A Darker Shade of Magic & A Gathering of Shadows! Review

So this review is rather late as I completed both of these books within the same week, a few weeks ago. A Darker Shade of Magic is the first book in the series by V.E.Schwab.

A Darker Shade of Magic focuses four existing parallel universes of London. Red London, where magic is thriving, White London, ruled by whoever murdered they way to the throne. Grey London, without magic, home to a mad King George III, and then there was once Black London, which destroyed itself for being too hungry for magic.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as I do with any of V. E. Schwab’s novels.

The world building within this book is fantastic, it allows the reader to fully understand the world in which they have been thrown into and creates such beautiful imagery. The magic within this novel is unlike anything I have read before, although the only book concerning magic that I’ve read before has been the Harry Potter books, this series takes a completely different take on magic, which is refreshing and engaging throughout. It’s not the stereotypical wand waving magic, which I really enjoyed and allowed the reader to believe in the world a lot more.  I find that one of V. E. Schwab’s strongest prose is the character building and the relationships between each character, are thoroughly thought through, the audience knows exactly what characters to enjoy and love, whilst also disagreeing and hating certain characters. My favourite character relationship is between Kell and his brother Rhy, but also Kell and Lila, the language used in the interactions between these characters is brilliant and believable, in some areas of the novel I found myself laughing at the conversations between said characters, because you really engage with these relationships, that the humour of the conversations between them is portrayed beautifully.
I found that the aspect of black magic within this book fascinating and such a brilliant edition to the overall story. Throughout the whole novel the reader can sense that the story is building up to a climatic point, and it’s as you read the last 100 pages, where the story comes together and forms a beautiful ending for the second book to begin.  I was sitting on the edge of my seat throughout the last hundred pages because I just need to know what was going to happen.

Overall I thought this was a strong opening novel for the trilogy and I had to read the second book right away. I gave this book 4.5*

“I’d rather die on an adventure than live standing still”

A Gathering of Shadows

The Second novel was as strong as the first, it continued with the story, but focused on an event known as the element games. where powerful magicians compete against one another by using the elements.  This allowed for the magic within the novel to be further explained and for the reader to be able to fully grasp the concept of this magic, it was fantastic, I love how V. E. Schwab has taken this new take on magic, it works brilliantly within the world of this novel and keeps the story fascinating.
The story flicks between Kell and Lila because of going their separate ways, but later to be reunited due to the element games, which I really enjoyed, it kept the novel fast-paced and always engaging.
I loved how as a reader you think you knew the characters you were reading about, only to find out new and interesting information about them, that allows for them to grow even further. Along with the relationship between Kell and Lila is further hinted at which I really enjoyed because I thought they really worked well together as characters. In this book compared to  the first Black London is introduced, whereas in the first it was hinted at and mentioned but see a glimpse of the world and how it destroyed itself for being too hungry for magic, I really loved how Black London was brought into this novel, I was excited to see how it would be talked about and described and I wasn’t disappointed. And of course, this book had to end on the dreaded cliffhanger! Although I’m not disappointed by that I just can’t wait for the last instalment of this series, I’m really excited to see how it’s going to be concluded.  I gave this book 4.5*

The Mime Order! Review

The Mime order is the second instalment of The Bone Season series by Samantha Shannon. I loved this books, it’s a fantastic second novel to the series, and I cannot wait to see where it goes.

This book started where the first one left off, which I really liked, it allowed the reader to get straight back into the world of the book within the first pages.  This second book in the series allowed for the world to further expand along with the characters personalities. I loved how this book was split into three different parts because it allowed for the reader to understand the time period this novel is set over. It allowed for the audience to feel as though they were part of the strategic plans that were created throughout this book, which resulted in the last few chapters being so gripping and intense I couldn’t put the book down until I knew the ending. The ending to this book was not something I had prepared myself for, it was a complete shock that I re-read the last few pages in the hope that the ending would change. In all honesty, it has only driven my need for the third book even more!  Paige still remains my favourite character, her strength as a female character is fantastic, I don’t usually feel connected to female characters but Paige is just everything you want from a leading female protagonist.

The premise of The Mime order is that Paige is now the most wanted person in the whole of scion London, which results in her having no choice but to return to her Mime-Lord and continue to work as his Mollisher. Throughout the story  there are sudden twists and turns, which were unpredictable and left you needing to know more.  The world building of this novel continued to grow, and Samantha’s writing style is just amazing, so descriptive it allows for a vivid imagination to run wild. Throughout this book as a reader you learn more about Scion London, and also the hierarchy of the syndicate and voyants, which I found fascinating. This book had me gripped from the first pages until the end. As a reader the love/hate relationships continued in this book just like the first, one minute you like a character and then the next you won’t and that I just thought was perfect. Along with the side characters backgrounds being developed a little more which allows the audience a new perspective on those characters, which was a lovely touch. In all honesty, I cannot wait to get my hands on the next instalment. I haven’t been this gripped to a series in a long time.

I found throughout reading this book that readers who loved Red Queen by Victoria Aveyad would love this book, as it is similar to the hierarchy portrayed in that book.

Overall this was a fantastic gripping second instalment to The Bone season and I am so excited to read the third book when it’s released in 2017! I gave this book 5*

The Bone Season Review!

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon is the first novel in the Bone Season series. And also Samantha Shannon’s first novel.

I enjoyed The Bone Season a lot more than I had originally anticipated. The overall story read as Young Adult novel, however without all the teenage angst that you see a lot within the young adult genre. In my opinion, The Bone Season would be perfect for a reader who wants to adjust from young adult to adult books.

The Bone Season is based around London in 2059, controlled by a government agency called Scion. their aim is to ride the world of ‘unnaturals’ and by that I mean Clairvoyance. Paige Mahoney is the leading protagonist, working for an underground gang illegally. Until something happens which leads her to end up in Sheol I, where her identity is taken and taught to use and control her power.

Samantha Shannon achieved so much from this first instalment of the Bone Season series, the world in which the reader is introduced to is fantastically built and described beautifully, the visuals I got whilst reading this first book was as if I was a fly on the wall witnessing everything. There were times when I thought I was able to predict what was going to happen next, although I was pleasantly surprised when my predictions were proven wrong.  There were times when reading I had to put the book down to take a moment due to certain events that occur, however, I didn’t put it down for long because I was hungry for more.  The character building was fantastic the audience knows who to love and who to hate, however, I found myself drawn to certain characters despite previous encounters with them. Maps of the difference types of Clairvoyance have been presented within the book as well as a map of Sheol I, which is helpful as the story can get a little complex at times. 

Throughout this whole first book, I just wanted to know more, I cannot wait to delve into the next instalment and continue within this world that is so beautifully written.

Overall I’d recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of fantasy, and anyone who enjoys reading, it was truly fantastic. I gave this book 5*