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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

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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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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Devoured

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

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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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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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  • Pat
  • 2023-10-09

Best in the series!

I was blown away by this continuation of the Shades of Magic series. It was well paced, beautifully written, and intricately thought out. This was the most exciting entry thus far but also the deepest in terms of both story and character explanation. Each character had strengths and weakness and felt real in not only their descriptions but also their inner dialogue and actions. It provided interesting and distinct points of view. Full review coming soon on socials: FunreliableNarrator but in the meantime, SOLID 5 Stars!

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  • sbricewest
  • 2023-11-06

Not my favorite

Did not enjoy. Must listen to other series first, and even then, I was not taken in by the story or the narration.

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  • aileydance1
  • 2023-10-30

Can’t even finish

I am very disappointed. I have liked previous books by this author but this book I can not get through. There are too many stories for me and too many flashbacks and flash forwards. I also have not made any connections with the characters, I just don’t care about them, which makes completing it even more difficult. I’m really sorry but I just did not like it.

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  • Brandi McGugan
  • 2023-10-17

Amazing. Couldn't stop listening.

finished the first 3 books in the shades of magic series and those were amazing. I absolutely adore the characters and the world building and magic system. The first 3 books are essential in my opinion to read this one because they set the stage and build the world so perfectly for this one. (same world same settings so makes sense) I was so glad the whole "gang" was back and the 2 new characters introduced were also fantastic. I'm really excited to see where things go with Tess and Kosika. I think the only slight downside for me was the "bad guy" was VERY obvious from an early point in the book. other than that. I await more from this series and want another book immediately.

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  • ashley montague
  • 2023-10-14

Amazingggg

The cast was great I loved this book so much! Everything came together perfectly as it always does with Mrs Schwab. This book was years in the making and did not disappoint what so ever.

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  • Heather
  • 2023-10-13

Must read Shades of Magic series first

Only gave it 4/5 stars because I struggled to understand the world/ magic system.

Okay, this book was a brick. I was blessed enough to get an early copy of this book, which took me a month to read. That being said, wow! This book was a full-blown adventure. If you are looking for a book with characters you grow to love as they explore their world, this book is for you.

I will say that if you do not understand the world/ the magic system, it will take about 25% of the way in to grasp it fully. I have read A Darker Shade of Magic and that helped me gain a better understanding. Yes, this is a separate series. However, it takes place in the same world with some of the same characters. Yes, you will meet new ones that are both loveable and that you will love to hate. All in all, I suggest reading the Shades of Magic series first.

This book was such an adventure and I am so glad I decided to pick it up. It makes me want to go back and read the whole Shades of Magic series. However, my FAVORITE character was Tes. I wanted nothing more than for her to have a precious life with her little dead owl. There were times when I thought Schwab was going to kill her off and I was very prepared to be pissed. Thankfully, my girl lived to the end of the book. I am SOOOOOO excited to read the next one and throw myself into the world again.

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  • jonathan carter
  • 2023-11-25

Unique story

Really liked the multi world one magic system shared part of the story even though at times it was hard to keep track of.

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  • Nichole Curry
  • 2023-11-22

Love it

A book that keeps you guessing. Sometimes hard to follow. But once you realize that the author is referring to different dimensions coexisting at the same time, you understand more clearly

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  • Cate Sims
  • 2023-11-21

The character development and plot. Very well written! Loved that she gave the. backstories!

I wish there was more already. I'm going to have to find something I like as well until more come

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  • Anonymous User
  • 2023-11-20

Excellent from start to finish!!

Excellent narration, absolutely perfection!! The storyline flowed perfectly, even when you had no idea how it would connect, Schwab found a way to connect the dots seamlessly!! I loved it!

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