From the Bookshelf of Ranters and Reviewers…

A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic, #1)

V.E. Schwab,

Victoria Schwab

Start date: July 1, 2021

Finish date: July 31, 2021

Discussion: BOTM

Why we're reading this: July 2021 Series BOTM
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November 2021 Series BOTM Suggestions
By Sofia , duckish things · 9 posts · 19 views

last updated Oct 21, 2021 11:56PM

October 2021 Continuation BOTM: The Wicked King
By Sofia , duckish things · 9 posts · 16 views

last updated Oct 21, 2021 11:55PM

What Members Thought

Feb 16, 2021 krista ☽✧ rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorite-reads

Buddy read [ where i totally went ahead oops with : Rania , Alex and An

“I'd rather die on an adventure than live standing still.”

Hii, so yess krizzie finally joined the hype train and continues her journey too ve schwab her books with A darker Shade of magic the first book in the shades of magic triology by miss Ve. Schwab. An adult urban fantasy ish fantasy triology. Overall i definitly enjoyed this book a lot. It did took me some time too warm up too the charracters and story as the begi ...more

106 likes · Like · see review

Apr 22, 2020 Lia Carstairs rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

Actual Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

"I'd rather die on an adventure than live standing still."

Lila Bard is definitely going into my fav MC list.🥰

Definitely the bravest, strongest, and most stubborn girl I've read about in a loooooong time.
Her snarky comments and the ability to face someone without showing fear is super admirable. I can't imagine one thing to hate about her.💖

"I apologize for anything I might have done. I was not myself."
"I apologize for shooting you in the leg," said Lila, raising a ...more

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Feb 20, 2021 akacya ❦ rated it really liked it

Shelves: format-ebook, audience-young-adult, buddy-reads, own, genre-fantasy

buddy read with a whole bunch of cool people!!

this book was pretty slow-paced, but still amazing! ...more

15 likes · Like · see review

Jan 20, 2019 Salma19 (And I Darken stan) rated it liked it

Okay...
I was really looking forward to reading it because to make my way into Adult Fantasy this year and I've heard that this one is a good transition between YA and Adult. So, I picked it up.

First of all, the story felt very slow for me for a 400-page novel, which is why I found this somehow a little boring. Plus, I don't know a lot about the characters and their background after my reading experience. I didn't have the chance to connect with them. I like when the author doesn't throw every in ...more

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May 02, 2020 Kelsea Janae Hamm rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020-reads, series-and-trilogys-read-2020-2021, series-duologys-trilogys-read-in-20

Love This Book
Cannot Wait To Continue

2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 18, 2015 Amanda (MetalPhantasmReads) rated it really liked it

4.25 stars
Oh man this book was really good! I love when an author takes the time to truly build a world that is unique, varied and diverse. Also, the different ways that magic was used/controlled/handled and the different rules and prices of magic was just amazing! About the first 100 pages is mainly world building, but I think Schwab does that to help us get immersed in the world before all the action starts. It was well paced, had some creepy vibe to it and...seriously, the world building is ...more

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Mar 01, 2020 OldBird rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, london, magic

This book was strange, tropey and predictable, but so what. I loved what this book did with those alternate reality/McGuffin destruction quest themes. The dark undertones were a queasy reminder that even though it's a young adult book, it's not a lovely "safe" read.

We follow two leads: one is Kell, an Antari - or blood magician - who can travel between worlds. Hailing from Red London, he takes messages across the boundaries from the magic-starved White London and the magicless Grey London. Desp This book was strange, tropey and predictable, but so what. I loved what this book did with those alternate reality/McGuffin destruction quest themes. The dark undertones were a queasy reminder that even though it's a young adult book, it's not a lovely "safe" read.

We follow two leads: one is Kell, an Antari - or blood magician - who can travel between worlds. Hailing from Red London, he takes messages across the boundaries from the magic-starved White London and the magicless Grey London. Despite their names, these places aren't the same and each have their own perils. Kell also has a sideline in smuggling artefacts, and one such artefact is a whole load more trouble than it could ever be worth. It smells of something dark and dangerous, like the legends of the fourth city lost long ago to destructive magic: Black London. The second lead is Lila Bard, a thief in Grey London (aka our reality circa the early 1800s) who dreams of becoming a pirate. She chances upon a strange man with nothing but a piece of worthless black stone in his pockets. It's a stone that sings of things not of her world, and it draws far too much of the wrong kind of attention.

I think the reason I liked this book as much as I did was because of the gleefully obvious (but not obvious unless you're actively looking for it) world building and character development. Having read some slightly unsatisfyingly workmanlike fiction that needed a good editor, it leads you to appreciate things like this. Throwaway comments told you reams more about people, their relationships and their worlds than a straight out info dump ever could manage. Take Kell making an aside about being as concerned about looks as Rhys - we don't know who that is yet, but we know he leans towards the shallow side. The remarks about the smells of the other Londons, with White being blood; what else could it mean other than danger? And the scattered breadcrumb trail of foreshadowing. Urgh. (view spoiler) Obvious, but so good all the same. Written like it's an in-joke with the reader rather than rubbing a plot point in your face.

So yes, I loved the writing (a couple of odd Americanisms aside - but I nitpickily digress.)

The characters are good, though they aren't big on emotions. Don't expect to feel much in the way of empathy. It's mostly the Kell show, so unless you like the young adult semi-serious trickstery kinda guy, you may well struggle. I can't say I loved Lila; she just seemed so implausible a character given that her origins were in Grey - aka "our" - London. She's that very feminist, right on, ballsy, no nonsense Female Hero trope. That's not a killer thing, I did like her enough to care, but her pirate fantasy seemed a bit incongruous. I did however appreciate her moral greyness despite definitely being on the side of the good guys rather than the mysterious chaotic/neutral siren who seems to lurk around fantasy stories these days.

(view spoiler)

Central characters aside, it is quite sparse. There's Prince Rhys and maybe Barron on the good side, the villains on the other, but no one is very memorable. The worlds of the different Londons are left mysterious, but are really interesting. Hopefully later books flesh things out a bit more, but we know as much as we need to for this part of the story. The multiple worlds are by far the most original aspect of the whole book.

If you liked Leigh Bardugo but wished the story would hurry up with the action instead of dwelling on introspective matters of emo hearts, this one fits to bill. ...more

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