A review by vader
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I’m not going to die,“ she said. "Not till I’ve seen it.”
“Seen what?”
Her smile widened. “Everything.”

Badass anti-heroines in the form of cross-dressing pirates, antsy protagonists whose character flaws actually get them in trouble, conceited princes whose actions have consequences, and heart-breaking antagonists whose backstory have you weeping in sympathy are just some of the elements that make A Darker Shade of Magic stand out from a sea of all-around similar fantasy series.

V. E. Schwab proves, once again, that when it comes to creative writing, there’s no such thing as “running out of ideas” or saying that “everything’s already been done.” A Darker Shade of Magic is proof that it’s all about creativity and being a good writer. You can take an idea as silly as “a coat with an indefinite number of sides” and turn it into something fascinating. The existence of more than one parallel universe is not just “that silly trope that works only in fanfic,” but a very solid way to create not one but four almost-completely different worlds in which a story takes place.

And there is so much to enjoy about this book: the fluid writing style, the unique world-building, the complexity of the main heroes and villains, their motivations, interests, drives, and their relationship with each other. 

Kell Maresh, the protagonist, who fares from the most prosperous of the four cities called London, is the adoptive son of the king and queen of Arnes. He’s an Antari, the most powerful kind of magician, marked by the solid black color of his right eye. When he was a little kid, he had his memory erased, and he was adopted by the crown, thus becoming a prince of Arnes. However, he sometimes feels as if he was just a rare magical object to them, not their son.

Rhy Maresh, crown prince of Arnes and Kell’s best friend, begs to differ. This pretty, vain, and lovable guy loves his brother very much, something we can see through his actions in the novel. He worries about Kell, and wants what’s best for him, even if the Antari himself would disagree with what exactly that is. 

This stubborness is something that seems to be shared with our other main character, Delilah “Lila” Bard: thief, pirate, and an overall little shit badass. Faring from what those in the know call “Grey London,” also known as “dull London,” which is the one we’re familiar with, Lila looks for only one thing: adventure, and she’d do anything to get it - even if it puts her in the way of danger. Needless to say, when Kell-the-brooding-smuggler and Lila-the-brash-thief meet, trouble was sure to follow, just not in the way either of them would’ve liked.

A receipt for disaster, those two, especially when they find themselves up against an unknown power unbound by the greedy, ruthless crown of White London. 

Bad magic, Kell had called it.
No, thought Lila now. Clever magic.
And clever was more dangerous than bad any day of the week.