A Darker Shade of Magic: A Novel (Shades of Magic, 1)

This book came highly recommended from some participants in a fantasy discussion board I moderate, and I was looking for something to read on my Kindle recently, so I picked it up. It was a lot of fun, and when I finished, I immediately started the second book in the series. (That is an enthusiastic recommendation for me. There are some books where I'm like "I'll get around to the sequel eventually" but fewer series where I pick up all the available volumes in a row.)

Just a bit of brief plot summary for context. There are four Londons in this novel, and a select few individuals can magically travel among them. These are referred to as Grey London, Red London, White London, and Black London, and they are different in how magic affects each world, in how (and by whom) it can be used in each world (the equivalent of our world is Gray London). The action takes place in the first three; no one has visited Black London in quite a long time. Only London is the same in each world; in other worlds, there is no France, for example, and not even a proper "England" in Red London.

The parallel worlds thing has been done quite a lot in fantasy, but I am fine with that. I like the twist here, that one of our two main characters (Kell, more on him in a bit) is not from our world, but is from Red London, where magic is ubiquitous. (Often, in such stories, including those by Guy Gavriel Kay in the Fionavar Tapestry, in Stephen R. Donaldson's Thomas Covenant books, in Charles Stross's more sci-fi-based Merchant Princes series, etc., it is people from our world traveling elsewhere. So it is nice to see a different perspective.) I also like that this is not set in the present day, but instead in the past. So even though theme is familiar, there are some alterations that manage to make it unique.

We have two main characters, Kell and Lila. Kell is from Red London, as previously mentioned, while Lila is from Grey London. Both have mysterious pasts; Kell remembers basically nothing before he was taken in by the royal family of Arnes (the country containing Red London) due to his magical abilities. (He is an Antari, marked by having one normal eye and one that is completely black. There are very few Antari, and they are the only ones able to travel among the worlds. They also have nearly unparalleled magical abilities, in general.) Lila is alone on the streets, making a living (such that it is) as a pickpocket and dreaming of being a pirate with her own ship.

The two of them encounter one another maybe 1/3 of the way through the story and they travel and work together through much of the rest of the book. I wouldn't say their first encounter seems contrived, because there are some uncanny parallels between their two worlds, such as a particular inn/tavern that seems to be co-situated in all three of the Londons Kell has visited, the existence of London and the Thames, etc. Since they both live in London and visit the inn (different Londons and different inns, but eerily the same, as well), it seems they are fated to meet. And their abilities complement one another. Sometimes the secrecy and stealth of a thief is needed, sometimes reputation and magical fighting ability are better suited to the situation. I think they are a good team. There is no romance between them in this book, though it is possible something like that could be set up for the future. Kell's reputation and duties are such that he doesn't seem to be looking for love or to have the time for it (or the trust to share with someone else), while Lila masquerades as a man and doesn't have what would be considered traditional aspirations for a young woman in the society from which she hails. I find the lack of romance refreshing, especially in a mixed-gender pair like this.

The other thing I like about the characters is that they have nice depth. Both have secrets (including a tantalizing one about Lila revealed about halfway through; I can't wait to see where that goes in future books), both have killed (not just in self-defense), both have flaws, both have their own moral codes that might not be exactly the same as yours or mine. And yet, you are still cheering for them, and not just because other characters are worse. Both are quite sympathetic.

Moving on, there is a lot of action in this book and I think it is well-written. It can be difficult to describe magical battles such that the reader can envision everything that happens, but I felt that was not an issue here. (There were also physical battles, weapons like guns/knives, etc.) I felt there were adequate dangerous situations for both Kell and Lila (and some of their associates); although not everything turned out as I expected, neither just skated through. They ran into difficulties, they had to be resourceful. The sense of danger and the well-written fights made me feel like the plot was always moving forward, and at a nice pace, at that.

Speaking of the plot, I felt that it was basically self-contained in this book. There were endings for Lila and Kell. But, there were also some interesting possibilities laid out for future books. I am not yet sure where the overall series arc will take us (presumably we will learn the secrets of Lila's and Kell's pasts in future volumes -- I am not yet enough into volume two to see if that is true); however, there are some interesting possibilities for where things could go in the future.

I also liked the writing. As mentioned earlier, it was especially good during action sequences. But I also thought it was good at setting the scene for each of the different Londons. If you opened the book to a random part and didn't know which London you were in, I think you'd be able to guess based on the setting. And, when you were inside the protagonists' heads, their thoughts were different. They had different personalities, different aspirations, different goals. They were not just two aspects of the author projected onto the page. So that was also done well.

If I had one criticism, it would be that there were a few too many instances of characters being saved from very dire situations or being able to fight when they ought to have been incapacitated. It made for dramatic action, but it was perhaps not quite as believable within the context of the story as the author would have wanted. This is a common issue in fantasy novels, and considering that some degree of magical healing is accounted for here (as well as some consequences), it is not an unforgivable writing sin.

