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earth_to_dani's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Gore, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
annie_tonk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
uselesspirateraven's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Grief
Minor: Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
kupids's review against another edition
Graphic: Death, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence and Slavery
Minor: Misogyny, Sexual harassment, and Classism
kenzibir's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
capsandclauses's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
“I apologize for shooting you in the leg.” said Lila. “I was myself entirely.”
Enter through the door. If you dare...
Why did it take me so long to get around to reading this damn book? A Darker Shade of Magic is an adult fantasy following Kell, a sort-of alternate reality portal jumper and Lila, a thief. In this universe, there are four Londons: Red London (Kell's London full of shifting, changing buildings and magic), White London (chaos and anarchy), Grey London (OUR London) and Black London (forgotten to history). When on a routine messaging errand, Kell takes a piece of Black London with him from Grey London back to Red London, a chase of corruption and deadly evil plague begins to haunt society.
I loved this book. I haven't read a book that fully has these vibes since Six of Crows. Kell and Lila are the perfect, loveable anti-heroes. Scarred, flawed and human. No character is safe and characters who have perspectives die. It was dark, and gritty and magically realistic.
“He would see her again. He knew he would. Magic bent the world. Pulled it into shape. There were fixed points. Most of the time they were places. But sometimes, rarely, they were people. For someone who never stood still, Lila felt like a pin in Kell's world. One he was sure to snag on.”
Graphic: Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Sexual harassment
op3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
cicizzy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
But the writing style bothered me. I can’t even say what it was, maybe I was just too tired to but I felt like I had to focus a lot more than usual while reading. Maybe it’s just that it felt like there are no “unnecessary” sentences. If you miss a sentence you can actually miss important information. There were no drawn out descriptions of places or longer conversations. Everything was short and to the point. I think when it comes to that so would have liked to see a bit more of the worlds and Londons. The lack of description could make it feel a bit “flat” at times and I think it was a bit of a wasted potential. But it is also just the first volume and I hope that the worlds will be explored a bit more in the future volumes.
It also didn’t exactly feel like the early 19th century for me but Gray London also didn’t play a big role.
I‘m looking forward to the rest of the series.
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Death, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Physical abuse, Trafficking, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War
_teoeo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: War
Minor: Sexual assault
lenorenore's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol