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Threads of Power #1
The Fragile Threads of Power
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Fantasy (2023)From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and set in the world of A Darker Shade of Magic, V. E. Schwab opens a new door into perilous adventure and tangled schemes with The Fragile Threads of Power.
Once, there were four worlds, nestled like pages in a book, each pulsing with fantastical power, and connected by a single city: London. Until the magic grew too fast, and forced the worlds to seal the doors between them in a desperate gamble to protect their own. The few magicians who could still open the doors grew more rare as time passed and now, only three Antari are known in recent memory―Kell Maresh of Red London, Delilah Bard of Grey London, and Holland Vosijk, of White London.
But barely a glimpse of them have been seen in the last seven years―and a new Antari named Kosika has appeared in White London, taking the throne in Holland's absence. The young queen is willing to feed her city with blood, including her own―but her growing religious fervor has the potential to drown them instead.
And back in Red London, King Rhy Maresh is threatened by a rising rebellion, one determined to correct the balance of power by razing the throne entirely.
Amidst this tapestry of old friends and new enemies, a girl with an unusual magical ability comes into possession of a device that could change the fate of all four worlds.
Her name is Tes, and she's the only one who can bring them together―or unravel it all.
Once, there were four worlds, nestled like pages in a book, each pulsing with fantastical power, and connected by a single city: London. Until the magic grew too fast, and forced the worlds to seal the doors between them in a desperate gamble to protect their own. The few magicians who could still open the doors grew more rare as time passed and now, only three Antari are known in recent memory―Kell Maresh of Red London, Delilah Bard of Grey London, and Holland Vosijk, of White London.
But barely a glimpse of them have been seen in the last seven years―and a new Antari named Kosika has appeared in White London, taking the throne in Holland's absence. The young queen is willing to feed her city with blood, including her own―but her growing religious fervor has the potential to drown them instead.
And back in Red London, King Rhy Maresh is threatened by a rising rebellion, one determined to correct the balance of power by razing the throne entirely.
Amidst this tapestry of old friends and new enemies, a girl with an unusual magical ability comes into possession of a device that could change the fate of all four worlds.
Her name is Tes, and she's the only one who can bring them together―or unravel it all.
648 pages, Hardcover
First published September 26, 2023
5,320 people are currently reading
189k people want to read
About the author
Victoria E. Schwab
93 books124k followersVICTORIA “V. E.” SCHWAB is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including the acclaimed Shades universe, the Villains series, the City of Ghosts series, Gallant, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and The Fragile Threads of Power. When not haunting Paris streets or trudging up English hillsides, she can be found in Edinburgh, Scotland, tucked in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up monsters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,900 reviews
August 20, 2023
(4.25) I'm a big fan of Schwab at this point so I was very excited for more adventures in this world.
The magic system and the world building are the strength... and some characters.
I really liked Tess and her magic - she can see the threads of power - but I still can't stand .
Enough action with people wanting to overthrow the crown and I'm curious of what will happen with the other Londons.
The magic system and the world building are the strength... and some characters.
I really liked Tess and her magic - she can see the threads of power - but I still can't stand .
Enough action with people wanting to overthrow the crown and I'm curious of what will happen with the other Londons.
Want to read
August 28, 2017DOES THIS MEAN I GET MORE LUC AND RHY???
(Yes I have my priorities in order)
(Yes I have my priorities in order)
April 6, 2025
Buckle up urgently for an unforgettable and marvelous ride that will transport you to realms beyond imagination! Prepare to surrender your full concentration and let go of any distractions because, my dear reader, you are about to embark on a literary journey that will not only surpass the best Dark Shades of Magic book but also rank among the finest fantasy tales of our time—perhaps even the entire decade! Believe me when I say that I am not exaggerating in the slightest.
While the length of this book may seem daunting, fear not, for not a single moment will you find yourself bored or disengaged. On the contrary, it will engulf you so completely that you'll yearn to lock yourself away in a ship cabin, blissfully surrendering to the captivating days and nights, oblivious to the ports you pass or the passage of time. The world V.E. Schwab has skillfully crafted will enthrall you, and the best part is that there are more books to come, causing your heart to race with anticipation and shouting "Ship Ahoy!" in delight.
Allow me to refresh your memory on the events that transpired seven years ago. Delilah, Kell, and Holland valiantly saved the world from the clutches of dark forces sealed within Black London, albeit at the cost of Kell's magic. In this latest installment, we journey alongside Kell and Lila as they spend years at sea, embracing the life of privateers. Kell, in an attempt to cope with his pain and enhance his combat skills, creates an alternative persona, all while navigating the labyrinthine corridors of his complicated relationship with Lila. The bond between Kell and his brother, King Rhy, grows stronger with each survival and attack they face together. When an assassin threatens the life of Rhy, both Lila and Kell find themselves drawn back to Red London, their presence necessary to safeguard the king and protect Alucard, his beloved and trusted confidant.
Amidst this backdrop, a precocious seven-year-old girl named Kosaki, once a thief, ascends to claim the throne of White London. This sudden shift in power sends ripples throughout the realms, altering the political landscape in ways unforeseen by many.
Furthermore, we are introduced to an extraordinary new character, Tess, a gifted tinkerer with a profound understanding of magical forces. With her unique ability to see the threads of magic and skillfully reweave them, she becomes an integral part of this intricate tapestry. However, the stakes escalate when a thief's son brings forth an item of immeasurable value, obtained at great personal risk. Unbeknownst to them, this object holds the potential to unlock doors that should forever remain sealed.
I find myself compelled to restrain from divulging further details, eager to grant you the space and freedom to explore the depths of this vicious, dark, yet undeniably inventive and exhilarating universe.
Prepare yourself for a cliffhanger that will leave you breathless, matching the intensity and anticipation found within the pages of its predecessors. Oh, how I wish I could indulge my cravings and delve into the remaining books of the series immediately! My anticipation knows no bounds, coursing through me with fervor and excitement.
Consider yourself warned, dear reader, for this book possesses the power to forever alter your expectations of fantasy literature. Anything you read henceforth will pale in comparison to the sheer perfection found within these pages.
I express my heartfelt gratitude to NetGalley and the Tor Publishing Group/Tor Books for generously providing me with the opportunity to experience and review this exceptional literary masterpiece. Their willingness to share the digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts is truly appreciated.
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While the length of this book may seem daunting, fear not, for not a single moment will you find yourself bored or disengaged. On the contrary, it will engulf you so completely that you'll yearn to lock yourself away in a ship cabin, blissfully surrendering to the captivating days and nights, oblivious to the ports you pass or the passage of time. The world V.E. Schwab has skillfully crafted will enthrall you, and the best part is that there are more books to come, causing your heart to race with anticipation and shouting "Ship Ahoy!" in delight.
Allow me to refresh your memory on the events that transpired seven years ago. Delilah, Kell, and Holland valiantly saved the world from the clutches of dark forces sealed within Black London, albeit at the cost of Kell's magic. In this latest installment, we journey alongside Kell and Lila as they spend years at sea, embracing the life of privateers. Kell, in an attempt to cope with his pain and enhance his combat skills, creates an alternative persona, all while navigating the labyrinthine corridors of his complicated relationship with Lila. The bond between Kell and his brother, King Rhy, grows stronger with each survival and attack they face together. When an assassin threatens the life of Rhy, both Lila and Kell find themselves drawn back to Red London, their presence necessary to safeguard the king and protect Alucard, his beloved and trusted confidant.
Amidst this backdrop, a precocious seven-year-old girl named Kosaki, once a thief, ascends to claim the throne of White London. This sudden shift in power sends ripples throughout the realms, altering the political landscape in ways unforeseen by many.
Furthermore, we are introduced to an extraordinary new character, Tess, a gifted tinkerer with a profound understanding of magical forces. With her unique ability to see the threads of magic and skillfully reweave them, she becomes an integral part of this intricate tapestry. However, the stakes escalate when a thief's son brings forth an item of immeasurable value, obtained at great personal risk. Unbeknownst to them, this object holds the potential to unlock doors that should forever remain sealed.
I find myself compelled to restrain from divulging further details, eager to grant you the space and freedom to explore the depths of this vicious, dark, yet undeniably inventive and exhilarating universe.
Prepare yourself for a cliffhanger that will leave you breathless, matching the intensity and anticipation found within the pages of its predecessors. Oh, how I wish I could indulge my cravings and delve into the remaining books of the series immediately! My anticipation knows no bounds, coursing through me with fervor and excitement.
Consider yourself warned, dear reader, for this book possesses the power to forever alter your expectations of fantasy literature. Anything you read henceforth will pale in comparison to the sheer perfection found within these pages.
