A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic, Band 2)

Lila hat sich ihren Traum erfüllt und fährt in der Welt des Roten Londons zur See. Und wie sie zur See fährt! Inzwischen sind Kell und Rhy noch immer nicht über die Ereignisse aus Band eins hinweg. Sie müssen sich erst mal selbst finden. Und Wie ginge das einfacher, als durch ein gutes altes Turnier, in dem die besten Magier gekürt werden. Und während Kell in die Arena tritt, braut sich in einem anderen London großer Unbill zusammen. So, wo soll ich beginnen, wo soll ich enden? Reicht es, wenn ich sage, dass ich geweint, gelacht und geflucht habe? Wohl eher nicht. Gut. Dann müssen wir etwas weiter ausholen. “Die Verzauberung der Schatten” ist der zweite Band der Trilogie rund um die Vier Londons und einen Magier. Der dritte Band soll im April auf deutsch erscheinen. Victoria Schwab hat darüber hinaus einen Vertrag über weitere Bände unterschrieben, die einen anderen Fokus haben sollen, in denen die Protagonisten aus den ersten drei Bänden trotzdem eine Rolle innehaben werden. Wir finden uns in dem Buch ein paar Monate später wieder und ich war so neugierig, was aus den liebgewonnen Protagonisten geworden ist, die im ersten Band so viele Abenteuer erlebt haben. Beginnen wir mit Lila - Der Roman eröffnet mit einer wirklich coolen Szene von ihr, die dem Leser deutlich zeigt, wo sie auf der Charakterlichen Entwicklungsleiter steht - mitten im Piratenleben, bereit, allen Seemännern zu beweisen, dass auch sie eine Piratin sein kann - und natürlich verbirgt sie ihre Sorgen und Ängste, ihre Zweifel und ihre Zuneigung mit ihrer Coolness und Frechheit. Sie zeigt der Welt, wie sie gesehen werden will. Doch unter der Schicht brodelt es. Die erste Szene ist übrigens ziemlich atmosphärisch ;) Dann taucht ein neuer Charakter auf, der Piratenkapitän, in dessen Mannschaft Lila ist. Alucard Emery trägt viele Masken und es macht so viel Spaß, Schale um Schale abzuschälen, um den Kern des Mannes zum Vorschein zu bringen! Alucard hat sich zu einem meiner Lieblinge gemausert, um ehrlich zu sein. Back to London - Kell und Rhy sind immer noch nicht darüber hinweg, dass sie nun miteinander verbunden sind. Rhy hat Nachts seine Dunkelsten Stunden, während Kell auf Zehenspitzen läuft um ja keine falsche Bewegung zu machen und Rhy zu verletzen. Der Zauber, der im ersten Band Rhys Leben an Kells gebunden hat, erweist sich nun beinahe als ein Fluch. Ich bin während des Buches ein Fan von Rhy geworden, auch er hat viele Facetten und viele Dämonen - und immer einen coolen Spruch auf den Lippen. Er überredet Kell auch, heimlich am Essen Tasch teilzunehmen, dem Turnier der besten Magier, das in London stattfindet. Um ihm zu zeigen, dass er nicht aus Zucker ist - und um Kell zu zeigen, dass er trotz des Zaubers noch immer frei ist. Es liegen so viele Emotionen in dem Buch verborgen, zwischen den Zeilen, zwischen jedem Buchstaben, die nicht explizit erwähnt oder dem Leser auf die Nase gebunden werden (wofür ich Schwab unendlich dankbar bin!). Sie schreibt sehr direkt, driftet jedoch nicht ins Schnulzige ab. Natürlich muss man den Stil mögen. Der Leser bekommt viel Einblick in die Gefühlswelt der Figuren - und das hat für mich das Buch so stark gemacht, dass ich es kaum zur Seite legen konnte. Für mich haben die Figuren einfach funktioniert und mich durchs Buch und durchs Turnier begleitet (bei dem sich selbstverständlich die Protagonisten wieder treffen), sodass ich sie am Ende gar nicht loslassen wollte. Jede Handlung war eigen, manchmal dumm, manchmal egoistisch, aber für mich umso nachvollziehbarer! Natürlich könnte man argumentieren, dass die Action erst spät aufkommt und die Spannung lange braucht, um auf den Siedepunkt zu kommen. Ich sehe die kritischen Stellen, wenn sie mich anspringen. Aber für mich hat das Buch einfach zu gut funktioniert, um daran herum zu kritteln und Erbsen zu picken. Ich bin begeistert und freue mich schon auf den nächsten Band.

Compared to the first book, reading the first part of this one was really tedious. It took the protagonists about 300 pages to finally meet again; from there on, things finally got more interesting. Still, a very well written story overall.

Wow. Buch zwei ist nahtlos genauso perfekt wke Buch eins. Die Reihe erarbeitet sich gerade einen Platz in meinem Herzen. Ich kann es kaum erwarten, wie Band 3 wird.

