A Darker Shade of Magic: A Novel

V. E. Schwab

Feb 2015 · Shades of Magic Book 1 · Sold by Macmillan

About this eBook

A Darker Shade of Magic, from #1 New York Times bestselling author V.E. Schwab

Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.

Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.

"A Darker Shade of Magic has all the hallmarks of a classic work of fantasy. Schwab has given us a gem of a tale...This is a book to treasure."—Deborah Harkeness, New York Times bestselling author of the All Souls trilogy

Shades of Magic series
1. A Darker Shade of Magic
2. A Gathering of Shadows
3. A Conjuring of Light

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Ratings and reviews

The story had potential, but fell short for me. Ending was anticlimactic and rushed. There was too much time spent explaining unimportant people and events, whereas the pivotal points were glossed over...unfortunately I can't explain further without dropping spoilers, so I won't. One thing I will say, Kell seems very weak for someone who is so revered in the story for his magical prowess...for instance, the magic-less Lila is able to out maneuver him and do as she pleases anytime her and Kell confronted each other. Not to mention, Holland (his magical counterpart/adversary) seems 10xs stronger and cunning than Kell.

A well drawn and interesting world marred by some poor choices and lacking depth. The two main characters are interesting, though Lila is far more interesting than Kell, but very few other characters are filled in at all. London, the three Londons, play a large roll, and are well drawn, but the rest of the world is literally an undrawn map. Ultimately this is the intro to a three book series, and while the series is interesting, to split this into book one reads rough.

The story had so much potential, but I never found myself fully captivated by the telling of it. The world and magic system seemed like they'd be amazing to read about, but the characters don't really live up to the standards that the narration set for them and the plot just wasn't very engaging.

About the author

V. E. Schwab's first adult novel, Vicious, debuted to critical praise and reader accolades. Schwab is the author of YA novels The Near Witch, The Archived, and The Unbound. She is also currently writing a fantasy middle grade series with Scholastic.