I express my heartfelt gratitude to NetGalley and the Tor Publishing Group/Tor Books for generously providing me with the opportunity to experience and review this exceptional literary masterpiece. Their willingness to share the digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts is truly appreciated.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
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August 4, 2023
Just a few words: The plotting and suspense here are truly masterful. Such a joy to read, never once gets boring, incredibly rich and magical. I would have loved to see more of the new characters and less of the old ones (there’s two especially, one might as well wear a plaque that says I’m not like other girls, and the other is a spoiler so I’m gonna shut up). It’s a great set-up for a trilogy and I love the concept of an infinite source of magic and what happens when people try and bind it. Honestly, Schwab’s talent and craft are indisputable. This will be one hell of a good series. Still wish I could get covers matching the original US hardcovers though, they’re some of my all time faves.
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November 4, 2023
“a head gets lost, but a heart knows home.”
home, to me, is this series. it’s this world and these characters. when i am lost, when i am overwhelmed, when i am unsure — i can count on red london, on kell and lila, on rhy and alucard, to be my refuge. my safe haven.
i really wish i could write a review that does this book justice, that shows how deeply i cherish every aspect of it. but i’ve accepted that i can’t. at least, not yet. so i’ll leave you with some quotes:
“‘your scars are my favorite part of you,’ said the king, running a finger from the molten lines all the way to the brands at his wrists. ‘i love them all. do you know why?’ ‘because you were jealous of my looks?’ he quipped. for once, rhy didn’t laugh. he brought his hand to alucard’s cheek, and turned his gaze away from the mirror. ‘because they brought you back to me.’”
“she liked being alone. she was good at it. had never trusted or taken to people. but these weren’t people, not really. they were something else. allies. friends. family.”
“‘i’m going to roll off,’ he said, gasping for breath. ‘i’ll catch you,’ said kell without so much as a pause. rhy’s laughter died away. ‘i know.’”
“and that was the madness, the cruelty, that life was fragile, and he had so much to love, and spent all his time mourning the loss before he suffered it.”
“i believe that if we do live on, it is in those we love.”
—
experiencing withdrawal symptoms pls send help 😭 rtc
—
“for the ones who still believe in magic.” starting rn i am not ready 🥲
—
MY COPY JUST ARRIVEDDD <3
my MOST anticipated read of the year 🤭 ve schwab can do no wrong 😌
home, to me, is this series. it’s this world and these characters. when i am lost, when i am overwhelmed, when i am unsure — i can count on red london, on kell and lila, on rhy and alucard, to be my refuge. my safe haven.
i really wish i could write a review that does this book justice, that shows how deeply i cherish every aspect of it. but i’ve accepted that i can’t. at least, not yet. so i’ll leave you with some quotes:
“‘your scars are my favorite part of you,’ said the king, running a finger from the molten lines all the way to the brands at his wrists. ‘i love them all. do you know why?’ ‘because you were jealous of my looks?’ he quipped. for once, rhy didn’t laugh. he brought his hand to alucard’s cheek, and turned his gaze away from the mirror. ‘because they brought you back to me.’”
“she liked being alone. she was good at it. had never trusted or taken to people. but these weren’t people, not really. they were something else. allies. friends. family.”
“‘i’m going to roll off,’ he said, gasping for breath. ‘i’ll catch you,’ said kell without so much as a pause. rhy’s laughter died away. ‘i know.’”
“and that was the madness, the cruelty, that life was fragile, and he had so much to love, and spent all his time mourning the loss before he suffered it.”
“i believe that if we do live on, it is in those we love.”
—
experiencing withdrawal symptoms pls send help 😭 rtc
—
“for the ones who still believe in magic.” starting rn i am not ready 🥲
—
MY COPY JUST ARRIVEDDD <3
my MOST anticipated read of the year 🤭 ve schwab can do no wrong 😌
June 11, 2023
My most anticipated read of the year is done and I don’t know what to do with myself. I was waiting so hard and now the waiting is done and what do I do without the waiting?
I love these characters. I love this world. So much. I am so happy to be back in it.
If you're worried that maybe you won't see your faves from the Shades of Magic series, I am happy to report that our main characters from Shades are very much back to be our main characters again through this next trilogy - no cameos, they are fully invested and *main* characters - along with an AMAZING selection of new characters! The three main newbies we get in this book are fantastic, I was constantly wanting to see more from them and I'm so excited to see them throughout the rest of the series. Amazing additions to one of my all-time favorite cast of characters.
Obviously I can't say much here, but the plots that are being developed through this book to play out through the rest of the trilogy are ALL great. We're looking at multiple conflicts that will be threaded through this story (sorry, I couldn't resist) and I'm so invested in all of them and I'm really interested to see how they're going to begin to intersect through the next two books.
That said, my feelings on this book are somewhat complicated because I had some structural issues with it. Mainly in that The Fragile Threads of Power is a seven year time jump after where we leave off in A Conjuring of Light, and yet we spend so much of roughly the first third to half of the book mired down in flashbacks that I wonder at the desire to put a gap that big in at all. Maybe it'll be easier to follow in print format, but as an ebook there were points where it became hard to follow when I currently was in the narrative (and I'll be very curious to hear if audiobook readers have a hard time with this or if there's something done in the production to denote flashbacks the way physical/print changes the formatting). Flashbacks pop up every other chapter and jump around seven years ago, two years ago, five years ago, three years ago in a way that after a while became difficult in some ways to parse out what was happening when and occasionally felt like we lost the current narrative in favor of jumping back to this giant gap we've left between books.
I don't imagine this will be an issue for the next two books in the trilogy because my feeling is that we got through most/all of the relevant happenings from that gap in this book, but I say this mainly to let you know to be prepared because I think if I had anticipated how much time it would spend going back AND known it doesn't last the whole book, I wouldn't have been so thrown off by it.
In a similar vein, I actually wish we'd gotten a little less of our main Shades of Magic characters in favor of giving the new guys more page time. BLASPHEMOUS, I know, but it's a testament to just how good the new characters are. We had a full series with our main crew and I'd have liked to see the new guys get their time to shine!
Were I to make the rules I think I would have been interested to see a Novella about our original characters that spans most of the time between books and collects most of the flashbacks to bridge the gap, and then the full Fragile Threads of Power novel minus those flashbacks, but alas I still had a really great time with this one.
As I said at the top, I love this world and these characters and Schwab's writing and no matter what I'm so happy to be getting more of this series and that it's GOOD! This first installment took some time to find its sea legs for me, but I am fully on board with where we're going from here. Can not WAIT to see more, I'm anxiously awaiting book 2.
-- Addendum I forgot to add originally and now I don't know where to put it so it's getting slotted in here at the end as a post-script: There are a few somewhat glaring inconsistencies with the original trilogy in this book. I read the ARC 5 months prior to release so I can't say for certain whether these will remain in the final release (will check the final version and come back to edit this if necessary). They're not significant enough to have a detrimental effect on the plot, but you'll definitely notice some things don't match up if you've recently read the original series or have a particularly good memory for it.
I love these characters. I love this world. So much. I am so happy to be back in it.
If you're worried that maybe you won't see your faves from the Shades of Magic series, I am happy to report that our main characters from Shades are very much back to be our main characters again through this next trilogy - no cameos, they are fully invested and *main* characters - along with an AMAZING selection of new characters! The three main newbies we get in this book are fantastic, I was constantly wanting to see more from them and I'm so excited to see them throughout the rest of the series. Amazing additions to one of my all-time favorite cast of characters.
Obviously I can't say much here, but the plots that are being developed through this book to play out through the rest of the trilogy are ALL great. We're looking at multiple conflicts that will be threaded through this story (sorry, I couldn't resist) and I'm so invested in all of them and I'm really interested to see how they're going to begin to intersect through the next two books.
That said, my feelings on this book are somewhat complicated because I had some structural issues with it. Mainly in that The Fragile Threads of Power is a seven year time jump after where we leave off in A Conjuring of Light, and yet we spend so much of roughly the first third to half of the book mired down in flashbacks that I wonder at the desire to put a gap that big in at all. Maybe it'll be easier to follow in print format, but as an ebook there were points where it became hard to follow when I currently was in the narrative (and I'll be very curious to hear if audiobook readers have a hard time with this or if there's something done in the production to denote flashbacks the way physical/print changes the formatting). Flashbacks pop up every other chapter and jump around seven years ago, two years ago, five years ago, three years ago in a way that after a while became difficult in some ways to parse out what was happening when and occasionally felt like we lost the current narrative in favor of jumping back to this giant gap we've left between books.
I don't imagine this will be an issue for the next two books in the trilogy because my feeling is that we got through most/all of the relevant happenings from that gap in this book, but I say this mainly to let you know to be prepared because I think if I had anticipated how much time it would spend going back AND known it doesn't last the whole book, I wouldn't have been so thrown off by it.
