A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab
Sep. 13th, 2021 10:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iaria+ This book was too long. I probably shouldn't have tried to read it all at once because after a certain point it started feeling a little tedious. I think I'd have enjoyed it more if I'd broken up my reading of it but all that said I did like the book.
+ I liked the final big battle between the three Antari and Osaron and how that played out.
+ Kell and Rhy's relationship, their love and devotion to each other, continued to be a highlight of the series for me. I really loved everything we got with them in this book.
+ I liked Kell and Lila. Rhy/Alucard were nice. Lila and Alucard continued to be great what little we got of them. I enjoyed Kell and Alucard's disdain for each other and eventual grudging acceptance.
+ I loved child Kell's first meeting with Holland on his first trip to White London. I liked a lot about their interactions during the book - that there was an understanding there and Kell risking himself to save Holland was great - but what I really wanted was a friendship to build between them, even the start of one, and instead it ended up feeling like a sad missed opportunity, sigh. [That is in book, on purpose, they're missed chances not like the author missed the chance.)
+ I'm bummed that Holland died in the final pages. He freaking survived the final battle with Osaron (even without magic) and returned to White London only to die?! What the hell? Especially with the last few sections with him repeating "the king is coming" as if hinting to the better future coming to White London with his survival and return. Why? Just - how is this a satisfying end to his story? In that final page I was expecting Nasi, who for some reason we spent several chapters with, to show up to lead 'the king' back to his palace.
+ I was disappointed that we never got to see more of Black London. I was hoping that they would have to go there to finally defeat Osaron. I also wish we'd have had more of White London and Gray London. I did like the few moments we did get with Ned. I liked the implications that Gray London was starting to have magic again. I just wish the books had engaged with this part of the story more. It would have been nice to explore how Osaron had destroyed the balance of magic across multiple worlds and how his death started the process of healing that.
+ I was not a fan of Kell's magic being damaged in the final moments of Osaron's defeat and it ending with it causing him pain every time he uses it. I don't really get the point of that in story especially at the very end of a self-contained trilogy (as opposed to a hook for the next book.)
+ I liked the Holland flashbacks. They were of course as depressing and sad as I was expecting but I liked the look into what made Holland who he was. I liked that with Vortalis he had two years of peace and belonging, and in the end a genuine friend who didn't betray him and wasn't using him.
+ I continue to boggle at Maxim sending Kell to White London only now I'm even more wtf at him sending Kell for the first time when he was 12. Why the hell would he take that risk with Kell's life? How is opening dialogue with the dangerous White London worth potentially losing their only Antari?
+ I liked Hastra and his friendship with and loyalty to Kell. I really liked the exchange between Tieren and Kell about Hastra's flower purpose being to 'strengthen the soil so others can grow' and how that tied into Hastra giving his life to save Kell.
+ I loved the whole idea of the floating market Ferase Stras and the short visit there was great. I wish we'd seen more of it. Maris was interesting and her trading items for life which she then used to essentially make herself immortal was another thing I wanted to learn more about.
+ Lila making the trade with Maris of a favour for a new Antari glass eye was super frustrating because it felt like such a dumb choice that she was so inexplicably satisfied and smug about which in turn made it even more annoying. Maybe if there had been something special about that eye, that it could read magic or people's weaknesses or anything. But no, it's just a black glass eye made by regular people when it was a fad to wear them and is now rare simply because the fad died. Don't trade a favour to an untrustworthy and very wily person for something like that! It's such a reckless and impulsive choice, yeesh. Which to be fair is completely in character for Lila but that's why she can often be irritating.
+ I liked that bit with Maris where she stated she didn't want her coat back because it kept stealing her coins and giving her lint, and the implication that the coat likes Kell. Need more info on coat now.
+ I was also not very impressed with Alucard's choice to trade 4 years of his life so he show Rhy the truth about why he'd left him all those years ago. It's not like Alucard had tried to tell him and been rebuffed in disbelief. Kell believed him when he told him the truth. I'm pretty sure that Rhy would have accepted being told the truth too. That said the mirror does seem pretty damn useful so fine, whatever.
+ I really don't get why Rhy went to confront Osaron. Even if he couldn't be killed what exactly was he trying to accomplish? I can see no positive in doing that.
+ I liked the Antari rings (and Alucard finding them) and the three Antari practicing with them. The Inheritor was an obvious McGruffin and I find it's existence
+ I liked that Lila killing the Faroan did have a further purpose in that it gave her the knowledge that the gems couldn't be from a live Faroan. Even though in the end that knowledge didn't actually matter since Maxim already figured out that they weren't the traitors. Meanwhile Lila continues her crazy lucky streak by getting her murders covered up by all the other death and destruction that happened.
+ I get why we got Kell choosing to let go of his past because who he was now and who his chosen family were was more important but darn it, I wanted to know! It felt like it should have been important and the fact that it wasn't was a bit annoying.
