maggiefan
Written on Jul 4, 2022
A stunning collector's edition of the acclaimed novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author V.E. Schwab.
With an exclusive metallic ink cover, this edition will feature:
* End papers of London
* Fan art
* A glossary of Arnesian and Antari terms
* An interview between author and editor
* Original (never before seen!) tales from within the Shades of Magic world
Kell is one of the last Antari-magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons. There is Red London, where life and magic are revered, Grey London, without magic and ruled by mad King George III, and White London, a city slowly being drained through magical war, down to its very bones. And once upon a time, there was Black London... but no one speaks of that now.
Officially, Kell acts as an ambassador and messenger between the Londons, in service of the Maresh Empire. Unofficially, he's also a smuggler, a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences-as proved when he stumbles into a setup with a forbidden token from Black London.
Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cutpurse 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. But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive...
Prepare to be dazzled by a world of parallel Londons-where magic thrives, starves, or lies forgotten, and where power can destroy just as quickly as it can create.
- ISBN10 0765399113
- ISBN13 9780765399113
- Publish Date 31 October 2017 (first published 1 January 2015)
- Publish Status Active
- Imprint Tor Books
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 432
- Language English
- Special Bonus Content Collector's Edition
Reviews
herseriallife
Written on Apr 18, 2021
kerrydarkeyes
Written on Mar 22, 2021
readingwithbecs
Written on Dec 15, 2020
3 things I liked in the book:
- I loved the setting of the world, with four parallel Londons, and how each of them where so different. We get to hear a little bit about the world outside of Red London, but else really nothing of the rest of the world. I hope the world gets expanded in the rest of the series.
- The magic in this world is fascinating. It isn't too difficult to understand, but at the same time there seems to be some differences to it. I wanna learn more about it!
- When we get to the climax of the story everything seems lost, I didn't know how the character's where going to get trough the situation, they had put themselves in, or how they were going to win the day. Overall I didn't find this book predictable, which is a huge plus!
I do have one bigger complaint about the book. One of the plotlines seemed very firm in how it was going to HAVE to play out, but when we finally get to the conclusion of this, there's suddenly this other option, that is so much easier. I'm of course talking about Kell being able to send the near-to-death Holland to Black London with the stone. I felt really disappointed in this, and have no doubt that this is going to have a consequence in the following books.
I also have a theory! Which when I realized it near the end of the book, I felt stupid for not having picked up the clues a lot before; because it's staring us right in the face! Lila is an antari! We get to hear about her having lost one of her eyes, and so she has a glass eye instead, and she's able to travel between the Londons with Kell, even though he don't think it will be possible for her. But it is, because she's actually an antari. I finally picked up on this during their last travel from White London to Red London. And afterwords we get even more of a confirmation about this, with getting told that Kells tutor (I've forgotten his name, sorry) sensed magic in her. I will be so choked if this it not true.
Oh, and also! I really, really, really hope we DO NOT get a love triangle in this series. We kind of get a hint at it, but I really hope it will just stay at that. And honestly I'm not too bothered whether we get just a two-person romance or none at all.
Berls
Written on Oct 8, 2020
Anyway, it took a bit for me to see the plot. There was a decent bit of time spent building the world (worlds?) and setting the stage. But once the plot got going, it took off. Before I knew it, I was in the final few chapters. Slow start and then bam! It's non-stop. I'm thinking future books are likely to be much faster starts because there isn't a world to build anymore? I hope so, because I definitely plan to continue.
The audio was also really good for this book. The narrator, Steven Crossley, was new-to-me but did a great job. I sometimes struggle with male narrators doing female voices, but he did a good job with Lila, particularly when she's pretending to be a man. He manages to make her sound like a woman imitating a man... which, when you consider he's already a man doing a female voice, is considerably talented. So yeah, I will continue in audio and hope there's no narration changes in my future.
Emma (SCR)
Written on Apr 27, 2020
I liked Kell. He has a mysterious back story and I am hoping this will be unearthed in the future books. Kell has an important role to go between the different London's to pass messages between the monarchs. He also does some side smuggling of magical objects. Kell is troubled but also has a cheeky side. I liked that about him.
Lila Bard is a great character and the perfect companion for Kell. She takes no shit and puts Kell in his place on more than one occasion. She is witty and very clever.
I really like Lila's character.
I loved that there were parallel London's. I liked hearing the differences between them and about the history of Black London. This is a very unique story. I've certainly not read anything else like it. Victoria's writing is enchanting and she has quite the imagination to think up not 1 but 3 alternative London's.
I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series and seeing how it all unravels.
Quirky Cat
Written on Feb 22, 2020
What would you say, if I told you that there is more than one London? In the universe that V.E. Schwab has created, that is exactly the case. There are four, to be exact. Though it is not so easy to pass between them.
