LGBT themes in the works of Victoria Schwab
The writer Victoria Schwab, also known as VE Schwab, has been openly speaking about her orientation for years and calls herself a queer person. In one of her tweets, which is a response to a fan’s question, she writes that in the case of her books, it should be assumed that each of her characters is queer / LGBT, unless an excerpt describes it otherwise. In almost every book of hers, we can find an example of the fact that Schwab knows LGBT issues well and tries to describe his characters in the most natural way.
The Shades of Magic trilogy
In the first volume – A Darker Tone of Magic – we meet Prince Rhy Maresh, the heir to the throne and the brother of the main character. According to the canon, Rhy is bisexual and does not shy away from partners of different sexes.
In the sequel – The Shadow Gathering – the mysterious Alucard Emery, a noble and captain of the Nightspire , appears. As the story unfolds, we learn that he and Rhy had a deep affection in the past. However, the princely heart was broken when Alucard left London.
Their thread develops also in the last part – Conjuring Light . Alucard tries to rectify mistakes and asks Rhy’s forgiveness.
Their relationship evolves slowly over the course of their reading. Schwab perfectly describes the complicated feelings between both men. We get to know the reasons why Alucard was forced to leave his beloved, and we also get a satisfying (though open) ending to their plot.
According to the canon, confirmed by Schwab’s tweets, Alucard is gay.
