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A review by podanotherjessi
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Let me start by saying this book is good. Really good even. It's definitely enjoyable. But I just don't love it, and I don't really know why.
The characters are simple, but they still have motivations that make sense, and they're deep enough to be believable. The plot had a habit of introducing information in weird ways - either just in time to be useful or just after the reader was surprised by something. Sometimes, an explanation in the text (that was very tell-y) would leave out a detail and then only provide it later after a twist happened that the reader might have expected if we'd had that info. That kind of thing.
But it's fun and quick and light if that's what you're looking for in a book. I just was expecting something more after all of the hype.
Characters - 7
Plot - 8
Setting - 9
General appeal - 7
Writing style - 7
Originality - 9
Ending - 6
The characters are simple, but they still have motivations that make sense, and they're deep enough to be believable. The plot had a habit of introducing information in weird ways - either just in time to be useful or just after the reader was surprised by something. Sometimes, an explanation in the text (that was very tell-y) would leave out a detail and then only provide it later after a twist happened that the reader might have expected if we'd had that info. That kind of thing.
But it's fun and quick and light if that's what you're looking for in a book. I just was expecting something more after all of the hype.
Characters - 7
Plot - 8
Setting - 9
General appeal - 7
Writing style - 7
Originality - 9
Ending - 6
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Gun violence and Grief
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment