A Darker Shade of Magic 02. A Gathering of Shadows

After the artifact of Black London has been sent back to where it came from Kell and Lila have gone separate ways. While Lila finally gos on an adventure like she always wanted to, Kell is struggling with his guilt over recent events and his new bond to Rhy. But their paths are destined to cross again as the Essen Tasch, the Elemental Games, are coming to London together with the most powerful magicians of Arnes and it's neighbours. And where so much magic and power are concentrated, new trouble is certain to arise... The second novel of the series starts at a little slower pace than the first. New characters are introduced as well as new circumstances (e.g. Lila being a pirate) and problems (e.g. Rhy and Kell struggling with their new bond), so while the plot might not be full of action and drama, it is still a very enjoyable read. And as the story develops and the Essen Tasch drawing nearer one is nearly relieved over the small 'break' that V. E. Schwab has given us readers at the start because the pace gets insanely fast! A spellbinding continuation of the series with a very nasty cliffhanger, intriguing new characters, great character development and several surprises you never see coming! Definitely a must-read!

Diese Reihe steigert sich von Fortsetzung zu Fortsetzung! Das "Essen Tasch" hat mich etwas an den vierten Teil von Harry Potter erinnert, aber es ist auf keinesfalls geklaut. Es ist super umgesetzt und mir gefällt es, wie die Charaktere sich im zweiten Teil entwickelt haben und was auf den Leser zu gekommen ist. Und nach diesem Ende, musste ich sofort den dritten Teil anfangen & da kann ich nur sagen, dass ich am einem Tag direkt 300 Seiten gelesen habe, da ich es nicht mehr weglegen konnte!

Ich mochte A Darker Shade of Magic sehr und A Gathering of Shadow hat mir sogar noch besser gefallen. Das ganze Tournament erinnerte mich auf eine gute Art and das Triwizard Tournament und doch was es sehr neu und originell. Ganz toll fand ich die Entwicklung unter den einzelnen Charakteren und das Ende lässt einem natürlich nach ehr schmachten! Ein ganz tolles adult fantasy Buch, wie man sie selten findet!

After I finished A Darker Shade of Magic last October I desperately wanted to start A Gathering of Shadows. But unfortunately it wasn’t released until February 23, 2016. When it finally got published I naturally had to read it immediately. In this sequel the story of Kell and Delilah Bard continues, however in two different directions. While Kell stays at his brother’s side to fulfill his duties, Lila finds herself on a ship on its way out of London. The reader gets introduced to a bunch of new characters, one particular more significant than all the others. We follow Lila’s adventures as a crewmember aboard the Night Spire and her growing talent for magic. When the ship docks in London again because of a upcoming magical competition Lila can’t resist cheating her way into it to test her own abilities. Like in the first book I loved the combination of magic and traveling between different dimensions. Also I really enjoyed reading about the Essen Tasch, this magical tournament where the best magicians are fighting against each other. In this book we also get a better look on prince Rhy, Kell’s brother, and learn about an incident that happened about three years in the past but never quite vanished. A Gathering of Shadows was definitely one of the best books I read this far in 2016 and I am excited for the third book, mostly because this book had a brilliant ending and I want to know what happens next.

Nach dem ersten Band war ich mir unsicher, ob mich diese Buchreihe doch noch überzeugen kann, aber ich war positiv überrascht, denn der 2. Band gefiel mir sogar mehr als der erste!