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.
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.
We come back into the story a few months later. Lila and Kell are both getting to terms with life after what happened in book one. While Lila is now where she wanted to be, on a ship seeing more of the world, Kell is back at the palace trying to get used to the link between him and Rhy. Both however cant sop thinking about the other.
Because of a magic tournament Lila's captain is steering the ship back to London. A tournament which will see many interesting and surprising participants. Will Lila see Kell again? And who really is Lila's captain? While the big tournament is going on, there is something else brewing in white London.
I wont give much more away, I want to keep this spoiler free. I have loved the new characters, they added to this story so much, most of all the captain Alucard. He made me laugh so many times. But new characters or not, Lila is still my absolute favourite. She is fierce, amazing and I just love her. She has easily become one of my most favourite book characters.
Schwab has an amazing talent to detail, while I couldn't see the big picture of the story at first, that in no way stopped me from enjoying it. I enjoyed every detail of the story. The characters will always leave you wanting to read more about them and I feel like I know them very well. And just like in the first book the world building is, once again, outstanding.
Magical, stunning and unforgettable.
I couldn't get enough and found it very hard to put this down. If you haven't gotten round to this series yet, then you should right now. It doesn't compare to anything else I have ever read. Its not only a very unique story but also a very unique style.
Thank you to Titan Books for my copy in exchange for my honest review.
A Gathering Of Shadows is out NOW and you can read my review of A Darker Shade of Magic here.
