Welcome back to the worlds of red, grey, black, and white London, where magic is constantly a source for power struggles to rear their head. Though we seem to step into another series with Schwab calling this #1 of the Shades of Magic Universe, it feels like a fourth book in the Shades of Magic series. Though we are seven years later from where we last left the familiar universe, we have substantial amounts of content regarding familiar characters such as Kell, Lila, Rhy, and Alucard. We are also introduced to a few new and important characters as well, such as Tes and Kosaki. Though the length of the book seems as though it could be daunting, it goes incredibly quickly as the pages fly through the fingers, weaving a fantastic story. I do think if we were going to start a new series, we could have focused more on the new characters rather than focusing so much on the characters we’ve been following for so many pages. Though I had read the Shades of Magic series, I did not realize how vital it was going to be to have read those books before this one. I did believe this would be a stand alone, yet it is pretty necessary to have read the others before this to fully understand everything that is going on.

VE SCHWAB DID IT AGAIN. Schwab consistently comes out with banger after banger. Her skill with prose is undeniable and she knows what her audience wants...violence, a bit of unhinged energy, and a touch of romance. Schwab delivered with the right amount of old and new in this book so new and returning readers of the Shades of Magic series are welcome to indulge in this masterpiece.

V.E. Schwab's The Fragile Threads of Power is the series continuation that I didn't know I needed in my life! Schwab's Shades of Magic trilogy is one of my all time favorite fantasy series. I don't think I've ever become so invested in a cast of characters, and while I was very content with the way the original trilogy concluded, it was such an incredible gift to get to revisit them and the 4 Londons in this new book.

I loved being back in the world of the 4 Londons and seeing Lilah and Kel, the Antari magicians again, as well as Kel's brother Rhy Maresh, who is now King of Red London, and Rhy's significant other, Alucard Emery. I actually got goosebumps as each of my favorite characters appeared on the page. That's how truly invested I was in them all!

What we see right away is that things have definitely changed in the 4 Londons. There is rebellion brewing in Red London that threatens Rhy, and by extension, Kel since their lives became irrevocably entwined in the original trilogy. In addition to what is brewing in Red London, there is also a new queen in White London, another rare Antari magician named Kosiko, and along with her a new religious fervor that threatens to take over everything. In the midst of all of this change and danger lies Tes, a girl with an unusual magical ability who is in possession of a device that could change the fate of all 4 Londons.

I was a little worried that I wouldn't appreciate these new characters since I was just so attached to the originals, but I needn't have worried. Tes, in particular, captured my heart right away and I become invested in this new adventure. Schwab's worldbuilding is on point again and I just loved watching her develop the Londons even further.

While I do think The Fragile Threads of Power could work as a standalone, I highly recommend reading Shades of Magic first. It just adds that layer of emotional attachment that makes this an even more phenomenal read!

A big thanks to NetGalley and Tor for providing me an eARC of my most anticipated release of the year. I practically died when I saw the notification of approval for this book.

Kell and the gang are back baby!

The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab is a continuation/sequel side story to Schwab's previous series, A Darker Shade of Magic. 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. But barely a glimpse of them have been seen in the last seven years―and 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. And back 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. Amidst this tapestry of old friends and new enemies, a 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.

Let's face it. I screamed. I cried. But that's to be expected when reading a Schwab book. READ HER BOOKS IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor Books for the opportunity to read and review this book! I read it fresh off the heels of the Shades of Magic trilogy, and it’s going to be hard to succinctly summarize how much I loved it. The author has clearly worked very hard so that you could pick up this book without reading the first trilogy and totally understand what is going on - but you’d be missing so much. Definitely read the first three books first - yes, it’s a time commitment, but it’s SO worth it! So stop reading this review if you haven’t read those books, because my review will be a major spoiler otherwise.

Kell and Lila and Rhy and Alucard and now Tes! My favorites are back plus a new teenage girl with a magical dead owl, and I couldn’t be happier. Not only have the two couples made lives for themselves over the past seven years, but Kell and Alucard still hate each other which gives me such joy. The whole book made me so happy… even the parts that stressed me out, and I DID get stressed out! Nothing bad should ever happen to my Red London babies! But now there’s an uprising in the city that wants to take out the royal family, and over in White London as always there are some crazy people stirring up trouble…

It’s a little worrisome when an author returns to such a wonderfully crafted universe, but I’m happy to report that Fragile Threads feels just like her other Darker Shades books, and I loved it just as much as the others. If you love well-crafted fantasy and adventure, this series is perfection!

