ARC provided by publisher for review

There is nothing particularly wrong with the latest book set in the worlds introduced in the Darker Shades of Magic series, this book just didn’t grab me in the same way as the original trilogy.

This book is told from several different viewpoints… or threads 😉😉😉 before merging together (well, mostly) late in the book. It was nice to return to the worlds of Kell, Lila, and Holland, but this story really seemed to be the “set-up” for what is coming next. We spend a large amount of the book catching up on the years we’ve been away, while also taking a deep dive to introduce us to two major new characters. The pacing of the story was where these giant exposition dumps suffered the most for me and I never felt like the plot had the sense of urgency or danger that Schwab was trying to impart.

I very much enjoyed newcomer Tes’s storyline. It was probably my favorite in the entire book. And Vares. ❤️❤️ IYKYK.

While the storyline of other main newcomer, Kosika, was fine enough, it just didn’t find its way into fitting in with the other characters or the main storyline of this book, making it stand out like a sore thumb.

I do look forward to where this series will go as I think this book has set up some very interesting ideas and characters to explore further, even if it didn’t quite meet my very high expectations.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group for this earc!

I’ve been a fan of VE Schwab for a long time and somehow she still got it, all these books later.

I am not gonna say too much about the plot of this book because you really need to read it yourself. One thing I really enjoyed is the flashbacks. The Story starts 7 years after the end of Conjuring. I loved how very nice and organized Schwab told us what happened to all the characters in those 7 years without spending too much time on but still giving us a whole picture.

I love that we continue the stories from Shades of Magic just with some new faces and new plot twists.

First, I really like meeting Tes. She is an incredible character who I can’t wait to see more of. She was a perfect combination of amazing but still a 14 year old girl who at some points of the story is scared for her life.

Kosika is definitely an interesting addition because I don’t know if she will get herself killed or turn into a villain.

Nadiya. All I am going to say about our new Queen of Red London is that if she dies, I’ll throw a party. I understand that her character is supposed to be all brain and no heart, but every time she looked at Lila, Kell and Tes is test subjects, I just wanted her gone. She gives me the creeps in the worst way possible. Off with her head. That’s all I am saying.

For our old friends, I really paid very little attention to Rhy as king because it seems like he was a little less important for the story at the moment.

Lila and Kell on the other hand. Honestly, I can probably write a book on just these two. Seeing Kell go through all the pain and seeing him coming out as more was magic. Lila always says that Kell was raised as a prince and the most powerful magician so he never had to work for anything but in the 7 years we see how much it caused him just to get up every morning

And Lila. Lila. Lila. This girl will be the end of me. Every scene with her fighting her nature and going to Kell broke my heart and brought it back to life. Her wearing the ring on the string, her only sleeping next to him, her leaning on him. It is the girl who doesn’t need anyone but chooses one person she will die for. It’s Lila from the end of Conjuring but also Lila who’s finally realizing that her life will not be life without Kell.

All I am going to say is that you need to read this book. And live it for a bit. Magic.

Pub date: 9/26/23
Genre: fantasy
Quick summary: Antari Kell, Delilah, and Holland throught they had fixed the problems facing the four Londons. Until new magic arises in the form of a new Antari named Kosika and a tinkerer named Tes.
Do I need to read THE SHADES OF MAGIC series?: YES. You will be very confused if you try to dive into this world starting with this book (even though it's a spin-off series set in the same universe).

I finally read THE SHADES OF MAGIC series earlier this year, and my expectations were sky-high going into this spin-off! I loved getting to see more from Kell, Delilah, Alucard, and Rhy, and Schwab did a good job making this book feel a little different from the previous trilogy rather than just a rehash.

As with the beginning of any fantasy trilogy, I'm still not 100% sure where things are going, and that's the reason why this was a 4-star rather than a 5-star read for me. But I love what I've seen so far from Tes, and it seems like Kosika will wreak havoc as well. I'm excited to read the rest of the THREADS OF POWER series!

Thank you to Tor Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't realize how much I missed this world until I was finally able to return. I have never wanted to crawl inside a book so badly. I loved all of the new characters and the woven storyline between the original characters and the new ones and was immediately sucked right back in and couldn't put it down. Anything V. E. Schwab writes I will read. I have loved each book more than the last and CANNOT WAIT to see where the Threads of Power series takes us.

