Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

A Gathering of Shadows: Collector's Edition by V.E. Schwab

44 reviews

blueberry0531's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Addiction, Self harm, and Murder

Minor: Cursing and Kidnapping

reddeddy's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

i am just *inhales*……Delilah Bard…..you are insane….but you’re also a fucking badass…..i had some issues with this book through the middle and towards the end, but that ending….i’m kinda shook…..that final line gave me literal chills.

overall a solid sequel, and im so looking forward to the last one, especially after that cliffhanger…i mainly had issues with some of the character development, especially Lila, because i feel like she doesn’t get the same kind of nuance as Kell or even Rhy, especially with everything going on, it feels like she doesn’t ever get the same emotional depth the others do, but hopefully in the next book she will!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Confinement, Cursing, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Xenophobia, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Dementia, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and War

malhale's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm

Moderate: Murder

Minor: Kidnapping

betweentheshelves's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I appreciate the way that VE Schwab builds on the world in this book, giving us more about the magic system. Especially how it relates to other areas outside of London. The magical tournament was probably my favorite aspect of this story. While magical tournaments aren't new, I enjoyed the way it was written in this, and Lila's determination to join even if she isn't the most skilled magician.

Rhy might be my favorite character in this; I just think he is one of the most interesting and complex. Kell and Lila aren't terrible, but I found Lila to get a bit repetitive towards the end of this book. Becuase I didn't really realize how long this book was!

Overall, I do think this book suffers a bit from second book sydrome, especially at the beginning. It felt like it was a little longer than it needed to be, but I guess there is some build up for the third book. Which I'll definitely be reading, because I still need to know how it ends! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Gore, Self harm, and Murder

Minor: Cursing and Kidnapping

bookaholic_in_wonderland's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence and Blood

Minor: Torture and Kidnapping

creepypiespice's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexism, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Cursing

toorsdenote's review against another edition

adventurous emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Definitely lower stakes than the first book, which was a bit of a disappointment. More Hunger Games than A Darker Shade of Magic. A+ love triangling though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Kidnapping, and Alcohol

maryjames's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Torture

Minor: Sexual content and Kidnapping

claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

 Lila has managed to find her way aboard a privateer’s chip (naturally, she is very disappointed that it isn’t a real pirate ship) and convince the charming Captain Alucard to give her lessons in elemental magic. When Alucard turns his ship back towards London for the Essen Tasch tournament, Lila begins to hatch a daring plan. Meanwhile, both Kell and Rhy are chafing against their new bond. Desperate for his brother to let off some steam and stop treating him like glass, Rhy enters Kell in the tournament under a false name. In another world, someone believed to be dead makes a deal with a power older and more dangerous than they can imagine. 

It’s rare that a sequel captures the magic and heart of the first book, and rarer still when it improves upon it. This is one of those books. I enjoyed A Darker Shade of Magic, but I really loved A Gathering of Shadows. The expansion of the world—both with Lila’s adventures and the new nations introduced during the tournament—made the story feel richer and deeper. Alucard was a great addition to the cast of characters, and definitely gave me Sturmhond (of Shadow and Bone) vibes with his humor and cunning.

I loved the tension between Lila and Kell when they kept narrowly missing each other (the shop! Kell coming by to pay off her debt...but really to see if she’s come back!!). I liked how Schwab didn’t force them together too soon, which would feel out of character for them. I also liked the Rhy/Alucard pairing, though I’d love to see a bit more backstory for them and their history together. I also hope to see more of the Grey London storyline, because I liked Ned and his curiosity in this book.

Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just the vibe of the ending):

Cliffhanger, which is to be expected from the second book in a trilogy. Hopefully I can get my hands on the next book soon!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder

angela_geraci's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.75

Terrible pacing, but I'm reading the last book because it's exciting and I need to know what happens

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Blood

Moderate: Murder and Alcohol

Minor: Kidnapping