In a similar vein, I actually wish we'd gotten a little less of our main Shades of Magic characters in favor of giving the new guys more page time. BLASPHEMOUS, I know, but it's a testament to just how good the new characters are. We had a full series with our main crew and I'd have liked to see the new guys get their time to shine!
Were I to make the rules I think I would have been interested to see a Novella about our original characters that spans most of the time between books and collects most of the flashbacks to bridge the gap, and then the full Fragile Threads of Power novel minus those flashbacks, but alas I still had a really great time with this one.
As I said at the top, I love this world and these characters and Schwab's writing and no matter what I'm so happy to be getting more of this series and that it's GOOD! This first installment took some time to find its sea legs for me, but I am fully on board with where we're going from here. Can not WAIT to see more, I'm anxiously awaiting book 2.
-- Addendum I forgot to add originally and now I don't know where to put it so it's getting slotted in here at the end as a post-script: There are a few somewhat glaring inconsistencies with the original trilogy in this book. I read the ARC 5 months prior to release so I can't say for certain whether these will remain in the final release (will check the final version and come back to edit this if necessary). They're not significant enough to have a detrimental effect on the plot, but you'll definitely notice some things don't match up if you've recently read the original series or have a particularly good memory for it.
Want to read
July 11, 2021And in this moment, I suddenly know that there is, in fact, a god somewhere out there answering my prayers.
5.26.2021 Update:
If you don't religiously follow Victoria Schwab's Instagram stories like I do, then you might not be aware of the following:
:) :) :)
5.26.2021 Update:
If you don't religiously follow Victoria Schwab's Instagram stories like I do, then you might not be aware of the following:
1. Victoria is going to publish a book called Gallant in March. It's up for pre-order now. here's a link (if you need it) to order it off book depository. I also recommend preordering it from your favorite local bookstore as well. Anyways, the rest of this update can wait as you go pre-order it....I'm waiting......and waiting.......got it? okay. Let's continue.
2. Now that Gallant is pretty much written, she can now focus on writing this book, the first book of Threads of Powers. (Also, allegedly, she has been plotting this book for 5+ years so you know it's going to be good. )
3. Every character that survives in Conjuring of Light will be in Threads of Power, but the MCs will be new characters
4. After she writes Threads of Power #1, she is going to write Victorious, the last book of the Villains trilogy, which is unimportant to the grand scheme of this review and Threads of Power, but I'm a slut for the Villains series so it's important for me so it's mentioned.
5. So in conclusions, this book is starting to get close close (in terms of VE Schwab being just one person and can only write one book at at time) so start getting your soul ready(and don't go making deals involving them to gods that answer after dark)
:) :) :)
October 4, 2023
3.5⭐️ this played less games with me than ADSOM 💅🏽
this review is dedicated to my people who didn't completely enjoy ADSOM trilogy especially those who couldn't get past book 1 😭😭
I kept going back and forth between 3 stars and 4 stars but I settle on 3. It did occur to me that maybe if I'd finished the trilogy I'd have enjoyed this better (my bad 🤭 but it also didn't convince me at any point to put this on pause and go back to read book 2 and 3 so that's saying something lol). It's also saying something that I remember little from this read. I mostly all remember the princess's bedtime stories lol.
I could see the various plots in parts and I could tell they were good. I just couldn't get them to connect in mind and I thought the last 15% to 20% of the book would do that but it didn't. (Threads of Power in itself is also a trilogy so maybe it will come together more beautifully in the next book).
I liked these characters and the magical systems were beautifully done. I loved that we got more than Lila and Kell's pov because tbh, I still don't care for Kell at all.
If you didn't like ADSOM trilogy, you can live without reading this but the hardcover does look very pretty 🥺❤️🤍. In conclusion, it was very well-written, it just wasn't written for me.
***
I ordered this before reading a darker shade of magic which I didn't like 😣 this is set in the same world. I hope this is more fast-paced
Sometimes Tes fixed things. Now and then, she even made them better. But she knew, better than most: anything that could be fixed could be broken again.
this review is dedicated to my people who didn't completely enjoy ADSOM trilogy especially those who couldn't get past book 1 😭😭
I kept going back and forth between 3 stars and 4 stars but I settle on 3. It did occur to me that maybe if I'd finished the trilogy I'd have enjoyed this better (my bad 🤭 but it also didn't convince me at any point to put this on pause and go back to read book 2 and 3 so that's saying something lol). It's also saying something that I remember little from this read. I mostly all remember the princess's bedtime stories lol.
I could see the various plots in parts and I could tell they were good. I just couldn't get them to connect in mind and I thought the last 15% to 20% of the book would do that but it didn't. (Threads of Power in itself is also a trilogy so maybe it will come together more beautifully in the next book).
I liked these characters and the magical systems were beautifully done. I loved that we got more than Lila and Kell's pov because tbh, I still don't care for Kell at all.
If you didn't like ADSOM trilogy, you can live without reading this but the hardcover does look very pretty 🥺❤️🤍. In conclusion, it was very well-written, it just wasn't written for me.
***
I ordered this before reading a darker shade of magic which I didn't like 😣 this is set in the same world. I hope this is more fast-paced
November 6, 2023
This was disappointing. I literally forced myself to continue reading, very hard to get into it. Almost puts me in a reading slump.
It's important to highlight that this book must be read after reading the “Shades of Magic” series. Moreover, it does not seem to be a first book but the fourth of the series (7 years after the events that occurred in "A Conjuring of Light", which impact "The Fragile Threads of Power"). Starting this series without reading the previous one will generate a lot of confusion.
It became difficult to stay with the story due to the lack of evolution of the characters, the continuous flashbacks, the slow pacing and the multiple Pov’s.
Lila is still horribly insensitive and selfish. She is already 26/27 years old, should have matured a bit, right? Clearly her impulsivity and lack of consideration for others has more to do with her essence than with lack of adult experience.
In this instance the story failed to captivate me. The new characters are interesting but I couldn't care less about the dramas of the "old main" characters.
Y no tengo ni ganas de traducir la reseña.
---------------------------------
Nov. 3: Shades of Magic is one of my favorite series. So I'm going to break my rule (once again 🙄) of not reading series that aren't finished.
-
3 nov. Shades of Magic es una de mis series favoritas. Así que voy a romper con mi regla (una vez más 🙄) de no leer series que no están terminadas.
It's important to highlight that this book must be read after reading the “Shades of Magic” series. Moreover, it does not seem to be a first book but the fourth of the series (7 years after the events that occurred in "A Conjuring of Light", which impact "The Fragile Threads of Power"). Starting this series without reading the previous one will generate a lot of confusion.
It became difficult to stay with the story due to the lack of evolution of the characters, the continuous flashbacks, the slow pacing and the multiple Pov’s.
Lila is still horribly insensitive and selfish. She is already 26/27 years old, should have matured a bit, right? Clearly her impulsivity and lack of consideration for others has more to do with her essence than with lack of adult experience.
In this instance the story failed to captivate me. The new characters are interesting but I couldn't care less about the dramas of the "old main" characters.
Y no tengo ni ganas de traducir la reseña.
---------------------------------
Nov. 3: Shades of Magic is one of my favorite series. So I'm going to break my rule (once again 🙄) of not reading series that aren't finished.
-
3 nov. Shades of Magic es una de mis series favoritas. Así que voy a romper con mi regla (una vez más 🙄) de no leer series que no están terminadas.
November 21, 2023
The fragile threads of my attention span...
This book felt like empty calories.
There are many, many words in it, yet they barely contain any substance. People move without getting anywhere, talk without saying anything, are described as having emotions without any of them coming across.
Needless to say I wasn't exactly on the edge of my seat to find out what kind of nothing would be next.
I'm pumped for anyone who loves this world and gets a whole new series set within it, but I'm out.
This book felt like empty calories.
There are many, many words in it, yet they barely contain any substance. People move without getting anywhere, talk without saying anything, are described as having emotions without any of them coming across.
Needless to say I wasn't exactly on the edge of my seat to find out what kind of nothing would be next.
I'm pumped for anyone who loves this world and gets a whole new series set within it, but I'm out.
Shelved as 'tbr-good-authors'
October 17, 2018me: I bet that Rhy and Alucard's wedding will happen in Threads of Power! :')
me, 2 secs later: OH NO. Victoria Schwab will use Rhylucard's wedding as the setting for a catastrophic climax in which the villains take over, won't she? HOW DARE YOU, VICTORIA?!
send help
me, 2 secs later: OH NO. Victoria Schwab will use Rhylucard's wedding as the setting for a catastrophic climax in which the villains take over, won't she? HOW DARE YOU, VICTORIA?!
send help
Read
May 9, 2024Well, this was lovely. It was a treat to be back in Schwab's epic fantasy world and to spend time with characters old and new. It is a difficult task to pick up a successful trilogy and add to it in a way that is satisfies both old readers and new readers, but I think Schwab has done it. And I will definitely be reading book 2. My one critique is that it did drag a bit in the middle for me (oh middles!) but it closed with a banger, and I was very satisfied by the ending. Fun, fun! Go read it already.
