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A review by whiterubys
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
3.0
3.5/5 stars
Looking for trouble, he'd say. You're gonna look til you find it. Trouble is the looker, she'd answer. It keeps looking till it finds you. Might as well find it first.
This delightfully magical book follows Kell, an Antari: a mythical race with a gift for magic, and Lila, an aspiring pirate and thief who's lived her life on the streets. It takes place across three Londons: Red London, White London, and Grey London. When Kell is set up with a cursed trinket from White London, he quickly seeks to dispose of it, but Lila, in Grey London, finds him first. The two navigate through worlds they're unfamiliar with, traverse the Londons in search of an adventure, and find themselves in deeper than they ever imagined.
I was excited to read this book since it was my very first Schwab book. Unfortunately, I wasn't quite as into it as I thought I would be. I found myself unable to connect with any of the characters, and their protagonists were quite dull to me. I really wanted to like Lila, but I'm not entirely fond of a female character that, multiple times, tears other women down for no good reason. I wasn't a fan of the romance, either. However, I'm torn between giving this book 3 or 4 stars because the worldbuilding is so excellent. I love the idea of four different Londons and the fact that geography is different in each world. Overall, A Darker Shade of Magic was an entertaining read, but not my favorite in terms of YA fantasy.
Looking for trouble, he'd say. You're gonna look til you find it. Trouble is the looker, she'd answer. It keeps looking till it finds you. Might as well find it first.
This delightfully magical book follows Kell, an Antari: a mythical race with a gift for magic, and Lila, an aspiring pirate and thief who's lived her life on the streets. It takes place across three Londons: Red London, White London, and Grey London. When Kell is set up with a cursed trinket from White London, he quickly seeks to dispose of it, but Lila, in Grey London, finds him first. The two navigate through worlds they're unfamiliar with, traverse the Londons in search of an adventure, and find themselves in deeper than they ever imagined.
I was excited to read this book since it was my very first Schwab book. Unfortunately, I wasn't quite as into it as I thought I would be. I found myself unable to connect with any of the characters, and their protagonists were quite dull to me. I really wanted to like Lila, but I'm not entirely fond of a female character that, multiple times, tears other women down for no good reason. I wasn't a fan of the romance, either. However, I'm torn between giving this book 3 or 4 stars because the worldbuilding is so excellent. I love the idea of four different Londons and the fact that geography is different in each world. Overall, A Darker Shade of Magic was an entertaining read, but not my favorite in terms of YA fantasy.