Diesen Band fand ich nicht ganz so gut wie seinen Vorgänger. Die Story geht erst ab der Hälfte des Buchs so richtig los und davor zieht es sich meiner Meinung nach etwas. Aber das Turnier ist spannend und alles, was danach kommt ist OHNE WORTE 🫣

Finally something interesting

So the first book was okay. But my interest was just not there yet. But with book 2 things got interesting. Lila has started becoming more of an interesting character with her adventures at sea and the magic she had. Kell and Rhy were also okay. Alucard was a good addition to these 3. Holland is back, and it looks like there will be more about him and Osaron. Ojka could be a good villain, but not sure. And well, the Essen Tasch was a good event to get some of the characters together.

Nach langer Zeit habe ich „A Gathering of Shadows“ mal von meinem SuB befreit. Den ersten Teil habe ich vor zwei oder drei Jahren gelesen und parallel als Hörbuch gehört. Nachdem jetzt schon ein Weile dazwischen lag, musste ich erstmal die eigentliche Geschichte gedanklich wieder nach vorne holen, weshalb ich ein bisschen brauchte, um mich auf Band 2 einzulassen. An sich fühlte ich mich gut unterhalten und ich werde auch auf jeden Fall den dritten Teil noch lesen. Allerdings habe ich auch hier wieder gemerkt, dass YA-Fantasy nicht mehr immer für mich funktioniert. Das Handeln der Charaktere treibt mich manchmal fast in den Wahnsinn, weil es so irrational, verbockt oder stur ist. Aber gut - ich musste mich einfach der Wahrheit stellen, dass ich jetzt dieses Alter habe, in dem ich die Nacht nicht mehr durchschlafe, wenn ich vor dem Zubettgehen ein Glas Wasser trinke und somit wohl nicht mehr zur Zielgruppe gehöre. Ich bin mir aber ziemlich sicher, dass ich genau diese Art Geschichte vor ein paar Jahren richtig geliebt hätte. Es ist fast-paced, es hat Magie, in wenig Romance und den mysterious bad boy, der eigentlich nicht bad ist.

Nothing much happened

This felt like one of those filler episodes leading up to something bigger. Subtle hints here and there. A little longing. A little foreshadowing. But nothing essential happened. At least for 2/3 of the book. But even then the finale came with not much of a suprise. Lilas character is just too obvious. Still an enjoyable read. Be careful if you've not yet read the third book but want to check out "the fragile threads of power". I was spoiled. Nastily.

I am so glad I continued with this series! I wasn't the biggest fan of the first book, but the sequel really hooked me. I loved the pirate aspect and the magical tournament, and obviously Alucard quickly became a new favorite character of mine. Yes, the book is a bit slow-moving, and it's a shame that Lila and Kel are separated for about 70% of the book. However, I feel like we were able to really get to know them individually as characters!

V. E. Schwab hat es mal wieder geschafft. Mega spannend, mit so vielen liebenswerten Charakteren, einer gesunden Prise Humor, aber auch so viel Drama, ich kann diese Bücher nicht genug loben. Eine perfekte Fantasy-Welt. Bei diesem gemeinen Cliffhanger bin ich auch sehr froh, dass ich nicht lange auf das nächste Buch warten muss, uff.

I loved this book so much!😍 I was happy seeing the amazing characters again and the story was just mind-blowing! And that cliffhanger omg... I'm so glad I can straight jump into ACOL now!😱

This book was pretty chill. There wasn't much happening in the first half I think. We still got some further insights of our beloved characters, met new ones and saw the consequences of the happenings of the first book. Again the Red London held some festivities/ Element Tournament Games for keeping the three neighboring countries Arnes, Vesk and Faro from waring against each other and for me, the danger of ruining the piece wasn't really there. It was mentioned but the focus laid more on the characters and their internal conflicts. I still wonder if Faro will somewhen miss it's now forever resting participant... But okay, let's see what book three brings for that point. I assume that, if something goes down, it will go down in the worst way possible and everything will come together, leaving us more or less completely hopeless. What I liked very much were the chapters of Ojka's view at the end of each part. She may not be my absolute favourite character but it kept the main conflict of the series present. I wished we had a little more time in Grey London, I'm a little fond of Ned and I wonder if we'll ever see or hear of the greedy king George IV again. The death of his father hit me somehow. Even though we hadn't much time with the old man. It's nice that I never have any problems with the German translations of V. E. Schwab's books. Sometimes I feel like something sounds a little off while reading translated books but with her books that's never the case. Thanks to her beautiful and smooth writing and to the translators as well! I had no problems switching from English to German (I kept the English cover version because of continuity and because I like it better).

