
I loved this series. V.E. Schwab's writing really works for me.
I was invested in the story, the action (there was a lot going on!), and the characters. Especially the characters! Kell, Rhy, Alucard, Lila, and Holland were excellent characters. I really enjoyed the ending.
At some points, this book didn't feel like the last book.
(Apparently, there's going to be another book(s) in this series which is intriguing. Excited for it!)
Still not a fan of the “not like other girls” vibe that Lila maintains throughout the series.
This whole trilogy was a blast. Fun, quick, packed with style, and full of enough ideas to separate it from the bulk of the genre. There were a few twists without it feeling too arbitrary, and I appreciated how her attention to detail wound a lot of the plotlines together. There were also a handful of places where her prose rose to a level of beauty not often found, reminding me of Name of the Wind or Night Circus. I'm a fan.
4.5 Stars.
I really loved this series. It kept me hooked throughout the whole series. I enjoyed the characters - in book 2 I was a bit frustrated with Lila's charachter but she redeemed a bit more in this final book. Schwab did a great job of bringing nearly all the threads to a satisfying wrap up.
The thread for me that didn't quite do it for me was Alucard and Rhy, I reeeeeeeeallly wanted a public acknowledgement of their relationship. I was impressed with how Schwab wrote their relationship throughout the books, but just felt that at the end there, that final leap, without the need for hiding, pretense or excuse, I wished they could've been written in as publically together. That's where my final half star went!
Overall really recommend the series. I listened to the Audible audiobooks. I really enjoyed the narration, and although there was a jarring switch between from book 1 to book 2 & 3, I do love Kramer and Reading so it didn't take long getting used to.
3.5 but rounded up to 4. I am happy with where the story left the main characters. The villain in the final novel wasn't all that interesting to me. He was an entity and not a person so he felt one dimensional and I didn't find his POV interesting at all. However I loved Lilah, Kell, Rhy and Holland so they made up for those chapters.
WOW!! The pace in this book was insane! Absolutely loved it and would recommend this to anyone! I really feel like this book is the best of the series by FAR!!
I also really appreciate the ending taking time to set the course for each character.
“I'm beginning to think that thrones make tyrants of us all.”
It's 1:37am and ten minutes ago, right as the clock transformed from 1:26 to 1:27, I finished this book. Sleep is calling for me so heavily right now, but I won't be able to rest until I type up all these words that are ricocheting inside me are transferred into a review. I took over 100 notes with this book. (I never take notes. I think the last time I took a note on a book was when Matthias's ghost wouldn't associate with Kaz's ghost.) But it is beyond past my bedtime and I am not going to try to make sense of sober Emi's thoughts. I think half of my notes were inside jokes I am too tired to understand right now anyways. So let's just give this review a go. It's going to be sloppy, but when I'm awake later I'll organize everything.
[b:A Darker Shade of Magic|22055262|A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic, #1)|V.E. Schwab|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1400322851l/22055262.SY75.jpg|40098252] has been one of my favorite book series, if not my favorite series. I fell in love with this world Victoria had created so quickly that I almost didn't know what to do with all her words. I waited impatiently for [b:A Gathering of Shadows|20764879|A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic, #2)|V.E. Schwab|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1429627728l/20764879.SY75.jpg|43242915] and started it as soon as I got my hands on it. History repeated itself with [b:A Conjuring of Light|29939230|A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic, #3)|V.E. Schwab|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1464017758l/29939230.SY75.jpg|44752519]. Before the clock even struck midnight on the day of its release, I was tearing through the ebook. I was nervous going in. Victoria hasn't blessed us with that many series finales (cough Archive #3,[b:The Returned|20799109|The Returned (The Archived, #3)|Victoria Schwab|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|40143005], which I am very bitter about *cough). But I was blown away.
And now it's over. And my entire mind and body feel empty right now, but in the most satisfying of ways.
I know these characters aren't dead. The live on the pages of the books that decorate my shelves, pages that I can read over and over and over again (and I know I will). Yet part of me knows that I can never go back to reading this series with a fresh mind. I can't turn the pages and experience the streets of Red London. All the words are forever tattooed onto my soul. (And tired Emi is so inspired by that sentence she had just written that she actually started to cry. God look at what this book as done to her.) The last time I finished a book series I loved so much, and was unsure if I'd ever be able to explore the world again, was almost eight years ago. I don't know what to do with this feeling of desire and longingness.
A Conjuring of Light was everything I hoped it to be. It didn't start out with a spark like the previous books did, but instead with an inferno that managed to keep its flame the entirety of the book. I know I reread the previous two before jumping into this one, but even at the first line, I still felt welcomed back into the story like an old friend.
Not to mention this book was so funny. There were multiple scenes where I felt like I should be screaming or crying, but I couldn't express those emotions because I was laughing so hard. It takes true talent to put humor in the most inconvenient of times, but Victoria is full of talent.
