A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab

Title: A Conjuring of Light
Author: V.E. Schwab
Series: Shades of Magic, #3
Pages: 624
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: February 21st 2017

      “THE BALANCE OF POWER HAS FINALLY TIPPED…
      The precarious equilibrium among four Londons has reached its breaking point. Once brimming with the red vivacity of magic, darkness casts a shadow over the Maresh Empire, leaving a space for another London to rise.
      WHO WILL CRUMBLE?
      Kell – once assumed to be the last surviving Antari – begins to waver under the pressure of competing loyalties. And in the wake of tragedy, can Arnes survive?
      WHO WILL RISE?
      Lila Bard, once a commonplace – but never common – thief, has survived and flourished through a series of magical trials. But now she must learn to control the magic, before it bleeds her dry. Meanwhile, the disgraced Captain Alucard Emery of the Night Spire collects his crew, attempting a race against time to acquire the impossible.
      WHO WILL TAKE CONTROL?
      And an ancient enemy returns to claim a crown while a fallen hero tries to save a world in decay.”

“He tried to rise–he had to get up, had to find his brother—but hands surged from the darkness, fought him, held him down against silk sheets, fingers digging into shoulders and wrists and knees, and the pain was there again, vicious and jagged, peeling back flesh, dragging its nails over bone.“

V.E. Schwab’s A Conjuring of Light is an engrossing and heart-stopping conclusion to one of the most inventive fantasy series I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. Schwab has crafted a complex and engaging world, one filled with magic that sunk its teeth into me from the very first page of A Darker Shade of Magic. In this final installment, Red Londen is under attack and Kell must face an enemy far more powerful than himself. Osaron has already taken control of one Antari, but he has his eyes set on Kell. The kingdom is buckling under the weight of Osaron’s power, people are giving in to the intruding whispers, unable to resist Osaron’s influence. A plan begins to form to take Osaron down, who is more apparition than man and thus harder to kill, but the cost may be far greater than anyone imagined.

I’ve really enjoyed all the characters’ arcs throughout this series. Brought up beside Prince Rhy, but invariably different, Kell has not quite belonged in his brother’s world. As an Anatari, Kell has been gifted with the kind of magic that others would kill for, but it has also made him a kind of prisoner. His dynamic with the King and Queen is complicated and at times heartbreaking. Kell, who has regarded them as family, discovers that he was a tool, a weapon used to protect the crown prince. There is a coldness between Kell and these two that never seems to thaw. Despite their missteps, Kell recognizes that his adoptive parents love him, maybe not in the way that he wants, but in the only way they know how. Kell’s unspoken loneliness is something that has always stood out to me. He is a prince, but has never quite felt like a son. He is an Antari, able to travel through worlds, but navigates these worlds very much alone. Holland was the first person he met who could truly understand him, but instead of a friend, he became a foe. But unlike Holland, whose choices have cut him off from building meaningful connections, Kell is unalterably tied to his brother Rhy and the enigmatic Lila. Where he once believed he must navigate the world alone, he comes to realize he doesn’t have to.

Lila has spent most of her life running. It is her coping mechanism, her way of protecting her heart from pain. She is arrogant, ambitious, and at times reckless. She’s convinced herself that she’s better off alone, that looking out for herself is the only way to live. But people like Kell and Alucard have managed to pierce the wall she’s built around herself and in this final novel, she must decide if running is something she still has to do. I was really happy to get more of the story from Alucard’s perspective. We’ve seen him mainly through Rhy and Kell’s eyes, which hold conflicting views of the aristocrat turned pirate. He isn’t a man used to being vulnerable, of waiting and asking for things he wants. He knows he still wants to be with Rhy, but is no longer the one in control. Alucard has caused pain, but has also been the target. Much like Lila, he has also been running, but has a chance to be the kind of person Rhy deserves.

Holland’s story is fraught with pain. He has been used, betrayed, and discarded. Despite everything he has done in the past, I found myself rooting for him. He may never be as noble and self-sacrificing as Kell, but he has his own brand of honor that is needed to overcome Osaron. A Conjuring of Light is undeniably Rhy’s book. It is a chronicle of his rise, of this once flippant prince shaking off the final bits of boyhood. It’s Rhy recognizing and accepting the weight of the crown upon his shoulders, of discovering that his life is not his own, but his people’s. My heart broke for Rhy more than any other character. I felt every doubt, every struggle, and every loss. But I also rejoiced in his triumphs, every brave act endeared him more to me and it was so satisfying to see all he had been through coalescing into a truly rewarding arc.

A Conjuring of Light managed to pull at my heartstrings more than the previous books. Schwab’s writing truly dazzles. I’m in love with every fight scene, which are sometimes elegant and other times messy, but always enthralling. Schwab has created a world that is easy to fall into and much harder to leave.

Rating: 5/5

★★★★★