Blog Tour - Q&A & Review: A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2) by V.E. Schwab

Hi guys! Welcome to my stop on the A Gathering of Shadows Blog Tour! The Shades of Magic series is one of my all-time favourite so thank you Tor Teen and Raincoast Books for this opportunity! Today I'm really thrilled to be sharing with you a Q&A with V.E. Schwab followed by my review of the book. Spoiler- it's incredible, splendid and just everything!

A Gathering of Shadows
(Shades of Magic #2)

by V.E. Schwab

February 23, 2016

512 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

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—meaning that another London must fall.

 

Q & A

BCP: A Darker Shade of Magic is set to be a trilogy (right?). Have you always known it would be a trilogy? (Did you plan for it to be a trilogy or it just came as you're writing?)

VES: Haha yes! The current joke with my editor is that it will be a trilogy as long as book 3 doesn’t pass the 700-page mark. If it does, we’ll have to talk. While it’s tempting to make it 4 books, to match the number of Londons, I feel pretty confident I have 3 books worth of plot. When I started the series, I knew exactly where it began, and where it ended, but I couldn’t tell you for sure how long it would take to get there. Now, I’m 85% sure it will take me this last book (I’m working on ADSOM3 right now). I will say, however, that I have several ideas for spin-offs and follow-up series, and I would LOVE to come back to this world. But the arc I’m working on now, I think it will be 3. Because of all this, I like to think of it as a series, not a trilogy.

We will be getting more! Yesss! Thank you so much Victoria for answering my question and for giving us MORE!!

About the Author

Victoria is the product of a British mother, a Beverly Hills father, and a southern upbringing. Because of this, she has been known to say "tom-ah-toes," "like," and "y'all."

She also tells stories.

She loves fairy tales, and folklore, and stories that make her wonder if the world is really as it seems.

Website    Authors Goodreads

Review

V.E. Schwab does it again but it's no surprise really. I have loved every single one of her book so far. She's created yet another masterpiece and I am simply in awe. Even though my brain is still in a fog (a good one) processing all the happenings in the book, I can tell you, A Gathering of Shadows is out-of-this-world brilliant.

Victoria's writing- her words are like silk. They slide, mold and fit perfectly on your tongue, in your mind, however which way you read. You never want the words to stop flowing. A Gathering of Shadows sucked me in from the very beginning and held me down until the very end. I'm so happy with the progression of the story line. Victoria spins in just enough of the Element Games to satisfy our thirst for action while carefully building up side plots and adding in character arcs. I loved the dynamic characters and their delicate developments. Powerful yet flawed, they took charge of the story and drove it into my heart.

In the aftermath of the Dark Night from A Darker Shade of Magic, Kell is struggling more than ever to not feel like a possession. A tool to be used. What happened in the first book (regardless of the end result) has cost him dearly. I have no words to describe the depressing and unfair treatments he had to endure in A Gathering of Shadows. It made me so mad and sad for him. Kell was suffocating. He was lost. Rhy and Lila grounded him though admittedly, they were also the source of most of his heartache and anguish. I loved how much and how fiercely he cared for them. I really need Kell to find his HEA (with Lila pleaseeeee)!

Lila, Lila, Lila. "...but if anyone could make the strange seem ordinary, the impossible look easy, it was Delilah Bard." (p. 222). She continues to kick butts even in the direst situations. Throughout the book, I held my breaths several times because of the reckless things she does. But let's face it, she wouldn't be Lila without the trouble, right? No matter what trouble finds her I had complete faith in her. She sailed through whatever problem she encountered with effort and a lot of luck. Her confidence and boldness is like no other. "...But I don't want to die- dying is easy. No, I want to live, but getting close to death is the only way to feel alive. And once you do, it makes you realize that everything you were doing before wasn't actually living. It was just making do. Call me crazy, but I think we do the best living when the stakes are high." (p.448). The one and only Delilah Bard.

Lila and Kell are separated for most of the book but neither was far from the other's mind (yay!). It was slow torture for all of us to be watching them think of each other but not know where or what the other was doing. Their reunion was exquisite. Delicious. Passionate. It was everything I hoped for. So fulfilling. I'm loving the direction things are going in. My heart is both giddy and content <3

Yes to more of Rhy's voice! He definitely has a more prominent role in this second book than he did in the first. Rhy's not just the carefree alluring jokester prince he puts on. We see how heavy of a burden he carries and how serious he takes his position. Rhy is thoughtful, stubborn and gets his ways. His charms rival Alucard's. They seem to have a pretty complicated history which I can't wait to decipher. A little more steamy scenes would be nice too~

The bromance between Kell and Rhy is super sweet. They poke and prod at each other like an old bickering couple. Even though being able to feel each other is not fun and quite inconvenient most of the time, I don't see it as a weakness to them. I'm curious to see if this bond they share will somehow help them. After all, magic is volatile and acts in strange but fascinating ways.

Spoiler alert! This part is shaded out because there are some things I just need to say. Don't highlight unless you've read both the Shades of Magic books! I knew Holland would survive and I'm very happy but it sucks he had to be 'saved' by the evil from ADSOM. It's back. I have to admit I was so surprised that Kell refused Osaron's offer. From that I can tell just how evil and dangerous it is. I mean, Kell was ready and willing to let Rhy die than let Osaron into him. I'm dreading but also hopping with excitement to see the evil seep into the other Londons and hopefully cause some chaos ;) What will Kell do to protect his loved ones and how will Lila be able to help? Another surprise was Ned aka Zebediah (I learned from Victoria in a Twitter chat that that was his original name). He seems like such an honest hard worker. I can't help but expect great things from him!

Now V.E. Schwab has left me in a book hangover. I have been slain. This series with its strong characters, rich worlds and incredible story is absolute perfection. Such a delightful and nail-biting read. A Gathering of Shadows gets double the Ripple Stars because I can't express my love enough! LOVEEEEE!!

*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinion are my own and not affected in any way. All quotes were taken from the finished copy I bought.


Don't forget to visit all the other tour stops! Click on the picture below to see where the tour stops next :D