bookperson
Written on Feb 15, 2019
The only way I can describe this book is Narnia meets Venom 😂
I hope I can finish the series by the end of the month
- ISBN10 1250891213
- ISBN13 9781250891211
- Publish Date 16 May 2023 (first published 1 January 2015)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint St Martin's Press
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 416
- Language English
Reviews
The only way I can describe this book is Narnia meets Venom 😂
I hope I can finish the series by the end of the month
celinenyx
Written on Feb 13, 2019
I loved the worldbuilding, especially the ease with which the different Londons were introduced. A Darker Shade of Magic is one of those rare fantasy novels that have a 'feel' for setting, sufficient complexity, but don't need a Wiki for you to remember all the intricacies.
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Trigger warnings: sexual assault, death, death of loved ones, gore, mind control, torture.
Renee
Written on Feb 10, 2019
The concept was new and interesting, and I liked how different the four Londons are. They all have their own personality and are just unique enough. Some of the plot twists in this book were pretty obvious, however, there were a lot of things I hadn't expected and I was blown away by how much I already cared about these characters and situations. VE Schwab has a wonderful writing style, making it an easy yet very intriguing read. I am glad VE Schwab was not afraid to kill off characters, as I am used to in the YA novels I read, and just went for it. It made the story feel so much more alive.
It felt as if this book was over way too quickly as if I hadn't spent enough time yet in the world and with the characters. The story would have been too long if it had been dragged out, but I did not want to leave this world. I wanted to read more about Lila, Kell, everyone. I loved Kell, he reminded me of Newt Scamander, in a very good way. I cannot wait till the next book.
jamiereadthis
Written on Jan 14, 2019
“What sons our parents have,” said Kell gently. “Between the two of us, we’ll tear the whole world down.”
Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub
Written on Nov 19, 2018
Doubly great is the fact that Schwab didn't feel the need to force an overtly saccharine romance, instead letting her characters, and the plot, develop naturally. Kell is fantastic, but Lila really stood out to me. She's hardcore, doesn't apologize for who she is or anything she's done, and doesn't spend time dwelling on things and feeling sorry for herself.
I'll be rushing out to find the next book, A Gathering of Shadows, as soon as possible. I have a feeling I'll be reading all of Schwab's books in rapid succession. I'm so excited to have found a new author to love!
reveriesociety_
Written on Sep 19, 2018
alindstadtcorbeax
Written on Aug 25, 2018
kalventure
Written on Aug 6, 2018
Three very different Londons, in three very different countries, and Kell was one of the only living souls to have seen them all.Welcome to the Darker Shade of Magic realm, where parallel Londons exist in very different countries and outside the understanding of all inhabitants save royalty and a select few. Long ago travel between the Londons was possible, but the doors have long since been closed to all but the two remaining Antari - rare magicians with the ability to travel between the Londons. A Darker Shade of Magic is the first installment to the Shades of Magic trilogy and I am excited for more!
"There's Dull London, Kell London, Creepy London, and Dead London. See? I'm a fast learner."What a roller coaster of emotions this book was for me! I was instantly hooked with the opening lines, was bored with the pacing and repetition, and then was completely sucked in again. It was really weird and while I have my conversation with my buddy reading partner Sam about how we struggled with the pacing in the beginning, I still do not really know how to adequately describe the disjointed feelings that I had during the exposition. I love flowery writing and expansive worldbuilding, but there was something that didn't quite jive with me for the first 5 or 6 chapters of the book. I wrote to Sam, "Imagine if this wasn't pages of descriptions" and she agreed.
Such is the quandry when it comes to magic, that it is not an issue of strength but of balance.
But then something changed. It wasn't Schwab's writing style because it was consistently descriptive, and it wasn't that the plot took off because it was captivating from the first page. Suddenly I was devouring each page gleefully and loving every bit of the story as it unfolded; my best guess is that I struggled with the way exposition was laid out in the book and once I got through the most 'info-dumpy' parts I really settled into the narrative. I am really glad that I stuck with it because I was very close to a DNF.
Anyways. I love the characters so much and Lila is welcome to join my fictional girl gang anytime. Kell is such a love character, and I really appreciated the limited glimpse of Rhy (I hope he gets more exploration in the rest of the triology!) There is diversity in this book and loved the bi representation with Rhy. The freedom of sexuality and fluidity here across all three Londons was really refreshing to see.
🏴☠️ Delilah (Lila) Bard is a pirate without a ship, desperate for adventure from her drab and meager existence in Grey London. Scrappy, hilarious, and strong.
🎩 Kell is one of two remaining Antari, lives in Arnes - what he refers to as Red London. He travels between the Londons with messages from the rulers, acting as a magical courier of sorts, but also has a treasonous hobby of collecting trinkets from the other worlds.
