I’ve been in a reading slump while finishing the spring semester, but I found this entire trilogy while searching at my local Goodwill. I couldn’t stop myself from reading the first book once I had it, and I really enjoyed the storyline.
A Darker Shade of Magic is a world-traversing fantastical tale. There were once four Londons (Red, White, Black, and Gray) that were all connected by magical doors. Some time ago, those doors were destroyed and most of the people who could create doors killed. Now, the world relies on the handful of traveling magicians who are left to transport products between the worlds. Kell is one of those magicians and he works as a smuggler of both products and information. He works for all sorts of people, from a mad king to untrustworthy possible criminals. One day, he is given an object to transport. He doesn’t ask what it is. As soon as he lands in another London, he wishes that he would have.
When I first started reading this book, I was worried that it would fall into the high fantasy tropes that turn me off. I cannot keep up with a long list of characters and royal lines for the life of me. Much less royal lines between different worlds! But V.E. Schwab did not disappoint. Although Kell spent the entire book jumping between literally three different worlds, I was still able to keep track of what was going on with his character. One interesting fact was how the different Londons had drifted apart ideologically over the years since the doors had closed. One London embraced magic while the other did not. A world that used to be interconnected now reliant on a handful of magicians to travel between. This reminded me a lot of the Grishaverse as I read. In those books, the world was separated by The Fold. In these books, the world was separated by closed doors. I would definitely recommend this series to fans of books in the Grishaverse for that reason. Both of these series gave me similar vibes and were written by very talented authors.
Kell is a character that I definitely need to learn more about. We didn’t spend that much time getting to know him before the crazy story kicked off, and I hope we learn more throughout the rest of the trilogy. I really enjoyed reading about his relationship with the prince. The dynamic of the untalented royal and the most important “nobody” was definitely an interesting
Lila gave me the best vibes from the second she stepped onto the page. I loved how confident she was in herself and I wanted to learn more about her backstory. She and Kell may have met under….less than desirable circumstances. Nevertheless, the two fit together perfectly and made a great mismatched almost-team. Although Lila possessed no magical powers, she definitely could hold her own in a fight. This was proven time and time again throughout the book.
My only complaint about this book is something that I can’t really put my finger on. I don’t know how to explain it. I enjoyed the story and I read it far slower than I usually read books. One of my New Year’s plans was to try to read slower so I soak up a book more than trying to rush to the end. Nevertheless, I still felt a bit disappointed at the end. I’m not sure if it was that the villains weren’t fleshed out enough for me or if I didn’t enjoy the setting as much as I thought I would. I have a feeling this will change as I continue on with the trilogy, so I will continue giving it a shot!
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a new fantasy series to enjoy.
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 books.
I’ve been in a reading slump…
Because I’ve been busy WRITING a book. It’s hard but fun.