4.5* Der erste Teil hat mir ein bisschen besser gefallen als "A Gathering of Shadows" aber das ist eigentlich meckern auf extrem hohem Niveau, denn auch dieser Teil war wieder toll. Die Geschichte beginnt ein paar Monate nach den Ereignissen aus dem ersten Teil, aber man erfährt auch was dazwischen vorgefallen ist. Besonders das Leben von Lila hat sich sehr stark verändert, aber auch für Kell und Rhy ist einiges anders. Auch in diesem Teil haben mir wieder die Figuren am besten gefallen und dabei nicht nur die alten Bekannten, sondern auch neue Figuren, insbesondere Alucard. Ich fand es interessant zu sehen wie sich alle neu zurecht gefunden haben und auch, dass die Ereignisse des ersten Teils echt Folgen hatten und die Figuren alle eine Entwicklung durchgemacht haben. Zudem fand ich toll das man in diesem Teil noch mehr über Magie erfahren hat und auch mehr über die Welt von Red London. Die Handlung selbst war zwar grösstenteils wieder sehr spannend, doch es gab doch ein paar kleine Längen. Ein Problem von vielen Trilogien ist, dass der zweite Teil nur als eine Art "Brücke" zwischen dem ersten und zweiten Teil da zu sein scheint und nicht wirklich als eigenständige Geschichte. Auch hier hatte ich das Gefühl, dass dies etwas der Fall war, da es sehr lange dauerte bis der grosse Gegenspieler wirklich in Erscheinung trat. Dennoch konnte mich auch dieser Teil wieder sehr gut unterhalten und das Ende macht es einem fast unmöglich nicht direkt zum dritten Teil greifen zu wollen (ich musste ihn mir leider erst bestellen, sonst hätte ich ihn direkt als nächstes verschlungen).

3/5 stars While still enjoying the second installment in the “Shades of Magic”-Trilogy I think that this novel suffers from a “middle book syndrome”. The promised plot in the synopsis starts (in my eyes) only two thirds in and I had so much trouble picking this book back up again. It could have been at least 100 pages shorter. But I am still eager to know what will happen next (the cliffhanger at the end of this does not let me any other choice) and I love love love the newly introduced character Alucard Emery. He is amazing and I enjoyed the scenes with him the most!

i want to read the next book but i CANT because it's so THICK and i don't have the time for thick book in the next couple of months :((

Sogar noch besser als das erste Buch. Konnte mehr mit den Charakteren mitfühlen, auch wenn mir nicht immer alle gleich sympathisch sind. Freue mich auf das nächste Buch.

3.5 Stars

Ein großartiger zweiter Teil.

Th book was fine, but not nearly as good as the first one. I felt like so many things were missing or not explained enough. Also I did not like Lilas way of acting and I felt like she did not meet enough consequences for her actions. I mean you can’t tell me she killed three people, one of which should be at least somewhat important, and nobody cared. Same with her stealing someone’s identity and sending him of to a prison island. It’s all kind of weird. Also she gave me big “not like other girls” vibes and it doesn’t help that she’s the only female protagonist. However, I loved the bi rep, and the scene between Alucard and Rhy made me very happy. But then again I wished there was more explanation as to what happened between Alucard and Rhy, because I could not understand why Kell hates him so much, but Rhy supposedly doesn’t. I will still read the third book, but I hope it will explain some things better than this one, because I really like the world and the magic system.

This book was even better than the first one! The characters get more real the more pages you read and they all turn out so well. With Delilah Bard we finally got another badass female character and I am utterly in love with this girl. But also every other character grew so near and dear to my heart and I didn't expect to love them as much as I do now. As for the plot: To be honest, I felt like there was not much happening, especially for the first 300 pages. At least, nothing really dramatical happened. But it is not a bad thing, I didn't even feel a bit bored! The writing style and the story just grip you and hold you tight until you're finished with the book and not even then will it set you free again. The "Essen Tasch" as described in the book, is an event I would love to be able to visit and was a great device to show how much certain characters have grown. Also the relationships between all of the characters get a lot deeper, the reader gains a lot more insight into the relationships and I found myself laughing out loud or swooning over Kell multiple times. Towards the end, the book gets a faster pace and the very last pages got me clutching the book tightly and almost crying my eyes out. All in all, with this book V.E. Schwab made its world more vivid, the characters more loveable and left me guessing about what is going to happen in book three.

I can't believe how dissapointed I am by this. It could have been several hundred pages shorter. This was a struggle. I'm sorry.