I received a free ARC which in no way impacted my honest review.
I received a free ARC which in no way impacted my honest review.
Want to read
April 8, 2020Okay, I might just have started with the "A Darker Shade of Magic" series but hell, I'm so down for this!
I already love ADSOM and to know that there will be another trilogy is turning me into a happy mess! XD
V.E. Schwab is an amazing author and I just can't get enough of her books!
Keep them coming!! <333
I already love ADSOM and to know that there will be another trilogy is turning me into a happy mess! XD
V.E. Schwab is an amazing author and I just can't get enough of her books!
Keep them coming!! <333
Want to read
May 24, 2020another book that I am overly excited for right now, but will probably not read till 2030 for no particular reason
October 15, 2023
what a frustrating reading experience
i am stuck between this series making me fall in love with fantasy again and the fact that the pacing of the last two books was just horrendously bad
especially this book was just about of 350 pages worth of exposition. there were so many flashbacks, it was basically a where are they now - i don't care, i literally saw them yesterday
maybe the where are they now thing works if you literally waited ten years for this book to get published but even then, GET TO THE FUCKING STORY
the problem of course is that when shades of magic is good it's REALLY GOOD. frustratingly so. i could not tear my eyes off the page for the last 100 pages. but i fell asleep twice during the first 400.
i will continue with the series because it makes me go brrr and bark bark and shshhsgsdh (i am so good at expressing emotions) and while it made me fall in love with fantasy again, i also know that i will not find another fantasy i like any time soon. but i will also keep complaining if the pacing doesn't improve.
quite frankly, the only way to read fantasy is to completely latch onto a secondary character and play where is waldo with every installment. with the difference that when you find waldo you completely start losing your shit. and with that we come to the main part of the review:
🚨🚨🚨SPOILERS🚨🚨🚨
holland, if you're reading this, i am free whenever you are free. just say the word. we can do whatever you would like to do. kiss, kill someone, fuck. i could cook you a meal, i am really good at cooking actually. we could cuddle and hold hands. or just sit in silence. like i said whatever you want, whenever you want. i am free. i am waiting. i am yours.
i am stuck between this series making me fall in love with fantasy again and the fact that the pacing of the last two books was just horrendously bad
especially this book was just about of 350 pages worth of exposition. there were so many flashbacks, it was basically a where are they now - i don't care, i literally saw them yesterday
maybe the where are they now thing works if you literally waited ten years for this book to get published but even then, GET TO THE FUCKING STORY
the problem of course is that when shades of magic is good it's REALLY GOOD. frustratingly so. i could not tear my eyes off the page for the last 100 pages. but i fell asleep twice during the first 400.
i will continue with the series because it makes me go brrr and bark bark and shshhsgsdh (i am so good at expressing emotions) and while it made me fall in love with fantasy again, i also know that i will not find another fantasy i like any time soon. but i will also keep complaining if the pacing doesn't improve.
quite frankly, the only way to read fantasy is to completely latch onto a secondary character and play where is waldo with every installment. with the difference that when you find waldo you completely start losing your shit. and with that we come to the main part of the review:
🚨🚨🚨SPOILERS🚨🚨🚨
holland, if you're reading this, i am free whenever you are free. just say the word. we can do whatever you would like to do. kiss, kill someone, fuck. i could cook you a meal, i am really good at cooking actually. we could cuddle and hold hands. or just sit in silence. like i said whatever you want, whenever you want. i am free. i am waiting. i am yours.
September 23, 2023
For the ones who still believe in magic
With The Fragile Threads of Power VE Schwab welcomes readers home to the Shades of Magic world. The start of a new spinoff series to the Shades of Magic trilogy, The Fragile Threads of Power expands the scope of the original trilogy to explore themes of power, control, love, and leadership. I admit that I was nervous to return to a world that I love so much, but The Fragile Threads of Power absolutely exceeded my expectations.
The Fragile Threads of Power features both new and old characters leading to a compelling mix of nostalgia and intrigue. I was pleasantly surprised by how prevalent the old characters were in the story. Though they remain the characters we love, you can also feel how the passage of time has changed them. They have grown and matured and their relationships felt much richer and more complex. I was particularly obsessed with any scene that involved Kell and/or Lila. I won't say anything to avoid spoilers but *incoherent screaming.* It made me so emotional to see how far these characters have come since we last saw them in A Conjuring of Light.
In my opinion, The Fragile Threads of Power excels as a transition point between the Shades of Magic and the Threads of Power trilogies. Kell, Lila, Rhy, and Alucard provide a sense of familiarity and excitement as readers readjust to the world. As the story progresses, the new characters begin to take a more prominent role drawing the reader in with their unique personalities and interesting backstories. As Schwab wraps up plot threads for the Shades of Magic characters she introduces future directions for the new characters. Though I doubt we are done with the Shades of Magic characters, The Fragile Threads of Power feels like the point where the old characters hand over the reins to the new cast. I am very excited to see more from Tes and Kosika and to hopefully learn more about some of the mysterious side characters.
One of my favorite parts of this new installment is the expansion of the world-building and the magic. The title The Fragile Threads of Power fits in so many ways as the story explores power and leadership in various Londons as well as the nature and limitations of magic. I was so excited to be able to explore more areas outside of Arnes and Red London.
VE Schwab’s writing is—as always—immaculate and you can feel how much they have grown as an author in recent years. I truly think this was the perfect way to introduce a spin-off series. There are plenty of moments between the original characters to have you freaking out. And yet there is lots of new stuff to discover as well. I could not be happier to be back in the Shades of Magic world and I cannot wait to see how the adventure continues in the next book.
Can you read TFTOP without reading the Shades of Magic Trilogy? No. I mean you technically can. But you shouldn't. I just don't see how you could possibly get the intended impact of The Fragile Threads of Power without having read the original series.
Thank you Tor Books for the advanced reader copy!
Links to my TikTok | Instagram
With The Fragile Threads of Power VE Schwab welcomes readers home to the Shades of Magic world. The start of a new spinoff series to the Shades of Magic trilogy, The Fragile Threads of Power expands the scope of the original trilogy to explore themes of power, control, love, and leadership. I admit that I was nervous to return to a world that I love so much, but The Fragile Threads of Power absolutely exceeded my expectations.
The Fragile Threads of Power features both new and old characters leading to a compelling mix of nostalgia and intrigue. I was pleasantly surprised by how prevalent the old characters were in the story. Though they remain the characters we love, you can also feel how the passage of time has changed them. They have grown and matured and their relationships felt much richer and more complex. I was particularly obsessed with any scene that involved Kell and/or Lila. I won't say anything to avoid spoilers but *incoherent screaming.* It made me so emotional to see how far these characters have come since we last saw them in A Conjuring of Light.
In my opinion, The Fragile Threads of Power excels as a transition point between the Shades of Magic and the Threads of Power trilogies. Kell, Lila, Rhy, and Alucard provide a sense of familiarity and excitement as readers readjust to the world. As the story progresses, the new characters begin to take a more prominent role drawing the reader in with their unique personalities and interesting backstories. As Schwab wraps up plot threads for the Shades of Magic characters she introduces future directions for the new characters. Though I doubt we are done with the Shades of Magic characters, The Fragile Threads of Power feels like the point where the old characters hand over the reins to the new cast. I am very excited to see more from Tes and Kosika and to hopefully learn more about some of the mysterious side characters.
One of my favorite parts of this new installment is the expansion of the world-building and the magic. The title The Fragile Threads of Power fits in so many ways as the story explores power and leadership in various Londons as well as the nature and limitations of magic. I was so excited to be able to explore more areas outside of Arnes and Red London.
VE Schwab’s writing is—as always—immaculate and you can feel how much they have grown as an author in recent years. I truly think this was the perfect way to introduce a spin-off series. There are plenty of moments between the original characters to have you freaking out. And yet there is lots of new stuff to discover as well. I could not be happier to be back in the Shades of Magic world and I cannot wait to see how the adventure continues in the next book.
Can you read TFTOP without reading the Shades of Magic Trilogy? No. I mean you technically can. But you shouldn't. I just don't see how you could possibly get the intended impact of The Fragile Threads of Power without having read the original series.
Thank you Tor Books for the advanced reader copy!
Links to my TikTok | Instagram
September 20, 2024
“Caring could drown you, if you let it.”
