Friday, November 27, 2015

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Publication Date:  February 24, 2015
Publisher:  Tor Books
Pages:  398
Series:  A Darker Shade of Magic #1
Genre:  Fantasy
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 Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see. This dangerous hobby sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, 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 stay alive—trickier than they hoped.

Review:  I would like to steal V.E. Schwab's imagination for a day and take it for a whirl. What a book this is.  A Darker Shade of Magic lives up to the hype in more ways than one.

What a world this is, or rather, worlds.  Four of them, to be precise.  Black, Red, White, and Gray London, AKA, Dead, Kell, Creepy, and Dull London, according to Lila.  How incredibly inventive--I wanted nothing more than to visit them myself.

You know so little of war. Battles may be fought from the outside in, but wars are won from the inside out.

As for the magic, including the darker shade of it, it is brilliantly executed.  Magic in those worlds is not an object, but a living thing.  How you choose to interact with it can determine cultures, as is it ultimately does.  But only Antari, such as Kell, can control blood magic--the most temperamental and powerful sort, naturally.

V.E. Schwab weaves this magic into every aspect of the novel, her own writing included.  Intricate and addicting all at once.  The adventures she whisks you away on are all-consuming and brilliant.

There is so much, so many ideas to explore--and yet V.E. Schwab only delved into the shallow end on more than a handful of them.  It all went so quickly, with so much action, there was never a chance to breathe.  That is the one fault holding this book back from being absolute perfection.

Hesitation is the death of advantage.

As for the characters, I give my stamp of approval.  Kell is not ordinary, yet he is also not the typical hero.  He is arrogant, a bit bitter, and beyond clever.  In all honesty, he reminds me of a Doctor from Doctor Who.  Not one in particular, just the sort.

Let's not forget about Lila--cutthroat, thief, and desperate for an escape from the mundane.  While sometimes on the childish side and eternally stubborn, Lila grows on you--you have no choice in the matter.  And let us all take a moment to appreciate the lack of a romantic relationship between Lila and Kell.  A Darker Shade of Magic just goes to prove that a good book doesn't need sugar and fluff to keep it interesting.

The Dane twins, Holland, and Rhy are the most prominent side characters, all of whom have their of distinctive personalities.  Holland fascinated me the most.  Essentially a puppet for the Dane twins and the only Antari in existence other than Kell himself, he makes for an intriguing figure.

I'd rather die on an adventure than live standing still.

The ending unsettles me for one reason--it takes a turn I did not expect and am still uncertain if I like.  Well executed, but I was dying for a different turn of events. However, this does not detract from the book in any way, as I have faith in the direction V.E. Schwab is bringing this in--hopefully toward Black London.

A Darker Shade of Magic is magical, if nothing else.  A story certain to steal your attention and run away with it.  I could not recommend it more highly and am anxiously awaiting the next installment.

4 Keys


16 comments:

  1. Ahhh I can't WAIT to read this. :D I actually have it on my kindle and have exactly no good reason why I haven't read it yet. Except....I'm nervous because everyone loves it so much??!? lol I adored Vicious though so I can't see why I wouldn't like this one. Kell sounds amazing. :D

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    1. READ IT!!! Right now--you HAVE to, I command it. I waited so long to read it because I feared it wouldn't live up to the hype but it DOES. And now Vicious is the only Schwab book I haven't read... Thanks for commenting, Cait! ♥

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  2. I NEED TO READ THIS. LIKE RIGHT NOW. I've had this book on my tbr too long. TOO LONG. After your review... I'm running to my library to find my precious. Thanks for the great review Erin. Well done!
    [like always]

    anna | annaish

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    1. YOU DO. This very second. It took my forever to get around to reading it and I REGRET THAT DECISION. Thanks so much, Anna! ♥

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  3. I have been wanting to pick this up. It sounds so different and everyone seems to really enjoy it, Great review!!

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    1. It is one hell of an adventure and I hope you like it! Thanks for commenting, Grace! ♥

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  4. THIS BOOK. OMG. IT SOUNDS AMAZING. Also, London??? Yes please. (because it is in England and I've been to London, so yeah) I agree, I wish I had come up with this idea! It sounds so cool. I'm beyond caring about anything else to do with the book now, I JUST WANT TO SEE HOW THIS WHOLE BLACK RED WHITE GREY THING WORKS!!!! Can you tell I'm dying to read this??? Brilliant review, Erin! <3

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    1. IT IS AMAZING, REBEKAH! ♥ I have never been to England, let alone London, but I will get there one day. And it is SO COOL, all the different Londons I mean. I LOVE THEM ALL--not that I would want to LIVE in them all... Anyway, GO READ THIS! Thanks for commenting!

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  5. First of all sorry for not commenting on your blog in ages, but OH MY DAYS YOUR NEW DESIGN IS GORGEOUS!!! I am in love.

    Anyway, I'm so excited to read this book now and I'm definitely pushing it to the top of my TBR pile. The premise sounds amazing, and I'm really glad you liked the characters. Like a Doctor? Sign me up! As always, this is an amazing review <3

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    1. Thank you!!! I actually found the site I bought it from because of YOU--I've always loved your blog design and I saw it said who made it and well...

      And you MUST read this book. I seriously regret not picking it up sooner. Especially because of the Doctor Whoishness. Thanks for commenting, Emma! ♥

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  6. I MUST READ THIS. GIVE IT TO ME *grabs the book from Erin*

    Kidding. I've always wanted to read this ever since most of my blog buddies over at Twitter were talking about it. I love how exceptional the fantasy aspect is in this book, and I like how there are 4 different worlds in the book :) I seriously want to read this now! I'm sorry, though, that the ending irked you a bit. Is there a sequel of this book?

    Great review as always :D

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    1. I DO want you to read this....But it is MINE! XD It is SUPER hyped, but the hype is deserved. The fantasy is well explained and, well, MAGICAL. I think this is one you would really enjoy, and the sequel is coming out in 2016! Thanks for commenting, Jillian!

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  7. I read this last month and really enjoyed it! I want to know more about Holland and Kell's past. I still can't stand Lila though XD

    Tasya // The Literary Huntress

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    1. I'm glad you liked it! And I am excited to find out more about the world and characters, too! Thanks for commenting!

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  8. THIS BOOK LOOKS SO COOL. *shoves it on my shelf as the 19848284837th TBR book*

    As a fan of magic and new worlds or anything of the sort in the Fantasy genre, I think I'll come to like this book really well. Hopefully I can find time to do so! Too bad it's a series - I hate waiting for new releases >.<

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    1. IT IS SO COOL! And don't forget, the sequel comes out in 2016! XD I also am not the hugest fan of series, either. Well, not the waiting for the next installment part. Thanks for commenting!

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