I really enjoyed A Gathering of Shadows. I love the immersive world V.E. Schwab has created with the parallel Londons, especially Red London and it's immense power. I was quite thrown, however, when I discovered the plot for this book was more character-driven than plot-driven as A Darker Shade of Magic was. I don't mind the change, but it did strike me as odd given how action packed the first book was.

Regardless, I very much enjoyed being able to dive deeper into the mechanics of Red London, the magic system, and seeing more internal development among the characters. Lila is really the main focus of this book, but Rhy was made a key character as well. And we were able to meet Alucard Emery who I adore. I especially loved the magical tournament held in Red London; it reminded me of the Goblet of Fire from Harry Potter.

However, I was a bit frustrated that the tournament didn't actually happen until the final 4th of the book and felt a bit too short for me. I would have liked to see more festivity and more celebration among the people and in the city. All in all, the book was very good. I adore V.E. Schwab's writing style and the vivid imagery she creates. I highly recommend giving this book a read after A Darker Shade of Magic.