A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2) by V. E. Schwab - Restarting February 10th 2023

[Tati]

"Four months have passed since the shadow stone fell into Kell’s possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Rhy was wounded and the Dane twins fell, and the stone was cast with Holland’s dying body through the rift, and into Black London.

In many ways, things have almost returned to normal, though Rhy is more sober, and Kell is now plagued by his guilt. Restless, and having given up smuggling, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks like she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games—an extravagant international competition of magic, meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries—a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.

But while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life, and those who were thought to be forever gone have returned. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night reappears in the morning, and so it seems Black London has risen again—meaning that another London must fall."

Feel free to join!

[Tati]

18% and struggling a bit to remember all the Londons.

[[deleted user]]

I read this last month - really enjoyed it! :)

[Tati]

22% (view spoiler)[ Huh, wonder what trouble will come of the old king's death (hide spoiler)]

[Tati]

28% (view spoiler)[ Darn it, Kell! I wanted to know what Ned's gift was! (hide spoiler)]

[Tati]

Done!

(view spoiler)[ Gosh, that endiiiiiiing!! Hope Lila is able to save the day. Although, I'm beginning to think there are too many Atari and would be Atari right now. Also, that scene with Rhy and Alucard was everything!! (hide spoiler)]

[Abi]

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Reading from the 10th of January 2017

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************

[Brooke]

I won't be able to start til probably Thursday (5th) :/

[Eesh]

End of part I
(view spoiler)[I've always had a bumpy relationship with Lila. Her borderline-stupid recklessness, lack of conscience and inconsiderate behaviour always bugged me. But I still understood her need for adventure and to have something that was just her own. But now, seeing how she's willing to murder someone in cold blood so she can steal what he has... I would feel better if she we're in prison. (hide spoiler)]

[Eesh]

End of part II
(view spoiler)[What the FUCK!? Holland's alive! Is he evil? And does Ojka's one black eye mean he can make Antari? HOW!? (hide spoiler)]

[Eesh]

Finished Part IV Chapter 3
(view spoiler)[I love Rhy. Please don't kill him. (hide spoiler)]

[Eesh]

End of Part 4
(view spoiler)[Oh... Fuck.
This is so not gonna end well. (hide spoiler)]

[Eesh]

End of part VII
(view spoiler)[So many things happened! First of all, Rhy and Emery. Did NOT see that one coming. Then Lila's stupid reaching new heights, the competition so close, Rhy being so wrecked. And finally, Holland is going to go after Kell.

Holy Shit, I'm so nervous. (hide spoiler)]

[Eesh]

The End
(view spoiler)[What the FUCK?! The book just ended! Out of nowhere! How could Schwab just leave us hanging like this?! Oh my God... (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah Elizabeth]

***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆

Date Changed. Restarting April 18th 2017. Happy Reading ☺

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
***************************************************************************************************************************************************

[Abi]

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Reading from the 26th of March 2018

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

[Ashley]

I read the first one a long time ago, kind of trying to remember what was going on!

Chapter 3
(view spoiler)[ So Lila joined the crew after killing one of them? That's a weird turn of events. (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley]

Part 3, Chapter 4
(view spoiler)[I'm waiting (not patiently) for Lila and Kel to be in the same place again. I want Kel to run away, especially with the way the King and Queen are treating him. And OMG Holland as the king (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley]

Part 6, Ch 1
(view spoiler)[ Is it just me or has absolutely nothing happened in this book? Lila sailed on a ship. Kell walked around. That basically sums it up and I'm over halfway done. If I hadn't already invested so much time in this I'm pretty sure I would DNF.

I thought Kell and Lila would finally meet up at the nightmarket just now, but nope. And whats with Alucard the Kell? I can't remember anything about them hating each other from the first book, but maybe I just forgot. Or it's something we arent supposed to know yet (hide spoiler)]

[Ashley]

end
(view spoiler)[ This was pretty boring to me, but the end was good. I do care what happens with Kell, and I always liked Holland. I hope Holland and Kell end up working together, and Lila too if she can figure out a way to get to the other London. I hate the Maresh's, I was glad when Kell left. I wish he would have done it sooner before he walked into the trap (hide spoiler)]

[Abi]

****************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Reading from the 6th of May 2018

****************************************************************************************************************************************************************

[jolie]

can i join? (still on the first one but i think I'll be done by the 6th :)

[✨Skye✨]

jolie wrote: "can i join? (still on the first one but i think I'll be done by the 6th :)"

Of course! :)

[✨Skye✨]

Going to start this soon!

[jolie]

i'll start on saturday i think :)

[Nicole's Book Diaries]

Starting now! I’m so excited!!

