A Darker Shade of Magic by: V.E. Schwab Synopsis: Kell is one of the last Travelers—rare magicians who choose a parallel universe to visit. Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London is ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. People fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Once there was Black London—but no one speaks of that now. Officially, Kell is the personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. While travelling, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to another world for her 'proper adventure'. But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to try to stay alive. |
**Closer to a 4.5 star rating**
I am literally in awe of V.E Schwab and her writing abilities. I wish I could be inside of her head for a day because based on what I've seen in her books, it must be the coolest place ever.
Granted, this is only the second book that I have read by Victoria Schwab (the first being Vicious) but both times she has absolutely blown my mind with her complex plots and WEIRD ASF worlds. Because I read so many books in a year and I don't have the best memory in the entire world, I tend to forget about some books a month or so after I read them. This will definitely not be the case with this book. The world is so creative, unique and unlike anything I have ever read before! I wish my brain was that talented.
I must admit, when I first started it, I was more then confused because we were just thrown into this brand new world with lots of magic and lingo that had zero sense. Within the next 50 pages or so everything was laid out for us and things started to click together. Basically this book is set in a world where there is lots of magic and parallel universes. There are 4 different versions of what we known to be London. Each version of London (black, white, red, and grey) has different rulers, ways of life and degrees of magic. Kell, our main character, is one of the last rare Travellers who can jump between the different London's.
I absolutely loved Kell's character (and coat) from the beginning and Schwab had be rooting for him till the very end! Our other main character is Delilah Bard, a young girl that Kell meets while travelling in Grey London. This girl was a firecracker. And SASSSSSSSSSY as all get out. AND a professional badass. Obviously, I loved her from the moment she was introduced. I loved seeing her and Kell's relationship grow and their bickering brought more then one smile to my face.
Im not gonna give much away about the actual storyline of the book but just please know its amazing.The only reason that i maybe wouldn't give this book a full five stars was because a small thing that happened during the ending that kinda confused and frustrated me. I HIGHLY recommend this novel and I can not wait until February 23rd (the release date of the sequel, A Gathering of Shadows) because I need to know what happens next. I also have a theory or two about one of the characters so I want to see if I'm right!
Happy reading nerds! Sound off in the comments with your opinion on this novel!