Wow, was für ein unglaublich guter zweiter Band

The book starts with Lila. Our thief fools the reader into thinking she's actually in trouble, alone in a boat with no oars in the middle of the ocean. But that's all part of her act. The boat she's on its sinking slowly and she tries to catch someone's attention with flares, finally using the colour for pirates and getting what she wants. The ship that appears out of the night's darkness is supposed to belong to a very good captain that attacks in the night leaving nothing but dead bodies in his wake. By playing the damsel in distress she is carried up to the ship. And that's all it takes. She tells her fake story, about how her ship is full of money and even slips into English, and the captain places her in his chamber, where she can get ready to take on 15 men. With her on the boat she had a cask of wine, that was taken aboard with her. That wine, that some pirates drank, was drugged and knocked out half the crew. The other half was taken out by the smoke of another drug that was inside something similar to the flares. The stupid pirates didn't even bother to search her! She had several weapons and other things beneath the dress! The only one left was the captain, who tried to burn his ship but whom Lila killer swiftly. And she extinguished the fire with her own magic! And of course Lila created a myth for her. She's she thief no one knows is boarding their ship until after the fact. She's so awesome! And she learned it from her captain, Alucard Emery. Lila found herself in the Night Spire because she stole from and killed their best thief, so they took her aboard to have her fate decided by their captain, but not before giving her a beating. The good captain (not a pirate but a privateer, which are always synonyms in books) knew she was a girl even when his men did not and he was intrigued enough by her that he let her stay. That and she said that she was his best thief. He stumbled upon her cursing in English and took her to his chambers to try and understand her. He is a good man, decent and kind and funny and mischievous. I really like him! He wants her company because he's intrigued by her and no one else speaks High Royal in the ship and even offers to teach her Arnesian. Kell is feeling the effects of the stone/magic and having tied Rhy's life to his. He feels restless, always has some spare energy crackling in his veins. And he is still always super worried about his brother, even when he disappears for pleasure. Rhy is also feeling reckless now that he can be hurt but not killed, not unless Kell is. It's like he is even worse, drinks more, tests limits with thugs and bad people... It almost makes Kell do something he would regret. It's not really Rhy's fault, he started the fight and Kell intervened like always. But there was something dark crawling with his magic as he threatened the people around him and Rhy. He almost killed eight people for no good reason than he would enjoy it and that's terrifying. Kell is also unable to not have Lila on his brain, thoughts of her come unbidden even in the most inappropriate of moments, like when he is kissing someone else, and frankly I find that kind of cute, especially because the same happens to Lila! Kell should have thought through sending Holland to Black London. Because for better or for worse Black London is magic. And Holland wasn't dead when Kell sent him there, so of freaking course he came back to White London. And now he is even more powerful! He created Antari for crying out loud! He is waking up his world, colours are coming out, the river is thawing! All because had something that is practically a god inside him! Heavens this was something I did not see coming. And neither did Kell since he still thinks White London in kingless. I want to hug Kell. The queen doesn't look at him, the king doesn't trust him and no matter what Kell does there is always a part of Rhy that resents him (even though he saved his life). If before he felt like a possession of the Royal family, when they treated him like their own, now he feels like a prisoner who no one trusts... It makes him feel like leaving, abandoning everything, but he can't, for so many reasons. And even the one person he was hoping to see in Grey London died... (The new) King George is very odd and magic-obsessed. His conversation with Kell about magic and God is actually amazing and brings on some interesting points. But Kell is grieving and desperate for George to keep his wits about him and not destroy the only outing Kell has by being greedy. And Kell suddenly seems so tired... Lila, on the other hand, seems to be having the time of her life. She enjoys being out at sea and with the crew and her captain. And as she follows him to the black market, she comes across a stall of mirrors. In one of them, she sees what she wants, according to the vendor. Herself as powerful as Kell, but darker. I believe that she wants to be, and even is, as powerful as Kell, but not like the mirror showed her. It's too close to what happened with the Black London stone... Ned, the Enthusiast from the first book, is the most adorable character in this book. He is so fond of magic, has such a child-like wonder it's beautiful. Kell adores it, it's what he liked best about the late king. But he doesn't want to wreck another world, doesn't want to breathe life on magic by helping Ned practice and destroy his world like he "destroyed" his London and White London. And so he leaves... Lila confusing flirting for a challenge is the most innocent thing I've read about her. But the most tragic is her feeling like she should cut ties with the people she cares to call friends because that's what she does, even though now she doesn't want. The way she feels is painful... There is history between Alucard and Rhy and Kell doesn’t like the man very much. So these games are going to be fun! Besides, Rhy and Tieren put Kell in the game under a false identity. It was all Rhy's idea and he was the one to create the false identity for his brother. Tieren is kind of against it, but Rhy is right, Kell needs to blow off some steam. And Kell, when he is given a mask and turns his jacket into a new one made just for the mask, it seems, wants it. More than anything. But the king would not let him, him playing would be rigging the game and risking the peace, so Rhy plays the king's part and tells Kell's guards the truth but that they can't say anything for the kingdom's safety, that the king knows. But the men have to protect Kell still so one of them has go undercover, and one of them, Hastra, is eager to do so. Rhy is great at playing a part. But I'm worried about him, he is not well after having died and brought back to life... Holland was brought back to life by the same thing that consumed Black London, living magic. It's fascinating and terrifying at the same time. But that was what kept him alive and then he made a deal with it, so he could make his world better. Lila and Alucard share a moment that ends in a kiss that I can't say I even disliked it. It was warm and kind of sweet, even though he was also working her so she would tell him what she's running from, so of course she storms out. The Vasken and Faro royals are kind of a******* making it the Arnesian royal family wait an hour for them! Vaskens seem to be nice and the princess already said (not ask) Kell was going to dance with her. The Faroan royal is less prone to talk and familiarity, he's cold and distant without being rude, but he also is weird with Kell, which makes him flee the room. Lila is finally in London and the first place she stops at is Calla's shop, where she goes to settle her debt, ask her to repair her mask and discover that Kell tried to pay her debt every week since she went away. Kell sees her, thinks she's a ghost and goes to Calla, only to discover that he just missed Lila, which messes with his head even more. The woman is the fandom, wanting the two of them together instead of just circling each other and trying not to give in to the temptation of seeing about the other one. Lila follows her captain into the city and discovers that he’s actually a lord, and royal at that! He has a young sister and an older brother, with whom he fights. And they are together for all of five minutes before things turn sour and he escapes with Lila back to the inn. Hastra can do some wonderful magic! He can grow plants, which means he can balance the elements, like the priests, which is a rare thing! But he wanted to be a guard before being a priest, even if his parents hate it, and he isn't even concerned about dying, he is just happy where he is, he's so cute! And I knew that Holland accepting the magic from Black London, no matter the reason, was a very poor idea, because how could it not be! At first, everything was fine and dandy! But the magic turned hungry and wanted to do more than Holland did and it would not end well. The changes he was making to White London may well be the death of it, the same as it was in Black London... Lila plays a dangerous gamble by sussing out the competition and taking one out of the play. She follows the man that she can roughly pass for and knocks him out. With Alucard's help, she sets him on his way to jail, on a ship. But in doing so she lost her place in the Spire because it could all blow back on Alucard and he wouldn't let Lila take him and his ship and crew down with her. One way or another Lila lost. Alucard goes to Rhy's room, just appears there, and I finally have what I have been craving since almost the beginning of the book: Alucard and Rhy together, kissing and being sweet (because Alucard is so sweet to Rhy