The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab
- alwayswandering
- Dec 24, 2024
- 4 min read
The Fragile Threads of Power takes place seven years after the events of the Shades of Magic trilogy, continuing the story of Kell, Lila, and Rhy while introducing several new characters. The novel is set across four parallel worlds: Red London, White London, Grey London, and Black London. Black London, once abundant in magic, was consumed by its power, leaving its citizens destroyed and nearly bringing ruin to the other Londons. Grey London mirrors our 19th-century world, devoid of magic. Red London thrives with an abundance of magical energy, while White London’s magic is only beginning to rekindle after years of decline.
The story opens in White London with a young girl named Kosika narrowly escaping being sold into slavery by her mother. Fleeing into the forest, she stumbles upon the lifeless body of Holland Vosijk, White London’s king, though she doesn’t yet know his identity.
Seven years later, in Red London, Alucard Emery, consort to King Rhy Maresh, grows increasingly concerned about the rise of a shadowy organization called the Hand, which seeks to overthrow the throne. Meanwhile, a merchant’s son joins the Hand and, along with two accomplices, raids a magical ship named the Ferase Stras. Their target is a persalis, a device capable of opening portals between worlds. Though his companions are killed, the merchant’s son escapes with the artifact. Maris, captain of the Ferase Stras, enlists the help of Lila Bard to retrieve it.
Lila and Kell, now partners aboard the Grey Barron, are grappling with new challenges. Kell is struggling with the loss of his Antari powers, the rarest and strongest form of magic. While investigating a smuggling ship from a warring country, their mission is interrupted. Shortly after, Lila agrees to search for the persalis, and the pair sets sail for Red London.
At the Red London palace, an assassin fails in an attempt to kill King Rhy, intensifying Alucard’s search for the Hand. He and Queen Nadiya try to track the organization using magic, but their efforts are unsuccessful. Alucard expresses concerns that some of Nadiya’s inventions are dangerously powerful, but she dismisses his fears as overly cautious.
Meanwhile, the merchant’s son, cursed by the Ferase Stras without realizing it, seeks a repair shop for the persalis. He finds Tesali Ranek, a gifted 15-year-old who can manipulate magical threads. Tes fled her homeland to escape her manipulative family after they discovered her abilities. Tes agrees to fix the persalis but, upon realizing its dangerous purpose, attempts to destroy it. Her plans are thwarted when Calin and Bex, criminals working for the Hand, arrive at her shop. They kill the merchant’s son and force Tes to comply. Tes rigs a bomb to destroy her shop and escapes with the persalis, but Calin catches up to her and stabs her just as she uses the persalis to flee into Grey London.
In White London, Kosika has risen to power as the child queen. After Holland’s death, her Antari powers were discovered, and she was crowned in the hopes of restoring prosperity. She has instituted a system of bloodletting rituals to tithe magic to the land and frequently consults the ghost of Holland for guidance. Despite being underestimated by the nobility, Kosika asserts her authority, using violence when necessary. She has also traveled to Black London, where the devastation has left her deeply unsettled.
Kell and Lila return to Red London and visit the palace. Lila investigates the streets while Kell reminisces with Rhy. She discovers a coin from one of the thieves’ pockets that contains a coded address. She also learns from a barkeep that the best repair shop is Haskin’s.
Unbeknownst to Lila, the Hand’s leaders meet in a clandestine brothel called the Veil. The conspirators—Berras Emery (Alucard’s estranged brother), Ezril (the high priest), and the enigmatic Master of the Veil—plot to use the persalis to overthrow the king. Their plan involves weaponizing the Hand for revolution, only to scapegoat its members afterward. Distrust and animosity brew among the three.
In Grey London, Tes, injured and desperate, finds shelter in a magical tavern where she is healed. She decides to follow Lila Bard, reasoning that being near a formidable Antari will provide her protection. When Lila realizes she is being followed, she confronts Tes. Before they can fully engage, Bex and Calin attack. Lila and Kell fend them off and bring Tes to the palace. Lila’s frustration over Tes’s refusal to heal Kell leads to Tes being imprisoned. However, the queen intervenes, offering Tes a place in the palace. Fearing manipulation, Tes escapes but is recaptured by Calin and Bex.
Tes is taken to the Emery estate, where Berras poisons her, demanding she create a persalis for him. Despairing, Tes builds a faulty persalis that opens to an abyss, hoping to deceive him. Calin tests it and is sucked into the void, but the doorway begins to grow unstable, endangering everyone.
Meanwhile, Lila infiltrates a Veil meeting but is captured by Berras, who reveals his theft of her magic using one of Nadiya’s inventions. Using her magic ring, Lila signals Kell for help. Kell and Alucard arrive at the Emery estate, where Alucard duels his brother while Kell rescues Lila.
The unstable doorway threatens to consume everything. Lila, unable to close it alone, uses Nadiya’s invention to share power with Kell. Together, they seal the abyss, but the effort leaves Kell’s magic shattered and his body wracked with pain. Tes heals Kell at great personal risk, and Rhy, whose life is bound to Kell’s, supports the dangerous process. Afterward, Lila takes Tes to the Ferase Stras, where she becomes Maris’s apprentice.
Back at the palace, Berras is arrested but later killed by Ezril to maintain the conspiracy. In White London, Kosika’s guards discover remnants of Tes’s doorway. With Holland’s ghost urging her, Kosika resolves to rekindle Black London’s magic, hoping to revive her world’s fading power.
Thanks Super Summary
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