A Gathering of Shadows: A Novel (Shades of Magic, 2)

The second adventure in #1 New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab's beloved Shades of Magic trilogy—a dazzling world of parallel Londons where the balance of power is ever perilous, and for one city to flourish, another must die...

Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Essen Tach tournament, and another London is coming back to life...After all, a shadow that was gone in the night reappears in the morning. But magic must always live in balance—and so now, another London will fall.

Other books by V. E. Schwab
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Shades of Magic series
A Darker Shade of Magic
A Gathering of Shadows
A Conjuring of Light
The Fragile Threads of Power

Villains Series
Vicious
Vengeful

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Published Jun 13, 2023

528 pages

Average rating: 8.21

141 RATINGS

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✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *A Gathering of Shadows* offers vivid worldbuilding, strong character dynamics, and thrilling magical action, especially in the second hal...

Crimminims

Jul 15, 2025

5 Stars

JL Reads

Mar 09, 2026

8/10 stars

Binge-reading an entire series isn’t usually my style, but I can’t break away from Lila, Kell, Rhy, and Alucard. The writing is stunning and the action keeps coming. We do get to follow Lila on her travels, but if I had one wish, it would be that we’d gotten more of Lila’s magic training. The Essen Tasch flew by faster than I’d have liked, but it was still exciting. On to book 3! 4 ⭐️ Book #17 in 2026

Elle11

Oct 26, 2025

7/10 stars

Not as strong as book 1, felt like the author wasn't sure what to do here. But great ending, looking forward to reading the final book.

Maria Keerthi

Aug 17, 2025

8/10 stars

So much better than the first book, possibly because the exposition has already been set. I am so glad I get to live in a world where the third book has already been published and I don't have to go through the pain of living. I love that the author acknowledges how diabolical she is being in the Acknowledgements :D

As far as the story goes, I think having the ensemble cast works a lot better in this book since it gives us the ability to view main characters through another lens. The Games were so fun and entertaining to read and I feel like Lila and Kell are growing into themselves. I loved seeing the brotherly bond between Rhy and Kell, very real sibling relationship.
#FreeMyBoyHolland
Also love that even Kell's coat ships him and Lila together.

katietopp

Jan 01, 2025

8/10 stars

3.75 stars. This felt very sophomoric. It fell victim to second in a series syndrome. The character development was interesting. Especially Lilah’s. I am curious to see where it goes.