V.E. Schwab
Adult High Fantasy
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.
-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.
Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.
My Opinion
“Some people cannot see the need for change until it’s done.”
(5 / 5) Is this the year of five star books? I’ve found more this year than all the years of my blog. I am not complaining one bit!
This book was highly unique. I actually recommend going in blind only knowing that there are four London’s that were forced to seal doors from each other as magic became more rare and unstable.
It sounds like a lot to comprehend, but Schwab wrote this book in a way that kept me guessing. I never knew what was going to happen next and I loved the element of intrigue. It took me a bit to understand there were four different London’s but the POV are separated out well enough that I was never confused.
“Magic does not die. Magic withdraws. It resists.”
And the magic system? Fabulous. So unique and compelling, I found myself excited to read what the magic showed next.
I’ve loved Schwab’s Addie Larue book, and while that is wildly different from this one, the writing is done so well that it’s easy to get swept up. My one complaint was the back and forth between years very regularly. She still made it understandable but if you’re not paying good attention, the timelines and POV’s could definitely get confusing.
I highly recommend this one, it does “found family” at it’s best! Even at a whopping almost 900 pages (ARC paperback), it was well worth the ride!
General content summary: F words= 35 theft, dead body, branding as a punishment, intimacy (closed door, no details), man is consort to the king (some intimacy details), naked woman (no details), brothels, physical violence (knives, weapons, death, multiple, blood), m/f kisses, alcohol (multiple).
Thank you to Tor Books and Shelf Awareness for the win!
The book releases September 26, 2023.
**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
I can’t wait to read this! Did you read Shades of Magic first?