As a huge fan of the original Darker Shade of Magic trilogy I was more than thrilled to get my hands on an arc of The Fragile Threads of Power through NetGalley.

When I first heard about this series I was excited but apprehensive. Well, I can safely say that The Fragile Threads of Power did not disappoint.

I gave this a strong 4 stars (4.5 where I could). The only reason it’s not a 5 star book for me is that I personally found it a little slow to start. I had the same experience with The Darker Shades trilogy, but just like the original trilogy it was well worth it. Really, it’s a lot of build up and world building That we NEED to make the rest of the book so impactful and intricately woven. It’s just not my favourite pacing.

But with that being said here are some of the things I loved about The Fragile Threads of Power:

1. The characters: the characters in this book - new and old - all hit the mark for me. The new cast are all interesting and distinct personalities with solid motivations and depth. We get to know them all so thoroughly that each chapter, regardless of the perspective, was enjoyable. I find many alternating POV books to have kind of a dud perspective but this really didn’t have that.

2. The relationships: while still not being the focus of the books, I love watching these relationships form and develop. The way these characters interacts is so entertaining to me. They all have such well versed personalities, and I love watching them clash and mesh.

3. The mystery and twists: this book kept me needing to know. Questions along the way made me want to keep reading. Each perspective had its own independent questions you want answered and there was the overarching question of how all these stories would come together

4. And finally: the wrapup. All the perspectives and separate stories were so expertly woven together. The transition between various stories and one collective story was so seamless and obviously very well thought out.

This, the the original Darker Shades books, is one of those stories that sticks with you long after the book ends.

Highly highly recommend!

Another KNOCKOUT read from Schwab! The new characters were refreshing, the old characters familiar and delightful. Fabulous plot, which left me with hunger for the next installment.

I really wanted to like this. It has the bones of a good story but it spends too much time flashing back to events that could be summed up in a paragraph or two. I’m sure that it’s saving some of the big past events that weren’t fleshed out in this story for the next one but I find that annoying. Nothing was really tied up in this story. It feels unfinished.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Years after Oseron was defeated the different Londons (Grey, Red, and White) try to repair the damage done by his expulsion. However, not everything is as it seems. One London is supposedly losing magic and another is regaining it. The question is, why?

In this story we follow the lives of Kel, Rye, Alucard, and Delilah, but also a new perspective of a tinkerer and a queen and maybe even someone thought long gone.

This story does a great job of subtly reminding you of what happened in the previous three books, while weaving in a continuing narrative. I always love Schwab’s world building! This book is fun, exciting, and keeps the reader engaged throughout the story.

If you like The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo or anything written by R. F. Kuang, you will love this series!

Shades of magic is one of my favourite series so I was absolutely thrilled to read the continuation of these character's stories as well as the new characters that have been introduced into this universe. While I was nervous at first to see how the author continued the story after ending the last trilogy so well, I was blown away at how well the story was developed in the continuation of the series. Through wonderfully written time jumps, the time gap between books is filled well and we can see the growth of these endearing characters over this time. Tes fits right in with the original four main characters and I love how their relationships continue to grow so dynamically even in this fourth book. Beautifully written and absolutely worth reading the Shades of Magic series for, I am already excited for the next one!

If you enjoyed Shades of Magic, you will enjoy this book. 3.75 is probably my accurate rating. It is a great continuation of previous characters that are so well loved. It adds new characters and manages to blend them together. It’s not just more of the same. There are bits that place it in the same world but it’s full of new things to keep it fresh.

The drawbacks for me are honestly the length and the exposition. It is incredibly long. I read books that are this long quite a bit but this felt way longer. There were some places where the exposition was a bit too inundating and heavy. You can tell it’s a great setup for the next books. As a whole I think this series will be amazing. But as an individual book it feels like I’m waiting for the rest to really be able to enjoy it.

ARC received from NetGalley.

I've been holding off on writing a review, because I just don't think my words will do it justice. So therefore, I am going to keep this short(ish) and sweet.
V.E. Schwab is a genius. The way Schwab weaves the story through seemingly unrelated points of view, all for them to come together perfectly at the end? Gosh this was a masterpiece. A coworker and I read this at the same time and honestly couldn't stop talking about it. There is so much, but also not enough.
This is perfect for new fans and old fans, the world is so magical and captivating that I don't know how anyone could be disappointed.

Thank you thank you Tor Publishing Group, Tor Books (I am forever indebted to you) and NetGalley for this arc.

I've struggled to determine how to rate this book and even quite what I want to say. I struggled with it. I've loved the original trilogy for years and I think this is absolutely a fitting sequel that many, many fans will love, but I could not get out of my head while I was reading it. I had so many questions about the politics and the characters and their relationships that Schwab seemed less interested in delving into than I was which made it an overall frustrating experience. Kell and Alucard had the most growth and change, but seven years is such a long time and none of them felt like that much time had passed. I'll definitely read this whole series, but I what stuck with me was confusion about why we're here rather than much of a sense of wonder or an understanding of what the world and characters have left to do.

