A Darker Shade of Magic
Ratings871
Average rating4
I think I went into this book with too high of expectations and was let down. It took me far too long to even read the first 100 pages of the book because nothing interesting was happening in the plot.
I also felt like the characters weren't developed enough for me. And honestly we all wanted Kell and Lila to kiss but it just felt forced. Both times. There wasn't enough flirtation or interaction or banter between them for it to even make sense.
It fell flat for me but it gets 3 stars for world building that kept me interested. However, I do not believe I will be finishing the series.
I had a decent time reading this book, but it didn't hook me in. The world building and magic system is explained at the start so you have an idea of what's going on before more characters are introduced. But as the book went on, I was left with more questions than answers. Considering how dark and devious some of the plot points get, I was surprised everything was resolved in the first book. The characters and political tensions between the Londons felt under developed. I'm sure it'll be explored more in the series, but I don't feel a strong urge to keep reading.
On a personal note while I liked Kell and Lila individually, I did not like their dynamic together. Their interactions annoyed me, felt overly angsty, and thrown together. Lila is quick to blame Kell for not sharing everything with her, but when he starts doing it she's like “I'll be the judge of that” or invalidate his feelings. And Kell seemed to get more bland as the book went on.
I might try Vicious instead.
Very fast paced book with all of the things I love about fantasy. I love jumping from one storyline to the next, it really keeps you wanting more. This book had magic and portals! What more can you ask for? The author gave you characters to root for and some to hate. There are even some that you hope will make better choices and turn to the “good” side. I am interested in the next book and will read it as soon as I get my hands on it.
Las primeras 200 y pico de páginas fueron una TORTURA. fue demasiada introducción y me aburrió mucho. pero una vez que se pasa esa parte la trama empieza a ganar un poco más de ritmo, y las últimas partes las disfruté bastante.
medio raro lo que hay entre kell y lila, pq para mi no tuvieron nada de química en todo el libro, pero como vos quieras vic.
en fin, nada supera a addie larue lo digo ahora y lo voy a decir toda mi vida.
An interesting concept with potential, but most of the characters are pretty one dimensional. Add in a verrryy slow build and the book was just... okay. Lila was enjoyable but pushed the campiness boundary - she almost became a parody of herself at times. I REALLY wished for more dynamic characters in Kell and the villains - everyone was just meh.
Libro atrapante con buenos personajes, eso si, esperen sufrir leyendo todo el libro porque un poco mas de el inicio y no te da ni un respiro.
Nice worldbuilding, a pity the second half of the book is more or less one big fight.
This was fine! Unique magic, unique world, but I didn't feel myself particularly compelled to continue the series.
a bit trite and stretched too thin in parts, but overall this is an enjoyable read, with good characters and lore.
Slow to start, quick to finish. A lovely book and I can't wait to see where the rest takes these dear characters :)
Ease of reading/following along: 5
Character development: 5
Character enjoyment: 5
Plot development: 5
Ploy enjoyment: 5
Vibe check: 5
=5
I think Victoria had some interesting ways of solving problems.
I like the characters and I like the story.
I know a lot of people would say Delilah is a marysue, but she doesn't fulfill my requirements :-D That all the good characters love her, and all the villains hate her; and that she was born having the skills and knowledge necessary to save everyone :-D In my mind she was born extraordinary, but everything she did, she had learned during her life and adventures. (On the other hand, how she couldn't brush away the three urchins in Grey London, but managed to stay alive in White London doesn't make much sense, but - uh. One can't bother about every little detail :-D)
Also, I'm not happy about the... hmm... what to call it... the ending felt rushed. A bit as if this was a serial, and needed to end quicker than Victoria was prepared to end it. On the other hand, it might have been a writing trick - start slowly and increase the beat to the end, to make readers stuck :-D
I know I have been reading this book for a year, and I listened to the last 3 hours last night :-D
Bumping the rating up to a 4 star as this reread was successful and I actually liked the book a lot more this time!
Books, Coffee & Passion
This was so good! It was so entertaining and I couldn't put it down.
Kell is an Antari, which means he has the ability to travel between the different Londons: Red London, where Kell was born and where he lives, a healthy empire with regulated magic; Black London, dead and forbidden after being consumed by its own magic; White London, where magic is crumbling, ruled by ruthless twin monarchs that will do anything to gather more magic and, the only other Antari Kell knows, Holland serves them; Grey London, with very little to no magic and where Lila, a magic-less thief, lives.
Kell gets into trouble, after smuggling a mysterious artifact, and ends up crossing paths with Lila. While Kell struggles to right his wrongs, Lila is an unexpected and refreshing help.
The different Londons and the magic system were interesting. Even though the first quarter of the book is somewhat slow, I was intrigued by this world very early on. The characters were fantastic too! I loved Kell and Lila. Their dynamic and their banter were perfect! Holland intrigued me. I hope we get more from him in the next books. Everything felt fleshed out and V.E. Schwab's writing was flawless.
There were a few things that were resolved a little too easily, though. And some mysterious details that will probably be significant in the next books. But it was so enjoyable and entertaining! Can't wait to read the next book.
VE Schwab comes highly recommended, and she even attended the school where I teach!
Pros: This book was fun, had some unique wrinkles and a lot of style, and I plan to read the trilogy. In today's world where Marvel and everyone else has stumbled onto the idea of a multiverse and doesn't really know what to do with it, having only 4 Londons felt like a good number to me. It kept a decently manageable scope, while also giving space for vividly different worlds to explore.
Cons: I'm not someone who's desperate for an encyclopedia describing how every magical interaction works, but one of the rules of fantasy that I think shouldn't be broken amounts to this: you can only use magic to solve a plot problem if the audience understands the limits of what that magic can do. A few places in the plot here, the magic's open-ended sense of possibility felt merely arbitrary, which robs some of the story's drama and resolutions of their proper weight and makes the magic feel more like a deus ex machina.
4.5 stars for sure. Really, really liked this one, and am still finding it randomly comes to mind on occasion, over a year later.
I liked the concept of the story, but something that is very important to me is world-building. And that definitely lacked here. Of course, the magic and the worlds were well thought out, but the fact that these Londons were even communicating makes no sense to me. Schwab has problems with motives for things and you can tell that it lacks that regard. It made me not care much about what happened because the characters, especially the “evil” ones were one dimensional.
The ending slightly rescued it for me. Astrid and her brother, who I cared little for as characters and were really only interesting because they were twins, have fucked off. Rhy and Delila had a cute flirty moment and they seem perfect for each other so I hope that develops more. And of course, Lila's ending is great. I didn't really want to read the next book until the last 30 pages but now I think I will.
I wish I could give this 20 stars instead of 5. The story telling, the pacing, the character development, everything was perfect. I'm in love with this is story, with this world, it was you know like creepy and powerful and mysterious and fun and I love it I can't wait to start the next one!!
Ps. Now I'm also excited about the TV show based on this series
It's been a long time since I read a book in one sitting, but this one was impossible to put down.
This book ended so completely that it feels like a stand alone. The disjointed layout of the chapters and constant switching of characters made this a difficult book to fall completely into. I am too easily distracted. I ended up putting the book down more often than I wanted to. The story itself and the writing is fantastic, as per usual for this author, it was just the style and arrangement that messed me up. I love how plucky and cutthroat Lila is and how conservative, yet rebellious Kell is. The brotherly love was also great. I'm going to go straight into the next one, hopefully it will read more cohesively for my scattered brain.