[Nicole's Book Diaries]

Up to chapter 3 Section 4 (view spoiler)[ Ugh! I can’t wait till Kell and Lila are at each other sides again. They both miss each other, so why don’t they just look for each other? Interesting that Kell seems to know Alucard. I think it’ll be a surprise for everyone when they all meet again. Poor Rhy. Just trying to have fun but always getting beat up. He’s as funny and charming as ever though. (hide spoiler)]

[Nicole's Book Diaries]

Chapter 5 Sect 1 (view spoiler)[ Usually, I wouldn’t be comfortable that Lila might have something Alucard but Alucard’s been so interesting. I love Kella and Lila and I still want them together. But Alucard is just so cool and I love his addition to the series. I can’t wait to see what he can do at the games! (hide spoiler)]

[Nicole's Book Diaries]

Chapter 7 Section 4 (view spoiler)[ I love all the crazy scheming in this book. Both Lila and Rhy’s plans. But seriously, when are Kell and Lila going to meet up?! Are they just supposed to stay away from each other the whole book? (hide spoiler)]

[Nicole's Book Diaries]

Finished! (view spoiler)[ I highly enjoyed it. Every scene was just so interesting and humorous! Holland’s gone insane but I feel for him. He’s just trying to save his home. Like what Kell and Lila would do if their home was being destroyed. I think I’ve mentioned it before but I love Alucard’s addition to series. I hope he and Rhy end up happy together in the end. I only had one issue in this book and it’s Lila. I love Lila’s character but there were points in this book where I thought she was being really selfish. I understand it’s hard for her to care about others because she’s so used to just looking out for herself but there are consequences to using magic. She did redeem herself in the end. It seems she’s starting to see the responsibility and truth about her actions. I’m really scared and excited for the next book. Knowing miss Schwab, I’m already preparing myself for a lot of heartache. (hide spoiler)]

[✨Skye✨]

Parts 1 and 2 (view spoiler)[ I had to go on recaptains before starting and remind myself about book one because I'd forgot most of it, and I'll be honest, I'm still struggling to remember some of the characters and events that I'm reading about. I am still enjoying it a lot though-it's very compelling and easy to read. I like where Lila's going and the experiences she's having and the captain on the ship, but I want to see her back with Kell. Kell and Rhy is my impossible ship but it's good to see them go out together and have fun, even if he did get beat up xD (hide spoiler)]

[✨Skye✨]

Parts 3 and 4 (view spoiler)[ Is there a hint of romance between Alucard and Lila? I hope not! I forgot why Alucard and Kell hate each other. The Holland chapters in Black London are actually my favourites-I love the idea of the deserted London with everything abandoned. It's so creepy but cool! I'm also reminded of how the King and Queen are really using Kell and don't think of him the same as they do Rhy. I hope we get some answers about his real parentage. (hide spoiler)]

[✨Skye✨]

Victoria wrote: "Also:

[spoilers removed]"

Me too! I was pretty sad :(

[✨Skye✨]

Parts 5 and 6 (view spoiler)[ I just want Kell and Lila to meet again! That near miss was so irritating. I'm not liking this emerging love triangle, it's unnecessary. This princess could be interesting. I wonder if Lila and Kell will end up competing against each other. (hide spoiler)]

[✨Skye✨]

Done! (view spoiler)[ OMG A CLIFFHANGER! So satisfying to see Kell and Lila both know what's going on. Alucard and Rhy is my new ship forever and Maxim is an ass. (hide spoiler)]

Buddy read for book 3 anyone? :D

[jolie]

part 1
(view spoiler)[lila definetly is doing what she wants what I really love. a sentence in part 1 made me kind of crazy (that lila is unique) and i dont know if thats waaaay to much interpretation or if its too obvious for everyone but me buuuut is lila an antari!? i mean one eye is missing and she can traval between the different worlds.. (hide spoiler)] so excited to go on reading!!

[jolie]

up to part 3 chapter 2
(view spoiler)[I dont know how to feel about holland. At first I was really happy because I surprisingly started to like him really much in the first book and I was really upset about his 'death' but I feel like he'll bring some trouble, he brought something along the black london, thats obvious so... Also I feel so sad for Kell, it's really not easy for him. Oh and George!? (the young one) He's so annoying and is definetly planning something! (sorry for my bad english and that i wrote so much..) (hide spoiler)]

[Jayme]

Is it okay if GridGirl and I join? We were going to start on this one today, but might as well join the buddy read already in progress :)

Part 1:
(view spoiler)[This was a great re-introduction to Lila's story! I admit, I was tricked by Schwab into thinking pirates had taken Lila's boat and left her in a sinking ship. I should have known better! That was very smart of her, even though she actually could have died doing that. The crew even said they expected her to die.
I also liked how they went back to what happened in the months between. It was interesting to hear the story of her meeting and joining the crew of her current ship (I forgot the name of it).
And it also looks like Lila has some magic in her after all! But let's be real, we knew this ever since Schwab mentioned her fake eye in A Darker Shade of Magic :) (hide spoiler)]

[GridGirl]

Hello everyone :)
I'll add my thoughts on part 1 soon!