That all sounds harsher than I want it to, and I can't bring myself to rate below four stars. I remain excited to see if future installments will grow into something bigger that digs more into the depths of all that Schwab has set in place.

I was so excited to read The Fragile Threads by VE Schwab because I loved Addie but it was so long and dragged in a lot of places. The main premise was good but I got so lost in all of the details. This was a massage book and it will have a sequel. Disappointed.

My most anticipated read of the year is done and I don’t know what to do with myself. I was waiting so hard and now the waiting is done and what do I do without the waiting?

I love these characters. I love this world. So much. I am so happy to be back in it.
If you're worried that maybe you won't see your faves from the Shades of Magic series, I am happy to report that our main characters from Shades are very much back to be our main characters again through this next trilogy - no cameos, they are fully invested and *main* characters - along with an AMAZING selection of new characters! The three main newbies we get in this book are fantastic, I was constantly wanting to see more from them and I'm so excited to see them throughout the rest of the series. Amazing additions to one of my all-time favorite cast of characters.

Obviously I can't say much here, but the plots that are being developed through this book to play out through the rest of the trilogy are ALL great. We're looking at multiple conflicts that will be threaded through this story (sorry, I couldn't resist) and I'm so invested in all of them and I'm really interested to see how they're going to begin to intersect through the next two books.

That said, my feelings on this book are somewhat complicated because I had some structural issues with it. Mainly in that The Fragile Threads of Power is a seven year time jump after where we leave off in A Conjuring of Light, and yet we spend so much of roughly the first third to half of the book mired down in flashbacks that I wonder at the desire to put a gap that big in at all. Maybe it'll be easier to follow in print format, but as an ebook there were points where it became hard to follow when I currently was in the narrative (and I'll be very curious to hear if audiobook readers have a hard time with this or if there's something done in the production to denote flashbacks the way physical/print changes the formatting). Flashbacks pop up every other chapter and jump around seven years ago, two years ago, five years ago, three years ago in a way that after a while became difficult in some ways to parse out what was happening when and occasionally felt like we lost the current narrative in favor of jumping back to this giant gap we've left between books.

I don't imagine this will be an issue for the next two books in the trilogy because my feeling is that we got through most/all of the relevant happenings from that gap in this book, but I say this mainly to let you know to be prepared because I think if I had anticipated how much time it would spend going back AND known it doesn't last the whole book, I wouldn't have been so thrown off by it.

In a similar vein, I actually wish we'd gotten a little less of our main Shades of Magic characters in favor of giving the new guys more page time. BLASPHEMOUS, I know, but it's a testament to just how good the new characters are. We had a full series with our main crew and I'd have liked to see the new guys get their time to shine!

Were I to make the rules I think I would have been interested to see a Novella about our original characters that spans most of the time between books and collects most of the flashbacks to bridge the gap, and then the full Fragile Threads of Power novel minus those flashbacks, but alas I still had a really great time with this one.

As I said at the top, I love this world and these characters and Schwab's writing and no matter what I'm so happy to be getting more of this series and that it's GOOD! This first installment took some time to find its sea legs for me, but I am fully on board with where we're going from here. Can not WAIT to see more, I'm anxiously awaiting book 2.



-- Addendum I forgot to add originally and now I don't know where to put it so it's getting slotted in here at the end as a post-script: There are a few somewhat glaring inconsistencies with the original trilogy in this book. I read the ARC 5 months prior to release so I can't say for certain whether these will remain in the final release (will check the final version and come back to edit this if necessary). They're not significant enough to have a detrimental effect on the plot, but you'll definitely notice some things don't match up if you've recently read the original series or have a particularly good memory for it.

I was so looking forward to this book as I loved The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. The Fragile Threads of Power just had too many story threads for me to feel deeply invested with any of them for most of the book. At 62 percent I considered giving up but decided to plod on. The last quarter of the book when the threads started weaving together- I did enjoy. I’m hoping that book 2 - now that the story is set up- will be even better.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC- clearly my opinions are my own.

I may be biased since I adored the Darker Shades of Magic series, but The Fragile Threads of Power is a perfect continuation of the preceding series. Schwab stays true to her incredible characterizations, building new and old characters alike into a fascinating web of complex personalities. The story itself puts Red London into a larger context with the rest of its world. The politics of magical and non-magical power alike are examined more thoroughly in this book than in the previous series, but there is also a heavy dose of adventure to go along with the political intrigue. Absolutely a compelling read and I recommend it to anyone who loves adventure stories with lots of well-developed characters.

OH MY GOD! This book is the warm, scary hug I've been waiting for since the conclusion of Dark Shade of Magic series. V.E. Schwab know how to make you fall in love with every character introduced. And I am happy to say even the new characters feel important, I was worried it would lean on the old reliables ( I don't know why I doubted Schwab for even a moment). Such a great read, and now I'm itching for all of my bookish friends to get their hands on a copy too. And the the cover redesigns are top tier.

How did this book manage to EXCEED my impossibly high expectations? I feel healed and broken and obsessed and so grateful for the early release! Just wow!

