The Laughing Listener
March 2020
Format: Hardback & Ebook
Overall Rating: 5 Stars

NEW. SERIES. OBSESSION. I’m not exaggerating when I say I don’t think I’ve ever loved a book series this much. This is going to be a short review because I literally have no negative things to say.



After the ending of [b:A Darker Shade of Magic|22055262|A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic, #1)|V.E. Schwab|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1400322851l/22055262._SY75_.jpg|40098252] I wasn’t quite sure what to expect this time around. It was a pretty open-ended ending, but a lot of the loose ends in that book were tied up. Plus, a friend told me the pacing of A Gathering of Shadows was a lot slower, so I just wasn’t sure what direction this was going to go. But OH MY GOD, it was so good! I just???



The warning I got wasn’t wrong, this is a lot slower paced than the first book (well… mostly…). And I can actually understand some of the lower reviews I’ve seen because I’m sure the pacing won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. But let me tell you, the anticipation of Kell and Lila’s reunion KEPT ME UP AT NIGHT. My yearning to see Lila return to Red London was all I needed to burn through this book. And even though it doesn’t happen until the very end, I didn’t even mind the wait because we get such an awesome in-depth look into these kick ass characters.

I’m also OBSESSED with this world. The more I learn about it, the more I love, and watching the competition at the end was SO GOOD!! I needed a film adaptation of these books YESTERDAY. GIVE IT TO ME NOW!!!!!

Just a heads up though: **CLIFFY ENDING ALERT** I was so glad I had already bought the whole trilogy because I needed to read the beginning of book three IMMEDIATELY after that cliffhange. If you’re reading this, make sure you have the third installment at the ready to prevent insanity.

FINAL WORD

READ. THIS. SERIES. READ IT. So good! I can’t wait to dive into the next one!!

#1 ↦ [b:A Darker Shade of Magic|22055262|A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic, #1)|V.E. Schwab|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1400322851l/22055262._SY75_.jpg|40098252] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✦
#2 ↦ [b:A Gathering of Shadows|20764879|A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic, #2)|V.E. Schwab|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1429627728l/20764879._SY75_.jpg|43242915] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✦
#3 ↦ [b:A Conjuring of Light|29939230|A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic, #3)|V.E. Schwab|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1464017758l/29939230._SY75_.jpg|44752519] ↦ ????