My favorite author releasing a new book in my favorite series? Sign me up!!

V.E. Schwab continues to provide such a magical and exciting world with this next installment. I love this series so much and I fell in love with every new character introduced in this book. The returning characters? Magnificent.

The plotting and writing of this book is soul catching to say the very least. I want to be in this world and live with this magic system and these fun characters. I'm so excited to see where this continues to next

V. E. Schwab's return to the world of the Shades of Magic series has been well-worth the wait. I was worried that we would be going in a different direction with all new characters, when what I really want is to catch back up with the ones I already love. Schwab managed both - we are catching up with Lila Bard and Kell, Rhys and Alucard, years later and in different lifetimes. But at the same time we get the chance to fall in love with a new generation, especially the child queen Kosika.

Schwab can do no wrong, even jumping into the middle of a world like I did here. This is a long book, but I found all 600+ pages to be oh so worth it. I was captivated from the start because the magic system at play here is just SO GOOD. The ending left me craving more and more, so I'll be eagerly awaiting what she puts out next!

Amazingly fantastic. I could not put this book down! Once again VE Schwab did not disappoint.
I would have really loved if this book focused on the new characters more instead of making familiar faces the focal points, but I’m not mad about it..
I cannot wait to see what comes next in this trilogy because the world building/plot/suspense, all of it was just perfection.

I loved the ADSOM books when they were first released, but I wanted to go into The Fragile Threads of Power knowing as little as possible. Keeping myself in the dark made the experience even more engaging for me!

The Fragile Threads of Power (mostly) takes place seven years after the events of A Conjuring of Light. Part One follows many new characters and some old, and it takes a few chapters to see what's changed since the end of the Shades of Magic trilogy.

Now, a new Antari named Kosika is in charge of White London, and she wants to follow in Holland's footsteps. In Red London, a rebellion brews because people are convinced magic is dying out and that Rhy is to blame.

Another new character we meet is Tes, a teenage girl who can see threads of magic and repair broken magic. Things escalate when someone gives her a device to repair that could wreak havoc on all four Londons.

Readers will be happy to see that we know much of what Delilah and Kell got up to as they traveled the sea. Now, Kell goes by K and has trained in physical combat so he doesn't need to rely on his broken magic and suffer the consequences.

Normally, I like Delilah Bard, but she infuriated me toward the end of the book. At some point, she will have to listen to people, but this was not her time.

And that ending? I gasped audibly.

Overall, fans of the first Shades of Magic Trilogy are going to enjoy meeting new characters and hanging out with their old favorites.

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

I wasn’t a fan of the Darker Shade of Magic series, but I’ve loved a lot of Schwab’s other work so I decided to give this a try. Unfortunately it didn’t work for me, though if you liked the original series set in this world, you’ll likely enjoy this one as well.

There’s no issue of quality here, I’m just not a fan of the world building for these books, mostly because it’s based more on concept than setting. The magical system in these is also a bit of a dud for me.

The story itself is fine, but not enough to hold my attention in a book that is fairly lengthy and rooted in a setting and magical system that I just can’t get excited about.

To me, Schwab has a number of other far better books, but if you enjoy this type of high concept world building and/or were big on the Darker Shade of Magic series, you’ll likely be pleased with what you get here.

So I came into this book blind, having never read the series at all. I only knew that I loved The Invisible life of Addie larue and was curious when i discovered she had other books.

this one didn't disappoint and now i have to go back and start from the beginning!
thank you to netgalley for the Arc. All opinions are my own

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!

I love all V.E. Schwab books, have for about 10 years. I read the first 6 or so chapters of this and of course everything held up except for my memory. While Victoria has said that you can go into this book without having to have read Shades of Magic, I don't know if I would agree. I haven't read the series in a number of years but thought I had remembered enough, that was quickly proved wrong, so I will be returning to this once I have time for a reread.

Basically, I love it but didn't finish it because I need the full experience of reading this series back to back.