I loved all of the moments with the recurring characters. Lots of great Kell + Rhy moments and Kell + Lila moments. Those relationships are my favorite element of the book. For the Rhy + Alucard fans (I love Kell and therefore hate Alucard), there's lots of (begrudgingly) good moments between them, too.

All of the new additions fit perfectly and were great. I loved the new characters- lots of fun and very clever. Plus, the plot of this book totally works and did not at all feel forced as to why she'd continue the series.

I cannot recommend this book enough and I can't wait for the next two (and to reread this one already!!). An amazing continuation of one of my all-time favorite series!

While I highly recommend reading The Darker Shade of Magic trilogy prior to delving into The Fragile Threads of Power, it is not an absolute requirement. This book serves as a continuation of the narrative involving beloved characters such as Lila, Kell, Rhy, Alucard, among others, while simultaneously introducing a fresh ensemble of characters endowed with unique magical abilities.

As the longest installment in the series, The Fragile Threads of Power delves extensively into the intricacies of each character, employing a narrative technique that seamlessly transitions between different perspectives and timelines. This engrossing tale unfolds within the same universe and cities as the original books, creating a sense of familiarity and nostalgia.

Personally, I found this book to be a perfect ten, and in alignment with the sentiments expressed by others, it evoked a heartfelt sense of "coming home." I highly recommend acquiring a copy.

[solicited review of advanced reader copy; e-galley; final cover not seen]
This was stressful. Don't get me wrong, I was super-excited to receive this ARC. I read "A Conjuring of Light" in March of 2017 and didn't imagine dipping into those characters again. A bunch of stuff has happened since then. I no longer find dystopian fiction enjoyable because I'm living in a dystopian reality. So, it took me *weeks* to read this book rather than days or hours. I truly believe this is a reflection of my mentality at this point rather than any indication of Schwab's talent as a writer. While this title purports to be a Book 1 and the beginning of a new trilogy and it does introduce us to new characters who get a decent amount of page time, this is really Book 4 of the Shades of Magic series. I have to assume that the author means to spend less time with those original characters in the next book. While I loved one of the new characters and would read an entire book with her at the center, I truly could not care less about one of the other new mains and dread having to muddle through her chapters in the future. But, I've always felt that way about Rhys, so, there you go.
Fans of Shades of Magic will not be disappointed. Readers new to the series will need to start with "A Darker Shade of Magic."

I mean, what is there to say? It's a new V.E. Schwab. She's an absolute master of the craft and of worldbuilding. She re-entered this world with ease, adding to the lore but staying true to the characters we've grown to love through Shades of Magic. Definitely not an entry point to the series, but a beautiful continuation.

The new characters are just as fully developed as our old favorites, and they add a lot of depth to the tapestry. Just overall a phenomenal book.

A thrilling return to the world of Lila and Kell. It’s been seven years since the end of the last series, but it many ways, this still feels like it picks up right where we left off. I loved the return of some of my favorite characters, the overwhelming sense of impending doom, and some absolutely fabulous new characters that I already love. I do think this felt a little bogged down by flashbacks and a cast that is slightly too large, but I still know I’ll be reading it again while I wait impatiently for book two.

Schwab absolutely delivers in producing an incredible and fresh installment in the Shades of London canon. This book was packed with action and excitement, as well as intrigue and danger, and I flew through it. The characters we know and love are front-and-center, but the new characters introduced were compelling and fascinating in their own rights. Schwab never fails to devastate with the sheer amount of trials and tribulations the characters (Kell, specifically) must face in these books, and as always, the emotional payoff when things somehow turn out okay feels extremely and justly earned. I can't wait for more!

Things I liked about this book:
1. Gangs all back and I loved seeing how 7 years changed them in new ways
2. Tes was my favorite character!!!!! I loved hearing a fresh voice
3. Expansion of the magic system from VERY soft magic -> harder magic was lovely. I also liked seeing the distinction between elemental magic and spellwork
4. V.E. Schwab's prose remains beautiful and effective. I think she brought a lot more lyricism from Addie LaRue into this book and I loved it!

Things I disliked:
1. 685 pages is way too long. Many epic fantasies are this long but the book doesn't have the tone/vibe of an epic fantasy so it just felt too much and the pacing dragged a bit
2. Spends a decent amount of time revealing what the up the rebel organization is up to but I don't think the author did a good job making me care about them or their motivations on a personal level
3. I still don't like Lila and I wish we got more of her character backstory so I can root for her
4. I disliked the end of Kell's arc in this book because I kind of disagreed with it on a...political level?

Things I would've changed:
1. A bit too much exposition for my taste I think this could've been much tighter
2. I would've focused more on Tes and less on the old gang. As much as I loved the old gang, I think reducing their presence would've helped their scenes shine more actually. I wanted more of a fresh story with fresh voices and I think we just got more of the old gang. Obviously this is a personal opinion as I'm sure plenty of people out there want to just see more of the old gang, but I feel like with a many-year break between A Conjuring of Light I wanted to let the old gang have some rest (haha)
3. I would've focused more on a character in the rebel organization at a deeper level so I can sympathize with them and better understand why I'm spending like 15% of the words on their machinations