A Gathering of Shadows

The second Shades of Magic book starts off a lot slower than the first one did. It takes it's sweet time getting to the action, choosing instead to spend time with Kell and Lila. They haven't seen each other since the events of the previous book, four months earlier, and they're doing their best not to think of each other. Lila has found a place aboard a pirate ship as thief and is starting to learn more about magic. Kell is trying to win back the trust of the king and queen.

This book also spends a lot more time with Rhy, which was a nice surprise. It was fun to get inside his head and get to know him better. And also to get his perspective on Kell.

The centerpiece of the book is competition for magicians, which helps keep the peace between the three main empires. It's a lot of fun and seems relatively low stakes, even with Kell and Lila both sneaking their way into the competition. It's a spectacle and a fun way to flesh out the world, while also bringing Kell and Lila crashing back together.

In the background is Holland, miraculously saved from certain death by a power he's starting to lose control of. White London is coming back to life, but the magic animating Holland is ambitious and greedy, and Holland's trying to figure out a way to get rid of it.

Everything explodes right at the end of the book, and it ends on a devastating cliff hanger that has me chomping at the bit for the next book. I have to know that Kell and Rhy will be okay. I'm hoping Holland redeems himself. And I just want to spend as much time with Lila as I can. She's fast becoming one of my favorite fictional characters ever.

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