'I'd rather die on an adventure than live standing still.'The majority of the narrative is told from Lila and Kell's perspectives, both of which I enjoyed equally (which is rare for me). However, I did struggle a bit with a couple narrative shifts that went to random side characters as they weren't notated and I found it to disrupt the narrative flow.
I have to say that Holland is one of the best, most well-rounded villains that I have read in a long time. I like my antagonists to be sympathetic, complex, and dark and twisty with the lines between good and evil definitely blurred. I definitely want more of his story and what went down. The Danes are creepy and just outright evil with their bloodlust and their juxtaposition with the other characters makes for an interesting shade of morally gray.
Antari could speak to blood. To life. To magic itself. The first and final element, the one that lived in all and was none.Really cool elemental magic system - earth, air, fire, water, bones (people). It seems that people have an aptitude for one, and the Antari can command over all of them plus blood (which enables their London travel). A lot of time in fantasy I am left wanting more explanation of the magic system - oftentimes I feel like its glossed over because 'magic needs to explanation' - but Schwab took care to think about and explain how magic works... and that ties into the very being of every character in the book. It made for more opportunity for conflict and I look forward to seeing that exploited.
If red was the color of magic in balance - of harmony between power and humanity - then black was the color of magic without balance, without order, without restraint.The fact that Red London is thriving with magic while Black London crumbled under its weight, and White London seems to be infected with Black while Grey has none makes for an underlying theme of power and corruption. I cannot wait to learn more about Black London and what happened there.
Grey London had forgotten magic long ago.I love this world and what I feel like is an expansion of our world (are we living in the world of Grey London?)! The world that Schwab created is vast, detailed, and comes alive on the page - just as her characters do. Even though this book is first-in-trilogy, it comes to a satisfying ending and could be read as a standalone - no cliffhangers here! This was my first book of Schwab's and I can see why she her work is so coveted. Looking forward to continuing on with this series.
cw: for self-mutilation as the Antari can travel between Londons via their blood
🤝 Buddy read with the wonderful Sam from Sleepy Sam Reads! Be sure to check her out because she is lovely and I adored reading this book with her!
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jeannamichel
Written on May 7, 2018
cornerfolds
Written on Apr 27, 2018
I have been putting off this series for a long time. Partially because of the hype and partially because I found it a little intimidating (for some reason). I finally decided to grab a copy of the (quite long) audiobook and give it a listen when I saw it at my library. I've found this review difficult to put together, possibly because I feel like the last person on the planet to have read this book, but here goes!
Kell is the hero of this story. He is Antari, a rare kind of magician who is able to travel between parallel worlds, although this story takes place between different Londons. Each London has a different level of magic ranging from super duper magical (White) to not magical at all (Grey). When Kell stumbles upon an item from a no longer existent super DUPER macial London (Black), he vows to destroy it to keep it out of the wrong hands, and adventure ensues.
I really did like Kell. I wasn't put off by the narrator's depiction of him, although I've heard other people hate it. I thought he was an interesting character and I was excited to learn more about him and his world(s). I did find myself wanting to know more about his backstory and his relationship with Rhy and the royal family. Maybe that will come in the rest of the series?
Kell's companion in this adventure is Lila, a thief who finds herself working with Kell despite robbing him to begin with. I didn't have any strong feelings about Lila, but I did think she was a fun, grey character. I enjoyed going along with her as she helped Kell, while staying true to herself. One of my favorite things about Lila was her attitude - I loved having a snarky character who wasn't annoying or over the top, something I feel like there really isn't enough of in YA fantasy!
And of course, no good fantasy book is complete without a good villain, and Holland delivered! Holland is also Antari who was one of the creepiest and most tragic villains I have read in awhile. I felt so BAD for him, but also just kind of wanted him to die from the moment I met him. Okay, I take that back. I wanted him to be saved somehow, but die as a backup. Honestly, Holland may have been my favorite character in the entire book.
Although I enjoyed the characters, I think the best part of this book was the world building. I love the idea of parallel universes and I really enjoyed the way they were written and explained. For example, having to be passed through in a specific order. I was so creeped out by the depiction of White London! Honestly, can we please see Black London? If White London was that disturbing, I'd love to see the worst one. Can someone just tell me in the comments if this ever happens in a future book?
So if the characters were enjoyable and the world building was amazing, why didn't I love this book? Honestly, I got a little bored with the story. While a lot did happen, it didn't FEEL like it at times. There was a lot of running from place to place and being thwarted and hiding. While I certainly didn't dislike it, I didn't find myself all that invested or even all that concerned for the characters. It was also really slow a lot of the time, which isn't a great thing when listening to an audiobook since I have a tendency to zone out if I'm not hooked.
Overall, I really enjoyed A Darker Shade of Magic! I had some issues with it, mostly with the pacing, but I do think that the world and (some of the) characters make picking up the next book worth it. Probably. Honestly, I just want more travel between Londons and I REALLY want the characters to go to Black London. If someone tells me that happens, I will 100% pick up book two!
Actual rating: 3.5 stars