and Rhy is all mushy with him, not the usual charmer, the one in control; it's quite adorable!). And they missed each other! But as Alucard leaves the room, through the door this time, he runs into Kell, who was getting his brother. Kell is absolutely furious with the man! To the point of wanting to hit him, hard Lila is masterful when wearing another person's skin. She really tries her best to understand and copy the person and she managed to fool everyone (or almost; Jinnar wasn't quite convinced). And she and Kell are a lot alike! Both are playing a part that's not theirs and neither is aware. Of course that Lila doesn't know that Kell knows she's back, which hurts him more than he cares to admit. Because why hasn't she gone to see him? She wants to, is frequently drawn to the palace and Kell, so even I didn't really understand her hesitation (not that she did, either). The cat and mouse, there and gone, almost saw each other but not kind of game that V. E. Schwab played with this Kell and Lila most of the book was this close to making me scream and tear my hair out and beg her to let me have them talk! I was going crazy! They are always just missing each other! Rhy is really affected by his death-then-coming-back-to-life experience and has some serious PTSD. I just want to hug him... Look, I was enjoying Holland's character in this book, despite the crass mistake he made in Black London. He wanted to live and to save his world, I get it! But Osaron was restless after that last performance and his will was rapidly overpowering Holland's. Okay, I understand all that and his desperation. Kell is so excited, and Lila is so excited and Rhy is so excited and everyone is so excited with the games! And Rhy's speech at the beginning of the games? Oooh, pure gold in that department! So awesome! The Essen Tasch are an adrenaline rush for the competitors. It's a chance for them to show their strength and skill with magic and the feeling of excitement bleeds through the pages. Rhy, obviously, goes to watch Alucard's game. He's an amazing fighter, subtle and a master in sleight of hand. Kell's match is even more exciting because of everything he feels. His split-second of doubts before the rush of the fight and the chanting of the crowds kicks it to the back of his mind. He is not too good, he is hit too, sometimes on purpose, and even though the pain Rhy relishes it. A tad more than it might be healthy for him... The king is too hard on Kell, even when he is not around, and he is simply talking with his son. Lila's match is a hard one. She's not used to commanding magic fast and into defensive ways. She's not used to fighting if it's not for her life and there are rules in the Element Games. She is losing fast before she starts to learn and it's still not enough. She has no combat skill, can barely hold her fire properly. But then, like Kell, she speaks to the magic. It's an instinct the moment before she would be taken out of the competition and it's all it takes to get magic to respond easily to her. It's beautiful. This book made me despise king Maxim. Kell was so happy and overjoyed and feeling so light and free! He wasn't restless, he was doing great! Until the moment he saw the king in his chambers, who told him that, for Rhy's protection, Kell needed to not leave the palace during the games. But Kell did not obey this order. He had made a symbol in his tent and, after this, he made another one in his rooms. He would not be kept even more like a prisoner by the same people who didn’t trust him for months. The king inside Holland was definitely taking over and was reminding me of none other than Erawan (from the Throne of Glass series). He was making a collar, which is made of black stone and had spellwork etched in it, to dampen magic, to lock magic out of people? And that's insane on a level that is ridiculous. This kind of power is too great to be set loose in the world, in an Antari who can travel between worlds. It's death and destruction made flesh. The fights are not narrated at length, mostly they're summarized with only the last few blows being described, but that doesn't make it any less exciting to read. Like for example when Kell is fighting Kisymir, the last games' champion. He can't take her out easily for several reasons, but the match is just as awesome. Especially because it's mostly seen through Lila's perspective, who thinks the fighting style is familiar until an ice spear pierces Kell's armour and Lila happens to look up at the wincing prince. That's when she figures out that Kamerov is actually Kell. Then it's Lila's turn to fight and this is a close thing. She's on the very verge of losing, I mean there are shards of earth crashing towards her and there's no time to avoid them. But, by some magic that I have yet to understand but that Kell seems to be able to use too (which further supports my theory that she's Antari), she slows down time, hits her adversary and wins. But that comes to bite her because she's in an alley and doesn't care if trouble finds her. The man she fought and three more Faroan capture her and beat her for cheating. But Lila taunts him and makes it even worse because they kidnap her! Lila panics for a moment before she burns the rope and explodes the crate she's in, in an incredible display of magic. And then she goes in search of the men that beat and kidnaps her and kills them. And she's so calm she almost forgets she has a match. With Kell! It's awesome to see how confused and awestruck Kell is. And their match is even, she has great tricks and a skill to match his. And it's equal parts skill, surprise on Kell's part and because he has to lose that Lila wins. And it leaves Kell half out of it, so much so that the king sees him outside the palace and berates him and grounds him to the palace. And Lila goes to Calla to get a dress! And the woman puts makes up on her and makes her look even more beautiful. All to make Kell let his guard down. Kell sees Lila on the dance floor as goes to her, asks her to dance. It's a painfully raw conversation they have during that time, in which Kell tells her how tired he is of everything. And I'm sure that if she pressed just a tad more he'd fold and run with her. For a while at least... Then they are fighting. About the tournament, about Alucard, who appears being her, about her use of magic without balance, which is darkening her veins (a very worrisome issue). But they are so glad to be together again they are crashing into each other, kissing (properly this time) and everything Kell was feeling before fades. Until the moment they break the kiss and Lila tells him, again, she's not dropping out, no matter the danger. Ojka is already at the palace, unable to enter due to the protective spell around it but looking a Kell and speaking with her king and complaining about Red London's waste of magic. Lila is not well enough to fight her next match and she loses hard. Not only that but as a rock shield is hurtled towards her she stops it, fighting against her opponent's will. Which leaves her even worse and she collapses at the end of the match, defeated. Kell, who was watching her game, rushes to her side, but only to yell at her. He has a point, but he is also cruel to her, to the point of shoving her against the pole in the tent to keep her from spilling his secret as Rhy and his guards show up. But Rhy is on Lila's side and Kell is so hurt because he seems to be the only one who has to be punished for the consequences of what he did. So he to flees Grey London and stays there a good while, drinking and talking to Ned (beautiful, really, how their relationship could evolve), all the while Rhy and Lila are worried about him and the king and Ojka are pissed at his disappearance. When Kell still isn't back by dawn, Rhy writes on his arm so Kell will see and come back. When he does there's this thick tension from the king and queen, but it's disguised as they make their way to the last game and at last seems to vanish. Alucard wins the game and as they are all coming to the palace, Kell is kind of ambushed by the king into being separated from everyone, which is when he has Kell arrested. The queen is horrible to him, Rhy tries to save him but the king sends him away. Rhy meets Lila in the corridor and they are willing to break him out of prison. But there's no need for that because the king let him go, after a horrible conversation... But then Kell goes to the courtyard and there is Ojka. And he let's himself be taken to White London! The idiot! He is so surprised by Holland being alive that the collar closes around his neck. And then Rhy is dying and everyone is crazy worried and searching for Kell! And Kell is in deep pain and refuses to let Osaron in and so the man takes over Holland's body, for good since that was the deal, and goes to Red London! And Lila, she's awesome, even though she's not sure she can, even though she's not sure what she is, she's willing to try anything to save Kell! This book... Wow, this book was a roller coaster of emotions, in which frustration was frequently on top. I feel like this book was mostly fill in between the other two, but it was also necessary to have things this way. Like this, it didn’t feel rushed nor anything. Rhy's and Kell's feelings were made clear every time and, after the events of the last book, we needed this. Alucard was just an amazing add-on to this book. And I don't want to talk about the other characters or I'll spoil the book will my feelings (again). But this book is definitely worth a read, it's just as amazing as the previous and now it focuses on characters instead of world building. It was honestly a great read.

