I enjoyed the book quite a lot. I listened to the audiobook as I drove for work and couldn’t stop listening. The narrator is very captivating and makes the book very enjoyable to read. The book is really a masterpiece with not a lot to critique without nitpicking. Definitely a worthwhile read.

I thought all the narration in the diary to be rather unrealistic. I don’t feel like anyone would write full conversations with direct quotes in a dairy, but it did not detract from the book at all.

Also it may be my imagination or perhaps it is a purposeful choice for the narrator but there were parts that struck me as rather white idolizing. White characters were often referred to as looking like Greek statues with perfect porcelain ivory skin which stuck me as odd at times. But that may be just due to the narrator. Additionally, all non-British or non-American characters of the book were made a big point of being extremely assimilated to British culture. It’s not a bad thing but I thought it was funny that it was pointed out clearly with multiple characters. It wasn’t a big deal, but did strike me as odd.

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A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Absolutely loved this book. Was a bit worried I would be confused about the world based on the summary but the author did an amazing job setting it up and bringing the reader into the world. I am extremely excited to read the other books in this series.

The only thing I did not love about the book was the random kiss between the two main characters that came out of no where for me. I thought of them as having a much more platonic brother-sister relationship throughout the book so it took me off guard. However it was very short and was not built upon afterwards. Maybe the next book will either build that relationship up or go back to being very platonic.

Overall one of the best books I have read in awhile.

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