“All power has its limits. You are still a servant of magic, and magic demands balance.”
In this new start to a series—a sequel to the Shades of Magic trilogy—V.E. Schwab transports us back into a world full of magic. It’s been seven years since the three powerful Antari: Kell, Lila, and Holland fought against Osaron to save the different worlds that each of them came from. Now there’s new characters and new dangers that threaten the different Londons.
Red London is ruled by Rhy Maresh, married to queen Nadiya with whom she has a mischievous little girl, Ren, heir to the throne. However, Rhy’s true love is Alucard, his consort. There’s signs of rebellion and conspiracy that threaten the throne coming from the Hand, a secret group of traitors who believe Rhy’s lack of magical powers will cause their world to also lose their magic.
White London is ruled by Kosika, an Antari kid who is devoted to Holland. She leads her people to take part in rituals in order to restore the magic in their world. However, she keeps summoning a power that she may not be able to fully control nor understand.
Kell and Lila have been at sea for years on different missions. After visiting the Floating Market, they’re entrusted with the challenge of retrieving a powerful object stolen by unknown forces. An artefact that could destroy what they risked their lives for to protect in the last trilogy.
In the midst of all this there’s Tes, one of the new characters, a young girl with a special power to fix broken things (and sometimes make them better). She will find herself intertwined in the affairs of the Antari, the thieves and the traitors. However, only her power will be able to weave together the threads of power.
In The Fragile Threads of Power, Schwab continues to draw the readers into a magical and adventurous storyline. It’s a book that’s heavily focused on characters and that’s an introduction to a new grand journey. The book is extremely long which allows for a slower burn. And, whilst the pace of the book is quite slow in the first half, it picks up in the second half and everything becomes more interesting and action-packed from that point onwards. The slow pace however is understandable due to it being the first installment of a new series that needs to explain what happened in the seven year gap between the previous trilogy and this one. The plotting and suspense throughout are truly masterful though. The author truly balances well each storyline and each character’s journey.
Readers will be able to reconnect with Kell, Lila, Rhy, and Alucard but in a more mature way. These characters have grown and parts of their personalities have changed from the previous series. Focusing on Kell and Lila, we see a Kell that’s truly struggling with his self worth and his shattered magic. On the other hand, Lila is still as cunning and fierce as always but we do see that Kell is her soft spot and that she deeply cares for him, in her own way, that is. Since characters are more mature, there are also some slightly suggestive scenes despite romance not being a central point of the story.
As for the new characters, both Tes and Kosika are quite interesting. Despite both of them being kids/teenagers they’re extremely strong and capable. They’ve gone through a fair share of struggles to get to where they are. Kosika’s story is still not fully developed in this book; however, we do see Tes having a heavy background and a powerful and important position in the story. She is a character that readers will truly love. It will be interesting to see these character’s journey and growth throughout the series.
Overall, Schwab created a solid fabulous start to a new fantasy series. With themes of self discovery of one’s power, strong magic, mystery, and found family, The Fragile Threads of Power is a perfect read for those who missed the worlds of the Shades of Magic series and its characters.
The Fragile Threads of Power is available from Amazon, and other book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Seven years have passed since the doors between the worlds were sealed. Seven years since Kell, Lila and Holland stood against Osaron, a desperate battle that saved the worlds of Red, Grey and White London. Seven years since Kell’s magic was shattered, and Holland lost his life.
Now Rhy Maresh rules Red London with his new family – his queen, Nadiya, their daughter Ren, and his consort, Alucard. But his city boils with conspiracy and rebellion, fuelled by rumours he is causing magic to fade from the word.
Now Kosika, a child Antari, sits on the throne of White London. The new queen leads her people in new rituals of sacrifice and blood in devotion to the altar of Holland Vosijk, summoning vast power she may not be able to control.
Now Lila and Kell, living free on the waves, are charged by the captain of the Floating Market to retrieve an immensely powerful artefact, stolen by secretive forces.
Now Tes, a young woman with a knack for fixing broken things, is thrust into the affairs of Antari and kings, traitors and thieves. And only her unique powers can weave the threads of power together.
A triumphant return to the worlds of The Shades of Magic, The Fragile Threads of Power continues the stories of fan-favourite characters Kell, Lila, Rhy and Alucard, and introduces a new generation of magic, shadows and embers in the dark.
