A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab Series: Shades of Magic #1
Published by Macmillan ISBN: 9781466851375
on February 24, 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Action & Adventure
Pages: 400
Read it as: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
My rating:
Check it out in Goodreads
Synopsis
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.
The Shades of Magic books have been around for a while. It’s a series that every YA fantasy lover should probably give a chance to. I finally did! My interest first appeared when Mishma from Chasing Fairytales started talking about it and praising the author quite a lot. I kept it in mind and eventually read Vicious. Earlier this year I got the three Shades of Magic books and decided that this would be the year I’d finally read them.
So, in general, yes, I liked it, as you can also see from the rating. And there’s a lot to love. But there are a few things that really stood out to me.
Kell is not what I expected
Kell is one the main characters in the book. It’s been a while since this was published and it’s got so much love that I was already familiar with his name. I’d expected him to be badass and powerful in that arrogant way that for example, Kaz, from Six of Crows is.
He’s not.
It was a surprise, but it wasn’t unpleasant. Kell is just a different thing altogether. Yes, he has power, and maybe a little arrogant, but not in the same badass and knowing way. He’s a character that doesn’t have a perfect life but is pretty well-accommodated. Even Lila points this out. So, the conflict comes like a wrecking ball in his life. The odds are stacked against him, and he’s on the losing side several times, but he still manages to pull through.
I ended up loving him as a character!
Lila is exactly how I expected
Lila Bard is the other side to the coin that Kell is. I had an image of her being reckless, brave, adventurous, and got exactly that. She’s so pure about her desire to see everything that I loved her instantly as well.
It balances well plot + character development
I really liked that there’s a place for everything in the story. The plot is clear, and it moves fast. Regardless, it doesn’t sacrifice character development. It’s woven in the dialogue, some descriptions and the very actions of the characters, as it should be.
The story also takes the time to establish relationships between some characters, even minor ones, to tell a more complete tale.
The world comes alive through the words
I couldn’t finish this without praising the world-building. It’s not so magnificent and extravagant. I perceived as quite subtle as fantasy books go, but it was still quite effective. The languages, the different colors for the Londons and how fitting they are for each them. Just assigning the color gives them a personality, and that’s what I find the most exciting about the whole thing!
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I enjoyed this book too, I think the characters are my favorite. The plot lags a bit for me, but overall I really enjoyed it. Vicious will be my all time favorite series by Scwhab though! 😀
Glad I’m not the only one who notices that about the plot! I’m feeling it now with the second book. I’m at the beginning, but I feel like it’s dragging and the book may have too many unnecessary bits. Somehow, not enough to be a deal-breaker yet, but it could get frustrating. Vicious was on point though! Have you read Vengeful yet?! (I haven’t but hopefully I’ll be able to before the year ends :D)