A Darker Shade Of Magic ★★★★
A Gathering of Shadows ★★★
A Conjuring of Light ★★★★★
The Fragile Threads of Power ★★★★★
I’m a huge fan of Schwab’s work and have read all her adult books, giving a few a rare 5-star rating. If you know me, you know I’m picky with those stars, so that says a lot about how much I appreciate her writing. This latest book is a follow-up to the "Shades of Magic" series, and I often feel nervous about sequels ruining what I already love.
Still, I trust Schwab completely. I was fortunate enough to snag a signed hardcover edition, and after finishing it, I can confidently say my trust was well placed—she exceeded my expectations!
“If you only think of the wrong hands magic can fall into, you forget that now and then there are right ones.”
Schwab's writing style is very unique and if I can choose one author to learn from, it would probably be her. The way she weaves multiple threads -see what I did there- while keeping them interesting is just amazing. The prose flows beautifully, and the short chapters make it hard to put the book down.
The book introduces new characters but also follow characters we already know and love. Furthermore, I loved the way the first series had been ended but I always acknowledged that it wasn't perfect. With this book, some of those loose threads were mended and changed to threads of power -I did it again- and that makes me really appreciate Schwab even more.
“A head gets lost, but a heart knows home.”
Yes, the book is lengthy, but Schwab has a knack for captivating me without drowning me in unnecessary details. By the end, I felt exhilarated and satisfied, and I’m already eager for the next installment. I’m just so grateful that Schwab didn’t disappoint!
Want to read
August 29, 2017OMFG GUYSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!
IT'S REALLY HAPPENING!!!!!!!!!!!
WE'RE GONNA GET MORE OF KELL AND LILA and RHY AND LUC and OMFG MY HEART!!!!!!!!!!
THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER.
THIS IS WHY I LOVE YOU VICTORIA SCHWAB.
YOU MUST LOVE US SO SO SO MUCH TO GIVE US THIS.
THANK YOU.
NOW WHEN WHEN WHEN WHEN HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO SUFFER I WANT I WANT I WANT IT NOWWWWWWWW.
Please.
PLEASE.
This is the best day of my life.
P.S. They say all the characters from A Conjuring of Light but maybe not
But wait a sec, did it happen before or after?????
IT'S REALLY HAPPENING!!!!!!!!!!!
WE'RE GONNA GET MORE OF KELL AND LILA and RHY AND LUC and OMFG MY HEART!!!!!!!!!!
THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER.
THIS IS WHY I LOVE YOU VICTORIA SCHWAB.
YOU MUST LOVE US SO SO SO MUCH TO GIVE US THIS.
THANK YOU.
NOW WHEN WHEN WHEN WHEN HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO SUFFER I WANT I WANT I WANT IT NOWWWWWWWW.
Please.
PLEASE.
This is the best day of my life.
P.S. They say all the characters from A Conjuring of Light but maybe not
But wait a sec, did it happen before or after?????
November 22, 2024
9.29 on CAWPILE.
I missed this world and these characters SO MUCH, and immediately need more of it.
I missed this world and these characters SO MUCH, and immediately need more of it.
August 22, 2024
3.5 stars — I only just finished this, so bear with me, my emotions are still all over the place, so I can’t guarantee a very well-thought-through review.
Yes, I was very glad to be back in the shades verse yadidadeedahh blah blah literally every second review of this book will start with that same sentence but your honour, it’s true, I ain’t lying!! and I’m saying that even after I reread the shades series late last year and found that actually, Lila Bard is a misogynistic piece of shit, and that ve schwab has difficulties writing female characters that aren’t, but who cares abt Lila when there’s KELL, RHY, ALUCARD!!!!!! my booboos, my best of boys.💖💓
What surprised me is that all of them were actually in this book, they didn’t just have cameos, but everyone got their own POV, with Kell and Lila being the main characters. It was unexpected, given that schwab consistently promoted this book as very much involving two new main characters “with a few of the old ones also making an appearance”. Maybe that’s marketing gone wrong, but even the two new players on the field felt like side characters at times because so much time was dedicated to Lila and Kell.
In fact, this is a straight-up continuance of the shades trilogy, and while I think this book can be read without any prior knowledge of who these characters are and how the whole travelling in-between world system works, readers who haven’t read the first trilogy will probably have a difficult time understanding the myriad of references and flashbacks, oh god, so many flashbacks.
And that’s the problem of letting your series take place 7 years after the end of book #3. 🤨 Schwab is desperate to put some time between the traumatic events of a conjuring of light and this new instalment and seemed very much bent on bringing these characters back having matured, experienced, fought, and lost a lot. Kell and Lila have been at sea for the better part of all these years, Alucard gave up his privateering ways and now lives in the palace, together with his husband Rhy and their daughter, Ren.
I would have been more than okay with ve schwab treating these 7 years as more of a mystery, a thing of the past that would have us readers get to know these characters on a new level, figuring out who they are now, but there are so so so many flashbacks. You begin asking yourself why exactly this is set 7 years after the last book because we are spoon-fed every single thing Kell and Lila did to a point where the book consists of nearly as many flashback scenes as scenes set in the present which means the pacing suffers immensely.
the first 30% of the book is easily the most boring part since too much time is spent telling readers what Kell, Lila, and Rhy were up to during the interim period. Rather than diving straight into the action, the book needs 200 or so pages to even get going and set up the backdrop to events happening in the last two acts.
I remember some readers complaining about the pacing of the very first book (never understood that, since the first book starts with a bang and barely lets up), but compared to this??? With the billion flashback scenes that wouldn’t have been necessary in the first place had this just been set 1 or 2 years after ACOL??? 🧐 Huh, either or, Victoria; either or, but not a weird combination of both. 🙄
The funniest thing, no doubt, is that we know the time jump was meant to age the characters up, make them more mature blah blah and yet Lila is still the same old bitch she was in the first trilogy. 😩 No maturing in sight, still the same women-hating “I’m so much better than anyone Kell are you hurt because idgaf pull yourself together you are so weak if my magic had been taken away I wouldn’t sit around and mope I fucking hate children and oh wait the Queen too because she is a woman and wears dresses” she used to be. 🫥 Would be hilarious if I didn’t want to throttle her every time she opens her mouth to croak about how she had it so much worse. on top of that she is a nasty (to borrow from Andi's review) bitch to Kell whenever she can ma'am are you sure you love him???
back to Kell, though, because I know she doesn’t deserve him, and I could actually treat him so much better, he is my poor little meow meow and very unstable and full of rage and angst and panic🥹, and that is actually good because schwab writes his struggling with the loss of his power well enough for me to feel so much for him. I just want to fold him into my arms and keep him safe.
The two new girls on the scene though, are Tes and Kosika. Now these two are interesting, the bones to make them exceptional characters that schwab will be remembered for are there, but the meat is not. 🫡
Maybe it’s because I’m 10 years older than tes and kosika both maybe im sort of over the child protagonist behaving like an adult. The way tes’s character arc is set up, she seems to be one of the “good ones”, though with a dangerous talent. Having the same power as Alucard, she can see the threads out of which magic is made. Other than Alucard, she can manipulate those threads and weave them into new magic. Tes, while not a one-dimensional character, comes with a prototypical backstory of her running away from her home when she was very young to escape a father who would have sold her. Her power and hermit tendencies make her intriguing, but she is not fleshed out enough or given enough pages to come across as a fully fleshed-out character. Some readers might find her charming because of her dead pet owl, but I am at a point where an animal sidekick can’t distract me from a character too incompletely written to be called awesome.
The same mostly goes for kosika, who in the years after Holland’s death, has become White London’s new queen. Again, the bones are THERE: her desire to see her city restored, to see magic returned to her people and who presently isn’t interested in invading the other worlds just to sate some notion of hunger for power is Interesting, for lack of a better word. her easy to manipulable ways have charmed me!! her cult of praying to OUR SAINT HOLLAND has captivated me!! I, too, would build numerous statues in holland’s name!! 🧎🏼♀️🧎🏼♀️but since the entire book is only pretty much about laying the groundwork of her character and giving us an understanding of where she’s coming from, she isn’t the world’s most interesting antagonist yet.
>>>> every single mention of Holland though???? i am on my knees begging schwab please, give him back to me i can't live without him pls >>>>
Alucard and Rhy also feature in this, though not as heavily as they did in the previous trilogy, and they definitely don’t get the same amount of attention Lila and Kell are getting. Especially alucard feels like having being written as an afterthought and as if schwab had no idea what to do with him now that he’s on land and no longer a captain. all she could apparently think of was giving him a little detective side story that has him unsuccessfully sherlock holmesing around red london, and even then, lila is quicker than him in finding out what’s going on. thus, alucard just feels wasted in this. idk, he would have been so much more exciting if schwab had gone through with what she let alucard suggest in ACOL and had him be a privateer sailing in the name of the crown or the captain of the king’s fleet, with him only occasionally coming to London, I don’t know. rhy is mainly there to talk about how he wishes he could take Kell’s pain away from him and to insist on holding a celebration.