Once, there were four worlds, nestled like pages in a book, each pulsing with fantastical power, and connected by a single city: London. Until the magic grew too fast, and forced the worlds to seal the doors between them in a desperate gamble to protect their own. The few magicians who could still open the doors grew more rare as time passed and now, only three Antari are known in recent memory―Kell Maresh of Red London, Delilah Bard of Grey London, and Holland Vosijk, of White London.

A new Antari named Kosika has appeared in White London, taking the throne in Holland's absence. The young queen is willing to feed her city with blood, including her own―but her growing religious fervor has the potential to drown them instead.

In Red London, King Rhy Maresh is threatened by a rising rebellion, one determined to correct the balance of power by razing the throne entirely.

A new girl with an unusual magical ability comes into possession of a device that could change the fate of all four worlds. Her name is Tes, and she's the only one who can bring them together―or unravel it all.

This book broke me. I've been savoring it for the past several months. Since the moment I was gifted an ARC I have only consumed a few pages at a time in order to make it last as long as possible because who knows when we'll get the next one.
From the very beginning it was more than I could have ever asked for. It is more than I could have dreamed for. And then, it goes beyond asking and wishing and dreaming and it bounded into this unknown magnificence that other sequels/continuations in a universe couldn't even conceive of.
I cannot say how much I adore this book. It's one of the best I've ever read. It made me feel things in ever single chapter. The care and profound gift this story gives us is too much. It's too great.

I don't want to spoil anything for the next blessed soul who gets to gift of reading this book, but just know seven years is a long time. So much can change and so many wonderful things can grow.

This book has a piece of my heart.

DNF at 25%. Too many characters for my liking and the plot felt all over the place. I will maybe pick it up and try again at another time.

Now that we are closer to the release date and I have had time to process my thought, I can officially say that this is awesome and the perfect follow up to the Darker Shades of Magic Trolly. In fact, it might be sacrilegious to say, I liked this book better than all but the first book in the original trilogy.

The book balances a nice line of switching between old and new characters, I actually liked the new characters A LOT more than I thought I would, and the driving conflict of this book is more personally appealing to me as a reader, its more internal and meaningful to the characters.

The only problems I encountered while reading was a lot of switching back and forth in time while also switching character POV a lot so it felts very disconnected at times and it slow spots that had me skimming to get back into the thick of things. I feel like I am knows for being critical about pacing, and here I am yet again being critical about pacing. It could have been better.

I think the biggest comfort for old fans is knowing that this book isn’t messing anything up about the original trilogy, it is tonally consistent, faithful to the original content, and a true pleasure to see some of our favorite characters in their respective elements again.

4.25/5

It's been seven years since Rhy, Kell, and Lila saved their world. Since then, the worlds have been closed off from each other. There's a new queen, Kosika, of White London. And in Red London, a group called the Hand is scheming to kill King Rhy while his lover, Alucard Emery, attempts to find the conspirators.

Though set in the same world as A Darker Shade of Magic, this also begins a new series and introduces us to a new character, Tes, who has the ability to see magic as threads and manipulate them, repairing spell work at its very source. I really loved returning to Red London and these characters, and though it had been several years since I read the original trilogy, I was able to jump right in and become invested once again. Love the worldbuilding and the characters, and I'll be waiting with bated breath for the next book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab!

V. E. Schwab has done it again. As always, her prose is an absolute delight to read, and her masterful weaving together of different POVs allows the reader to tie together different character arcs and aspects of the story. I loved Schwab's Shades of Magic series, and The Fragile Threads of Power takes us back into that world seven years later. The story strikes a good balance between characters from the original series and compelling new characters. I do recommend reading the Shades of Magic series first to get a better understanding of the world and the old characters. Eagerly awaiting the next book!

(Thank you to Tor Books for providing me with an ARC)

Gotta love Schwab. She is very good at creating that suspenseful feeling in her writing with every novel.

This book is fresh, rich, and suspenseful as I mentioned. I honestly was not bored reading this book and will be purchasing a physical copy to reread. I believe this is a great start to a fresh new trilogy.

Awesome! I highly recommend this book. This is one of those rare books in which you realize after reading a few chapters that there is no way that you can put this book down and will be finishing it in one night. It was so well written and thought out. I loved this book so much and Thank you so much to V.E. Schwab for writing such an amazing 5 star book.

