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A review by njarmarwala
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
4.0
***SPOILER FREE***
I came across "The Darker Shade of Magic" series because I picked up a copy of "The Fragile Threads of Power" (TFTOP) from a local bookstore. Being the completely sane person that I am (LIES), in addition to reading the synopsis on the jacket cover, I also spent a lot of time reading Amazon, B&N, and Goodreads reviews. I needed to make sure it was a decent read before I brought it home with me. And the reviews did not disappoint. However, during my review research, I learned that, although there is an overlap of characters that also appear in the A Darker Shade of Magic Series, TFTOP is a stand-alone book and can be read without knowledge of the original series.
My brain, unfortunately, is not wired that way. I needed to read the original series before delving into TFTOP. So here I am!
To be completely honest, this is the first year that I have ever committed time to reading the books I've always had on my TBR. At best, I would read maybe three books a year (and that's being generous). So, going into this, I had no knowledge of V. E. Schwab's work. But, I am so glad I've found them. Schwab has done a brilliant job in world-building the Four Londons. Although I found it a little challenging at first to differentiate between the distinct characteristics of each London, as the story progressed, everything began to fall into place. But, I'm like that with every new fantasy book I read. I'm pretty sure my brain processes information like dial-up internet. It is what it is. Every character featured in this story has so much depth, and I'm intrigued by how the rest of their story unfolds throughout the series.
That being said, I will definitely be completing this series before the end of this year, and I'm excited to get into more of Schwab's work!
I came across "The Darker Shade of Magic" series because I picked up a copy of "The Fragile Threads of Power" (TFTOP) from a local bookstore. Being the completely sane person that I am (LIES), in addition to reading the synopsis on the jacket cover, I also spent a lot of time reading Amazon, B&N, and Goodreads reviews. I needed to make sure it was a decent read before I brought it home with me. And the reviews did not disappoint. However, during my review research, I learned that, although there is an overlap of characters that also appear in the A Darker Shade of Magic Series, TFTOP is a stand-alone book and can be read without knowledge of the original series.
My brain, unfortunately, is not wired that way. I needed to read the original series before delving into TFTOP. So here I am!
To be completely honest, this is the first year that I have ever committed time to reading the books I've always had on my TBR. At best, I would read maybe three books a year (and that's being generous). So, going into this, I had no knowledge of V. E. Schwab's work. But, I am so glad I've found them. Schwab has done a brilliant job in world-building the Four Londons. Although I found it a little challenging at first to differentiate between the distinct characteristics of each London, as the story progressed, everything began to fall into place. But, I'm like that with every new fantasy book I read. I'm pretty sure my brain processes information like dial-up internet. It is what it is. Every character featured in this story has so much depth, and I'm intrigued by how the rest of their story unfolds throughout the series.
That being said, I will definitely be completing this series before the end of this year, and I'm excited to get into more of Schwab's work!