On top of that, rhy and alucard’s relationship is never afforded the same depth as kell & lila’s (if what the two have going on could be called a relationship lol because technically, lila should automatically disqualify), and nearly every single one of their encounters takes place within or around these two having sex/being naked/about to have sex/waking up after having sex which… makes me think about if the author had been queer AND male, we would have been given a more nuanced perspective…
the book is good, not outstanding, but I ate it up anyway. 😩🤌🏻 Once you’re past the first 30%, the pace picks up, and I flew through it. This was a buddy-read, and the book delivered on enough fronts for us to discuss the characters and the plot in depth. Yes, you can see the betrayal coming from a mile away, and though the whole book takes place within a matter of a couple of weeks, you can already guess where the second book is going as the time frame is very clearly laid out in this.
as someone so bitchy about lila and what else schwab could have done differently, you better believe I’ll be the first in line once the next book is out
Yes, I was very glad to be back in the shades verse yadidadeedahh blah blah literally every second review of this book will start with that same sentence but your honour, it’s true, I ain’t lying!! and I’m saying that even after I reread the shades series late last year and found that actually, Lila Bard is a misogynistic piece of shit, and that ve schwab has difficulties writing female characters that aren’t, but who cares abt Lila when there’s KELL, RHY, ALUCARD!!!!!! my booboos, my best of boys.💖💓
What surprised me is that all of them were actually in this book, they didn’t just have cameos, but everyone got their own POV, with Kell and Lila being the main characters. It was unexpected, given that schwab consistently promoted this book as very much involving two new main characters “with a few of the old ones also making an appearance”. Maybe that’s marketing gone wrong, but even the two new players on the field felt like side characters at times because so much time was dedicated to Lila and Kell.
In fact, this is a straight-up continuance of the shades trilogy, and while I think this book can be read without any prior knowledge of who these characters are and how the whole travelling in-between world system works, readers who haven’t read the first trilogy will probably have a difficult time understanding the myriad of references and flashbacks, oh god, so many flashbacks.
And that’s the problem of letting your series take place 7 years after the end of book #3. 🤨 Schwab is desperate to put some time between the traumatic events of a conjuring of light and this new instalment and seemed very much bent on bringing these characters back having matured, experienced, fought, and lost a lot. Kell and Lila have been at sea for the better part of all these years, Alucard gave up his privateering ways and now lives in the palace, together with his husband Rhy and their daughter, Ren.
I would have been more than okay with ve schwab treating these 7 years as more of a mystery, a thing of the past that would have us readers get to know these characters on a new level, figuring out who they are now, but there are so so so many flashbacks. You begin asking yourself why exactly this is set 7 years after the last book because we are spoon-fed every single thing Kell and Lila did to a point where the book consists of nearly as many flashback scenes as scenes set in the present which means the pacing suffers immensely.
the first 30% of the book is easily the most boring part since too much time is spent telling readers what Kell, Lila, and Rhy were up to during the interim period. Rather than diving straight into the action, the book needs 200 or so pages to even get going and set up the backdrop to events happening in the last two acts.
I remember some readers complaining about the pacing of the very first book (never understood that, since the first book starts with a bang and barely lets up), but compared to this??? With the billion flashback scenes that wouldn’t have been necessary in the first place had this just been set 1 or 2 years after ACOL??? 🧐 Huh, either or, Victoria; either or, but not a weird combination of both. 🙄
The funniest thing, no doubt, is that we know the time jump was meant to age the characters up, make them more mature blah blah and yet Lila is still the same old bitch she was in the first trilogy. 😩 No maturing in sight, still the same women-hating “I’m so much better than anyone Kell are you hurt because idgaf pull yourself together you are so weak if my magic had been taken away I wouldn’t sit around and mope I fucking hate children and oh wait the Queen too because she is a woman and wears dresses” she used to be. 🫥 Would be hilarious if I didn’t want to throttle her every time she opens her mouth to croak about how she had it so much worse. on top of that she is a nasty (to borrow from Andi's review) bitch to Kell whenever she can ma'am are you sure you love him???
back to Kell, though, because I know she doesn’t deserve him, and I could actually treat him so much better, he is my poor little meow meow and very unstable and full of rage and angst and panic🥹, and that is actually good because schwab writes his struggling with the loss of his power well enough for me to feel so much for him. I just want to fold him into my arms and keep him safe.
The two new girls on the scene though, are Tes and Kosika. Now these two are interesting, the bones to make them exceptional characters that schwab will be remembered for are there, but the meat is not. 🫡
Maybe it’s because I’m 10 years older than tes and kosika both maybe im sort of over the child protagonist behaving like an adult. The way tes’s character arc is set up, she seems to be one of the “good ones”, though with a dangerous talent. Having the same power as Alucard, she can see the threads out of which magic is made. Other than Alucard, she can manipulate those threads and weave them into new magic. Tes, while not a one-dimensional character, comes with a prototypical backstory of her running away from her home when she was very young to escape a father who would have sold her. Her power and hermit tendencies make her intriguing, but she is not fleshed out enough or given enough pages to come across as a fully fleshed-out character. Some readers might find her charming because of her dead pet owl, but I am at a point where an animal sidekick can’t distract me from a character too incompletely written to be called awesome.
The same mostly goes for kosika, who in the years after Holland’s death, has become White London’s new queen. Again, the bones are THERE: her desire to see her city restored, to see magic returned to her people and who presently isn’t interested in invading the other worlds just to sate some notion of hunger for power is Interesting, for lack of a better word. her easy to manipulable ways have charmed me!! her cult of praying to OUR SAINT HOLLAND has captivated me!! I, too, would build numerous statues in holland’s name!! 🧎🏼♀️🧎🏼♀️but since the entire book is only pretty much about laying the groundwork of her character and giving us an understanding of where she’s coming from, she isn’t the world’s most interesting antagonist yet.
>>>> every single mention of Holland though???? i am on my knees begging schwab please, give him back to me i can't live without him pls >>>>
Alucard and Rhy also feature in this, though not as heavily as they did in the previous trilogy, and they definitely don’t get the same amount of attention Lila and Kell are getting. Especially alucard feels like having being written as an afterthought and as if schwab had no idea what to do with him now that he’s on land and no longer a captain. all she could apparently think of was giving him a little detective side story that has him unsuccessfully sherlock holmesing around red london, and even then, lila is quicker than him in finding out what’s going on. thus, alucard just feels wasted in this. idk, he would have been so much more exciting if schwab had gone through with what she let alucard suggest in ACOL and had him be a privateer sailing in the name of the crown or the captain of the king’s fleet, with him only occasionally coming to London, I don’t know. rhy is mainly there to talk about how he wishes he could take Kell’s pain away from him and to insist on holding a celebration.
On top of that, rhy and alucard’s relationship is never afforded the same depth as kell & lila’s (if what the two have going on could be called a relationship lol because technically, lila should automatically disqualify), and nearly every single one of their encounters takes place within or around these two having sex/being naked/about to have sex/waking up after having sex which… makes me think about if the author had been queer AND male, we would have been given a more nuanced perspective…
the book is good, not outstanding, but I ate it up anyway. 😩🤌🏻 Once you’re past the first 30%, the pace picks up, and I flew through it. This was a buddy-read, and the book delivered on enough fronts for us to discuss the characters and the plot in depth. Yes, you can see the betrayal coming from a mile away, and though the whole book takes place within a matter of a couple of weeks, you can already guess where the second book is going as the time frame is very clearly laid out in this.
as someone so bitchy about lila and what else schwab could have done differently, you better believe I’ll be the first in line once the next book is out
Want to read
March 23, 2023i might as well sell my soul to the devil to get this book
03/08/2023 update: i like the cover well enough but i wish they had kept the old style 😔
03/08/2023 update: i like the cover well enough but i wish they had kept the old style 😔
May 23, 2024
I thought that, compared to the SoM trilogy, this lacked something. More specifically, this was sold to me as a new series that was set in the SoM universe – great premises, since I loved that universe, my only issue being that there was actually nothing truly new here. I thought it would only focus on new characters and that the "royal family" would be some sort of background, since there's no way you can actually erase the king from a story set in his kingdom. And, of course, there were – three (3) – new characters. But, once again, the main focus were Lila, Kell, etc. I love them and I was very happy to read more about them, but I do believe that the two series and characters should have been kept (if only a little more) separate – Kell, Lila, etc. in SoM (she could have written a fourth book in that series) and Kosika and Tes in ToP.
Once again, White London was my fav, I did love Kosika's story and the city itself is always so peculiar, I enjoy reading about it so, so much. Tes' story was nice to read too, I hope we'll get to see more of her sisters, especially Serival, since they were mentioned. Generally speaking, I hope this was some sort of prelude to the real thing, because it didn't really give much.
