maggiefan
Written on Jul 11, 2022
Continue V. E. Schwab's New York Times bestselling Shades of Magic series with A Conjuring of Light, now in a beautiful collector's edition.
The precarious equilibrium among the 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. Kell-once assumed to be the last surviving Antari-begins to waver under the pressure of competing loyalties. 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 and the Night Spire crew are attempting a race against time to acquire the impossible, as an ancient enemy returns to claim a crown and a fallen hero is desperate to save a decaying world...
- ISBN10 1250222036
- ISBN13 9781250222039
- Publish Date 8 October 2019 (first published 21 February 2017)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint St Martin's Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 640
- Language English
- Special Collector's Edition
Reviews
herseriallife
Written on Aug 1, 2021
Quirky Cat
Written on Dec 14, 2020
A Conjuring of Light is the third and final novel in V.E. Schwab's Shades of Magic Series, and oh my goodness is that a series worth reading! I kind of hate myself for taking so long to get around to reading it.
Once again Red London is in peril. Only, this time it is likely that the whole world, and perhaps those next to it as well, will be devoured in the process. An ancient evil has risen once again, and it's up to a limited few to try and save the day.
Kell and Lila are two of those heroes on the front lines. They're the last of their kind, and as such, they have power, and responsibility, for what is happening all around them. Alongside Captain Alucard Emery, they are on a race against time – and an evil like they've never seen before.
“Love and loss,” he said, “are like a ship and the sea. They rise together. The more we love, the more we have to lose. But the only way to avoid loss is to avoid love. And what a sad world that would be.”
Wow. A Conjuring of Light is, without a shadow of a doubt, the ending that this series deserved. It was intense, emotionally raw, thrilling, and full to the brim of magic, might, and action. In short, it was perfect, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I was lucky enough to have read A Gathering of Shadows and A Conjuring of Light back to back. That means I didn't have to wait in a world of anxiety to see what happened next. Unfortunately, it does also mean that they do flow fairly seamlessly in my mind, so it's hard for me to be certain where one ended, and the other began.
All things considered, I will happily take that price. It's the price that many a book fan has taken in the past, and it is almost always worth it. Though when I re-read the series (and I will), I think I'll try to space them out a bit better, to help prevent that next time around.
“Scars are not shameful, not unless you let them be. If you do not wear them, they will wear you.”
I honestly think I loved every moment of this book. Kell and Lila's relationship, the subplot surrounding Alucard, the ship, the market, the prince, the politics, the battles, all of it. I loved watching Kell come to terms with his life, his family, and his divided obligations. Likewise, watching Lila come into power was inspiring.
The toll of the enemy, and of the battles, is not lost on me either. There is so much raw emotion and impact written into the pages. It made it impossible to avoid what was at stake, and just how much worse things could get.
All of which is proof that V.E. Schwab is a fantastic writer. She got me absolutely hooked on this series, the world, and the characters within. Honestly, I'm actually pretty sad to see the series conclude here (yes, I know there's a graphic novel series I can check out, but you know what I mean).
Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
inlibrisveritas
Written on Dec 3, 2020
I do think this was a good ending though, with plenty of open-ended areas for the companion series.
Berls
Written on Nov 28, 2020
Renee
Written on Oct 20, 2019
Now I understand the absolute love for this series.
Kerka97
Written on Jan 19, 2019
alindstadtcorbeax
Written on Sep 18, 2018
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Just a warning that this kind of has spoilers a little? If you’re currently reading, or plan to, I kind of hint at some of the characters’ fates, so you may not want to read!
Okay. So. I was absolutely in love with this whole trilogy, and never been more frustrated to go on 3 vacations within 3 weeks
abookishblether
Written on Jun 12, 2018
A Gathering of Shadows ★★★☆☆
A Conjuring of Light ★★★★☆
Obviously as this is the third book in the series I won't be doing a full review with spoilers, but I have a lot of feelings to write out.
As much as it looks like I am disappointed by this series based on my ratings I adore Schwab's writing and would genuinely read thousands of pages about these characters. My main complaint about this series is that I feel short changed by the lack of plot. This book I personally feel delivered the most plot and really kept me more engaged than the second. I wish the series had been a duology and the plot relevant parts of the second had been moved to the first book.
I was ready to give this book five stars for a long period, but I found the conclusion to be weak and rather "neatly tied". That isn't a fair opinion if I was to be considering it objectively, but the sacrifices made and difficulties felt like the minimal that could be done to prevent a neat ending that had no consequences. I'm possibly just bitter about how hyped this series was and how much I felt let down.
writehollydavis
Written on Mar 11, 2018