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A review by nataliestorozhenko
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
3.0
I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately, I couldn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. After reading through the entire Cosmere, I feel a bit spoiled because nothing compares to it. My main issue with this book is that the characters felt underdeveloped, and we never really get to know them well enough to care about them. The only character that interested me was Holland because you could see the conflict in his actions. Overall, the writing and the characters' dynamic felt more like YA to me, which isn't a bad thing, but I prefer V.E. Schwab's more adult-oriented writing, like in "Vicious."
It also felt pointless to me that all the secondary characters were killed off. We were introduced to guards, merchants, and others, only for them to be killed off to showcase the violent magic of Black London. It would have been nice if at least one of them had survived, as I have grown accustomed to all the characters being useful to the plot, even in a minor way.
It took me around 300 pages to become invested in the plot, which was a bit dull, and the climax was underwhelming. However, I still had some fun with the book. I was initially drawn to the concept of multiple Londons, and it played out well for the world-building. The magic system wasn't too complicated or unique, but it still served its purpose, and I enjoyed how magic manifested differently in each world.
Overall, I would give this book 3.5 stars, and I do want to give the whole series a chance. I hope the next books will be better and prove to be more engaging.
It also felt pointless to me that all the secondary characters were killed off. We were introduced to guards, merchants, and others, only for them to be killed off to showcase the violent magic of Black London. It would have been nice if at least one of them had survived, as I have grown accustomed to all the characters being useful to the plot, even in a minor way.
It took me around 300 pages to become invested in the plot, which was a bit dull, and the climax was underwhelming. However, I still had some fun with the book. I was initially drawn to the concept of multiple Londons, and it played out well for the world-building. The magic system wasn't too complicated or unique, but it still served its purpose, and I enjoyed how magic manifested differently in each world.
Overall, I would give this book 3.5 stars, and I do want to give the whole series a chance. I hope the next books will be better and prove to be more engaging.