It took me an ungodly amount of time to finish, for it was both quite long and I lacked time last week. But it was very captivating – I may be biased because I like VES very much – and I wasn't really in a rush for it to be done, I did enjoy it and I'm very curious to know what will follow.
Once again, White London was my fav, I did love Kosika's story and the city itself is always so peculiar, I enjoy reading about it so, so much. Tes' story was nice to read too, I hope we'll get to see more of her sisters, especially Serival, since they were mentioned. Generally speaking, I hope this was some sort of prelude to the real thing, because it didn't really give much.
It took me an ungodly amount of time to finish, for it was both quite long and I lacked time last week. But it was very captivating – I may be biased because I like VES very much – and I wasn't really in a rush for it to be done, I did enjoy it and I'm very curious to know what will follow.
November 6, 2023
Thank you Tor Publishing Group for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.
WOW! What a ride! I am happy to report FRAGILE THREADS was an amazing continuation of the beloved Shades of Magic trilogy. I felt like this was a very appropriate continuation of the series because we still get to follow the characters we have all come to love but we are also introduced to some new characters who were like a breath of fresh air! I enjoyed the new perspectives, Tes and Kosika, a lot more than I thought I would. The way Schwab wove in their stories with the original cast was brilliant.
This is not a huge knock on the book but I find that Schwab tends to struggle with pacing. FRAGILE THREADS is almost 650 pages and with the time jumps and the changing POVs, there's bound to be a lull somewhere. It didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book but I think it's worth noting if you're someone who has struggled with Schwab's pacing in the past.
I'm super excited to see what the rest of this series has in store!
4.5/5 stars
WOW! What a ride! I am happy to report FRAGILE THREADS was an amazing continuation of the beloved Shades of Magic trilogy. I felt like this was a very appropriate continuation of the series because we still get to follow the characters we have all come to love but we are also introduced to some new characters who were like a breath of fresh air! I enjoyed the new perspectives, Tes and Kosika, a lot more than I thought I would. The way Schwab wove in their stories with the original cast was brilliant.
This is not a huge knock on the book but I find that Schwab tends to struggle with pacing. FRAGILE THREADS is almost 650 pages and with the time jumps and the changing POVs, there's bound to be a lull somewhere. It didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book but I think it's worth noting if you're someone who has struggled with Schwab's pacing in the past.
I'm super excited to see what the rest of this series has in store!
4.5/5 stars
September 30, 2023
So I would be the first to say that you would need to read the Darker Shade of Magic first before reading this one. My mistake only because this book does contain a lot of the familiar characters that many dearly love in the V.E Schwab series.
Connect With Me:
BLOG ⟫ INSTAGRAM ⟫ PODCAST ⟫ TIKTOK ⟫
Do you really need to read the series? Not totally, you can jump right in and follow the new list of characters and the magic system. But to understand some of the characters that emerge from the previous series, you would want to.
So that said, make sure to read that series before tackling this one. You will thank me later.
I really enjoyed this one, even though I am totally not familiar with the characters in this story, I thoroughly enjoyed the book from beginning to end. The magic system, so deep and intricate that it is so freakin fascinating.
V.E Schwab has a way to create a world and a magic system that boggles your mind and causes you to consume this book at alarming speed. She does have a writing style that really fascinates me that is whimsical and very flowy. Which is not a typical writing style that I enjoy but V.E. Schwab does it with such finesse that I cannot help but love this story.
That said, the only thing I struggled with is the multiple POV’s and events in the story are constantly changing. For me it was hard to keep up with since there isn’t a real, this is this person and this is that person POV intro.
This is a great introduction to a new series and I am looking forward to this series progressing in the plot that the first book started.
Connect With Me:
BLOG ⟫ INSTAGRAM ⟫ PODCAST ⟫ TIKTOK ⟫
Do you really need to read the series? Not totally, you can jump right in and follow the new list of characters and the magic system. But to understand some of the characters that emerge from the previous series, you would want to.
So that said, make sure to read that series before tackling this one. You will thank me later.
I really enjoyed this one, even though I am totally not familiar with the characters in this story, I thoroughly enjoyed the book from beginning to end. The magic system, so deep and intricate that it is so freakin fascinating.
V.E Schwab has a way to create a world and a magic system that boggles your mind and causes you to consume this book at alarming speed. She does have a writing style that really fascinates me that is whimsical and very flowy. Which is not a typical writing style that I enjoy but V.E. Schwab does it with such finesse that I cannot help but love this story.
That said, the only thing I struggled with is the multiple POV’s and events in the story are constantly changing. For me it was hard to keep up with since there isn’t a real, this is this person and this is that person POV intro.
This is a great introduction to a new series and I am looking forward to this series progressing in the plot that the first book started.
December 9, 2024
4.5 Golden Stars
92%
finally, a worthy satisfying read after 2 months!
& one of my most-anticipated which earned 5 stars
2024 TOP5
it's always good to see my favourite characters in action again, in new adventures, even if the plot a little slow, but I enjoyed their company immensely & savoured the story.
the writing style was as graceful as always, it felt magical.
If I ignore the white London parts (which was important of course, but not as exciting as the rest) it's easily a 5. Those were my least favorite pov & parts of the story. but the book certainly surpassed my least favorite book in Shades of Magic. so that's that.
this book happening 7 years after the events of A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic book 3)
the cast of characters, Kell & Lila & Rhy & Alucard & some new ones, were great & likable. I didn't know how much I missed the old characters until I saw them.
"you came."
"you called."
& my heart
Rhy, I missed him soooo much. such a kindhearted man. these brothers (halfbrothers) are one of my favourite brothers in the book-dom, so loving & caring, I loved it.
& with Alucard. that relationship just melted my heart. (& I just read the short story A Royal Affair after I finished this; how it all started & the tragic separation, my heart squeezed for them. I also want to hit the other Emerys)
the banters between the characters! priceless! especially Kell & Alucard. you could feel the hostility between them! the immediate counters & the glares & the dismissal . so funny!
the slow pace of the Plot was understandable; all the parallel POVs that showed different sides of the story at the same time, also there was the story of these 7 years gap between, & a reminder of the important points in the SoM. (which thankfully helped me who didn't have time for a reread, the right mood hadn't come either. some things I'd forgotten & I was as surprised as the first time I've read the book, to hear about them, again, then it slowly came back (I have a knack for it)
& you know I love to read even about my favorite characters' routine. so I didn't have a problem with this book, as some might have.
& especially because the more urgent plot were revolving around Rhy.
& sweet Ren made the moments so much better!
I loved this new side in Kell's character development. (& of course Rhy's, but it wasn't as noticeable in this story as Kell's)
in the new characters, I liked Tes.
though everyone was good.
& that ending! wow! nail-biting & epic & action! the face-offs & everything happening so fast (good fast, in an exciting way) one blow after another, I just couldn't put the book down. I loved it.
the two revelations (one in the middle, one in the last chapter) was surprising. I couldn't guess it & I like when the books are unpredictable & make me ask questions & help me read faster to find the answer.
-
Plot: ★★★★(★)/5
(Pace: ★★★★/5- excitements: ★★★★/5 (Ending!: ★★★★★/5)- Sweet moments (including Romance): ★★★★★/5)
Characters: ★★★★★/5
Writing style: ★★★★★/5
World building: ★★★★★/5
Concept: ★★★★★/5
-
pre-read:
well, helloooo there!
March 2023:
oooh, I just noticed we have a cover! pretty pretty cover!
does the cover look like a rockstar band story to you too or is it just me? neon-like & pretty colours. love it
I haven't even read the blurb yet. (just did!) I didn't even know if it's after ADSOM or before (now I know!), I'm just HYPED! Because finally the year arrived! Schwab & ADSOM! Yesssssssssssss!
also I hope we get answers for some few vague things I feel we should know from ADSOM
-
Sep 26th: HAPPY PUB DAY one of my most anticipated books of 2023! I'll be back to you
92%
finally, a worthy satisfying read after 2 months!
& one of my most-anticipated which earned 5 stars
2024 TOP5
it's always good to see my favourite characters in action again, in new adventures, even if the plot a little slow, but I enjoyed their company immensely & savoured the story.
the writing style was as graceful as always, it felt magical.
If I ignore the white London parts (which was important of course, but not as exciting as the rest) it's easily a 5. Those were my least favorite pov & parts of the story. but the book certainly surpassed my least favorite book in Shades of Magic. so that's that.
this book happening 7 years after the events of A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic book 3)
the cast of characters, Kell & Lila & Rhy & Alucard & some new ones, were great & likable. I didn't know how much I missed the old characters until I saw them.
"you came."
"you called."
