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A review by impayal
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
4.0
4.25 Stars tbh
This is one of the most hyped books in the booktube/booktwitter community. So, I already knew about the characters and general plot before starting the book. Did it live up to my expectations? Almost I can understand why some people absolutely love it while some people consider it average.
The world-building done by V E Schwab is the hook that drags you into the books and keep you invested. While, the idea of multiple dimensions is not original at all, she brings a freshness and a lot of energy into it. This is a very plot-driven books and I agree with what some people have already mentioned that the characters suffers due to it.
We follow POV of Kell, who is an Antari capable of travelling between different words and Lila, a thief with dreams of becoming a ship captain. The actual plot doesn't start till the 3rd of the book when these two meet but that doesn't make it slow orboring at all. V E Schwab does a clever job of writing in short, easy-to-read chapters tha keeps you turning the pages. There is constant acion going throughout to keep you entertained. The way she developed different Londons/Worlds was enjoyable, I liked that all three Londons had completely different cultures and the most prosperous Red London was ruled by POCs.
The reason why I didn't rate it higher was that it felt like we didn't get enough from the characters. The story was so focused on getting to the next plot that it left little development for the characters. There was also an element of Not Like Other Girls in Lila's characterization that I hope get addressed in next books. Other than Lila we don't have any major female characters, I know Rhy gets more focus in the sequels but there is space more than one female character in books.
The same problems pies with the antagonists Dane twins, they are one-dimensional and felt pretty cliche.
This was still a completely entertaining read and I am looking forward to the sequels
This is one of the most hyped books in the booktube/booktwitter community. So, I already knew about the characters and general plot before starting the book. Did it live up to my expectations? Almost I can understand why some people absolutely love it while some people consider it average.
The world-building done by V E Schwab is the hook that drags you into the books and keep you invested. While, the idea of multiple dimensions is not original at all, she brings a freshness and a lot of energy into it. This is a very plot-driven books and I agree with what some people have already mentioned that the characters suffers due to it.
We follow POV of Kell, who is an Antari capable of travelling between different words and Lila, a thief with dreams of becoming a ship captain. The actual plot doesn't start till the 3rd of the book when these two meet but that doesn't make it slow orboring at all. V E Schwab does a clever job of writing in short, easy-to-read chapters tha keeps you turning the pages. There is constant acion going throughout to keep you entertained. The way she developed different Londons/Worlds was enjoyable, I liked that all three Londons had completely different cultures and the most prosperous Red London was ruled by POCs.
The reason why I didn't rate it higher was that it felt like we didn't get enough from the characters. The story was so focused on getting to the next plot that it left little development for the characters. There was also an element of Not Like Other Girls in Lila's characterization that I hope get addressed in next books. Other than Lila we don't have any major female characters, I know Rhy gets more focus in the sequels but there is space more than one female character in books.
The same problems pies with the antagonists Dane twins, they are one-dimensional and felt pretty cliche.
This was still a completely entertaining read and I am looking forward to the sequels