A Conjuring of Light by V. E. Schwab – Book Review

Rating: 5/5

Genre: Adult, fantasy

First published:  2017

Author: V. E. Schwab

 ***SPOILER ALERT*** THIS IS THE THIRD BOOK IN THE SERIES, SO THERE WILL BE SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST TWO BOOKS FROM HERE ON! I have spoiler free reviews for the first and second books, if you are interested.

Synopsis:

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.

Amazon | Goodreads

---

This book is so amazing! I love Victoria’s writing. I NEED to read the rest of her books. Anyway, I should be speaking about A Conjuring of Light. I absolutely loved it. I fell in love with the world(s) and the characters in the first book and I was so happy and so satisfied by the way their story ended.

Since I was talking about the characters, let’s start there. Kell, my baby, is all growed up in this one. In fact, all of have grown so much since the beginning of the series. Really good character development. I loved to see the dynamics between all the characters as they were forced to come together and work together. I loved seeing Alucard and Kell interact because they just hate each other so much, but at the same time, they understand each other very well, I feel. We also get to learn more about Rhy and Holland. Oh, Holland! I think of all the character development that went on, Holland’s was my favourite. Just to learn more about him was fascinating.

Where the second book was like the deep breath before a storm, heavy, but still in a way. Anticipatory. Like a gathering of shadows (the title is so perfect). This one is an outpouring. It’s like that first, blinding flash of lightning (a conjuring of light, eh?), followed by that ear-splitting thunder and finally, as if the skies cracked open, it begins to pour. I love this metaphor so much. This whole series was a storm, it’s so perfect for it. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that everything changed in this one. Everything  sprang into motion. Quickly and brutally. And when it was over, the world looked different. This is the best that I can do to explain intensity of this book.

What else can I say… we got to see a little bit more of the world. We learnt a bit more about White London. Even about Black London. And we even got to learn new things about magic. We also learnt quite a bit about Maxim and Emira Maresh, which I quite enjoyed.

The one thing that I am really frustrated about is that we don’t learn more about Kell. I mean… I understand why within the narrative. It makes sense. Bot goddammit, I want to know who he is! I want to know about his childhood. I want to know what he’s forgotten. Grrrr! There should be a novella that takes place in Kell’s childhood, so we can know what happened!

This is a really rambly review. I don’t really know what else to say without giving anything away. You just need to read it. It’s amazing! Just go read it!