Books › A Gathering of Shadows
A Gathering of Shadows
638 pages
A glittering, high-stakes magical tournament masks a creeping, shadowy dread in this swashbuckling fantasy.
What it feels like
Reading this feels like stepping into a vibrant, glittering festival where you know a storm is brewing just over the horizon. The narrative crackles with the electric energy of a magical tournament, balancing the sheer fun of swashbuckling pirate escapades and sharp-tongued banter with an undercurrent of creeping, shadowy dread. It is a deeply cinematic experience, full of lush sensory details—the smell of ozone, the flash of elemental magic, the velvet and gold of royal pageantry. As the characters navigate their own restless ambitions and the heavy guilt of past choices, the story pulls you along at a brisk, addictive pace. It is perfect for readers who crave roguish charm, intricate magical worlds, and a thrilling escalation that leaves you breathless.
- Mood
- glamorous
- ominous
- energetic
- thrilling
- Tone
- swashbuckling
- witty
- tense
- dramatic
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- the burden of power · reinvention and ambition · consequences of past choices · loyalty and sacrifice
- The writing
- Cinematic and sensory, blending sharp, rhythmic banter with lush, atmospheric descriptions of magic.
- The arc
- Begins in a state of restless recovery and playful rivalry, steadily escalating into a desperate, high-stakes fight for survival.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love roguish antiheroes, magical tournaments, and expansive fantasy worlds that balance glittering pageantry with creeping dread.
Content notes
- fantasy violence
- blood and gore
- torture
- mind control
About the book
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-and so to keep magic's balance, another London must fall...in V.E. Schwab's A Gathering of Shadows.
Description from Open Library.
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