& my heart
Rhy, I missed him soooo much. such a kindhearted man. these brothers (halfbrothers) are one of my favourite brothers in the book-dom, so loving & caring, I loved it.
& with Alucard. that relationship just melted my heart. (& I just read the short story A Royal Affair after I finished this; how it all started & the tragic separation, my heart squeezed for them. I also want to hit the other Emerys)
the banters between the characters! priceless! especially Kell & Alucard. you could feel the hostility between them! the immediate counters & the glares & the dismissal . so funny!
the slow pace of the Plot was understandable; all the parallel POVs that showed different sides of the story at the same time, also there was the story of these 7 years gap between, & a reminder of the important points in the SoM. (which thankfully helped me who didn't have time for a reread, the right mood hadn't come either. some things I'd forgotten & I was as surprised as the first time I've read the book, to hear about them, again, then it slowly came back (I have a knack for it)
& you know I love to read even about my favorite characters' routine. so I didn't have a problem with this book, as some might have.
& especially because the more urgent plot were revolving around Rhy.
& sweet Ren made the moments so much better!
I loved this new side in Kell's character development. (& of course Rhy's, but it wasn't as noticeable in this story as Kell's)
in the new characters, I liked Tes.
though everyone was good.
& that ending! wow! nail-biting & epic & action! the face-offs & everything happening so fast (good fast, in an exciting way) one blow after another, I just couldn't put the book down. I loved it.
the two revelations (one in the middle, one in the last chapter) was surprising. I couldn't guess it & I like when the books are unpredictable & make me ask questions & help me read faster to find the answer.
-
Plot: ★★★★(★)/5
(Pace: ★★★★/5- excitements: ★★★★/5 (Ending!: ★★★★★/5)- Sweet moments (including Romance): ★★★★★/5)
Characters: ★★★★★/5
Writing style: ★★★★★/5
World building: ★★★★★/5
Concept: ★★★★★/5
-
pre-read:
well, helloooo there!
March 2023:
oooh, I just noticed we have a cover! pretty pretty cover!
does the cover look like a rockstar band story to you too or is it just me? neon-like & pretty colours. love it
I haven't even read the blurb yet. (just did!) I didn't even know if it's after ADSOM or before (now I know!), I'm just HYPED! Because finally the year arrived! Schwab & ADSOM! Yesssssssssssss!
also I hope we get answers for some few vague things I feel we should know from ADSOM
-
Sep 26th: HAPPY PUB DAY one of my most anticipated books of 2023! I'll be back to you
Want to read
August 30, 2017I knew I wanted to tell a new story, one that included the cast of Shades of Magic without focusing exclusively on them. I envisioned a set of three interconnecting books, each with its own protagonist—a tinkerer who can pull the threads of magic, a noble who has her birthright stolen, a con artist born with a lucky streak but no power—their lives intertwining against a backdrop where a prince has become king, a thief has become a pirate, and new dangers are beginning to threaten the three Londons.
VICTORIAAAAAAAAAAAAA
read her full insight into the new series!
schwab is here to provide us with the best content 🙌
~~~
5-10 YEARS AFTER ACOL IM GOING TO NUT
im ded
sherlock mode on
so, is 'a favor' - lila's favor to maris??? or whatever his name was??
and unkillable king,,, is it rhy???? (it must be him, right¿) (yeah it obviously is lmao)
i want to reread acol but im not ready to put myself through the torture rn
~~
YELLING
The deal comprises a brand-new trilogy called the Threads of Power, which will be set in the same world as the Shades of Magic series, as well as a fourth, separate book starring a female assassin in a future version of New York City.
“I am over the moon,” Schwab tells EW. “Tor’s dedication has been unwavering, and, alongside my formidable editor, I can’t wait to introduce new leads, explore uncharted ground, and revisit old friends.”
source
not only new leads and stories in the SOM universe BUT WE'RE GOING TO SEE KELL, LILA AND ALURHY AGAIN???? SIGN ME TF UPPPPPP
ALSO IT'S A TRILOGY WOOOO BOIIIIIII
Shelved as 'wishlist'
August 28, 2017OH YES THIS IS SO HAPPENING
A new trilogy set in the Shades of Magic world—Queen Schwab plucked my secret dream right out of my brain and made it come true.
Full details here!
A new trilogy set in the Shades of Magic world—Queen Schwab plucked my secret dream right out of my brain and made it come true.
Full details here!
November 22, 2024
Start mocniejszy niż koniec, ale i tak ❤️🩹
Shelved as 'lost-interest'
February 19, 2022I swear to god my heart actually stopped for a second BECAUSE I DID NOT KNOW THIS EXISTED.
Another trilogy in the Shades of Magic world???
More Alucard?? More Rhy??
YES, PLEASE!!!🥺
Another trilogy in the Shades of Magic world???
More Alucard?? More Rhy??
YES, PLEASE!!!🥺
September 26, 2023
This was everything I hoped for and more.
6/5 stars
When I heard one of my all-time favorite authors was writing a NEW series in a FAVORITE fantasy world, I was ecstatic, borderline unhinged with excitement. The original Shades of Magic trilogy is a series that means so much to me, and I love and adore the characters and the world more than I can say.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from The Fragile Threads of Power. I didn’t know if our old characters would have cameos or be featured at all, and there’s always a little bit of trepidation for me when I’m approaching a much-loved fantasy world with characters that I don’t know yet.
But if you were wondering if we see our old characters rest assured that we do, they are back, changed of course after the events of A Conjuring of Light and also seven years older. I loved seeing how they had grown and changed since the end of that book, and it was so comforting to have what felt like old friends on the page again in Red London having new adventures.
There are, however, new characters to get to know and love too. Two of my favorites were Kosika from White London and Tes from Red London. We get to see a lot of their backstory for the first third of the book until we see the event that features them as major players in Threads.
The first third of the book does have a lot of flashbacks and switching between POV’s. All of which is very deliberately done to get us to the meat of what the threat is in the current book and how the past got us here. And that can sometimes be something that is hard for me, but I felt equally invested in every storyline that was being told and didn’t feel pulled out of the story at all.
V.E. Schwab does a lot of things right for me in her books, and one of my favorites is her character and relationship development. I love seeing Lila and Kel back as well as Rhy and Alucard and the added dynamic of a Queen and child in that family unit. Another thing I love about Schwab’s books is her world building and plotting. The opening chapter of this book is particularly strong for world building, plotting, and character introduction. We are immediately introduced to what this world is, who this person is, and what might happen from this one event. And then the way Schwab weaves in all the other characters, their past histories, and the threads of what is to come in the final chapters of this book was masterfully done.
I loved every single page of this book. I was captivated and never wanted to put it down. When I wasn’t reading it I was thinking about it until I could get back to reading it again. This book honestly exceeded every expectation I had and is a new favorite from this author and for the year.
I received an ARC for review, thank you to the author and Tor Publishing!
6/5 stars
When I heard one of my all-time favorite authors was writing a NEW series in a FAVORITE fantasy world, I was ecstatic, borderline unhinged with excitement. The original Shades of Magic trilogy is a series that means so much to me, and I love and adore the characters and the world more than I can say.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from The Fragile Threads of Power. I didn’t know if our old characters would have cameos or be featured at all, and there’s always a little bit of trepidation for me when I’m approaching a much-loved fantasy world with characters that I don’t know yet.
But if you were wondering if we see our old characters rest assured that we do, they are back, changed of course after the events of A Conjuring of Light and also seven years older. I loved seeing how they had grown and changed since the end of that book, and it was so comforting to have what felt like old friends on the page again in Red London having new adventures.
There are, however, new characters to get to know and love too. Two of my favorites were Kosika from White London and Tes from Red London. We get to see a lot of their backstory for the first third of the book until we see the event that features them as major players in Threads.
The first third of the book does have a lot of flashbacks and switching between POV’s. All of which is very deliberately done to get us to the meat of what the threat is in the current book and how the past got us here. And that can sometimes be something that is hard for me, but I felt equally invested in every storyline that was being told and didn’t feel pulled out of the story at all.
V.E. Schwab does a lot of things right for me in her books, and one of my favorites is her character and relationship development. I love seeing Lila and Kel back as well as Rhy and Alucard and the added dynamic of a Queen and child in that family unit. Another thing I love about Schwab’s books is her world building and plotting. The opening chapter of this book is particularly strong for world building, plotting, and character introduction. We are immediately introduced to what this world is, who this person is, and what might happen from this one event. And then the way Schwab weaves in all the other characters, their past histories, and the threads of what is to come in the final chapters of this book was masterfully done.
I loved every single page of this book. I was captivated and never wanted to put it down. When I wasn’t reading it I was thinking about it until I could get back to reading it again. This book honestly exceeded every expectation I had and is a new favorite from this author and for the year.
I received an ARC for review, thank you to the author and Tor Publishing!
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