Book Review - A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic Book #1) by V.E. Schwab

11/08/2018

Plot:

https://images.macmillan.com/folio-assets/macmillan_us_frontbookcovers_1000H/9780765376459.jpg

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.

Thoughts:

This book was a recent discovery. I bumped it up in the reading list and wanted to start on it right away. And I've got to say I was not disappointed! I think that this book is marvelous! Oh I don't think I've ever used that word before hahahaha! It's the English-ness in the book, I tell you!

Four Londons? What a concept! And to differentiate them by colors... genius! In its simplicity it became more authentic. How about them lead characters? They are heinous! A smuggler and a thief! Just perfect! What happens when they team up, they save all the Londons of course! What an adventure.

Image result for a darker shade of magic fanart

Relationships:
Rhy and Kell - Aaaaw. Brotherly love always melts my heart. They were not borderline yaoi, they were rough with each other but clearly their love for each other is intense.
Kell and adoptive parents, the King and Queen - Kell is a bit paranoid about them, honestly. I think that they genuinely love him but yeah, can't blame him if he feels nothing but a possession to them. In time, I hope he can appreciate and see that they do love him genuinely.
Kell and Lila - Do I think they'd be a great couple? I really don't know. But I do think Lila is crushing on Kell.
Lila and Rhy - Okay, I want them to happen. This ship is sailing for me. They only had a small banter scene in the end but that sure left quite an imporession on me.



Tragic characters be damned, a good magical story will do the trick any day.

Quotes:

Rhy sighed. Kell watched him try to answer several ways before he finally said, "There is nothing I would not give you."
Kell's chest ached. "I know."

Rhy frowned. "I love you, Kell, but I had no interest in matching tattoos."

Magic bent the world. Pulled it into shape. There were fixed points. Most of the time they were places. But sometimes, rarely, they were people. For someone who never stood still, Lila felt like a pin in Kell's world.

The world was hers.
The worlds were hers.
And she was going to take them all.

Rating:
★★★★☆


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