Fierce Fangirl Friday: A Gathering of Shadows

Fierce Fangirl Fridays are put on by the wonderful and lovely Jackie @ Too Much of a Booknerd. If you’re not following her already, seriously, go do it, because she’s amazing. Now, what is Fierce Fangirl Fridays? Basically, it’s where you fangirl/boy over anything – that’s right, each week you pick a different thing you’re fangirling about the moment and JUST RUN FREE WITH THE FEELS. Only rule? Just pingback to her post here! It’s so easy that it hurts. 😄

A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes and Noble

OH. MY. GOSH. I AM IN DEEP. I was going to write a proper review for this book, but I was just sitting there going, but I’m not sure I could even properly deal with forming sentences – especially coherent ones.

To tell the truth, I knew this book was going to be good and I knew I would enjoy and I actually was enjoying it when I read it, but the beginning part was, well, slow going. You’re kind of just sitting there going, oh, this is interesting but I could really just sit this down and watch like 5 episodes of Friday Night Lights and not really feel guilty or care.

But once you get over that initial hump full of amazing character development, it just gets so amazing and FEELY AND OMIGOSH I CAN’T EVEN DEAL. MY HEART. MY READING SCHEDULE. MY POOR FEELS.

Okay, V. E. Schwab does something amazing: I literally don’t know most side characters’ names or their characteristics or like anything about them, which should be a problem, but I still enjoy them. The whole Night Spire ship crew is just one mess of pirate dudes, but I LOVE THEM AND I LOVE THE SHIP AND I LOVE NEW CHARACTER CAPTAIN MAN.

New captain man = so much love. And the shippppppppppppppppppppp (well, not his actual one, but the romantic one that he is a part of it). They literally had like, what, two interactions? BUT THEY ARE LIKE LITERALLY IN MY TOP FAVORITE SHIPS EVER. How does that even happen??

And Rhyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. In the first book, I always felt bad for him, because to me, he was just kind of there. I mean, Kell and Lila are so blinding that it’s super hard to have much love for anyone else. But this book really lets that man shine and shine he does. I’m in so much love with him. HEART EYES HEART EYES HEART EYES.

And then Lila. And Kell. Their characterization is just so brilliantly done. I love them both, and I don’t think there will ever be a fiercer character than Lila Bard.

The new evil dude? SO CREEPY. I have this super weird image of him in my head and I so do not approve.

Ugh, I just can’t even deal. I had to give a four crown rating since it did take me so long to read it and get into it. BUT WHEN YOU DO, IT TURNS OUT SO GOOD.

This book has ruined me. And I have a buddy read to get to it. Oh sigh. Amazing book. Amazing author. Amazing characters. I just can’t deal so I need to go put myself in a fangirling corner somewhere. Welp.

What do you think? What are you fangirling/fanboying about this week? Do you enjoy the Shades of Magic series? Let’s discuss in the comments below!