A Darker Shade of Magic: A Novel (Shades of Magic, 1)
"Addictive and immersive, this series is a must-read." --Entertainment Weekly
Enter #1 New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab's beloved Shades of Magic trilogy--a dazzling world of parallel Londons where magic thrives, starves, or lies forgotten,and where power can destroy just as quickly as it can create. 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. Other books by V. E. Schwab The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue Shades of Magic series
A Darker Shade of Magic
A Gathering of Shadows
A Conjuring of Light Villains Duology
Vicious
Vengeful
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Community Reviews
I would say itâs closer to 3.5 stars. I think the worlds are fully developed and beautiful. Kell and Lila are lovely characters but not my favorite over all.
Overall, this was a good book, just took until about 70% for me to really get invested in the plot. Lots of world building, which was nice, but a little too much for me with lacking in getting invested in the characters. It was less action than I anticipated. Perhaps the audio version of this was not the way to go, as I did end up liking Delilah by the books end, but it took a VERY long time to get to that point. I will likely pick up the second book and continue the series.
My review from July 2021:
Something tells me that I would have liked this a lot more if I had read it myself instead of listening to the audiobook. The narrator did a good job… but somehow he made it all so BORING. There was just something about his tone that made everyone sound aloof. I might try it again as an actual read, but not entirely sold…
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