Title: The Fragile Threads of Power (Threads of Power #1)
Author: V.E. Schwab
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication Date: 2023
Format: Hardcover
Length: 644 pages

Read if you like: the Shades of Magic series, elemental magic, rotating perspectives, magic royalty, morally grey heroes, witty banter 

Rating: 

The original Shades of Magic trilogy by V.E. Schwab is one of the first fantasy series that I read when I came back to reading a couple of years ago. The series holds a special place in my heart, for helping me come back to reading for enjoyment and also for how wonderful the books were. When I found out that V.E. Schwab was continuing the series with a new arc last year, I can’t even describe how elated I was. The Fragile Threads of Power was one of my most anticipated books of 2023 and it did not disappoint.

This book felt like coming home. The return to Schwab’s three Londons felt familiar while also being new, like the coming of a new season after a long and dreary winter. 

This new installment introduced several new main characters that I loved, and also let us see the characters from the previous books all grown up. It felt like a more mature piece of writing, evolving beyond the original series and premise in many ways.

I loved every second of my read-through of this book and already can’t wait for the second book to come. If you were ever a fan of the Shades of Magic series or anything else that Schwab has written, this book won’t disappoint. I’ll be pining for Red London until Schwab gives us another opportunity to return.

The Book: The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab

The Fragile Threads of Power begins seven years after the monumental events at the end of the Shades of Magic series. All of the characters have grown from youth to full-fledged adults, and most have been grappling with the trauma and impacts of the blight that was Osaron ever since.

Kell and Lila have travelled the world as they intended, seeing as much as they could and growing together and individually. Lila has all the sharp edges she always did but has a distinct maturity that only comes with life experience. Kell has also grown, largely out of necessity, as the battle with Osaron irrevocably damaged his magic. Going from the most powerful magician in the world to someone who can’t wield the simplest of magic without excruciating pain has changed Kell and he struggles to surpass the crushing depression and devastation that always lurks in his periphery. 

Rhy and Alucard are back in Red London, where Rhy has long since ascended to the throne, with Alucard at his side. To preserve the royal line, Rhy married a brilliant woman named Nadiya, who is an inventor from a prominent family, and now the three rule as a family alongside their 4-year-old daughter. Rhy still feels exceptional guilt at the way his life is bound to Kell’s and continues to struggle with the trauma of the sudden death of his mother and father. 

In addition to our normal cast, two new central characters are also introduced very quickly. The first is Kosika, a poor young girl from White London who, after stumbling upon Holland’s dead body while fleeing her home, finds herself an Antari who has absorbed Holland’s original power. Kosika is found by the royal guard during an epic magic fight and when they realize she’s Antari, they assume it’s a sign that Kosika is meant to be the next ruler of White London and they crown her Queen. 

The other new central character introduced is Tes, a runaway from a small coastal town in Red London. While not technically gifted with magic, Tess has a much more powerful ability: like Alucard, she can see the strands of magic that surround people, but unlike Alucard, she alone can manipulate those threads to her own ends. She runs a repair shop in the Shal of Red London, a shady area, where she repairs objects of all kinds under the guise of being an apprentice when in reality, she owns the shop herself.

All of these characters, in one way or another, converge through needing to deal with various aspects of the rebel group The Hand. The Hand rose to prominence after the fall of Rhy’s father, claiming that magic was declining in the Red London world and that it was the fault of the Maresh line. They’re a radical group of rebels spread across the empire and are still grassroots enough that it’s difficult to identify those associated unless you can see the tattoos they have branded on their bodies. The Hand begins to strike against Rhy with an assassination attempt, which prompts Kell and Lila to return to assist in tracking down the leaders of the gang. Before long, all of our main characters are wrapped up in the nefarious plots of The Hand in different ways and before the end, each one will need to face both their past traumas and the promises of their future if they hope to remain whole. 

The Review

What an epic continuation of a series. I knew a little bit about what this book would be about because I’ve been obsessively following Schwab’s updates on the book for ages, but it still exceeded my expectations in every way.

I loved that we not only got to return to our favourite characters but also got to see how they’ve processed and grown through the trauma that the previous series piled onto them. The final book in the Shades of Magic series was epic and jarring and all of our favourite characters were thoroughly put through the ringer by the end, so it was fascinating to see how they’d handled it and how it impacted the adults that they became.

Speaking of which, one of the aspects that I enjoyed most about this book was that it felt like the characters had all grown with us as readers. Much of what they were dealing with are also universal adult problems: aging issues, growing your family and the adjustments it requires, sustaining a relationship over a long period, overcoming the trauma of your youth and not allowing it to minimize your growth. They were still the characters I loved, but Schwab was able to develop them in nuanced ways that had their experiences feeling authentic, genuine, and real. I loved this side of them, I felt like they’d grown up alongside me, just in the background.

I also loved the introduction of the new characters and storylines. Kosika was a brilliant way to move White London forward without having it be the focus of the entire book (which it could have been). Seeing her story slowly unfold alongside the developments in White London was interesting and I found myself super keen to see where both she and the city would end up in the end.

My favourite new character though was Tes. Tes was so wholesome, such a wonderful addition to the cast. She’s strong but young enough to still have a good deal of naivety, and she’s such a wonderful example of how power isn’t always conventional. She’s not strong in the same ways as the others, but her unique skills and abilities make her perhaps the strongest of them all. Seeing her tread from fear to certainty about how she wanted the world to treat her and demanding what she deserved was a satisfying arc. 

Finally, above and beyond the characters and plot (which were both superb), I will never be able to get over the quality of Schwab’s writing, particularly as this is the strongest work I think I’ve ever read from her. I loved the way that each chapter felt like a self-contained story. I loved the depth she was able to add to the universe through so many rotating perspectives and so many backstories. And I LOVED the way that Schwab went about exploring love. You’ll notice I didn’t mark this book as a fantasy romance, because I found that romance was, at best, a subplot in this story, but somehow it was also still one of the most moving aspects. There is no spice in this book, but it wasn’t required; instead, Schwab focused on the emotional aspects of love, on the deep-rooted feelings it provokes in those engulfed. She focused on what it means to love and be loved, and how it manifests in people, particularly those too hard-edged or vulnerable to allow it of themselves, and it provided some of the most heart-wrenching moments of the whole series. Some of the moments of raw, unfiltered emotion in this book are the ones that I think are likely to stay with me the longest. 

In case it isn’t evident, I loved everything about this book. I thought it was a superb continuation of a world I loved so much, and was simultaneously something wholly unique and enjoyable. This is one I’ll be recommending for a long time to come and is a favourite of 2023.