The Fragile Threads of Power

If there’s one thing I appreciate as fall hits and the days get shorter and colder, it’s sitting inside with a long book and immersing myself in a world that’s not my own. Enter V. E. Schwab and her astonishing latest novel, The Fragile Threads of Power.

Schwab, author of 2020 BOTY finalist The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, triumphantly returns with the first installment of a new trilogy. She plunges us headfirst into a world of mesmerizing characters and a universe so rich you’ll forget your current reality. Four distinct worlds exist within The Fragile Threads of Power. After the magic connecting them all via London grows too strong, the connection point is severed, leaving four Londons in its wake. As tensions rise within each world, the few remaining magicians who are able to pass between them become increasingly elusive. And lurking beneath the political schemes and sly betrayals is Tess, a girl with a unique gift and destiny. While Tess would rather keep to herself, she soon finds herself in possession of a device—one that could define the very destiny of all four worlds. With expertly crafted intrigue, Schwab binds together each world and its unique players through Tess’s story.

While over 600 pages, there was not a moment in this book that broke my interest. The Fragile Threads of Power is a dazzling adventure that is deliciously dark, pulse-pounding, and hopeful all at once. It’s a fantasy world you won’t soon forget—and you’ll be eagerly awaiting more.

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 them 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.

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.