A Gathering of Shadows by VE Schwab
"And then in the silence, he heard a sound: not a sob, or a scream, but a laugh."
In the first book, there are 4 Londons, located in four parallel universes. Kell who lives in Red London, is a powerful magician who can travel between realms. Lila Bard is a common thief in Grey London, a magicless London. There's Black London, the doomed London. And there's a White London, the London trapped between life and death.
If book one was Kell's story, then consider this the Lila Bard show. She joins the crew of Captain Alucard Emery, privateer, and runs amok on Red London's high seas, finally fulfilling her dream of becoming a pirate. She's content to be the best thief, until she hears about a dangerous game being played in Red London, and Lila doesn't love anything more than she loves danger. Kell is now the one yearning for freedom, as he becomes trapped between the family he won't ever be a part of and his societal obligations.
The setting is fabulous. I felt like I could see V.E. Schwab's universe more clearly than I could see my own. Ballroom dances and magical marketplaces, crowded taverns and ships pulling into the dock... there was life in every word written.
The characters are just a smidge underwhelming in certain points, which is why this book is missing out on a fifth star. But for the most part, I want to be Delilah. She's as petulant as a six year old, and at the same time, her just-as-tough-as-a-man attitude combined with her commitment to adventure makes me a little bit jealous. Kell and Rhy are breaking my heart in this one. Their lives are now bound together, and they each feel a bit like the other's prison. But only Kell is being kept under lock and key and Prince Rhy has a plan to break him free.
Plot. It pulled me along. I couldn't put it down and now I'm a bit peeved that it ended on a cliffhanger. That's right, there's no concrete ending to book 2. It leaves you rather abruptly somewhere in rising climax wondering what the heck is going on, knowing the only way to find out is to acquire book 3. I have mixed feelings about those kinds of endings; on the one hand I do want to know what happens next, on the other, solid endings are nice.
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