A Gathering of Shadows, while not as strong an independent narrative as A Darker Shade of Magic, does surpass its predecessor in terms of sheer entertainment value.

V.E. Schwab is masterful in her ability to take a story in surprisingly unexpected directions. While many familiar tropes surrounding magic exist in this universe, she not only turns them upside down, but inside out.

Perhaps because the plot is told mainly from three different and isolated viewpoints, with each skillfully revealing character exposition/entanglements and building narrative tension, by the time the characters inevitably collide, the excitement is palpable.

In terms of the universe's overall narrative, at face value all this book does is move characters into place for a larger altercation with invariably greater stakes, but this journey to entropy is too entertaining to dismiss.

Delilah Bard is especially well-developed in this volume, and the story is better for it on the whole. The general social complications introduced with Alucard's character also made for some truly hilarious and unexpected moments.

However, the cliffhanger ending, while building hype and momentum for the next volume, does prevent this book from being its own independent narrative.

Either way, cannot wait for the next volume. The hype is real.