Amazing, a second part that was actually better than the first. I loved Lila's storyline and the whole tournament thing and seeing all the charcters from the first book as well as the new ones. Even tough the cliffhanger was kind of a bummer (but I've seen it coming). I just love Lila she is such a great character. And also thumbs up for bisexual charcters. Although Lila and Kell are supposed to be the "main love story" I ship Rhy and Alucard so much more. But fortunatly both realtionships don't eat up to much of the story. And now I have to wait for next part, great!

Can't wait to find out how this will all go down.

Der zweite Teil der Trilogie hat mir um ein ganzes Stück besser gefallen, als der erste. Dabei kann ich nicht einmal sagen, woran genau es gelegen hat. Irgendwie fand ich einen besseren Zugang zu den Figuren, kam besser in die Geschichte rein. Lila mag ich immer noch nicht, und manchmal hätte ich sie am liebsten mit irgendetwas geschlagen. Ihrer eigenen Trilogie am besten. Aber dennoch ist sie eine interessante und gut geschriebene Figur. Nein, man muss einen Charakter nicht unbedingt mögen, um seine Geschichte zu lesen. Emotionen werden hier gross geschrieben, und ich war voll mit von der Partie. Während mich Lila auf die Palme brachte, wollte ich Kell am liebsten mal so richtig fest an mich drücken. Die Action-Szenen sind gut gemacht, nicht zu lang, und nachvollziehbar beschrieben. Vielleicht mochte ich diesen Part lieber, weil Schwab mehr Erfahrung sammeln konnte? Wer weiss. Auf jeden Fall bin ich nun auch bereit für den nächsten Band.

