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A review by daniel_b17
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I would just like to set the record straight that I think VE Schwab is an amazing writer and she has a way with words that could quite literally glue you to the book. However in this particular novel I didn't find it as captivating. When I say that I mean that I think she could have easily extended the book by a couple hundred pages or so to allow for some world building. I think the idea of the book and the magic is a very interesting idea, I just don't think it was used to it's fullest potential. I never really felt connected to the characters nor did I feel any particular excitement when reading. It felt as though the book was fairly dull after about the half way mark. I could start predicting things that were gonna happen, because the plot of the book is one that is very well known in the fantasy genre.
The choice of how magic works in this world/worlds I found interesting and didn't conform to the typical magical tropes. I do think however that, that was the one thing that kept me reading... We are kind of dropped into this world where Kell is an already a very powerful Antari, and we really don't get to see who he was before being so powerful. I would have loved a little more explanation about his training and his work to get where he was, as it is only vaguely touched on in the book. That is why, as I said, I think the book could have easily been 100-200 pages longer just focusing on establishing the worlds and the characters.
This book however was a fun read and I would recommend it to anyone looking to just get into the fantasy genre. The book was not challenging in terms of understanding the plot, however at times the vocabulary I found was very advanced. I would not recommend it for anyone under the age of 10.
The choice of how magic works in this world/worlds I found interesting and didn't conform to the typical magical tropes. I do think however that, that was the one thing that kept me reading... We are kind of dropped into this world where Kell is an already a very powerful Antari, and we really don't get to see who he was before being so powerful. I would have loved a little more explanation about his training and his work to get where he was, as it is only vaguely touched on in the book. That is why, as I said, I think the book could have easily been 100-200 pages longer just focusing on establishing the worlds and the characters.
This book however was a fun read and I would recommend it to anyone looking to just get into the fantasy genre. The book was not challenging in terms of understanding the plot, however at times the vocabulary I found was very advanced. I would not recommend it for anyone under the age of 10.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Cursing