A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic, #3)

by V.E. Schwab

Kell sprinted, and got there just in time to see the shadow king hit the water of the Isle far below. His body struck without a splash, and as it broke the surface and sank, it began to plume like spilled ink through the current. Lila pressed against him, straining to see. Shouts were going up over the roof, but the two of them stood and watched in silent horror as the plume of darkness grew, and grew, and grew, spreading until the red of the river turned black.

This right here, this is where AGOS originally ended. And maybe you're thinking, okay, but this doesn't seem as cruel. You're wrong. Why? Because in the original version, I killed more than half the cast in this rooftop scene. That's what happens when you don't get enough sleep. People die. I was getting a master's degree at the time, and my editor called me up and told me to take a nap, a really long nap, and then redo it.