A review by mikuriina
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

this book is lacking in characters. there are a few named figures who have enough relevance to feel like they exist, but the rest are there to serve the plot and die immediately after with very little personality to show for it

i really liked lila -- i have a major soft spot for masculine women, especially when they're deeply flawed. kell was alright but i felt kind of annoyed by him because i thought rhy and holland were far more intriguing but they barely got to be fleshed out. the villains were nothing

i'll probably give the second book a shot because i did enjoy the writing (when the plot picked up), i just hope the characters beyond lila and kell are given some more attention

also, anyone who tells you this is an lgbt book is a fraud! there is one lgbt character whose sexuality is alluded to at the beginning of the book and never comes up again, it's barely anything. i got my hopes up before being hit in the face with straight romance teases
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