+ Emira's death didn't really work for me.
+ I liked the final big battle between the three Antari and Osaron and how that played out.
+ Kell and Rhy's relationship, their love and devotion to each other, continued to be a highlight of the series for me. I really loved everything we got with them in this book.
+ I liked Kell and Lila. Rhy/Alucard were nice. Lila and Alucard continued to be great what little we got of them. I enjoyed Kell and Alucard's disdain for each other and eventual grudging acceptance.
+ I loved child Kell's first meeting with Holland on his first trip to White London. I liked a lot about their interactions during the book - that there was an understanding there and Kell risking himself to save Holland was great - but what I really wanted was a friendship to build between them, even the start of one, and instead it ended up feeling like a sad missed opportunity, sigh. [That is in book, on purpose, they're missed chances not like the author missed the chance.)
+ I'm bummed that Holland died in the final pages. He freaking survived the final battle with Osaron (even without magic) and returned to White London only to die?! What the hell? Especially with the last few sections with him repeating "the king is coming" as if hinting to the better future coming to White London with his survival and return. Why? Just - how is this a satisfying end to his story? In that final page I was expecting Nasi, who for some reason we spent several chapters with, to show up to lead 'the king' back to his palace.
+ I was disappointed that we never got to see more of Black London. I was hoping that they would have to go there to finally defeat Osaron. I also wish we'd have had more of White London and Gray London. I did like the few moments we did get with Ned. I liked the implications that Gray London was starting to have magic again. I just wish the books had engaged with this part of the story more. It would have been nice to explore how Osaron had destroyed the balance of magic across multiple worlds and how his death started the process of healing that.
+ I was not a fan of Kell's magic being damaged in the final moments of Osaron's defeat and it ending with it causing him pain every time he uses it. I don't really get the point of that in story especially at the very end of a self-contained trilogy (as opposed to a hook for the next book.)
+ I liked the Holland flashbacks. They were of course as depressing and sad as I was expecting but I liked the look into what made Holland who he was. I liked that with Vortalis he had two years of peace and belonging, and in the end a genuine friend who didn't betray him and wasn't using him.
+ I continue to boggle at Maxim sending Kell to White London only now I'm even more wtf at him sending Kell for the first time when he was 12. Why the hell would he take that risk with Kell's life? How is opening dialogue with the dangerous White London worth potentially losing their only Antari?
+ I liked Hastra and his friendship with and loyalty to Kell. I really liked the exchange between Tieren and Kell about Hastra's flower purpose being to 'strengthen the soil so others can grow' and how that tied into Hastra giving his life to save Kell.
+ I loved the whole idea of the floating market Ferase Stras and the short visit there was great. I wish we'd seen more of it. Maris was interesting and her trading items for life which she then used to essentially make herself immortal was another thing I wanted to learn more about.
+ Lila making the trade with Maris of a favour for a new Antari glass eye was super frustrating because it felt like such a dumb choice that she was so inexplicably satisfied and smug about which in turn made it even more annoying. Maybe if there had been something special about that eye, that it could read magic or people's weaknesses or anything. But no, it's just a black glass eye made by regular people when it was a fad to wear them and is now rare simply because the fad died. Don't trade a favour to an untrustworthy and very wily person for something like that! It's such a reckless and impulsive choice, yeesh. Which to be fair is completely in character for Lila but that's why she can often be irritating.
+ I liked that bit with Maris where she stated she didn't want her coat back because it kept stealing her coins and giving her lint, and the implication that the coat likes Kell. Need more info on coat now.
+ I was also not very impressed with Alucard's choice to trade 4 years of his life so he show Rhy the truth about why he'd left him all those years ago. It's not like Alucard had tried to tell him and been rebuffed in disbelief. Kell believed him when he told him the truth. I'm pretty sure that Rhy would have accepted being told the truth too. That said the mirror does seem pretty damn useful so fine, whatever.
+ I really don't get why Rhy went to confront Osaron. Even if he couldn't be killed what exactly was he trying to accomplish? I can see no positive in doing that.
+ I liked the Antari rings (and Alucard finding them) and the three Antari practicing with them. The Inheritor was an obvious McGruffin and I find it's existence
+ I liked that Lila killing the Faroan did have a further purpose in that it gave her the knowledge that the gems couldn't be from a live Faroan. Even though in the end that knowledge didn't actually matter since Maxim already figured out that they weren't the traitors. Meanwhile Lila continues her crazy lucky streak by getting her murders covered up by all the other death and destruction that happened.
+ I get why we got Kell choosing to let go of his past because who he was now and who his chosen family were was more important but darn it, I wanted to know! It felt like it should have been important and the fact that it wasn't was a bit annoying.
+ Emira's death didn't really work for me.
