I selected [b:The Fragile Threads of Power|111673828|The Fragile Threads of Power (Threads of Power, #1)|Victoria Schwab|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1678296412l/111673828._SY75_.jpg|57741960] from the library shelf as I enjoyed Schwab's Shades of Magic trilogy. This first book in a new series is set in the same world seven years later and includes the same main characters (Rhy, Alucard, Kell, and Lila), along with some new faces. I did not find it as enjoyable as the previous trilogy and, with the exception of Lila who I love, preferred the new characters. A big part of that, I think, is that the main plot thread concerned opposition to Rhy as king and seemed familiar from so many Marvel TV series and movies. Our established main characters are no longer plucky upstarts, they are the political establishment and spend the book defending a status quo that is patently unjust. As in the MCU, the baddies' ostensibly very reasonable opposition is framed as evil and unjustifiable via a) personalisation (Alucard's terrible brother Berras pursuing revenge rather than political change) and b) propensity for violence (hired goons Bex and Calin torturing and murdering with impunity). Those conspiring against Rhy are willing to kill, so pre-emptively killing them all is apparently be justifiable. This plot structure is limiting and, frankly, dull. I expected better given the initial inclusion of a narrative point of view from the Hand and the enormous possibilities afforded by a fantasy world.

If Rhy doesn't want people trying to kill him, maybe he should consider constitutional reforms that enable forms of political dissent other than regicide. I found my sympathies were with the Hand, despite them being portrayed entirely as motivated by revenge, money, or naivety, simply because Rhy's absolute monarchy seems totally unreasonable. Rhy may be handsome and have no personality in particular, but he's also an unkillable tyrant with no apparent interest in those he rules and a ruthless police force who punish any dissent. Citizens are encouraged to turn in their fellow Londoners for voicing opposition. This fun aspect of Red London was rather underexplored, I felt. Maybe in the next book it will be? It's also clear that the mad scientist queen could benefit from some kind of ethical oversight, as she's building magical superweapons in the basement.

I did still like Lila's shenanigans as a pirate captain and the new kids Tes and Kosika are great. Indeed, I enjoyed the chapters in White London more than the mystery plot in Red London. In White London they know how to do absolute monarchy without trying to make it seem reasonable: their child queen demands everyone donate blood to feed the magic and if anyone refuses she explodes them. Strange magic is definitely the highlight of [b:The Fragile Threads of Power|111673828|The Fragile Threads of Power (Threads of Power, #1)|Victoria Schwab|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1678296412l/111673828._SY75_.jpg|57741960]. I found it a bit too long and rather slow to get going, yet the new characters became compelling. I hope the next book doesn't spend so long in Red London, as the best parts of this one explored the wider reaches of the intriguing fantasy world. ( )

DNF @ 55pages. I just couldn’t get into it

Seven years after the defeat of Osaron, Rhy Maresh's kingdom is under threat from enemies old and new. Alucard is still the lead man in his life (both personally and professionally) but has failed to identify any members of "The Hand", an underground group determined to overthrow the king. Lila and Kell return from covert seafaring missions to assist. While revisiting beloved characters from the Darker Shade of Magic series is satisfying, the real gem of the story is a Tes. The new character is a scrappy tinkerer who cannot wield magic but can see it and, most importantly, repair it. Meanwhile, in Gray London, the child queen is seven years older and determined to restore magic to her nearly magic-less land. The extensive flashbacks are confusing and could have been integrated more efficiently. Schwab's lavish descriptive style would be irritating if not for the skill in using it. ( )

Vor sieben Jahren wurde der Schatten besiegt und eigentlich könnte alles gut sein, doch es gehen Gerüchte, dass man mithilfe eines magischen Artefakts ein Attentat auf den König verüben will. Die Magierin Lila geht der Sache nach. Dabei trifft sie auch auf eine junge Tüftlerin namens Tes, welche die Fäden der Magie manipulieren kann. Damit könnte sie das Gleichgewicht der Welten verändern.
Ich mag den sehr besonderen Erzählstil von V. E. Schwab und konnte an diesem Buch daher nicht vorbeikommen. Als ich mich für dieses Buch (den Auftaktband der Threads of Power Reihe) entschieden habe, wusste ich nicht, dass es das Spin off zur Weltenwanderer-Trilogie ist. Es hätte mir den Einstieg wahrscheinlich leichter gemacht. Dennoch ist es auch ohne diese Vorkenntnisse lesbar.
Die Charaktere sind sehr gut ausgearbeitet und jede Figur hat ihren eigenen Charakter. Das Zusammenspiel verläuft nicht ohne Konflikte. Ich mochte Tes sehr gerne, aber auch Kell und Nadiya haben mir gefallen. Lilas Art dagegen mochte ich nicht, aber eine interessante Figur ist sie schon. Dagegen ist die Darstellung der Welten für mich etwas zu kurz geraten, aber vielleicht fehlen mir da einfach die Vorkenntnisse.
Viele Zeiten- und Perspektivwechsel machen die Sache spannend. Außerdem gibt es Einblicke in die Vergangenheit, so dass man auch einen Überblick bekommt, wie sich in den letzten Jahren alles entwickelt hat.
Es ist eine fesselnde Geschichte mit einer komplexen Handlung und einem tollen Erzählstil. Eigentlich ist es so gar nicht mein Genre, aber dennoch habe ich das Buch gerne gelesen. Nun bin ich gespannt auf die Fortsetzung. ( )

It's been seven years since the events of A Conjuring of Light and life in Red London continues with new dangers on the horizon. Rhy sits on the throne but is facing threats from the mysterious society that calls itself the Hand. The Hand is convinced that magic in the kingdom is waning and that the fault lies with their king being unable to wield magic. As the Hand plots, it will pull a young woman named Tes who can see the threads of magic into the fray. The conflict will also bring Kell and Lila back from their lives on the sea to the rougher waters of politics and conspiracy. Meanwhile, in White London there is a child queen on the throne who is helping the kingdom as its magic slowly revives. But all may not be as it seems with the young monarch...

Diving back into the world Schwab has created is such a delight. Her characters continue to hold amazing depth and was so pleased to see familiar faces and encounter new ones. Schwab does a brilliant job of building suspense and setting up mysteries, some of which are resolved in this novel and others which remain open. A fantastic opening to a new trilogy that fans of The Darker Shade of Magic trilogy should definitely seek out. My only quibble is that the hardcover edition of the book has quite thin pages. It makes the book less hefty, with its 600+ page count, but it did lead to accidentally turning more than one page a few times. ( )