A Gathering of Shadows

Book two in the Shades of Magic series by VE Schwab turned up in the library really quickly so I dived in. It's fast-paced, fun and exciting, with an undercurrent of deep emotion, and I loved it. I found it more enjoyable and more compelling than the first one, with great development of the existing characters and some wonderful new ones as well. I love Kell and Lila, and their motivations and obstacles in this book are very engaging. The world continues to be interesting and the growing threat from a newly restored White London makes a good counterpoint to the exuberant excitement of the magic tournament in Red London. There's a lot going on, and some aspects feel under-served, but perhaps these will be explored further in book three, which I've already got on hold at the library.