Paperback, 637 pages
Published Feb. 26, 2018 by Tor.
Witness the fate of beloved heroes--and enemies.
THE BALANCE OF POWER HAS FINALLY TIPPED.... The precarious equilibrium among the 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 magic 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 …
Witness the fate of beloved heroes--and enemies.
THE BALANCE OF POWER HAS FINALLY TIPPED.... The precarious equilibrium among the 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 magic 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.
This description comes from the publisher. A Conjuring of Light is the third book in the Shades of Magic series, the first of which is A Darker Shade of Magic.
That was a pretty good conclusion to the series. I started to worry that the flashbacks were going to be too much, but they were just long enough to add depth to the characters without drowning the main storyline.
A Conjuring of Light is the finale I wanted for this exciting and compelling trilogy. Though I loved just about everything about this novel, I particularly enjoyed the greater emphasis on Holland and his past. for someone I learned to dislike in book one, it's nice to see how he evolved into the Antari he needed to be in the end.
Ughhhhhh. So perfect. Tidies everything up but leaves room for more someday. Anoshe, indeed. Sobs
Well, hm.
I'm gonna give it four stars cause like the other two books it was fast-paced and super fun and I adore the characters. It has a very satisfying ending, both to the plot of this book and to the overall arc of the trilogy.
But it wasn't quite as good as I expected, especially given how strong the middle book was. There are a lot of meandering subplots and side quests in this book and a lot of second-tier character background stories, and it's a very very long book with all that extra stuff. I ended up skipping a lot of the flashback/asides, because they weren't that germane to the core plot and also because the second-tier characters...just aren't that interesting. I feel sad about that because at least for one of them I did want to know more of her story....but it just didn't feel compelling.
Overall, …
Well, hm.
I'm gonna give it four stars cause like the other two books it was fast-paced and super fun and I adore the characters. It has a very satisfying ending, both to the plot of this book and to the overall arc of the trilogy.
But it wasn't quite as good as I expected, especially given how strong the middle book was. There are a lot of meandering subplots and side quests in this book and a lot of second-tier character background stories, and it's a very very long book with all that extra stuff. I ended up skipping a lot of the flashback/asides, because they weren't that germane to the core plot and also because the second-tier characters...just aren't that interesting. I feel sad about that because at least for one of them I did want to know more of her story....but it just didn't feel compelling.
Overall, though, I loved all three books. It's rare for me these days to find books that trigger can't-put-it-down reading mode, and this series did that.
This was an amazing finale, a hell of a roller coaster, and has just enough loose ends left untied to give the audience an ending that is simultaneously satisfying -- without annoying, unanswered questions about the story and our heroes -- AND hooking for the new story that will unfold in the Threads of Power series that was recently announced.
I'm sad to be done with this series. I can only hope this isn't the last we've seen of Kell, Lila, Rhy, and Alucard. It's all I ask, really.
This series isn't quite finished.
A beautiful book and a really neat series. I like that it was a true trilogy and that it ended, even though I'd have loved to see more and I do hope the author may revisit the world because there is a lot of neat things to explore through different vantages.
I began this book in a hurried nearly frenetic pace because the way the second book leaves you is.. well.. quite in a bind. However, I found out that it was going to last in a frenetic pace for more than my ability to hold to it so I eventually eased off. You can only stay panicked so long before you tire. About 1/3rd of the way through I took a deep breath and revised my mental attachment to something more maintainable.
Memorable characters, pretty solid plot line, scope of work was maintained, what was risque was done so …
A beautiful book and a really neat series. I like that it was a true trilogy and that it ended, even though I'd have loved to see more and I do hope the author may revisit the world because there is a lot of neat things to explore through different vantages.
I began this book in a hurried nearly frenetic pace because the way the second book leaves you is.. well.. quite in a bind. However, I found out that it was going to last in a frenetic pace for more than my ability to hold to it so I eventually eased off. You can only stay panicked so long before you tire. About 1/3rd of the way through I took a deep breath and revised my mental attachment to something more maintainable.
Memorable characters, pretty solid plot line, scope of work was maintained, what was risque was done so with balance and nothing that prior books haven't alluded to. Action orientation felt about right. There is a fight sequence near the end which was very well executed. I think I could have seen more of that in these books but really this series was more a drama than action--so it can be let go, even if my inner magick-fighter-warlock wants to play more.
As another fine person said, this was an epic conclusion to the tale. What starts with a pickpocket in gray London took us on a very interesting, intense journey to places and mechanisms we might not have experienced before. I appreciated the journey and it's conclusion.
