msradiosilence's review
5.0
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Torture, Classism, Death of parent, Blood, Cursing, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Alcohol, Body horror, Child death, and Grief
Moderate: War
Minor: Pregnancy and Sexual content
artmuseam's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Death, Cursing, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content
ten_telegrams's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Slavery, Confinement, Blood, Death, Self harm, Alcohol, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Cursing, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Physical abuse
marine2907's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, Murder, Physical abuse, War, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
grrr8_catsby's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Part of the charm of A Darker Shade Of Magic was it's self-contained story; while the stakes in A Conjuring Of Light are considerable higher, it feels like an inorganic extension of A Gathering Of Shadows. In fact, A Conjuring Of Light literally opens where A Gathering Of Shadows left off. This second part of the Shades Of Magic series (both A Gathering Of Shadows and A Conjuring Of Light) is a massive story to tell, totaling 1,133 pages. However, it feels as if the story was cut in two segments and padded for length. There are some legitimately exciting sequences in this book, but there are also several that drag on; pacing has been a major issue for these last two installments.
Contrary to what you have read already, I really did enjoy A Conjuring Of Light; in fact, I have thoroughly enjoyed Shades Of Magic overall. It is my willingness to point out the things I didn't like that would change this from a book that I really enjoyed to a book that I loved.
Peripheral characters are finally given sections that help flesh out their characterization, but this is nothing compared to the major salvaging that certain characters receive. Both Lila Bard and Holland receive wonderful character work in this entry, and turn from annoying main characters to important (and, more importantly, enjoyable) pieces of the story. Again, the magic system feels fresh and exciting, and it is thrilling to see characters display mastery over the elements. Battle and action is fast, detailed, and reads as a major motion picture or video game should.
The ending of Shades Of Magic concludes satisfactorily, while, of course, leaving the door open juuuuuuuuuust a little to allow for another set of adventures in the future.
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Gore and Hate crime
Minor: Homophobia, Death, Cursing, and Death of parent
vaguely_pink's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Torture, Death, War, Murder, and Self harm
Moderate: Sexual content and Body horror
Minor: Abandonment, Pregnancy, Classism, Suicide, Homophobia, Alcohol, Cursing, Confinement, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
claudiamacpherson's review against another edition
- 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
Spoiler
The deaths in this book hurt. Most of them were noble sacrifices: Hastra (my love!!), the King, and Holland. Other were innocents: Calla and Anisa Emery. I was a bit surprised how many characters Schwab did decide to kill off, and I wish it had been fewer. I also didn’t like that so many of the citizens of London died trying to fight off the fog, while those who gave into it and were subsequently put to sleep were, for the most part, fine.Spoiler
I was hoping for some sort of redemption for Holland, and I got it. I’m a sucker for self-sacrifice, so I loved that, ultimately, it came down to him to defeat the shadow king, sacrificing his magic (and then his life) in the process.Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Child death, Cursing, Grief, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Vomit