mariebrunelm's review
adventurous
dark
tense
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? Yes
4.75
Kell is a thief by choice. Lila is a thief by necessity. The former can travel across different Londons, turning his manifold coat on the side relevant to the place to blend in or stand out. The latter is stuck in her Grey London, looking for one thing: escape. Of course the two were bound to meet. But what happens when they do might very well change the destinies of both.
This book was objectively excellent. I love V.E. Schwab’s way with words. She can turn a phrase as delightful as Leigh Bardugo and the two are equally good at crafting a narrative that will hook you but also leave many hints that you will or will not get.
In A Darker Shade of Magic, it’s not really about who’s good and who’s bad. It’s all a matter of perspective, really, and the real baddies (because yes, there are a couple of truly awful people) are not the antagonists. This is one of the things the author highlighted in her video series that serves as a readalong, and I loved that distinction. I love that big phrases such as “villains” or “saving the world” aren’t relevant in this book. The focus is on the intricacies of characters’ motivations and relationships, and it makes for a much more delectable reading experience in my opinion.
I’m so sad that I didn’t get the spark of a favourite book when reading this one, because I cannot find any fault in it. I loved every aspect of it. Maybe that’s just a matter of the moment I read it, when I was craving a different type of book, with less magic. But this book is still excellent and I highly recommend it.
Rep: the vibe is very queer without any label assigned to the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Minor: Sexual assault
chronicacademia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Abandonment, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Cursing, Violence, and War
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexism
Minor: Kidnapping
ssyrs's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Minor: Sexual assault
cskye's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual harassment, Violence, Child death, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Death, Misogyny, and Torture
Minor: Sexual assault and Self harm
theintrovertsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Torture, Blood, Physical abuse, Confinement, Stalking, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Gore, Death, Cursing, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, and Suicide
Moderate: Sexual assault and Police brutality
Minor: Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Classism, Abandonment, and Alcohol
sammykay25's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
This was so fun and I loved all of the characters. I'm so excited to keep going with the series and see where it goes! I've read V.E. Schwab before and while sometimes I feel her writing is a bit on the nose, it's always a lot of fun.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Sexual assault
ceaseless_watcher's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Torture, Gore, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault
madmadmaddymad's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is the best book I’ve read all year. I know it’s only April, but wow!
I have a funny story about why I chose to read this book. I’ve been obsessed with ACOTAR for a little over a year, in fact, the first fanfiction I read from the fandom had an author who was also writing fanfiction for this series. I enjoyed their fic so much I figured I ought to check out their other work, but I wanted to read the actual book first. LOL!
Anyway this book is nothing like ACOTAR. It’s intense, and magical, and mundane, and dark, and spooky, and I absolutely DEVOURED it, because somehow it was exactly what I wanted to read. I love the world building and the characters, Kell, and Rhy, especially Lila! Lila is a treasure, and deserves to be the star of her own show.
The villains were VILLAINS. I hated them and loved the impact they left on the story.
Just an incredible plot! Distinct, totally unique world building, and not in a confusing way. It’s kind of like Howl’s Moving Castle meets Marvel’s Dr. Strange with an ounce of The One Ring from LoTR. I love this book and kind of feel like immediately reading it again. 10-out-of-10.
I have a funny story about why I chose to read this book. I’ve been obsessed with ACOTAR for a little over a year, in fact, the first fanfiction I read from the fandom had an author who was also writing fanfiction for this series. I enjoyed their fic so much I figured I ought to check out their other work, but I wanted to read the actual book first. LOL!
Anyway this book is nothing like ACOTAR. It’s intense, and magical, and mundane, and dark, and spooky, and I absolutely DEVOURED it, because somehow it was exactly what I wanted to read. I love the world building and the characters, Kell, and Rhy, especially Lila! Lila is a treasure, and deserves to be the star of her own show.
The villains were VILLAINS. I hated them and loved the impact they left on the story.
Just an incredible plot! Distinct, totally unique world building, and not in a confusing way. It’s kind of like Howl’s Moving Castle meets Marvel’s Dr. Strange with an ounce of The One Ring from LoTR. I love this book and kind of feel like immediately reading it again. 10-out-of-10.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Minor: Sexual assault
takarakei's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.25
- multiple worlds
- morally gray characters
- sinister magic
- well written villains
Lila is quite possibly in the category of my favorite characters ever. I love everything about her: her undying need for adventure, her quippy sense of humor, trying to pretend like she has a heart of stone but clearly doesn't... Here for it all + more! Overall this book didn't blow me out of the water in the way I was hoping, but I'm definitely intrigued and will be continuing the series.
I also listened to the audiobook while reading and this narrator did a lot of voices, but their initial typical narration (sounded like what I call 'fancy british') took some getting used to. I see that there are different narrators for the sequels so wondering how that will go...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Sexual assault and Torture
Minor: Sexual harassment
straw's review
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment