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The Fragile Threads of Power cover art

The Fragile Threads of Power

Written by: V. E. Schwab
Narrated by: Kate Reading, Marisa Calin, Michael Kramer
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Publisher's Summary

Long-listed, Barnes and Noble Best New Books of the Year 2023

Veteran narrators Michael Kramer and Kate Reading return to this fantastical world, along with a new POV portrayed by Marisa Calin.

"As the threads converge, all three narrators strive to remain as consistent as possible to each other's stylistic choices, creating a nearly flawless whole."- AudioFile

V. E. Schwab, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, opens another door to a new fantasy series set in the dazzling world of Shades of Magic.

Prepare for tangled schemes and perilous adventures with friends old and new in The Fragile Threads of Power.

Once, there were four worlds, nestled like pages in a book, each pulsing with fantastical power and connected by a single city: London. Until the magic grew too fast and forced the worlds to seal the doors between them in a desperate gamble to protect their own. The few magicians who could still open the doors grew more rare as time passed and now, only three Antari are known in recent memory—Kell Maresh of Red London, Delilah Bard of Grey London, and Holland Vosijk, of White London.

But barely a glimpse of them have been seen in the last seven years—and a new Antari named Kosika has appeared in White London, taking the throne in Holland's absence. The young queen is willing to feed her city with blood, including her own—but her growing religious fervor has the potential to drown it instead.

And back in Red London, King Rhy Maresh is threatened by a rising rebellion, one determined to correct the balance of power by razing the throne entirely.

These two royals from very different empires now face very similar struggles: how to keep their crowns—and their own heads.

Amidst this tapestry of old friends and new enemies, a girl with an unusual magical ability comes into possession of a device that could change the fate of all four worlds.

Her name is Tes, and she's the only one who can bring them together—or unravel it all.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.

©2023 V. E. Schwab (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

What listeners say about The Fragile Threads of Power

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Such a great return to the world of this series!

Such a great return to the world of this series! Can’t wait for the next one!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A great sequel, with interesting new characters joining our old faves.

I loved Tes and Ren. I’m still undecided about Kosika and my distaste for Nadiya is a testament to the author’s talent for writing a complex character with grey motivations.
I did find the ‘big reveals’ easy to spot from a mile away so they weren’t at all surprising, which was a tad disappointing but did not ruin the experience very much.
I hated Michael Kramer’s performance. His accents and the voices he chose for the various characters were weird and took me out of the story each time. Two of the narrators (minis Tes’ POV narrator) had a weird inflection to the end of some of the sentences, dragging them out in an irritating way that made them sound almost like a question but not quite. I didn’t understand why that narrative choice was made, and it did detract from my overall experience. I did quite enjoy Kate Reading’s and Marisa Calin’s narration (especially whoever was responsible for Tes’ chapters). I do hope Kramer is replaced for the sequels.
Definitely recommend this for people who loved the first series, and I don’t think I would consider this book accessible for anyone who has not read the original trilogy/a good entry point for the Shades of Magic universe.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

A new tail of magic

This book started by grabbing my attention for a young girl trying to live. Later I became enthralled with Tess the tinkerer. Wish there had been much more about her. I finished this book in only a few days which is very fast by my standards. Waiting for the second book to be available

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  • KJ
  • 2024-04-07

I love this world!

There was a lot going on in this book. The old gang is back and some knew very interesting characters added to the story. I am now heavily invested in this world the author has built. I will definitely be doing a re-read before the next book is rewritten and released.

The audiobook was excellent!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Devoured

More please! Love these worlds, the magic, the characters. Completely engrossing. Loved the different voice acting a great enhancement.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Readers almost unbearable.

I’d rather have someone just read without intonation than this intolerably obnoxious reading. The man’s narration absolutely drove me nuts. Repeated, strange intonations made me want to give up on the recording a dozen times.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Give me more please!

I can’t seem to get enough of these characters and their stories. Please keep ‘em coming.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Only book I have given up on..way too dragged out.

Honestly, this book could’ve been written in half the time and would have been much better. I truly gave up halfway through. I am an epic reader and devour a song of fire type novel easily and repeatedly so it’s not the length. It’s that it just is so freaking dragged out. This is a pass for me.

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