A Conjuring of Light by VE Shwab

 

"'You told me once," said Kell, "That you were either magic's master or its slave. So which are you now?"

Kell, Lila, Alucard, and Rhy are setting out to save the world they love from unstoppable evil curse. Each chapter was thick with tension as the characters that we've grown to love, and the ones we've grown to hate, are hovering on the edge of life and death with each turn of the page.

This book was fast-paced and full of action and I could not put it down. Osaron, an evil manifestation of magic, is taking over Red London, one body at a time, leaving the royal family and the competitors of the Essen Tasch trapped in the palace. The stakes are high as our main characters search for a way to save the world and I was glued to my seat to find out what was going to happen next.

The characters are well established now. Kell who yearns for freedom, now bound by the magic keeping Rhy alive, their lives tied inexorably together. Lila, a young woman who seemingly fears nothing and consistently courts death, has been declared one of the last Antaris. You've got Alucard, captain of the Night Spire, who genuinely wants to do the right thing by the people he cares about and of course there's Rhy... Rhy who is stepping up his A-game as heir to the throne by trying to inspire the people of a failing London to fight back. VE Schwab gave us strong characters that are hard not to love.

The ending of this trilogy was expertly done; it wasn't all heroic acts of courage and success. There were heroes that rose up and martyrs that fell down. Heartbreaking tragedies that coexisted with hope. There were acts of love and betrayal and there was a villain who called himself a god. There was a lot to love about the ending of this book and I highly recommend reading it (but start with the first two).