About the Book: Witness the fate of beloved heroes – and enemies.
THE BALANCE OF POWER HAS FINALLY TIPPED…
The precarious equilibrium among four Londons has reached its breaking point. Once brimming with the red vivacity of magic, darkness casts a shadow over the Maresh Empire, leaving a space for another London to rise.
WHO WILL CRUMBLE?
Kell – once assumed to be the last surviving Antari – begins to waver under the pressure of competing loyalties. And in the wake of tragedy, can Arnes survive?
WHO WILL RISE?
Lila Bard, once a commonplace – but never common – thief, has survived and flourished through a series of magical trials. But now she must learn to control the magic, before it bleeds her dry. Meanwhile, the disgraced Captain Alucard Emery of the Night Spire collects his crew, attempting a race against time to acquire the impossible.
WHO WILL TAKE CONTROL?
And an ancient enemy returns to claim a crown while a fallen hero tries to save a world in decay.
Shades of Magic #3
Fantasy
Tor Books | February 21, 2017
“Love and loss,” he said, “are like a ship and the sea. They rise together. The more we love, the more we have to lose. But the only way to avoid loss is to avoid love. And what a sad world that would be.”
What a beautiful, satisfying ending to an amazing fantasy series. I don’t even know what to say in this review, I feel like I’ve already said everything there is to say. I’ve done three reviews of fangirling. I just can’t help it. It was awesome.
Too many times the final book in a series is disappointing. I can handle the story not going the way I want, most of the time, but what I can’t handle is when everything wraps too perfectly, or too neatly. That didn’t happen in A Conjuring of Light. It had a good ending, a solid ending, but sacrifices were made. People were lost. It was full of battle and heart, and of course great characters.
Kell and Lila have always been my favorites. They were just as wonderful in the third book, and I’ve already praised their gloriousnesses so many times. Instead I want to talk about Alucard and Holland. I knew Alucard was someone I loved, but in this book he really was so special. He and Rhy broke my heart, and then re-knitted it back together again at the end. Especially Rhy. Rhy was the only character that made me cry. I think he became one of the most developed characters of the series.
It was Holland, though, that was the biggest surprise. I knew from the very beginning there was more to him. He had a story, and it wasn’t that he was just a bad guy. Man, his story was tragic. There’s a reason why characters like Snape have always been my favorites. I love getting the backstory to the darker characters, and Holland was all of that.
I keep saying “I love”, but that’s what it all boils down to. I love this series. I love these characters. I love this world. I can’t wait to read more by VE Schwab.
“She was a thief, a runaway, a pirate, a magician.
She was fierce, and powerful, and terrifying.
She was still a mystery.
And he loved her.”
Birdie Bookworm 
You’re right! This is a hardcore conclusion for a hardcore series! And I completely agree with you about Rhy and Holland. Rhy’s character growth in this book is really amazing. And Holland, he wasn’t even my favorite character and he was such an ass in the second installment but I just couldn’tbring myself to give up on him. Great review!
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Thank you! I actually always thought that there was more to Holland. I recognized that he was doing what he was forced to. But the reality of what he went through was so much worse than I thought.
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I heart this series!!!
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Oh yes!
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I plan on finally reading this very soon, so I’m glad to see you liked it! I can’t wait to finally read this and finish the series. 🙂
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It was so worth it. I think you’d really enjoy it!
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I’m actually reading this one now so I only skimmed the review, but I’m thrilled to hear how satisfied you are with the ending. I’m so sad to have to say goodbye to these characters. Oh and P.S., I finally read Six of Crows. OMG, such a brilliant book. Thanks for recommending it. 🙂
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I read your review! I loved everything you said. I’m so glad you loved it!
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Not reading it fully until I get my butt in gear to read the rest of it, but from what I read, it was great! Super excited to finish up the series. 😀
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You’re in for something great! I can’t wait to hear what you thought.
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Ahhh yay I’m so glad you liked it!! And that you found it to be a satisfactory ending to the series! Holland was my absolute favorite part of this book, I loved getting to learn all about him, and I liked the relationship he and Kell had- I loved how Kell couldn’t bare to let anything happen to him because he was the only other person he’d known that was like him. And Alucard and Rhy…they’re so fantastic :’) I’ve loved reading your reviews of this series!!
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Thank you! I think Kell always felt that way about Holland. Like, in a weird sense I feel like Kell saw Holland as an odd type of family. The trilogy was so good.
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I love this series so much! Glad you’re enjoying it too. Schwab is beyond amazing. 😊
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It’s my first series by Schwab, but it definitely won’t be my last.
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I’m so pleased you felt the series ended on a good note. There’s nothing worse than loving a series and being left unsatisfied with its conclusion! I love (ironic since you’re talking about the phrase ‘I love’) the final line of your review. It’s a wonderful little summary of how you feel about this series ❤ Awesome review!
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Thank you! I do feel I spent so much time saying “I love”, haha
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I concur, it’s just perfect, I recommend it to everyone. I’ve put off reviewing it because all I have to say is that I love V.E Schwab and all of her thoughts, characters and words 😂. Everyone just needs to buy and read it then we can all agree together that it’s amazing. Holland is the one, I’m glad we got to see more of his character & Rhys and Alucard are so cute,10/10wouldreadagain ❤️ I felt it was a satisfying ending & everything was dealt with as well which isn’t always the case!
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Man, yes yes yes! Holland was… the dark horse. Rhy and Alucard… and Kell and Lila! Such a great series!
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I have heard so many great things about this series (and simply VE Schwab in general), so it makes me so happy to hear you liked this so much! 🙂 Seeing another glowing review from you just makes me even more anxious to give it a try. Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous review! ❤
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Thank you so much! If you do decide to read the books, I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
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