[GridGirl]

Part 1:
(view spoiler)[
I liked how Victoria Schwab fooled us into thinking, Lila was really in trouble! Lila is such a smart girl. It was a great beginning for book two in y opinion and I enjoyed the overall structure of this part a lot. I'm glad we didn't skip the part how Lila got on the ship and everything. After the beginning I thought we would treat this part only very briefly, but I'm glad we got to see everything that happened.
I loved to see Lila do some magic! I actually wonder if she's able to do the bone magic...
(hide spoiler)]

[✨Skye✨]

Please do! Hope you like it as much as I did 😀

[Jayme]

GridGirl wrote: "Part 1:"
(view spoiler)[Part of me hopes she can do bone magic and part of me hopes she can't. I think she would be a very dangerous foe if she could do bone magic since she's not afraid to hurt people. This trick could definitely come in handy though. (hide spoiler)]

[Jayme]

Part 2:
(view spoiler)[:o So Holland is still alive! And somehow much younger? Also, was he making these kids into Antaris or were they already Antari and he was just giving them magic?
I wonder what is going on with Rhy? In the last book he seemed arrogant in a fun and cute way, whereas in this book he seems arrogant in a more annoying way. I feel like there's been something wrong with him since he came back from the dead. It almost seems like he wants to be hurt :/ (hide spoiler)]

[jolie]

Jayme wrote: "Part 2:
:o So Holland is still alive! And somehow much younger? Also, was he making these kids into Antaris or were they already Antari and he was just giving them magic?
I wonder what is going on ..."
(view spoiler)[I thought the same thing while I was reading about Rhy!! I'm really interested about how he will turn out, at the same time I'm kind of scared to find out because I love him sm! (hide spoiler)]

[GridGirl]

Part 2:
(view spoiler)[
Ha, Schwab wasn't able to fool me this time! I knew it would be Holland, I'm pretty sure I even mentioned back in our BR for book one that I'm sure he'll come back somehow. And when another Antari in White London appaered and talked about her "creator" (?) and that he's the king now, it had to be Holland. Call me MiSherlock (Get it? Because my name is Michele? :D)! :D
Yes, I'm way too much into my own jokes, haha :P
I'm so hyped about this magic tournament that is going to happen! And that's when Lila is going to meet Kell and Rhy again, too!
Also, I noticed that Kell is way more interesting now that he has that kind of dark side to him. I wonder if it's a change because of the stone he used for the spell between him and Rhy or if it is a pure mental change because of everything that happened with Holland. I see great possibilities for character development here, something Kell lacked in book one in my opinion.
Another little quirk I noticed: Kell seems to think more about Lila (or at least more longingly) than she thinks about him. This never happens in romance. Never. It's always the girl in need for the guy. Not here, I guess :)
(hide spoiler)]

[GridGirl]

Jayme wrote: "Part 2:"

(view spoiler)[I kind of noticed the same thing about Rhy (although I don't think I've seen enouugh of him yet to tell what's going on with him). Maybe there is a change in both brothers because of the spell. But how are they going to fix it? :/ (hide spoiler)]

[jolie]

part 3
(view spoiler)[I am SUPER hyped about Lila going back to London!! (and finally meeting Kell and Rhy (and Holland?) again. Also I love Emery and I think there will be some kind of events between him and Kell ( hopefully not a love triangle..), at the latest on the magic game which name I obviously don't know.. :D I definitly love where the storyline is going and I'm really excited to go on reading (hide spoiler)]

[Jayme]

jolie wrote: "Jayme wrote: "Part 2:"
(view spoiler)[Me too! He was my favorite character in the last book! I hope he's okay :( (hide spoiler)]

[Jayme]

GridGirl wrote: "Part 2:"
(view spoiler)[I do remember you calling it that Holland was going to come back :) You are way too good at guessing things haha :) Also, your joke got a little chuckle out of me :D
I'm sure you're right about Kell and Rhy seeing Lila again at the tournament! I thought for sure that girl that Kell recognized in the bar was going to be Lila, only to be disappointed when it turned out to just be some other girl Kell knew :p
I agree! I thought Kell was pretty boring and one-dimensional in book one, but now he seems to be a little more developed. I think it's a combination of mental change and the spell. I feel like this book is really coming into it's own, whereas the last one seemed a little cliche. (hide spoiler)]

[Jayme]

Part 3:
(view spoiler)[Okay, so that's why Rhy is acting so weird. It's because his and Kell's emotions are linked. I completely understand why both of them would be irritable with each other because of this. I can't even imagine having to deal with someone else's emotions along with my own.
You can just tell something's about to go down. The new King of Gray London is acting shady, Ned being able to do magic in Gray London, Lila's reflection in that magic mirror, and of course whatever Holland is doing with the Antaris.
And now the games! I’m so excited to read about those! I hope Lila decides to participate, but I feel like she’s not powerful enough (or practiced enough) yet. It should be pretty interesting nonetheless. (hide spoiler)]