Anoshe, my dear friends.

Comparing the final installement to the previous two books, one certain difference stands out: the pace. While A Darker Shade Of Magic and A Gathering of Shadows both used the time they had to explore deeper into the four worlds of the various Londons, into the character's minds and feelings, and their climax was mostly a journey to shape the characters and our understanding of this certain magic. A Conjuring of Light doesn't stop to give us time to process things. Following up the events at the end of the second book, we are in the middle of action, trying to find a way to defeat the darkness and not think too much about possible negative outcomes.

If anyone would think that this difference in pace changes the whole atmosphere, I must tell you, it doesn't. On the opposite, the atmosphere becomes even more clear, as if we could ourselves transform us to Red London, and be there with the characters that have grown so much to us. This truly suprised me as most of the times a change in pace doesn't serve the plot or book. However, V. E. Schwab knows how to tell her stories, and it's quickly clear why she took so much time discovering this story with us.

As for the characters, you can't help it but love them. Each of their own is unique and it's hard to tell who one's favorite is when it changes every time, in every scene, at every moment. Even Lila who started to annoy me during AGOS gained back her charm during this book, for what I was grateful because I really hated starting to dislike her since she had such a great introduction in ADSOM. Rhy and Kell's brotherly connection was just as adorable as in the previous books, and if you've been following me for a while, you'll know that I have a weak spot for any form of bromance. And Alucard who is so beloved by the community has finally convinced me. I had a hard time liking him in AGOS - I knew he would be in a romantic relationship with Rhy because I've seen the fanart - but I still wasn't able to like him in the sequel. In this book though, his charm has worked for me, too, and I really enjoyed him. And don't get me started on Holland. That guy should've won an award - for best redemption, character arc, best quotes, best ... everything? Oh how I adore villains who are not truly the bad guys here.

Everything considered, I enjoyed this book a lot, but my favorite of the trilogy might still be the first book. While the ending was bittersweet, and made me stare at my wall for longer than I want to admit, I felt like many things were left out. I still got so many questions, and I felt that certain pairings needed more interaction. Kell and Lila's relationship felt too distant to me, and no one really commented on it, as it would've made sense considering the past Alucard and Kell shared. We never figured out anything about Kell's past even though it was right in front of us. While I like the pacing in this book the most, I felt like after all the time Schwab took in the first two books to build up the atmosphere and plot, she could've used some of those pages to bring us more depth about Kell's or Lila's past or to deepen their relationship, for example.

However, I really enjoyed reading this series and discovering this new way of worldbuilding that mixed historical fiction with fantasy. And now that I know that we might return to Red London & co., I'm eager to see whether this time we'll find out more about beloved characters.