Very gripping ending that makes you want to read the next and last book in this series. The middle part, however, was really drawn out and lost me from time to time. Simply too long and too boring in my opinion. Only the last 15-20% sparked joy again, so overall a 3.5.

Irgendwie macht "A Gathering of Shadows" genau da weiter, wo Band 1 aufgehört hat und ist doch wieder ein völlig anderes Buch. Die Charaktere sind zurück, der Schreibstil ist derselbe, doch der Plot ist in jedem Buch neu und abgeschlossen - was sich mit Band 3 sicher ändern wird, da es hier doch einen Cliffhanger gibt. Ich mochte das Buch wirklich gern, ich mag Kell und Lila und Rhy und Alucard. Mit den älteren Royals kann ich mich so gar nicht anfreunden und sie wurden stellenweise auch wirklich ätzend, ohne dass ich einen Anhaltspunkt sah, warum sie sich so blöd verhalten. Ansonsten gibt es aber noch das Essen Tasch, eine Art trimagisches Turnier, wo die Magier der drei Reiche freundschaftlich gegeneinander kämpfen. Es nimmt jedoch nur das letzte drittel des Buches ein, davor bekommen wir noch etwas von Lila als Piratin mit, was mein persönliches Highlight war. Das einzige, was ich schade finde, kann ich nicht richtig definieren. Ich hatte viel Spaß beim Lesen, habe aber dennoch einige Zeit gebraucht, vor allem lange, bevor ich nach Band 1 überhaupt diesen Band begonnen habe. Jetzt bin ich ebenfalls an dem Punkt, wo ich trotz Cliffhanger Band 3 noch eine Weile liegen lassen werde. Es entwickelt für mich einfach keinen Lesesog und ich weiß nicht, woran das liegt. Dennoch eine klare Leseempfehlung für alle Fantasyfans.

I loved this book so much!😍 I was happy seeing the amazing characters again and the story was just mind-blowing! And that cliffhanger omg... I'm so glad I can straight jump into ACOL now!😱

What a ride! The second book was even better than the first and I loved 'A darker shade of magic'. The world building is utterly beautiful and well-done. Delilah Bard must be one of my all-time favourite heroins. And I never thought I'd get that deep into a series again. Cannot wait for the next book in the series!

If I could give this book a half star more than its predecessor I would. Unfortunately Goodreads don't allow that. This book was great! Building on what the first book brought us, fleshing everything out further, both in terms of world building and characters. The new characters are just as good as those introduced to us on book one, and the minor characters from both are easily as intriguing. Really looking forward to finishing off the series with book three.

