Book Review | A Conjuring Of Light By V. E. Schwab

Title: A Conjuring Of Light

Author: V. E. Schwab

Publisher: Titan Books

Published: February 21st 2017

Rating: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Goodreads | Amazon UK

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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.

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This review contains mild spoilers regarding the characters. I wouldn’t advise reading if you haven’t read A Gathering Of Shadows.

A Conjuring Of Light was the most perfect ending to the most epic adventure. I was so worried about what would happen given the size of the book and how the second one ended on a cliff-hanger, but it was honestly so much better than I expected it to be. I don’t know why I put off reading it for a month since it was undoubtedly my favourite book in the series. I very rarely enjoy the finale as much as the other books in a series, never mind enjoying it even more than its predecessors. V. E. Schwab deserves all the book Oscars.

I don’t even know where to start. This book picked up exactly where the second one left off, and given the issues I had with the pacing of the other two I was happy with how quickly the events unfolded. It also included a lot more viewpoints which I usually don’t enjoy, but the author somehow manages to get away with it. I really liked getting to see the world through the perspectives of Maxim and Emira. If there’s one thing you learn, it’s that Schwab knows her characters.

I absolutely adored the relationships and the banter between Kell, Lila, Rhy and Alucard. I lost count of the number of times I actually laughed out loud, especially when Holland was also added into the mix. Yes, Holland was awful but he honestly deserved all the nice things and I’m so happy Kell believed in him as much as I did. I loved the flashback scenes where we got to learn Holland’s backstory because there was always something about him that I was drawn to. I just love a good redemption story, and I’m happy with how the story ended for him.

The plot was really unpredictable. There was betrayal and death. More betrayal and more death. Most of this unfolds in the second half of the book and I was literally hooked. I don’t usually enjoy spending the whole day reading a book because it makes me feel unproductive but I could not put this book down. I just needed to know what happened and if anyone else was going to die and what the ending had in store for the fantastic five.

Like I already mentioned, the ending was perfect. Obviously I’m so sad it’s ended because what am I supposed to do with my life now? but it could have been so much worse. Thank you, V. E. Schwab, for not ripping my heart out. And thank you for taking Lila Bard and your readers on the most epic adventure with a prince, a pirate and a magician with a multi-sided coat. I really hope we haven’t reached the end of this journey.

Anoshe.

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