I know I’m a bit late to the party on this one. I’ve been eyeing V.E. Schwab’s “A Darker Shade of Magic” at the bookstore for at least the last year because, come on now, that cover design is what I covet. But it wasn’t until I joined the Bookstagram community that this book really lit up on my radar. It seemed like everyone was talking about it or reading it or posting pictures like it was all they were reading. Sometimes, this can make me a bit skeptical. Like, if EVERYBODY is loving something, why is that? But I think that it’s safe to say I have officially drunk the kool-aid. The copy I originally read was a library copy, but before I had even finished reading it, I had ordered my own copy and its sequel which I hope to read in the very near future. (Just as soon as I manage to get through the giant stack of library books that I “accidentally” seem to keep accumulating.)
A Darker Shade of Magic is a fantasy novel, as you might have guessed, that takes place in a world where multiple Londons are stacked on top of one another. The main character is a magician named Kell, and he is one of the few people left who can travel between the different Londons. Kell is from Red London, a place with a healthy dose of magic still coursing through it. On either side of Red London are Grey London, magic-less and run by a mad king, and White London, where people struggle to maintain control over the consumptive nature of magic. On the far side of White London, there is Black London, where magic has managed to take over. Nobody really talks about Black London anymore. Kell serves as an ambassador between the different Londons, bringing news between the royal families in each place. And during his travels, he manages to pick up the awfully shady habit of smuggling things between them to sell on the black market. When Kell runs into some trouble in his smuggling endeavours, he meets a badass pickpocket named Delilah Bard, who robs him, rescues him, and soon thereafter joins him on his misadventure. And that’s pretty much how A Darker Shade of Magic starts.
ADSOM ticked so many boxes for me. I enjoyed that I didn’t really like either of the main characters at the beginning of the story, but I quickly grew to love them. Lila in particular was wonderful. She was everything I wanted to grow up to be when I was a little girl: fearless, badass, adventurous. I guess my inner little girl still wants that and is happy to live vicariously through this story.
I also have this thing for categorization, so I found the distinctly different Londons quite satisfying. I know that it doesn’t always work that way in the real world, but the idea of these four different worlds that are so unique and yet connected really appealed to me. I loved the sense of adventure developed throughout this book, the idea of travelling between these worlds, and the danger involved. It evoked a deep sense of nostalgia for me because, as a child, magical portal stories were my favourite kind of story, and I guess if portal stories are still illiciting this response in me, then perhaps they are still one of my favourite kinds of story.
There was a level of predictability to the story that I actually really enjoyed. I know that predictability is often seen as a bad thing, but for me, when I’m reading a story, it can be comforting to read something that fits a familiar structure.
In short, I loved this book. Do check it out. And let me know what you think if you do!
Rating: 8.5/10
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