Kell is one of the few who can travel between the different worlds, thanks to his being Antari. He’s one of the most powerful in a city full of magic. Other cities and worlds are not so lucky. Magic comes in all shapes and sizes, and even the way it is perceived and used varies from world to world. Assuming magic is present at all.
Having the ability to travel between worlds sounds like such a treasure – even if it does come with the task of being a mail carrier for the royalty. But that isn’t enough for Kell. No, he’s seeking a thrill or two on top of that. That is, until it placed him squarely in the path of danger.
“I’d rather die on an adventure than live standing still.”
Warnings: Just a couple of quick warnings for readers to be aware of. There are several instances of cutting, as blood is a power source in this novel. The intent does alter, depending on who is casting – and who is ordering it. Likewise, there’s a lot of blood that gets mentioned.
Wow. Having read A Darker Shade of Magic, I can honestly tell you that I seriously regret having put it off for so long. This was such a brilliant read. I loved just about everything about it, from the characters to the world and magic. It was all outstanding.
This was a novel that showed some serious writing chops. There’s extensive world-building, for one thing. The fact that there are four worlds ready to be explored speaks volumes (yes, I know that Black London has yet to be shown – but I feel like that will change in later novels, or at least I hope so). Each of the Londons shown has been utterly unique, with its own rules and defining features. I devoured every last detail made available.
The story itself is told through multiple perspectives, but there are two that take dominance. The first is Kell, the Antari capable of creating doors and traveling between worlds. He is the foundation that made this entire plot possible.
The second is Lila, a thief, and sneaky woman if ever there was one. Her perspectives are almost as frequent as Kell’s, and she was likewise vital to this plot. Without her stubbornness and ability to do what was demanded of her, I have no doubt that this story would have gone very differently. Her cheeky personality helped the tone of the novel as well, so that was a plus.
I have so many questions and even more theories about what is going to happen next. It has been a hot minute since I got so wrapped up into a world and series such as this. I am kicking myself for not reading it sooner. But at least I get to binge the whole series at once, so that’s something, right? I’m absolutely picking up the next novel and reading it asap.
Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Nessa Luna
Written on Feb 22, 2020
CAWPILE: 9 | 8.5 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 (Avg: 8.79)
Ashley
Written on Jul 25, 2019
sa090
Written on Apr 29, 2019
This was the book I read for the Transfiguration prompt of the OWLs Readathon of 2019 and it was a more fitting book for it than I expected.
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Victoria Schwab is a huge name in the community, and more often than not for me, fame usually means unmet expectations.... but, not this time. The book started out really confusing for me, I had four locations to think about and I still didn’t really figure out what the colours of said Londons’ indicated until about a quarter of the way through. This is a fantastic thing to go through in a setting like this, I mean with the small trips Kell takes and how spending a little bit of time here and there I got the picture of each London painted little by little until I now am very familiar with them. I also absolutely loved the difference between them, and I’m definitely looking forward to see more later on.
The plot was good, seeing the different sides of Kell only to have one side become too much to handle was interesting. However, meeting Lyla was when the book got extremely fast paced and got my blood pumping. I’m not sure if it’s her writing style or what, but Victoria Schwab started out the book somewhat slower than expected, got me familiarized with her main characters and the different versions of London before it’s like she strapped me into a rollercoaster and pressed start. So many things happened after Kell and Lyla met, and the best part about this is the fact that them meeting didn’t negatively affect the other’s ability to function.
Honestly the best part of this book and I hope series are its characters. I’ve read books recently, that also have had multiple POVs where only one of them was interesting to read about and the other is a freakin chore, but not here. Kell and Lyla are really interesting characters, Kell’s duties and his magical side increased my interest in him because I obviously wanted to see more. But that also doesn’t deny that Kell himself is still interesting as a character with how he feels about magic, his rare breed and the mental conflicts he had to go through with his job vs other job. Lyla is the same, I love badass characters, and she didn’t disappoint! It’s not very common from my readings where an author will go through with the description they gave their female character, but I’m definitely glad that V. E. Schwab did.
I have a few ideas about Lyla, the interesting thing revealed about her, but I’m not sure what to solidify just yet. The other supporting characters weren’t too shabby either, the Dane Twins for instance had the insanity I appreciate in cutthroats and there being two of them was awesome. I really hope to see Black London at some point too, would be interesting if it wasn’t as “dead” as implied. This world is huge and now that I’m familiar with its pillars, I definitely want to dig a lot deeper in its makings.
I also really like it when books in series have a plot line that feels like it got wrapped up then and there with a chance of continuation, so I’m looking forward to see what else she has in store for me.
Final rating: 4/5