4.5/5 stars Enthält Spoiler zum Vorgänger! Inhalt Vier Monate sind vergangen, seitdem Kell und Lila die Dane-Zwillinge besiegt haben. Und auch vier Monate, in denen sie nichts voneinander gehört haben. Lila hat sich an Bord der Night Spire einen Namen gemacht und kommt ihren Träumen näher. Denn der Kapitän des Schiffes ist Alucard Emery, ein geübter Magier, der seine eigenen Geheimnisse hat, aber Lila immer schnell durchschaut. Im roten London laufen währenddessen die Vorbereitungen für das Essen Tasch, ein magischer Wettbewerb zwischen den drei Königreichen. Für die dunkle Macht, die vor Monaten in der Stadt wütete, wird Kell als Verantwortlicher gesehen und der Druck, der auf ihm lastet, ist größer als je zuvor. Obwohl es verboten ist, möchte er heimlich an den Spielen teilnehmen, und auch aus allen drei Königreichen reisen zahlreiche Gäste sowie Teilnehmer an, unter ihnen auch ein bekanntes Schiff. Und währenddessen erwacht ein anderes London wieder zum Leben ... Protagonisten Wie auch im ersten Buch hatte Kell es nicht leicht. Es ging ihm schon vor den Ereignissen mit der dunklen Magie - Vitari - nicht gut, da wurde er wie Eigentum behandelt und fühlte sich einsam. Nun ist er als Antari einsamer als zuvor, und wird noch dazu als Schuldiger an vielen Toden angesehen. Sein Käfig wird dadurch nur noch kleiner. Der König und die Königin behandeln ihn anders als früher und lassen ihm weniger Freiraum, und auch Rhy hat sich verändert. Außerdem denkt er andauernd an Lila und fragt sich, was aus ihr geworden ist. Kell ist zwar in seiner magischen Begabung überragend und wird in der Hinsicht bewundert, denn Antaris sind eben mächtig und begehrt. Aber trotz der Macht ist Kell sehr verletzlich, und darum hab ich noch mehr ins Herz geschlossen. Er ist immer sehr ernst und es fällt ihm schwer, locker zu lassen, aber wenn man seinen weichen Kern kennt, muss man ihn einfach lieben. Prinz Rhy hat sich verändert. Durch den Bund fühlt er nun starke Gefühle von Kell, genauso wie umgekehrt. Beiden ist das nicht ganz angenehm, und Rhy ist zwar dankbar, fühlt sich aber schuldig, da er Kells Leben quasi mitlebt. Und er hat Schuldgefühle wegen seiner Torheit als er Hollands Geschenk angenommen hat, schließlich hat das alles noch weiter verschlimmert. Er ist jetzt entschlossen, ein verantwortungsvollerer Prinz zu werden, der seinem Reich gerecht wird. Außerdem will er auch Kell noch mehr als sonst helfen, und das alles hat mich kurz denken lassen, dass sein Charakter sich vollkommen verändert hat, aber er ist immer noch der unverbesserliche Prinz, den man kennt. Nur eben ein bisschen weniger leichtsinnig. Lila ist nun endlich auf einem segelnden Schiff, und macht, was sie am besten kann: Stehlen. Und andere halb legale bis illegale Sachen. Fühlt sie sich schlecht dabei? Natürlich nicht, sie ist Delilah Bard und sie fürchtet sich vor nichts und niemandem! Auch wenn die dunkle Magie und die Dane-Zwillinge schon sehr unheimlich waren, gibt Lila nicht auf: Sie ist entschlossen Magie zu lernen und Meister Tierens Worte von damals ermutigen sie auch dazu, schließlich soll sie die Macht dazu in sich haben! Ja, Lila geht es gut, darum hatte ich eigentlich gar kein Mitgefühl mehr, weil sie wegen nichts leiden musste. Man folgt ihr nur bei ihren waghalsigen Abenteuern, ist Zeuge ihrer spitzen Zunge und merkt, dass auch sie oft an Kell denkt. Ja, der attraktive und begabte Antari geht ihr nie aus dem Kopf. Lila erschien mir furchtloser, aber noch genauso impulsiv (und dadurch manchmal auch leichtsinnig) wie im ersten Band. Ich hatte Spaß daran, ihre Erlebnisse an Bord der Night Spire mitzuerleben, kam ihr emotional aber nicht ganz so nah wie im ersten Buch. Alucard Emery ist ein interessanter Charakter. Er ist aufmerksam und irgendwie wurde er Kapitän dieses Schiffes, aber davor hat er High Royal (englisch, im roten London die Sprache des Adels) gelernt und kennt wohl auch Kell und Rhy. Diese waren auch überrascht, dass Alucard überhaupt nach London kommt. Er kann mit Lilas spitzer Zunge mithalten und so ergeben die beiden ein überaus unterhaltsames Paar. Handlung und Schreibstil Das ganze Buch wurde von den Vorbereitung zum Essen Tasch eingenommen. Okay, nicht ganze, irgendwann fand es tatsächlich auch mal statt, aber mir kam es vor wie eine Ewigkeit. Vor allem vergingen dabei auch nicht besonders viele Tage und ich hatte das Gefühl, als würde nicht wirklich etwas passieren, aber die Autorin weiß, wie man Spannung aufbaut. Warum dieses Buch nicht die volle Punktzahl von mir erhalten hat: Es hat mir zwar sehr gut gefallen, es war spannend und magisch, aber ich hatte das Gefühl, es hätte noch viel besser werden können. Es war wie andere Mittelbände von Trilogien: die Vorbereitung auf das Finale. Es war auf andere Art spannend als das erste Buch, nicht durch große Konflikte und dramatischen Wendungen, sondern mit den kleinen Dingen, wie das erwartete Wiedersehen von Lila und Kell, Kells Probleme mit seinem Umfeld und das Essen Tasch. Also es war schon gut, aber das erste hatte da mehr zu bieten und das Ende dieses Buchs verspricht, dass es im nächsten auch so sein wird. Da die Konflikte aber lange angekündigt wurden, hatte ich sie früher erwartet und war da ein bisschen enttäuscht. Fazit "A Gathering of Shadows" hat mir ausgesprochen gut gefallen, mir hat nur ein wenig an echter Action gefehlt und es war eher eine Vorbereitung für den finalen Band der Trilogie.

Oh Gott, ich liebe es. Aber dieses Ende! DIESES ENDE!

3.5 stars (I'm still not hooked)

BR with the best buddies ever at BB&B group!

3.5/5 I preferred the first book, Kell was more interesting and there was more world-jumping. This also felt more like a side adventure than a true sequel (besides the ending, of course). Also all the main characters were pretty slutty in this instalment

This book is the second part in a trilogy and suffers from many problems associated with being the middle part. We spend a lot of time in Red London, at times it feels like the plot will never start and that caused me to loose track/ have larger gaps between the reading sessions.However, as built up for the finale it does a lot of things very well. We get new characters, Alucard being my favourite, we spend more time with Lila although the sometimes is so exhausting to read with her „not like other girls“ attitude, so that took some patience. However, the few moments we spend in White and Grey help understand the motives of the actors in that world. The tournament felt a little gratuitous, but there are other reviews that already explain this.All in all, this Book is not a bad read, it just did not capture me as much as the first did. I am looking forward to part three.