Anyway, on balance, I enjoyed this quite a bit. It was a nice break from the epic fantasy I've been reading lately and I'm glad I picked it up!

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Kell is a Traveler. His Antari blood makes him a rare breed with the ability to travel between multiple universes which he does with a fair amount of reckless abandon. Because of this, his talents are used to relay messages between the ruling powers of three different Londons. Grey London which has insignificant, barely there traces of magic and is the one we knew during King George III’s reign, Red London which is Kell’s London, thriving with Magic, White London where magic has been dying out and the monarchy is desperate to restore it, and Black London which was destroyed years ago. As an adopted member of the royal family of Red London, Kell has certain obligations. Like making sure his brother Rhys stays out of trouble and making sure messages pass safely and securely between worlds. On the side, he makes deals with citizens from all the Londons and often brings back trinkets in exchange for payment. One of these trinkets ends up being a very dangerous artifact from a different time and place and puts him in the path of Lila Bard, pirate captain thief extraordinaire. What happens next is a whirlwind journey of protecting what you love and trying to make things right.

I really love V. E Schwab’s writing. I had read Vicious (her adult novel) a few years back and it rocked my world. When I heard she was writing a young adult series based on alternate universes set in the 1800s, I was ON FRIGGIN’ BOARD. Let me tell you. And this book didn’t disappoint. Where Schwab really excels is her world building and descriptions. The writing is detailed and rich and I could picture all the different London’s so clearly. I was definitely hanging out with Kell and Lila and checking out Kell’s fancy coat. Honestly, the amount of time and precision that went into creating these worlds and describing them is amazing. And it never felt boring! Sometimes when authors spend a lot of time exploring the small details, it can really slow the down the pace of the novel and get tedious, but it didn’t happen here and I was completely invested in what was going on at all times.

However, I did feel that the ball was dropped with regard to the characters. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the characters overall, I just didn’t feel for them. Kell has such an interesting history and backstory, but I don’t feel like it contributed in any way to his personality. He definitely felt a little like day old soda to me. We don’t know what really motivates him aside from his love for his brother which doesn’t even come into play until later in the novel. He flirts with danger regularly, but not in a way that compels the reader to understand him. We’re just like, oh, Kell’s doing something crazy again, wonder what will happen. Again, the only time I really felt for him was when he was interacting with his brother, Rhy. Lila is a little better, but not by a lot. She’s given a bit more emotional depth and her character is a bit more nuanced, but she’s not exactly what I’d call likable. I happen to like characters like this, where they’re given traits that are interesting and complicated, but aren’t technically “good” or “nice” characters. Sometimes it could be a bit abrasive, but it was a nice change up for me.

There were no real relationships at the heart of this novel other than Kell and Rhy which I loved. There are hints of romance between Kell and Lila and they do share some cute scenes, but romance wasn’t a huge part of this story and I also liked that. Honestly, I found the character histories much more intriguing and Kell’s sense of not belonging anywhere even though he has a family who loves him and who he loves as well, struck a few chords with me. And the genuine love and affection for Rhy was my favorite part of the book. I think the characters will be explored more thoroughly in the subsequent books and I’m also looking forward to seeing a bit more romance between Lila and Kell because they do make an interesting pair. A Gathering of Shadows, the second book in the series, is slated to come out in late February of next year so we’re in for quite a wait.

All in all, this is a really great story with some good characters who have a lot of potential. Schwab is an incredibly gifted storyteller and a master of the vivid detail so this was a great book for me. I wish more energy and time had been spent crafting the characters, though. I think they definitely took a backseat to the story and it was a bit disappointing to me. I do tend to like plot driven novels more than character ones, but it really bugged me in this case because the world was so amazing that I felt like the characters should have been as vibrant and textured. If not for that, it would have been a perfect read for me. I will definitely be checking out the next book though, and I hope that we get a little more insight and development from Kell, Lila, and the extended cast. If you like historical books with a touch of magic and science fiction, this book is definitely for you.

I’ve got a lot of issues with this book, yet it was a real page turner. V.E. Schwab has a skill for thinking up some absolutely divine storylines. They do not, however, appear to grasp what makes a story epic. There is no emotion in this book. I won’t spoil anything but while I liked all the characters individually I wasn’t convinced that any of them had any chemistry at all - whether that be romantic or familial. I felt pretty much nothing. Yet the plot was good, I kept waiting and reading wanting to know how the story would end.

Schwab did this to me with Addie La Rue as well. An interesting, decent premise yet I couldn’t finish the book because the main character was boring as hell. I cared for her not at all.

I will say that with A Darker Shade of Magic I did actually love all the characters individually- or I loved the outline of them. I only felt that I got an outline, even for Kell who we knew the best. Yet I was left wanting more for literally everyone.

I’m hoping the other books tie things up and stay interesting, while giving us some insight into the actual relationships found in this universe. Fingers crossed!