This book is the start of a new trilogy from V. E. Schwab, set in the world of her well loved Shades of Magic series. At least, that's how it was marketed. In reality, it is more of a sequel series than a spin-off. Which is fine, but I don't think you could read this book and fully enjoy it without having read the SoM trilogy. About half of the POV characters are ones we already know from the previous series, which made the development of the new characters feel a bit odd to me. These new faces are just as lovable and by the end, I was attached to each of them, but I was not expecting to be hearing so much from the original cast.
It was interesting to see how our familiar faces have changed and grown in the seven years since the events of A Conjuring of Light, and to see what the world looks like for those who were just children at that time. The world V. E. Schwab created here continues to evolve and expand as each of the worlds faces the consequences of a finite supply of magic. Red London falls into chaos, White London is focusing on regrowth, and I assume Grey London remains blissfully unaware.
This was a long read at 650 pages, but I finished it in 3 days, so it wasn't too painful. I feel similarly about this installment as I did about the other three books--it was a fun read, just ok from a craft perspective, but with a heart that really pulled me in. 3.5 stars.

This was a super fun and intriguing read, I was a little lost because I didn't realize this was a continuation of a darker shade of magic and I haven't finished it yet (my bad, that was on me) but overall I had a good time! Maybe a little too long for my usual taste...

This book started off a bit confusing, as I had not read V.E. Schwab's Shades of Magic trilogy. It can be read without reading the trilogy, however, the events leading up to The Fragile Threads of Power are the same characters in the future, and some new ones. After about 20% into the book, I understood the multitude of characters, their relationships, and their magic (or lack thereof). Once I was entrenched in the book, I could not put it down. The seemingly disconnected stories, including those in the other worlds, started to intermingle. Tes, Lila, and Kosika were my ultimate, favorite characters. From their strength in power as Antari (Lila, Kossika) and their ability to see and manipulate the threads of magic (Tes), I adored these characters' strength, endurance, and ability to overcome hardships.
While I do suggest reading the 1st three of the Shades of Magic trilogy, you can still obtain great pleasure, as I did, from this book.

This book. This book is so wonderful and feels just like coming home. The Shades of Magic series was my introduction to Schwab’s work and I immediately fell in love with Kell and Lila and Rhy. I was thrilled when she announced that she was continuing the series and I am happy to report that Fragile Threads of Power is a very worthy continuation of the series. It’s like slipping on a favorite comfy pair of the softest winter pajamas to have found that, somehow, pockets were added to them, making them the best pjs ever! The new characters are intriguing and fierce and smart. The old characters have grown and changed a bit due to life experiences. I adore the banter between Kell and Lila. They really are so good for each other! There is lots of action and intrigue, and a continued exploration of the four Londons. I’m eagerly looking forward to the next book in the series! Run and pick this one up!!!

Absolutely fantastic! To all you fantasy lovers, this book is an absolute must-read. V.E. Schwab has masterfully crafted a story that, well, can only be described as magical.

The characters? Oh, they’re brilliant. And the world-building? Top-notch. Now, I know it’s a chunky one, weighing in at over 600 pages, but trust me, not once does it feel like slogging through a tome. This story grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go for a second!

This book is set in the “Shades of Magic” world! This book elevates the story further and the addition of the new characters is great. I was thoroughly invested!

Highly recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have loved every book of V.E. Schwab’s that I’ve read so I went into this one with very, very high hopes.

Unfortunately, I really struggled to get into it and stay with it. While the writing was fabulous and it had all the elements I’ve come to expect from Schwab, I can’t really pinpoint why, but this one just didn’t do it for me.

I’m seeing really great reviews for it on Goodreads and that makes me very excited because this is an author I love to support. I will definitely attempt this book again in the future. Maybe it’s me.

Thank you Netgalley and TOR publishing for the ARC of Fragile threads <3

This fantasy, world building story is beyond my level of comprehension- but I liked it! There are four world, each with magical realms, connected by the single city of London. When dark magic spreads to fast, it forces the worlds to seal the gate between realms. Antari and Kosika (my favorite characters) camp out in White London. They are the new Antari (will not give this away). Administ the trials and tribulations of pirate ships, fighting and thievery- they are making their way across seas and worlds. Insert- Tes, who is in the possession of an object that carries more weight than she even knows.

Really just exceptional compelling writing. Told in 3rd POV. The plotting and suspense here are truly masterful. Many characters with flawed deep life like qualities. Long, but it will keep you engaged throughout.

Final thought: the cover??? Brilliant- buying just to have on my favorites shelf.