Review: A Conjuring of Light - V.E. Schwab

A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab
Series: Shades of Magic #3
My rating: {★★★★★}

YA Fantasy
Published February 21st 2017 by Titan Books Ltd

Source: Purchased

Witness the fate of beloved heroes - and enemies.

THE BALANCE OF POWER HAS FINALLY TIPPED...
The precarious equilibrium among four Londons has reached its breaking point. Once brimming with the red vivacity of magic, darkness casts a shadow over the Maresh Empire, leaving a space for another London to rise.

WHO WILL CRUMBLE?
Kell - once assumed to be the last surviving Antari - begins to waver under the pressure of competing loyalties. And in the wake of tragedy, can Arnes survive?

WHO WILL RISE?
Lila Bard, once a commonplace - but never common - thief, has survived and flourished through a series of magical trials. But now she must learn to control the magic, before it bleeds her dry. Meanwhile, the disgraced Captain Alucard Emery of the Night Spire collects his crew, attempting a race against time to acquire the impossible.

WHO WILL TAKE CONTROL?
And an ancient enemy returns to claim a crown while a fallen hero tries to save a world in decay.

"It is an arrogant man that thinks himself a god.
And an arrogant god . . . that thinks himself a man."

Wow.... Just wow. I loved this series. If you haven't read it you need to go and pick this one up.

Between A Darker Shade of Magic and A Gathering of Shadows there was about a four month interim in the series timeline but A Conjuring of Light picks up immediately where the last one ended. Remember THAT cliffhanger? We hit the ground running and the pace is relentless until the end.

This book has it all - all the feels, all the swoons, all the humour, fabulous world building, the best characters and all the action. There's romance (YAAASSS!), all the ships and amazing brotherly love, heart wrenching revelations and I just can't can't get enough of this. In fact, finally getting back to writing this review is making me want to reread this series already! I just want to experience it all again.

“What are we drinking to?"
"The living," said Rhy.
"The dead," said Alucard and Lila at the same time.
"We're being thorough," added Rhy.

I loved getting to know all the characters throughout the series and somehow so many of them had so much growth and development, and yet they managed to stay the same.

Kell was still the same Kell with the fabulous coat that I fell in love with in the pages of A Darker Shade of Magic. I loved the little nod to the opening pages of book one with the closing pages of book three.

Lila was just as brash and confident as ever and her dialogue is full of witty one-liners that just make me want to aspire to be as swashbuckling as this amazing lady.

Alucard!!! I just loved him. Not only this, but I loved that there were such interesting dynamics between so many of the 'good guys' and that they didn't all get along. It makes for a far more compelling and engaging story.

Holland - ahhh, Holland. Yes, well - no way was I expecting to come to feel so much for this guy. A villain with an incredible back story and I loved that Kell somehow managed to see the best in him throughout.

“Death comes for us all," said Holland evenly. "I would simply have mine mean something.”

There's a lot of nail biting, a lot of heartache and so much awesomeness throughout this entire book. This has to be one of the best series conclusions that I've read - it's a beautifully satisfying ending that leaves you in a state of gratified disbelief.

←A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2)