I loved this book. However, I forgot that I had read this book so long ago. Too much time has passed to write a good review.

V.. E. Schwab is one of my favorite authors and I am honored to have the chance to read an ARC of the latest in the Shade of Magic world (s). In this universe, there are four worlds, steeped in magic and connected only through London, the city existing in all four worlds. The magic grew until the worlds had to seal the doors between them or risk fatal destruction. The Antari are the only ones left who can travel between worlds and their number has dwindled to three - Delilah Bard, a pirate, from Grey London, Kell Maresh, a royal from Red London, and Holland Vosijk of White London. None of the Antari have been seen for the last seven years and a new magician has risen in their place. A mysterious and very talented young woman has appeared on the scene offering a solution to the rebellion boiling in most of the worlds, or the destruction of them all. I urge you to read the first three Shades of Magic books. The Fragile Threads of Power is a stellar addition to the series but you are doing yourself an injustice to miss the previous novels. Many thanks to Net Galley for the chance to read the ARC.

I went into this blind. I didn't read the description. I didn't even know there was a previous series with many of these characters. My fault. The writing was so amazing I still felt invested in the story, though I was confused at times. Which London is this? Is this current or seven years ago? I did feel like I was missing some important history (again, my fault).

I liked all the characters, particularly Tes. Even feeling lost at times this was easily a 4* read. It was just that good. The characters, the different POVs, the events were all woven perfectly. Now I have to go back and read A Darker Shade of Magic series, then reread this one before the next book.

Diving into The Fragile Threads of Power was everything I could have wanted and more. V.E. Schwab remains extraordinary (as if there was any doubt.) Returning to characters I have such affinity for felt like coming home, a warm hug on a chilly day, balm for my soul. That said, the addition of the new players was woven into the story so seamlessly that you couldn’t help but fall in love with them too. Schwab’s world-building, well-rounded characters and painterly writing are unparalleled, and this book couldn’t have been more incredible. Suspenseful, humorous, action-packed, and incredibly touching (I cried SEVERAL times) - Fragile Threads needs to be read by all! Be warned though - once you pick it up, you won’t be able to put it down!

I’m still shocked I got to read V. E. Schwab’s highly anticipated book The Fragile Threads of Power. I LOVED the (once a trilogy) series Shadow of Night, and was ecstatic to hear Schwab was continuing the series. If you love magic and adventure and gorgeous world building than I highly suggest you start this series. It was so fun to continue another quest with these characters—I hadn’t realized how much I missed them.

"We choose the stories that bring us comfort."

Well.

That was…

WOW.

It wasn’t at all surprising how amazing this was (I expected it) but oh my gosh?! This was so good. MIND-BLOWN GOOD.

I had no idea how much I’ve missed this world. Being back with my favorite characters? It’s the best feeling in the world! Kell and Lila and Alucard and Rhy… they’re as amazing as I remember. I love these four so much! Everytime I’m reading from one of their POVs I tried to read as slowly as I could. Tried to savor every word as much as I could. (I know I’m biased but who can blame me?)

I don’t know what else to say? I do want to thank the author for bringing us back to London and the world of magic and Antari‘s, princes and pirates.

V.E. Schwab has an effortless way with words and weaving stories I could easily get lost in. She brought me back to my favorite world and favorite characters but also introduced new ones… Ren was adorable. Tes grew on me. I admire her resilience and quiet strength. And although I find Nadiya quite terrifying, she’s a really interesting character and I love how dark her brilliant mind can get. (Is that weird?)

There is a seven year gap between this new series and the original trilogy so there was a lot of shifting between the Now and Then chapters. I’m usually not a fan of this set-up… I wish I knew it beforehand, tbh. But I just tried to not let it bother me that much. And I would try to read really fast some of the n years ago chapters so I could get to the Now.

The Fragile Threads of Power had me in its grip from the very first page and I will spend the next however many days recovering from it.

And now I only have one question to ask… when’s book two coming?

I received an ARC from the publisher to read and review. Quoted excerpt/s may change in the final print.

V.E Schwab never fails to write lyrical prose with well thought out action scenes. Her characters always feel very real and have unique voices.

One of my favorite authors. One of my favorite series. I went in scared and V delivered! What an epic way to be back in London with all my favorites and new favs!