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