Reviews

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

lnat2209's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mimi_book_mouse's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny tense 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

5.0

quentins_consequences's review against another edition

adventurous 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

4.0

_daydream_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

4/28/24
This book was so good~ I'll write a review not at 12:25 in the morning.

luna_with_love's review against another edition

4.0

4.5 stars. A darker shade of magic has a LOT of hype in the book space. And for that I had very high expectations. The world is fascinating and the adventures grand, battles fierce, but for me it was a fun romp through worlds that was a little slow to start. However, while it may have taken a little longer than I would have liked for the story to pick up once it was going it was a sprint of action, tension and energy to the end. I’m excited to read the next two books and see where this story goes from here!

ohthatkimberley's review against another edition

5.0

If you love alternate universes, pirates, thiefs, misfits, and magic all rolled into one spectacularly well-written book then you will adore ADSOM. Its main female character has more balls than the rest of the brooding males combined, all of the characters attract trouble which makes for an interesting plotline, and it has all the elements one could want in a new book to read.

suttonhowell's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

this book is hard for me to rate because I did really enjoy the plot and the main character kell, but lila.... miss girl has the most painful case of "not like other girls" syndrome i have experienced in recent years. the message was so strongly that femininity = weak that i was convinced this book was written by a man until googling it afterward. 
i think the magic system was super interesting but the battle scenes almost made it feel like magic was inherently unsuited for combat in this world- slow and clumsy. if that's the case, I'd prefer the combat be removed as it felt incredibly low stakes, especially given you know nothing about magical combat beforehand. 
kell was great, especially his relationship with rhy. if i continue with the series, it will be for them, and despite lila. 

avscarlet's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes

4.0

zoezoev's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

covall's review against another edition

5.0

Truly enjoyed this book. I thought it was unique. Loved the author's writing style.