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A review by themoonlightarchive
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
5.0
The Appalachian Bookworm
With magic flourishing in the very blood in his veins and the scent of roses sticking to his skin, Kell is a young magician with the rare and incredibly coveted ability to travel between the four parallel Londons - red, grey, white and black. Raised by the royal family of Red London, Kell grows restless in his position of ambassador for the crown and begins to smuggle tokens between the four worlds - an act that is illegal and dangerous. It’s also something that Kell and his brother and the crowned-prince, Rhy, argue about regularly. Even though he recognizes the consequences, Kell continues to smuggle tokens behind his brother’s back. It’s one of the only things he has that’s all his own. Plus, nothing bad has ever come of it.
That is, until Kell meets Delilah Bard - a quick-witted, knife-wielding thief with dreams of becoming a pirate captain and taking to sea. When Kell is running for his life in Grey London, where Lila resides, they quite literally run into one another. Helping him to his feet, Lila takes the opportunity presented before her and picks his pockets, stealing the magic stone he smuggled between worlds. It isn’t long after that Lila convinces Kell to take her with him. Thus begins their quest to free the worlds from a terrible, dark magic from the depths of Black London.
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab is fast-paced and full of mystery and magic. The world that Schwab has built is so outstanding and well-executed, especially in the way that magic is treated in each of the four Londons. Even with their many similarities and differences, the way the parallel worlds are entangled without ever actually coming together is so wonderful. The writing was beautiful, poetic and laden with wonderous imagery. And let’s not forget the best part - the characters! They are such complex works of art. Each scene, especially those with Lila and Kell, held me completely captivated the entirety of the time I was reading.
This novel has definitely wormed it’s way up my favourites list!
With magic flourishing in the very blood in his veins and the scent of roses sticking to his skin, Kell is a young magician with the rare and incredibly coveted ability to travel between the four parallel Londons - red, grey, white and black. Raised by the royal family of Red London, Kell grows restless in his position of ambassador for the crown and begins to smuggle tokens between the four worlds - an act that is illegal and dangerous. It’s also something that Kell and his brother and the crowned-prince, Rhy, argue about regularly. Even though he recognizes the consequences, Kell continues to smuggle tokens behind his brother’s back. It’s one of the only things he has that’s all his own. Plus, nothing bad has ever come of it.
That is, until Kell meets Delilah Bard - a quick-witted, knife-wielding thief with dreams of becoming a pirate captain and taking to sea. When Kell is running for his life in Grey London, where Lila resides, they quite literally run into one another. Helping him to his feet, Lila takes the opportunity presented before her and picks his pockets, stealing the magic stone he smuggled between worlds. It isn’t long after that Lila convinces Kell to take her with him. Thus begins their quest to free the worlds from a terrible, dark magic from the depths of Black London.
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab is fast-paced and full of mystery and magic. The world that Schwab has built is so outstanding and well-executed, especially in the way that magic is treated in each of the four Londons. Even with their many similarities and differences, the way the parallel worlds are entangled without ever actually coming together is so wonderful. The writing was beautiful, poetic and laden with wonderous imagery. And let’s not forget the best part - the characters! They are such complex works of art. Each scene, especially those with Lila and Kell, held me completely captivated the entirety of the time I was reading.
This novel has definitely wormed it’s way up my favourites list!