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Book Summary and Reviews of The Fragile Threads of Power by V. E. Schwab

The Fragile Threads of Power by V. E. Schwab

The Fragile Threads of Power

Threads of Power #1

by V. E. Schwab

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  • Sep 2023, 656 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

V. E. Schwab, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, opens another door to a new fantasy series set in the dazzling world of Shades of Magic. Prepare for tangled schemes and perilous adventures with friends old and new in The Fragile Threads of Power.

Once, there were four worlds, nestled like pages in a book, each pulsing with fantastical power and connected by a single city: London. Until the magic grew too fast and forced the worlds to seal the doors between them in a desperate gamble to protect their own. The few magicians who could still open the doors grew more rare as time passed and now, only three Antari are known in recent memory—Kell Maresh of Red London, Delilah Bard of Grey London, and Holland Vosijk, of White London.

But barely a glimpse of them have been seen in the last seven years—and a new Antari named Kosika has appeared in White London, taking the throne in Holland's absence. The young queen is willing to feed her city with blood, including her own—but her growing religious fervor has the potential to drown it instead.

And back in Red London, King Rhy Maresh is threatened by a rising rebellion, one determined to correct the balance of power by razing the throne entirely.

These two royals from very different empires now face very similar struggles: how to keep their crowns—and their own heads.

Amidst this tapestry of old friends and new enemies, a girl with an unusual magical ability comes into possession of a device that could change the fate of all four worlds.

Her name is Tes, and she's the only one who can bring them together—or unravel it all.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"A delicious treat for fans of the Shades of Magic series and a lush, suspenseful fantasy in its own right." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Schwab cleverly builds on her existing worlds, introducing new threats and expanding the magic system. The new characters captivate and the plot twists shock. While readers visiting the Shades of Magic universe for the first time may miss some nuance, fans will devour this exciting return." —Publishers Weekly

This information about The Fragile Threads of Power was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Gloria M

Hooray!!
Hooray!! Readers finally get to return to the imaginative world of V.E. Schwab's "The Shades of Magic Series" with her latest book "The Fragile Threads of Power!" More magic and mayhem to keep us happy and riveted to each and every page!

As before, the primary geographical locations are the different versions of London( Black London has been destroyed to prevent complete downfall and utter collapse), therefore now there are only three: Red London which is ruled by King Rhy Maresh, Grey London where magic is mostly forgotten and White London which is violent and deteriorating. Many familiar characters are back once again to entertain us : Rhy and both his husband Alucard and his wife Nadiya, his brother Kell, and their friend Lila (Delilah). New characters are introduced, most notably Kosika the child queen of White London desperately trying to restore magic and beauty to her city and Tes, the young tinkerer who can fix broken magic in almost anything and the very enchanting child of Nadiya and Rhy and Aluccard, Ren a most endearing and mischievous four year old who loves animals and her family fiercely.

Schwab is a master storyteller and weaves a hypnotic narrative with the added bonus of well developed and strong players, most notably the women who are never relegated to second class roles. There are murder plots and conspiracies and action and desperate situations and magic used in the most creative ways, for both good and evil. Schwab's dedication, "For the ones who still believe in magic" is most apt and she has countless fans eager to consume this book and the ones that will (hopefully swiftly) follow!!

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Author Information

V. E. Schwab Author Biography

Photo: Jenna Maurice

Victoria "V.E." Schwab is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including the acclaimed Shades universe, the Villains series, the City of Ghosts series, Gallant and the international bestseller The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Her work has received critical acclaim, been translated into over two dozen languages, and optioned for television and film. First Kill – a YA vampire series based on Schwab's short story of the same name – is now a Netflix series. When not haunting Paris streets or trudging up English hillsides, she lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is usually tucked in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up monsters.

Link to V. E. Schwab's Website

Name Pronunciation
V. E. Schwab: shwahb

Other books by V. E. Schwab at BookBrowse
  • The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue jacket
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