A Gathering of Shadows

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab, 512 pages

I'm going to start this out by linking to my post about A Darker Shade of Magic, the first book in this series, as it's absolutely impossible to read A Gathering of Shadows without first reading that one. For the Cliff's Notes version... Kell is an uber-powerful magician in Red London, one of four Londons in this series, each of which has its own degree of magic (Red London has lots of magic all over the place; Gray London is like our world and has none; White London has just enough magic to make its inhabitants vampires/junkies for the stuff; Black London abused its magic and collapsed upon itself), and Kell's the only person around who can travel between the different Londons. Lila Bard is a pickpocket from Gray London who hitched a ride into Red London in the first book, but has joined a pirate crew in the second. Finally, we've got the royal family of Red London (with whom Kell lives), who are preparing for a magical tournament that seems to be the Olympics of that particular world.

I enjoyed this book, particularly the parts that focused on Lila, whose scrappiness and stubbornness make her a really likeable (if not always relatable) character. I also liked the mystery of Alucard* Emery, Lila's pirate captain who is not at all who he seems. That said, this isn't as strong as the first book in the series, particularly in the sections that take place in White London, and Kell's awesome coat doesn't get as much play in this book. That also said, I'm definitely going to read the next book in this series...because this one ended on a cliffhanger. Sigh.

*Is Schwab a fan of Dracula, of Castlevania, or both? Inquiring minds want to know!