*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
Title: A Darker Shade of Magic
Author: V. E. Schwab
Publisher: Tor
Publication Date: February 2015
ISBN: 9780765376459
Synopsis:
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.
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.
I love a great fantasy story that’s easy to sink into and brings to the table incredible world building and complex storylines. A Darker Shade of Magic does just that. It follows a magician, Kell, one of the rare Antari remaining in the world, as he moves between various Londons, liaising between monarchs and secretly smuggling magical artifacts from one world to the next. One ill-fated journey leaves the entirety of all worlds exposed and at risk of collapse and a dark magic begins to spread and permeate in a way that these worlds have not seen in centuries.
An unlikely companion joins Kell in his journey to right what has been made wrong. Lila is a nobody living in the magicless world known to Kell as Grey London. She, too, is a criminal, living with nothing but her own skill and a few favours earned through manipulation and deception. She may just be the only reason that Kell finds some measures of success as the dark magic threatens to envelope them all.
I enjoyed this story’s unique plot line, expansive and intricate world, and the mystery surrounding the magic, it’s depths unknown even to those who practice in the art themselves. Kell is a complex character who at first seems jovial, pure of heart, and full of goodness, but there’s more to him that meets the eye. He is not exempt from the pull of dark magic. With his past largely unknown, though his upbringing and adoptive family have lead him to a life of privilege, there is a sinister element to Kell that we get to glimpse in this introduction to the series. Lila, was not my favourite, I’ll admit. Though I do love to see a female character of such great strength and skill, I found her to be unnecessarily abrasive and unyielding. I do hope she’ll grow on me as the series progresses. You can’t help but root for her to succeed. She’s cunning and very intelligent. There’s a lot to Lila that is yet unknown as of book 1.
I can’t wait to continue on with the next book. It’s great to come into a series when it already been written and I can dive right into the next book without pause. This one has been out for a long while, so I’m sure a number of you have read this already. If you haven’t, and you’re looking for a new fantasy series, definitely give this one a shot!
Happy reading!
Worn Pages and Ink 