A Darker Shade of Magic by V E Schwab

A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic, #1)

by V.E. Schwab

Most people only know one London; but what if there were several? Kell is one of the last Travelers - magicians with a rare ability to travel between parallel Londons. There's Grey London, dirty and crowded and without magic, home to the mad king George III. There's Red London, where life and magic are revered. Then, White London, ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. But once upon a time, there was Black London...

Reviewed by Terri M. LeBlanc on

2 of 5 stars

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I tackled A Darker Shade of Magic first because it seemed more up my alley—a sort of alternative fiction world set in one of my favorite cities (London). The characters were compelling. As the owner of a baker’s dozen worth of jackets (thanks to Castle and Stana Katic for that obsession), I’m secretly hoping that Kell’s magical coat exists somewhere. His mysterious ways and lack of knowledge of his own heritage provided me with enough meat to keep reading hoping to learn more about him and the Antari.

And Lila? Her devil-may-care attitude reminded me of Peter Pan. She’s all bravado and pluck, but secretly scared that her actions may impede on her obtaining her dream. Lila is certainly a character I admire.

Sadly, for me, A Darker Shade of Magic fell short on the plot. The story was all characters and in the end, the plot was two-dimensional and a bit predictable; it was as if NOTHING happened 400 pages. The book was just 400 pages of getting to know Kell and Lila; and I seriously doubted the need to read another book by Schwab.
This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 1 May, 2017: Finished reading
  • 1 May, 2017: Reviewed