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sustainably_lucia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
The magic system and world created by Schwab are fascinating. I was sucked right into the story from the beginning. The characters were excellently written and believable. Kell and Delilah are a great pair. My interest waned when the violence increased, but overall it was an enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
typedtruths's review
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
After languishing on my shelves for nine years, I finally gave this a shot... and thoroughly enjoyed it! Schwab is a hit-or-miss episode for me; yet this one grabbed me from the onset. I'm a little nervous to dive into the sequel when it ended satisfactorily, though.
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Torture and Death
➸ Trigger warnings for attempted rape (on-page), self-injury, alcohol consumption, graphic blood and injury depiction, death and magical resurrection of a friend & brother, murder and attempted murder, torture, gun & sword violence, and loss of autonomy (magical coercion).wordsandrecreation's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I loved the concept of parallel Londons! I really liked both MCs, and I'm very curious about Lila's missing eye! The writing style fit me very well, it felt fitting to the world and character and had a good flow that was easy to read.
I found the ending a bit rushed and maybe a bit easy? I felt like suddenly everything was over and okay and back to normal. I would have liked a more ominous ending that hinted at things might not be so okay after all (I expect they aren't, as there are two more books in the series haha). So that's my main reason for not giving it a better rating, I felt like the ending didn't quite stick the landing for me.
I'm really excited about reading more about Lila and Kell!
I found the ending a bit rushed and maybe a bit easy? I felt like suddenly everything was over and okay and back to normal. I would have liked a more ominous ending that hinted at things might not be so okay after all (I expect they aren't, as there are two more books in the series haha). So that's my main reason for not giving it a better rating, I felt like the ending didn't quite stick the landing for me.
I'm really excited about reading more about Lila and Kell!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Violence
septemberrain's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Slavery, Physical abuse, Death, Torture, Murder, and Gun violence
lauramcc7's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
melist6's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture
Minor: Sexual violence
meggomyeggo1210's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Physical abuse, Violence, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Slavery
kal517's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual assault and Gun violence
Minor: Kidnapping and Torture
mary_soon_lee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This is the opening book in what is currently a fantasy trilogy, though perhaps it will expand to additional books. The second sentence tripped me up(*), but after that I raced through the book. The setting is compelling: adjoining worlds with different versions of London - Red London, rich in magic; Grey London, poor in magic and closest to our own; Black London, sealed off from the others; White London, fallen, as the book describes it, "to chaos and conquering. Blood and ash."
Kell, one of the book's two chief protagonists, has the exceedingly rare ability to travel between the worlds. Lila, the other main protagonist, is a cutpurse whom readers are clearly meant to find likable. I did. I liked both the main characters considerably. I came close to liking the book very much, but stopped short and merely liked it.
Two things put me off. Firstly, the level and amount of brutality exceeded my comfort zone. Secondly, to me, the book felt manipulative. The book's popularity indicates my reaction is atypical, so don't attach much weight to this. I like to care about characters in stories and to react emotionally to fictional events, but, with "A Darker Shade of Magic," I sometimes felt those reactions were scripted by the author. For instance, spoiler warning for details,sympathetic minor characters are killed rather summarily. We are shown the point-of-view of Barron, a tavern-keeper, for a few pages, just enough to make him likable, before he is killed. His death reinforces the enemy's villainy and gives one of the main characters brief pause, but seems largely gratuitious. Similarly, we follow a royal bodyguard, Parrish, in a couple of scenes -- he's also very likable -- then both he and his partner bodyguard die. Their deaths upset me and, more so, the fact that we don't see Kell or Rhy grieving for them. Likewise, I felt I was being steered to sympathize with Lila from the second scene where a man she knows well tries to rape her.
Three and a half out of five shaded stars.
(*) The second sentence, which describes a coat, is: "It had neither one side, which would be conventional, nor two, which would be unexpected, but *several*, which was, of course, impossible." The sentence wants to establish say that this is no ordinary coat, nor even a reversible coat, but instead a magical coat. I tripped up because I consider ordinary coats as having an inside and an outside, plus a front and a back, plus a left and a right, i.e. multiple ways that an ordinary coat has more than one side. I'd consider this a minor stumble later on in the story, but it was offputting for the second sentence.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
Kell, one of the book's two chief protagonists, has the exceedingly rare ability to travel between the worlds. Lila, the other main protagonist, is a cutpurse whom readers are clearly meant to find likable. I did. I liked both the main characters considerably. I came close to liking the book very much, but stopped short and merely liked it.
Two things put me off. Firstly, the level and amount of brutality exceeded my comfort zone. Secondly, to me, the book felt manipulative. The book's popularity indicates my reaction is atypical, so don't attach much weight to this. I like to care about characters in stories and to react emotionally to fictional events, but, with "A Darker Shade of Magic," I sometimes felt those reactions were scripted by the author. For instance, spoiler warning for details,
Three and a half out of five shaded stars.
(*) The second sentence, which describes a coat, is: "It had neither one side, which would be conventional, nor two, which would be unexpected, but *several*, which was, of course, impossible." The sentence wants to establish say that this is no ordinary coat, nor even a reversible coat, but instead a magical coat. I tripped up because I consider ordinary coats as having an inside and an outside, plus a front and a back, plus a left and a right, i.e. multiple ways that an ordinary coat has more than one side. I'd consider this a minor stumble later on in the story, but it was offputting for the second sentence.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Torture
Moderate: Rape
eabecker05's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and War
Moderate: Torture, Physical abuse, and Violence