Shades Of Magic: The Steel Prince Vol. 1 (Graphic Novel)

I’m so excited to have this graphic novel in my hands. The artwork is gorgeous, the writing fascinating and to read Maxim’s story is a dream come true. I need all the things from the Shades of Magic world. V.E. Schwab is my favorite author and she writes pirates so well and Isra is a character I didn’t know I needed much like Lila. I also loved the villain, she’s so dramatic and horrid and I kind of love her for being her awful self.

Great fast-paced story with beautiful (and easy to follow) visuals to really bring the world of "A Darker Shade of Magic" to life! I can't wait to go back and re-read the series now that I have different visuals for how the author herself envisioned it to be.

The only "complaint" I have is that graphic novels can be read quickly and I'm dying to read the rest of the series! Victoria Schwab had quickly become my favorite author with this and her Villans series, and each bit of her work she puts out (especially the Shades of Magic series) is top notch in story telling - and now visual content. I really hope she and her publishing company consider continuing graphic novels beyond this mini backstory series of Maxim.

“Here, our story begins…”

I read the entire A Darker Shade of Magic trilogy, and I ended up giving them all three stars. I am absolutely obsessed with Victoria’s mind and worlds, and her characters are truly some of the best I’ve read, but the plot and events always held me back from completely loving them. But when I found out we were going to get to learn more about Rhy’s father (adoptive father of Kell) and the events that lead him to being King, I knew I couldn’t resist. But here I am, still surprised that I ended up giving the prequel graphic novel series start three stars.

Maxim Maresh is only a prince in this brand-new graphic novel series, but he is the sole heir and the king in waiting in Red London. Yet, he wants to be so much more than that, and he wants to prove that he will be capable and earn his rightful place as king one day. Maxim and his family are also people of color, with obvious dark brown skin, but it is never stated what ethnicity in this made up alternate historical London. And he has earned himself the title of The Steel Prince because of his magical affinity with steel.

But in this bind-up, Maxim gets involved with pirates, and magical tournaments, and figuring out who he wants to be. Yet, this first volume barely mentions the parallel Londons, which (to me) is the coolest part of this world, completely. And then with this elaborate magic system finally being visualized, it just felt clunky, and like it missed the mark completely on something that could have been groundbreaking.

“You fight like a royal. Like the weapons are made of wood. Like no one means to hurt you. But this is not London, your highness.”

But my biggest problem with this graphic novel was honestly the art. Trust me, it kills me to say this, but I just never grew to like the style of this book. And especially with something as cool as the world of ADSOM, I feel like an artist really could have turned this into one of the most aesthetically pleasing series of all time, especially with red, grey, black, and white having such a pivotal role in this world. But I don’t have an art degree, so don’t listen to me. I’m just stating what I would have liked more for this story! The artist is still very talented. And if this is your favorite art style of all time? You are valid.

I still really enjoyed this bind-up and I can’t wait to see where the story goes next. I hope we get to see more cameos of characters we love, too! And if you are already a fan of VE Schwab and this breathtaking world, I bet you will absolutely love this addition! Content and trigger warnings violence, blood, and torture.