A Darker Shade of Magic

Executive Summary: I liked this book, but didn't love it. I'll likely continue on to the next one, but I'm in no rush at this point.

Full Review
This was my first book by Ms. Schwab. Apparently she's better known for her YA work. There was a big debate about if this book is YA or not. Personally I don't think it matters very much. To me it's about whether I connect with a book, and not how it's marketed.

This books started out pretty strong for me. We're introduced to Kell and his awesome fashion accessory, and the idea of “parallel” Londons, where he is one of a very few who can travel between them. Soon after we meet a thief in one of the Londons named Lila.

Both have interesting premises, but I had a hard time connecting with them(or any character for that matter). I found most of the early part of the book slow and relatively uneventful. I wasn't bored, but it felt as though very little happened at times. While I tend to prefer character-driven stories like this, it requires caring for the characters more than I did here.

The world building is interesting, but I found the description misleading. To me the concept of “alternate” Londons made me think they would share more in common with each other than a name. They are vastly different. It didn't feel like alternate versions of the same city at all. Still, I found the idea of world hopping magic appealing, and the history of how each developed varied enough.

The magic “system” is almost non-exist. I tend to prefer well-defined magic systems, and this feels underdeveloped. Considering the Antari are so rare, I'd have been interesting in exploring this aspect more than it was. Hopefully that will come in the later books.

Once the story got going near the middle I was a lot more interested. However I felt like after taking too long to start, the ending was rushed. I probably would have liked this one a bit more with different pacing.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, and will continue on with the series, but I'm not in a rush to do so.