Reviews with content warning for Fire/Fire injury - A Darker Shade of Magic

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A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

40 reviews

art_books_chemistry's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I am totally intrigued by this twist on the multiverse that Schwab has put together in Darker Shade of Magic. She doesn't necessarily have any particularly unique themes, but maybe it is more so that she has put them together in a unique way. I picked up some Narnia vibes (Magician's Nephew not The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) and although it has been many years since I've read it, it reminded me of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials as well. Regardless, I am absolutely wrapped up in the main characters' lives, rooting for them and dying to find out where they go from here.

I guessed early on that there might be something extra special about Lila. I was a little disappointed to not get an answer in this first book, especially when I thought it was quite obvious and wasn't being very well hidden. But I'm invested in her story and love how eccentric she is. As much as Kell has a bit of moral greyness about him from being a smuggler, he's quite straight-laced overall and Lila is definitely his personality foil which makes the book more fun.

I also seem to be on a kick lately with my fantasy books where they all have cliffhanger endings on the first book of a series. I kind of miss books that finish their major plot line for the book and just continue an overarching theme from then onward. Not to say that I disliked the ending, it was certainly a logical stopping point but it definitely didn't feel "finished".

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mobymaize's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

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

A lovely romp through multiple Londons, similar to, but not the same as, Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. Super exciting and felt like a very well done HBO mini series in the best way possible :)
Planning on reading the sequels at some point!

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readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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pikkumarja's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

Hehkutetun fantasiakirjailijan se teos, joka oli helposti saatavilla suomeksi. Ihan hyvä ja ymmärrän, mistä hehkutus johtuu. Tarina kulki sujuvasti ja viihdyin kyllä kirjan parissa.

Samalla jotain jäi puuttumaan ja välillä huomasin vilkuilevani jatkuvasti sivunumeroita ja huomasin tylsistyväni. En ole varma, haluanko jatkaa trilogian loppuun.

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agenericmirkwoodelf's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Absolutely in love with the characters, magic system, setting and atmosphere!
Some of the payoffs- especially within the climax- fell a little flat, but I still plan on continuing this series when time allows.

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kwichris's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I've not read the first book from an author in a while that immediately had me hungry for more in some time. Schwab created a very interesting magic system that unfurls more as you and one of the characters (Lila) continue to explore the worlds with Kell. The way in which multiple realities (or worlds as they're referred to here) is tackled is quite unique in that there's a set limit but infinite possibilities in each depending on each world's relationship with magic. Schwab provides plenty of colorful imagery for the reader with plenty of room for imagining your own view of the world's she created. Seeing the worlds from multiple perspectives without feeling forced, helps the reader relate to our main characters and better understand their motivations and growth. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an unique take on magic as a concept and how different people use (or abuse) it, or how it may use them instead. Plus there's some interesting shenanigans with thievery, realm traveling, and tense fight scenes, so what's not to love?

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_marycappiello3's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I love Delilah bard 🖤

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beeontoast's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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baearles's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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rinku's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Shades of Magic is quite the beloved series here on Goodreads, but I couldn’t give the first book, Four Shades of Magic, more than 3.5 stars. I had the feeling that the premise of this novel was so great, but the execution left a lot to be desired for me.

In this story, the first character we follow is Kell. Kell is one of the two people being able to wander between the four different Londons that each have a different relationship with magic. The second main character is Lila, a thief from the normal London. After getting an artefact she isn’t supposed to have, they both have to work together to save the world.

A big problem I had with Four Shades of Magic was its pacing. Almost the first half of the novel is just exposition, leading to a very slow beginning. Only after the half when the event mentioned in the synopsis happened, it got more interesting, and the story finally had a direction it was going in. Also, even though I hated the ending of the series, Foundryside executed the plot point of a thief stealing a magical object she wasn’t supposed to have much better.

Furthermore, there were some things happening that I didn’t fully understand, and it was so cliché how the villains explain their plans in big detail to the main characters. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the ending as well;

Athos and Astrid just dying was a bit boring, and I really don’t like that Kell and Rhy are bounded to each other, this is just a plot point I personally don’t enjoy

This all sounds quite critical if I’m honest, but I still liked the general plot and there were some great and impactful moments here and there, like

Barron’s death or Lila first being alone in White London, not knowing what she should do

. In general, there were quite a lot of deaths but there were just too many so that I started to not care about them anymore.

Like I’ve said, the book is definitely carried by its settings and the world building. The different Londons are so interesting, and I liked the historical setting, even though it could’ve been utilized more, same goes for places besides London that were barely mentioned. The elemental magic was nothing to special but nice, nevertheless.

At the beginning, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the MCs, Kell and Lila. They both are quite edgy and arrogant which made them a bit cringe and unlikable in my eyes. Only later, I started to appreciate them more, but I felt not such a strong connection to them like I felt to Addie. It was nice that we had no romance between them (yet?), and I enjoyed that Lila was more tomboy-ish. I’m wondering though if she’s

an Antari as well, we’ll see

. Another character that made me cringe was Rhy; his overly sexual nature was just a bit too much. In comparison to them, I really liked all the villains. The twins are so brutal and such great villains, but Holland is an interesting character as well.

Even though I’m a bit critical towards the plot and the characters in Four Shades of Magic, I’ll read the next books of the series since the world is so interesting and creative.

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