Kell. Let's talk about him. If you didn't know, he is one of my favorite fictional characters. Though his coat does give him an unfair advantage over other characters. I remember, during my first read of AGOS last year, mentioning in an update that if Kell asked me to jump off a bridge, I'd do it. That still hasn't changed. It probably never will. Kell is one of those people I trust completely. He is so consistent and loyal and caring. I have never felt like he was going to betray me. Kell went through so much character development this entire series, yet he still didn't change from that boy in a peculiar coat that we met on the first pages of ADSOM
My one hope for Kell was to find his family in this book. He came to the palace as a young boy, with no past and no memory. I wanted for him to know where he came from. And he did. Perhaps not in the way that I was hoping, but in the way that both he and I deserved. He found his peace as a member, as a brother, as a son of the royal family. And though a subtle message, it really showed that it isn't your origins that define you, but the path that lives takes you on. So while I really did want to know what K.L. stood for (in my mind it's Kyle for some reason? I know it's not Kyle but I've thought this for a year and a half now and Kyle isn't going anywhere.), I am actually glad we didn't find out.
Lila. Lila, Lila, Lila. She never changes either. My one hope for her going into this book was for her to become a badass pirate. Yet, that was an impossible hope, considering she already was a badass pirate. Lila has always been a very stereotypical YA heroine (the one that hates pretty dresses and loves pretty weapons), but I never even cared. She was done right.
Rhy. Rhy, my precious baby who will probably have sex with anything that moves. I love him so much. He is so strong, funny, and confident with his sexuality. He also finds love in this book Bless that lord. I am so glad my baby can be happy. Rhy is the easily the best character in this series.
Holland. Holland's story line in this book was my favorite. His past was explored. His motives were explored. And though he died in the end, I was okay with his death. In fact, his death scene (chapter IX of part fifteen) was the most beautiful piece of writing I have ever had the opportunity to read. In fact, I read it multiple times over and over again before moving onto the final chapter. I am glad that he is at peace.
Alucard. He grew a lot on me in this book. His character definitely didn't go in the direction I expected when we first met him in AGOS and I am glad it didn't. His relationship with Kell was one of my favorite aspects of this entire book. Every conversation they had, I loved. I am happy he found love with Rhy and I wish both of them nothing but the best
I've read a lot of books in my life. And along with that, I've read many conclusions. The very last part of this book, Part Fifteen, was what left me so satisfied. Victoria closed so many gates for the characters, and opened up so many others. It's everything that I desire in a conclusion.
It's 2:41am right now. I've been typing this for over an hour. In the morning, when I am awake and possibly recovered from this book, I'll edit this review into something that makes a lot more sense.
Anoshe.
Once again V.E. Schwab spins a magical adventure with her final volume in the Shades of Magic trilogy. Things get a bit darker and the stakes higher, but our characters continue to charm and surprise along the way. I enjoyed it and felt satisfied with the end, but again I'd say it didn't quite hit that emotional punch I look for to get a 5 star. Solid 4 stars for a good story, adventure and fun characters I was glad to follow till the end.
This series was absolutely amazing. It had everything I love in a book: an interesting and well-built magical world, characters with beautiful depth and variety of personalities, a plot that was often heartbreaking but always exactly what it needed to be, and prose that multiplied the emotions of the book tenfold.
And then the ending was just the right amount of happy and just the right amount of sad and entirely perfect.
I love these books.
This was the last book from the trilogy A Darker Shade of Magic.
Even though I had some problems finishing this book I admit that it isn't that bad. It gives a good closure to the story. I think that the book is too long and it has too much not important information for the storyline. Also, I thought that the MC had too much luck, because plot!
Overall, this series is solid 3 stars for me.
As much as I liked the two first books of this serie, the third one was the best.
The first third is a bit slow but the rest is just pure adventure. I couldn't stop reading and just devoured the 400 last pages and wasn't able to disconnect from the story.
I will for sure keep the character and the story in my mind for a long time. Highly recommend.
this trilogy has made me a HUGE fan of Schwab's for sure! i loved what felt like the first half of the book, but towards the end some character decisions didn't really make sense...? why did Maxim essentially sacrifice himself when he knew 3 Antari were working on it? and then WHY did Rhy deliver himself to Osaron lol???
i also wish more was done with Alucard as he became a quick favorite of mine after the second book. his name is still ridiculous but he is delightful.
Lila is as badass and whip-smart as ever and i love the reveal of her as Antari. i just went back and read my review of the first book in the series and i absolutely appreciate Lila's closure with the clothing merchant and Barron and saying goodbye to Alucard. it's a bit of a shame that she had the least happening to her in this book, but i guess it was time for other characters to be fleshed out
A good ending to the series. Although it took a bit long to get there.