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A review by willowbiblio
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
"Brands and scars, mutilations meant to bind what magic they could summon to their bodies. The weaker they were, the more scars they made on themselves, mining their flesh in a frantic attempt to hold on to what little power they had."
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I really enjoyed the idea behind this book, but the characters and extremely heavy foreshadowing made this a very low 4 stars for me. I think the magic and the idea of disparate yet connected Londons was inspired. A lot of the plot was hinted at from the early chapters, so nothing felt truly remarkable or surprising. I can see that we're headed for a return of Holland and an unveiling of Lila as a magician. The inner dialogues could have been a lot less descriptive for all POVs.
The lore of how the cultures of each London evolved and diverged was cool. It would have been an interesting move to have this be given to the reader as interludes that were flashbacks to the historical time, setting up potential prequels with new (historical) characters. This would have been more readable than having characters either info dump to themselves or one another- this method always feels sort of forced and awkward. If they've known it their whole lives, why are they explicitly explaining it to themselves/each other now? Sure, it's for the reader's benefit, but this method makes you realize you're reading. This is a general gripe I have with authors who info dump and take the high context route.
I wanted to be more excited about the history/differences between Londons because I think the potential is there for a really engaging story, but it's hard to get up the enthusiasm when every tease spoiled what could have been major reveals.Even the moment where Lila realizes there's bone in Astrid's floor. That's not surprising to the reader because every other character has commented on it somehow, so it feels false or less impactful when Lila notices. That moment could have been the *first* moment, and really driven home how horrific those characters were.
I'm looking forward to seeing if things get a bit more complex and entertaining in the next book. Definitely also how Schwab uses the whole life-sync brand which feels like it was lifted directly from Cassandra Clare's books but I'll reserve judgment for now.
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I really enjoyed the idea behind this book, but the characters and extremely heavy foreshadowing made this a very low 4 stars for me. I think the magic and the idea of disparate yet connected Londons was inspired. A lot of the plot was hinted at from the early chapters, so nothing felt truly remarkable or surprising. I can see that we're headed for a return of Holland and an unveiling of Lila as a magician. The inner dialogues could have been a lot less descriptive for all POVs.
The lore of how the cultures of each London evolved and diverged was cool. It would have been an interesting move to have this be given to the reader as interludes that were flashbacks to the historical time, setting up potential prequels with new (historical) characters. This would have been more readable than having characters either info dump to themselves or one another- this method always feels sort of forced and awkward. If they've known it their whole lives, why are they explicitly explaining it to themselves/each other now? Sure, it's for the reader's benefit, but this method makes you realize you're reading. This is a general gripe I have with authors who info dump and take the high context route.
I wanted to be more excited about the history/differences between Londons because I think the potential is there for a really engaging story, but it's hard to get up the enthusiasm when every tease spoiled what could have been major reveals.
I'm looking forward to seeing if things get a bit more complex and entertaining in the next book. Definitely also how Schwab uses the whole life-sync brand which feels like it was lifted directly from Cassandra Clare's books but I'll reserve judgment for now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault