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Unfortunately, this book suffers from "second book in the trilogy" syndrome in that it is mostly set-up for the third one. It also ends in a cliffhanger. I found Lila's plot really annoying and unbelievable. I understand what the author was going for but I think that could have been achieved in a better way. The new relationship between Kell and Rhy due to events in the first book is explored only in a very shallow manner. It takes quite a while before the book gets going and then we really spend almost all of the second half on a tournament of wizards while the book hardly explores the much more interesting goings-on in White London. I did burn through the audiobook regardless but the book is a clear let-down compared to the first. But because of the cliffhanger, I'll read the third book, too.

You'd think that there isn't much room anymore in the fantasy genre for something different. But I found the world V.E. Schwab created here - 3 (or, rather 4) connected very different Londons - quite inventive. The 3 different worlds are brought to life quite vividly. What I really appreciated is how the author thought about how the existence, the potential disappearance and the absence of magic would influence a society. That seems like an often neglected aspect. The story is a good mix of mystery, intrigue and action, if a bit oddly paced at times. And to me, it was quite a page turner. This is the first part of a trilogy but the story is self-contained.

This book tries to ride the wave of tea-related fantasy books and Six of Crows praise but fails badly. There is hardly any teahouse stuff in it. Not much in this book makes sense. The criminal masterminds are all kids, the heist whose planning dominates much of the story turns out to be totally pointless, and it's written in an annoying, overly verbose style. In summary, totally frustrating. In our bookclub, we make a friendship bracelet for each book with a word/theme from it. This is the only one I couldn't even be bothered to make one for.

This month's classic read in the Libby app. The first this year that I haven't read yet and am also interested in. Listening to the audiobook.

My bookclub's choice for November.