Hi, lovely readers! Today, I'm hosting the one and only V.E. Schwab, author of Vicious, A Darker Shade of Magic, and now available, A Gathering of Shadows! I loved A Darker Shade of Magic and loved A Gathering of Shadows - if you haven't had the chance to read these books, fix that immediately! Today Ms. Schwab is going to be answering a question about the series. Check it out, and be sure to follow the blog tour!
The Question:
How challenging was it to come up with the title of book two - were you trying to follow the same form as book one's title
(A ____ of ____)?
(A ____ of ____)?
Ms. Schwab's Response:
Hahahahaha. I laugh to keep from crying. Titling this series has been no small feat. The original title of ADSOM was TRAVELER, but after months of not being able to decide whether it should have one L (US spelling) or two (UK spelling) and a lot of paranoia since people had so much trouble spelling VICIOUS and one-word titles can be tricky to promote, we decided to embrace the other end of the spectrum. I’d ALWAYS wanted a long title, and it was finally my chance.
BUT. Finding that title—A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC—took 73 wrong turns. And then when it came to the sequel, almost as many, as we tried gruelingly to match the two beats of DARKER SHADE instead of the syllables. It was a blessed soul in-house at Tor who came up with A GATHERING OF SHADOWS.
The third title is the only one I successfully did myself, and I have to say, it’s my favorite one!!!
Thank you for taking the time to join us today, Ms. Schwab! Congratulations and PLEASE WRITE FASTER. :D
About the Author:
V.E. Schwab is the bestselling author of A Darker Shade of Magic, which came second in the Goodreads Choice 2015 Book Awards, the forthcoming A Gathering of Shadows, and of Vicious, which was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2013, an Amazon Best Book of the Year (as well as Best Book of the month), a semi-finalist in the Goodreads Choice 2013 Book Awards, and the ALA top pick for Fantasy for their 2014 reading list. She is known for her stunning prose and swift plot, as well as characters who blur the line between hero and villain.
About the Book:
A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
Book Two of the A Darker Shade of Magic series
Publisher: Tor
Publication Date: February 23, 2016
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher
Summary (from Goodreads):
Four months have passed since the shadow stone fell into Kell’s possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Rhy was wounded and the Dane twins fell, and the stone was cast with Holland’s dying body through the rift, and into Black London.
In many ways, things have almost returned to normal, though Rhy is more sober, and Kell is now plagued by his guilt. Restless, and having given up smuggling, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks like she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games—an extravagant international competition of magic, meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries—a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.
But while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life, and those who were thought to be forever gone have returned. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night reappears in the morning, and so it seems Black London has risen again—meaning that another London must fall.
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository
Book Two of the A Darker Shade of Magic series
Publisher: Tor
Publication Date: February 23, 2016
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher
Summary (from Goodreads):
Four months have passed since the shadow stone fell into Kell’s possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Rhy was wounded and the Dane twins fell, and the stone was cast with Holland’s dying body through the rift, and into Black London.
In many ways, things have almost returned to normal, though Rhy is more sober, and Kell is now plagued by his guilt. Restless, and having given up smuggling, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks like she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games—an extravagant international competition of magic, meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries—a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.
But while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life, and those who were thought to be forever gone have returned. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night reappears in the morning, and so it seems Black London has risen again—meaning that another London must fall.
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository
Titles are a mixed bag. I come up with titles easily but that's not the case with everyone. Plus if you go trad publishing there is a chance it will be changed anyway. The title for this book is great.
ReplyDeleteI think that would be something that would bother me, if I ever decided to venture into writing - someone else (the editor, agent, etc.) wanting the title to be changed. But it could be for the better!
DeleteI love the titles for this series too. :D
Oh, I haven't read the first book yet, it makes me want to cry. I will fix it this month, I promise!
ReplyDeleteI love that question about the title. Never imagined that!
YOU MUST! Lis, I adore this series. ^_^
DeleteYay :D You are so lucky for being a part of this blog tour Alyssa. <3 All the hugs. And eee, I love this small interview with Victoria :) Awesome question and answer. <3 Lots of love. I must be brave enough and read this one soon :D Thank you for sharing. <3
ReplyDeleteI was a shocked and flattered when they emailed me! Super excited. Thank you, Carina!
DeleteI love your question! I got to see her at her Seattle tour stop and this was actually the question I wanted to ask her! Didn't get a chance to but I can't wait to find out what book 3 is going to be called :D
ReplyDeleteOooo! That is so fun! I'm glad I asked this question. :D
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