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...
Whew - this trilogy was better with each book (and the first book was pretty great!). This one started off directly after the cliff book 2 left us on, thankfully. With no more world building to be done, we were immediately cast into the action and I feel like it never stopped. Oseron was positively, delightfully creeptastic as he invaded the city. Watching enemies find grudging alliances to defeat his evil was exciting. And there was the constant nervousness as you knew you were reading an Urban Fantasy - not a Romance where you are pretty much guaranteed your HEA. You'll have to read it yourself to see how it ended. I can only say, my first reaction at the end was "Wow." I'll definitely be reading more V.E. Schwab I think. And the narration was fantastic too - overall a complete treat.
