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A review by jessicaludden
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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? No
3.5
*3.5*
“Magic bent the world. Pulled it into shape. There were fixed points. Most of the time those points were placed. But sometimes, rarely, they were people.”
This book was super slow in the first half. I’m not sure if it was because there was a lot of world building, because I’m not really sure there was, or if it was because we spent a lot of time following the characters’ every movement. I feel like this book had a lot of potential to be amazing. The magic is very cool and the world is super interesting, but I think the characters fall flat. I wasn’t very invested in their fates and was only slightly intrigued as to what they were doing and their back stories. I also didn’t really see the romantic connection between the two main characters, to me it felt completely platonic. I think this book was very plot focused and didn’t give me a lot of time to get to know the characters. I also feel like it wrapped up pretty nicely. Like, if I didn’t know this was a trilogy I would think that was the end. Overall, I enjoyed reading this and am interested in the story but I hope I feel more connected to the characters as the trilogy continues.
“Magic bent the world. Pulled it into shape. There were fixed points. Most of the time those points were placed. But sometimes, rarely, they were people.”
This book was super slow in the first half. I’m not sure if it was because there was a lot of world building, because I’m not really sure there was, or if it was because we spent a lot of time following the characters’ every movement. I feel like this book had a lot of potential to be amazing. The magic is very cool and the world is super interesting, but I think the characters fall flat. I wasn’t very invested in their fates and was only slightly intrigued as to what they were doing and their back stories. I also didn’t really see the romantic connection between the two main characters, to me it felt completely platonic. I think this book was very plot focused and didn’t give me a lot of time to get to know the characters. I also feel like it wrapped up pretty nicely. Like, if I didn’t know this was a trilogy I would think that was the end. Overall, I enjoyed reading this and am interested in the story but I hope I feel more connected to the characters as the trilogy continues.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Death