Review: A Conjuring of Light by V. E. Schwab

A Conjuring of Light
(Shades of Magic #3)
V. E. Schwab
Release: February 21, 2017
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The battle between four magical Londons comes to a head in this stunning finale to the New York Times bestselling Shades of Magic trilogy by rising star V. E. Schwab.

Londons fall and kingdoms rise while darkness sweeps the Maresh Empire—and the fraught balance of magic blossoms into dangerous territory while heroes and foes struggle alike. The direct sequel to A Gathering of Shadows, and the final book in the Shades of Magic epic fantasy series, A Conjuring of Light sees Schwab reach a thrilling culmination concerning the fate of beloved protagonists—and old enemies.

Review:
I've always struggled with the question of how do I review the last book in a series? On one hand, I want to discuss everything and on the other, I just want you to go read this book. A Conjuring of Light was easily one of my most anticipated books of this year and I'm devastated that it's now over.

I had ridiculously high expectations going into this book after falling absolutely in love with the first two and I'm happy to report that not only did it live up to them, it surpassed them. In my opinion, this book was the epitome of what the conclusion of a favorite series should be. It was perfect! The only time I could put it down was when I needed to take a break to calm myself down. It was full of action, adventure, a touch of romance, and it didn't pull any punches. This book doesn't shy away from death and there were a few deaths in this book that just gutted me.

A Conjuring of Light is one of those books that will devastate you while managing to keep your hope that everything will turn out okay. There were several moments that made me curse and yell at the book and it made me cry but those moments were balanced out with moments of dry humor that were delightful to read and with some truly beautiful moments that made me so happy I hugged my Kindle. There are more than a few scenes that I've gone back and reread at least ten times since I finished this book. Thank you, Kindle bookmark feature!

One of my favorite things about this book, and one that caused me the most heartache, was learning more about Holland's past. It was astonishing to see who he was before the Danes had gotten a hold on him. I also loved seeing the progress that Kell, Lila, Rhy, and Alucard made in their own character arcs. Each of them has changed significantly from when they were first introduced but they still fundamentally remained the same in some aspects. All I can say to V. E. Schwab is thank you so much for these characters! Especially for the delightful and terrifying scamp that is Miss Delilah Bard. She has easily become one of my favorite female characters ever.

This book is a long one clocking in at 624 pages but it's also one I never wanted to end. I will miss all of these characters so much. It's been a journey to read their stories and I'm so happy with how this series ended even though it was also painful. Let's just say my heart is full of so many emotions when I think of this series.

Everything was wrapped up perfectly by the end but I have the feeling that this world still has stories to tell us. In fact, Schwab herself said in a Goodreads email, "... remember: when it comes to this world, new doors are always being made." So, this isn't truly a farewell to the world. Just to this arc and even then it's not really a goodbye. The Shades of Magic series will always be waiting to be reread over and over again. So instead of goodbye, I'm going to say Anoshe- until we meet again another day. 

    

  5 / 5 Stars!

My reviews of other books in this series:
A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab
A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab