A Gathering of Shadows
Author: VE Schwab
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.
How do you even start with AGOS? It's this amazing adventure you can't get enough of. Because of its awesomeness, I'll be doing a whole bunch of AGOS-related posts. Not that they'll all be posted at once or anything. It'll just be my homage to AGOS.
But first...a review.
Victoria Schwab is known for amazing worlds and deep and heartfelt characters. I can agree with both. This review was going to be just flailing and immense fangirling. But I'll try to tone it down.
Likes:
- We got to learn more about Kell. I felt like we didn't know enough about Kell in the first book. He wasn't as detailed. We didn't get a lot of his thoughts. I wanted more from him. And I got it with this book. We were given more of Kell's thoughts and emotions. I really got to know him through this book. And he was a fascinating character. He cared too much about the things he loved. And he felt longing and sadness. He was a caged bird, much like Holland. And he was ready to sing.
- There was more Lila action...and I loved that. Lila is an AMAZING person. She's badass to the max. No female character in the world can outshine Lila. Not to mention the fact that she crossdresses a lot. (Like...a lot a lot.) She's a storm in every way. And we really got to know her fighting style. She fought fiercely. I can't even imagine what her Gray London fights were like. All I wish was that I could see her fight. Just once! Why can't she be real?
- Not to mention the perspective from Rhy. Rhy was really the pretty boy, swoon-worthy brother character in ADSOM. But he's a human too. He loves Kell and his kingdom. He wants to protect it. Even if he isn't doing it in the best way possible. There's so much more to Rhy that we didn't know about. And it was amazing.
- Alucard Emery is fascinating. He's new to this book, but he already has a lot of history with Rhy and Kell. His relationship with Lila strengthens his image. He wears many hats. (Metaphorically...) And I just want to know more. What's up with his family life? What did he do to Rhy? I want moreee.
Dislikes:
- You can never really dislike something about a Schwab book. Her books are just so amazing. But there are things I felt lacking. But they were still amazing as is.
- The plot was a little boring. Not that I didn't enjoy all those Element Game scenes. (I can't wait for the ADSOM TV show because I'd love to see these fights. In HD.) But I'd like some more. More of what's going on with Holland. What happened? What's going on? Who is Osaron? There was so much more that could happen.
- While Victoria tried to trick us by saying she doesn't have a cliffhanger...she totally has a cliffhanger. Gr... I can't wait for the next book in the series. I want to know what happened to Rhy and Kell. And what will happen to Holland. And who is Lila Bard? Victoria knows we'll all read her book. Why does she do this to us?!?!
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