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A Darker Shade of Magic

Book 1 in the series:Shades of Magic

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'A Darker Shade of Magic' by V.E. Schwab follows Kell, a magician who can travel between four parallel worlds - White London, Red London, Grey London, and Black London. The story revolves around Kell's journey to return a forbidden talisman, installed with dangerous magic, to Black London. Along the way, he is aided by Delilah Bard, a thief from Grey London, as they navigate through different Londons with varying levels of magic and power struggles. The plot is fast-paced, filled with action, adventure, and plot twists, making it an engaging read for fans of urban fantasy and epic fantasy genres.

Characters:

The characters are well-developed, with Kell's loyalty and internal struggles, Lila's bravado and desire for freedom, and the antagonism presented by the Dane twins creating compelling dynamics.

Writing/Prose:

The prose is engaging, full of vivid imagery and a mix of humor and darker themes, enhancing the reader's experience with the imaginative setting.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot is centered around Kell, one of the last blood magicians, who travels between four Londons to deliver messages and confronts challenges involving dark magic and adventure when he meets Lila, a spirited thief.

Setting:

The setting of multiple Londons across different realities provides a rich backdrop, where each London has distinct characteristics and social dynamics.

Pacing:

The pacing starts slow with world-building but picks up significantly in the middle and towards the climax, although some readers found sections less engaging.
The first thing he did whenever he stepped out of one London and into another was take off the coat and turn it inside out once or twice (or even three times) until he found the side he needed. Not al...

Notes:

The book features four parallel Londons, each with its unique characteristics and levels of magic: Grey, Red, White, and Black London.
Kell, one of the main characters, is an Antari, a blood magician who can travel between these Londons.
The story involves the dark consequences of magic and its relationship with power and humanity.
Lila Bard, the other main character, is a resourceful thief from Grey London who dreams of becoming a pirate.
The magic system in the book is intricately explained and shows a strong connection between magic and the wielder's intentions and emotions.
Characters interact with the world using humor and wit, creating a unique dynamic between heroes and villains.
The plot twists are engaging and not overly predictable, keeping readers intrigued throughout the book.
The characters are well-developed, though some readers feel certain characters, like Lila, can be frustrating at times due to their flaws.
The book is notable for its creative narrative style, utilizing third-person perspectives that draw readers into the story.
The novel features significant themes of identity, belonging, and the moral implications of power and magic.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

There are moments of violence and dark magic, which could be triggering for some readers.

From The Publisher:

A Darker Shade of Magic, from #1 New York Times bestselling author V.E. Schwab

Kell is one of the last Antari-magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.

Kell was raised in Arnes-Red London-and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.

"A Darker Shade of Magic has all the hallmarks of a classic work of fantasy. Schwab has given us a gem of a tale...This is a book to treasure."-Deborah Harkeness, New York Times bestselling author of the All Souls trilogy

Shades of Magic series

1. A Darker Shade of Magic

2. A Gathering of Shadows

3. A Conjuring of Light

Ratings (292)

Incredible (49)
Loved It (91)
Liked It (86)
It Was OK (34)
Did Not Like (29)
Hated It (3)

Reader Stats (730):

Read It (287)
Currently Reading (7)
Want To Read (311)
Did Not Finish (26)
Not Interested (99)

11 comment(s)

It Was OK
6 days

I have been wanting to read this book for years and after finishing The invisible life of Addie LaRue and absolutely loved it I decided it was time to finely start the series. But was very underwhelmed by this story, wasn't quite the fun fantasy adventure I'd been wanting and maybe I hyped this book too much. It isn't a bad book by any means, V E Schwab writes good stories, it was just not really for me. Might give the second book a go but I'm not exactly dying to continue

 
Incredible
2 weeks

FUN! Jumped right into book 2 ...

 
Loved It
1 month

Es un buen inicio de saga, aunque se podría tomar tranquilamente como autoconclusivo.

El mundo es original y los protagonistas caen bien prácticamente desde que aparecen, aunque hay muy pocos secundarios con peso.

En el desarrollo he encontrado un par de problemas, y es que parece que no suceda mucho durante la historia y las partes de lucha tienen demasiada elipsis que diluye lo bien que están escritas.

 
Incredible
1 month

One of my favorite series of all time.

 
Did Not Like
1 month

All world building and no story

Things happen and words get spoken. The world building is fine but the central story is lost. I made it to 25% without a plot before I quit reading.

 
Loved It
3 months

****4.5****

The story happens in London. Sorry, Londons (plural). There are four londons and they exist parallelly. Only “Antari” are able to travel across them and they are very few, I mean only two in this story. “Antari” are born magicians and have different eye colors.

There is Red London, which is full of magic, ruled by Maresh Dynasty and One Antari Kell Maresh is an adopted son to the king Maxim here. And the Crown Prince Rhy and Kell are like brothers and they are ready to give their lives for each other.

Grey London, which is more like our world, no magic, fight for survival and Delilah Bard aka “Lila” , the kick-ass lady , the thief, the wanna be pirateer etc etc is here in this world.

White London, where magic is treated like slave and power is the hands of Dane Twins, Holland the other “Antari” , a slave to Dane twins and he hates it.

Black London, a myth now, which fell when magic took over, and no one talks about it now.

“I’d rather die on an adventure than live standing still.”

Kell and Holland are the people who travel across these worlds. Kell, especially travels across the world’s keeping a correspondence between the ruling kings and keeps the relation alive. But he also does an illegal activity which is to collect tokens from different worlds and on such an occasion is mugged by Lila in Grey London.

“Sure I do,” countered Lila cheerfully. “There’s Dull London, Kell London, Creepy London, and Dead London,” she recited, ticking them off on her fingers. “See? I’m a fast learner.”

But in White London , Dane twins are plotting something more and has let Holland on a task. That is to capture Kell and make him a slave too. But in that pursuit and run Lila and Kell become a team and miraculously she too goes across Londons (from gray to red). And the adventure begins with a nasty turn of events where Rhy is bound for life with magic to Kell.

“Kell wore a very peculiar coat.

It had neither one side, which would be conventional, nor two, which would be unexpected, but several, which was, of course, impossible.”

The narration is witty, and Lila is the only sole character here who is adorable and a bullet of adrenalin. Kell on the other hand, was not so hard or he was always in doubt even though he had power! Holland on the other hand was mature and who had some brains though. Rhy Maresh was the Crown Prince, spoilt a bit and with no magic at all. He was kind to all but he still had a childishness around him.

The world building is good. All characters are different and well built. Narration is fast and witty. This is kind of introduction to the trilogy and a bit slower than the next two in the trilogy.

Happy World-Jumping!!

 
Liked It
3 months

Quite fun and enjoyable!

 
Loved It
4 months

4.75*

 
Liked It
6 months

Liked the first book but the covers are the best part of the series.

 
Loved It
9 months

Storyline

 
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About the Author:

VICTORIA "V.E." SCHWAB is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen books, including the acclaimed Shades of Magic series, This Savage Song, Our Dark Duet and Vicious. Her work has received critical acclaim, been featured in the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Washington Post and more, translated into more than a dozen languages, and has been optioned for television and film. When she's not haunting Paris streets or trudging up English hillsides, she splits her time between Nashville, TN and Edinburgh, Scotland and is usually tucked in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up monsters.

 
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