
In V.E. Schwab's spellbinding sequel, magic and danger collide in the Element Games tournament. Translated into 11 languages and earning 4.23/5 stars from 140,000+ readers, this rare middle book that defies "filler syndrome" will leave you frantically reaching for the finale.
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Four months after nearly destroying Red London, Delilah Bard has reinvented herself as a pirate aboard the Night Spire. When we first meet her, she's adrift in a sinking skiff-part of an elaborate scheme to capture a rival ship. "I'm Delilah Bard," she reminds herself, a mantra carrying the weight of her identity: thief, pirate, traveler who has touched magic and survived three different Londons. Her plan succeeds brilliantly. After being "rescued" by Captain Kasnov, she murders him and signals her true ship to attack. This perfectly encapsulates Lila-resourceful, ruthless, and perpetually underestimated. What truly distinguishes her is her mysterious affinity for magic. Though people from Grey London shouldn't perform magic at all, Lila practices nightly with Kell's element box. Using Blake's "Tyger Tyger" as her incantation, she not only conjures fire but discovers she can coat her twin blades with magical flames-something unprecedented. For all her talk of independence, Lila has found herself happier aboard the Night Spire than ever before, which frightens her more than any danger. Isn't that just like life? Sometimes the scariest thing isn't what might kill us, but what might actually make us happy.
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