A darker shade of magic is a fantasy novel written by V.E. Schwab. The story is set in a universe where there are four parallel Londons: Grey London, Red London, White London, and Black London. Each London possesses different levels of magic, with Grey London being devoid of magic, Red London brimming with it, White London desperately clinging to it, and Black London consumed by it. The protagonist of the story is Kell, a rare magician known as an Antari who has the ability to travel between the Londons.
Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see. It’s a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand. After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure. Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they’ll first need to stay alive.
Her characters are so well-developed in the way she shows their actions and movements and interactions with others, there wasn t a single moment of telling or explanation for behavior or history. Goodreads blurb Kell is one of the last Antari magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.
The protagonist of the story is Kell, a rare magician known as an Antari who has the ability to travel between the Londons. He serves as an ambassador for Red London's royal family, but he also has a dangerous hobby on the side: smuggling magical artifacts between the worlds. During one of his smuggling trips, Kell's path crosses with Delilah Bard, a cunning thief from Grey London.
What Was The Reason – A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab Review
Goodreads blurb: Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.
Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.
Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see. It’s a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.
After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.
Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they’ll first need to stay alive.
This is where Schwab and I amicably part ways
This is the second novel I read from Schwab and I have gauged what I do not like about her writing, so it’s time for me to just admit her books are not for me. I read Vicious, gave it 3 stars because it was at a time when I thought I had to like popular books (embarrassing, I know, it was also more of 2 star read) and the issues I had with that are largely the same I have with A Darker Shade of Magic. See, V.E. Schwab is very good at coming up with a concept. But if there’s ANYTHING I hate, it’s a concept without any semblance of depth. This book is a very good outline of a great world, magic system and characters. And the thing about good outlines is that they allow the reader to project whatever they want onto it. The fandom stuff I have seen for this book far exceeds what this book actually does.
First of all, there is really no world building here. The world is so painfully simple and I really was looking forward to exploring beyond the concept of the four Londons. But we do not do that at all. Literally, all you get to know in 400 pages is that there are four Londons, that’s it. And you would think that 400 pages would do something in terms of character or world building but I promise you they do not. But they give you a very good outline for you to project whatever you want onto them. I finally understand why people either love or hate Lila Bard. I was hoping that it was because she is such a complex character but it’s the opposite, it’s actually because she is so painfully simple. She is a survivor who is really reckless and stupid. That’s it. And then you can focus on the first part and love her, or focus on the second part and hate her. Same goes for Kell. What’s Kell’s defining feature? He love his family but he feels he does not actually belong. OKAY. Done. Rhy? He is a flirt, but deeply committed to being a good king so insecure. THERE. V.E. Schwab gives you these very tropey outlines of characters and then you can pour whatever suits your fancy into them. But she does not do any actual character work. I am sorry, but that’s just my opinion. The one character I liked was Holland and that’s because you guessed it, Holland’s outline is my kryptonite outline – he’s tortured and hence cruel, but maybe there’s more to it. But again, no real complexity there. I did care about Rhy and Kell’s brother bond, it’s great, and I shipped Rhy and Holland so much because that’s my perfect pairing, but like, there really is not much there. But it’s great if you want to make it be. It’s like a choose your own adventure story, except with characters. There were also points in this book where there was so much potential to make the characters and their dynamics more interesting but they just crumpled under the heavy weight of how basic these characters actually were.
There’s Dull London, Kell London, Creepy London, and Dead London.
Everyone loves this quote so much because it shows how Lila is so funny but in actuality this is all the world building that exists in this series. Like you read that sentence and you get 400 pages worth of world building that Schwab does. I find underdeveloped worlds and magic systems painfully aggravating and that’s exactly what this was. I kid you not at one point Kell explains to Lila the Red London world (I swear to god I forgot how the land is called because it’s mentioned only twice and in a stupid way) and he literally says “there’s this kingdom and two others”, and Lila asks “and beyond” and he says “beyond? well I guess many more countries”. AND THAT’S THE EXTENT OF THE WORLD BUILDING IN THIS BOOK. This scene actually made me laugh out loud incredulously. The magic was also vague and another thing I hate the most – limitless. It fits and does whatever the story needs it to do and I cannot explain to you how much I hate that. There’s a lot of deus ex machina resolution in this book and that rides on the magic being whatever it needs to be. And it also makes the stakes painfully low and hence the book painfully boring for me personally. People love to argue how this is only the first book in the series and you have to get the full series to understand its scope but I promise you that that is not the case. World-building happens throughout the series and first books are so important for it, and this book does none of the work.
What is the actual point of this book?
This book is just very annoyingly boring. And the annoying thing is that there’s absolutely no driving force to this novel and its plot. Literally nothing happens and when things do happen there’s absolutely no stakes there – 200 pages into this and nothing has happened and you are also supposed to believe that there is this dark magic and it’s dangerous but it really is not and you really could not care less. The plot is so so messy and it’s parading as fast-paced, with its short chapters that end at crucial points (but we can argue if this book even has a crucial point) but for the book to actually be fast-paced it needs to have a driving force behind the stuff happening and it needs to not be boring and A Darker Shade of Magic was none of those things.
Definitely not my cup of tea. I just felt like this had nothing going for it except for Holland and the imaginary romantic tension between him and Rhy that I made up in my head because of one encounter that V. E. Schwab negated at the end but I promptly chose to ignore. So one star for Schwab’s outline and another for me filling the outline. Teamwork!
I am really sorry if you like this novel and I was just bitchy about it – I would love for you to tell me if you read it and loved it or read it and hated it! Let’s chat!
Kell is a 21-year-old antari with a magical coat who grew up in Red London's royal palace. He is officially tasked with carrying royal letters across the magical borders, but smuggles items of interest on the side. Despite being raised as family by the royals he is not related to them by blood. He doesn't know who his real parents are, nor where he was born. Kell suspects his memories have been suppressed by a spell, marked by the rune for 'memory' just below the crook of his elbow. His personality can best be described as reserved, kind and loyal. All of them to a fault, though his wits have always saved him.
Together, they embark on a thrilling adventure as they try to navigate the complexities and dangers of the different Londons. Along the way, they uncover a dark and powerful magic that threatens to destroy everything. The novel explores themes of power, identity, and the consequences of one's actions. Kell, burdened by his responsibilities and haunted by his past, must confront his own inner demons. As the story unfolds, the distinction between hero and villain blurs, and the characters must question their beliefs and alliances. Schwab's writing style is vivid and immersive, capturing the uniqueness of each London and the intensity of the magical elements. She expertly crafts a complex world filled with intrigue and danger, keeping readers hooked from the first page to the last. The characters are well-developed and diverse, with their own motivations and flaws. "A darker shade of magic" is the first book in a trilogy, followed by "A gathering of shadows" and "A conjuring of light". It offers a thrilling and enchanting reading experience that will captivate fans of fantasy and adventure..
Reviews for "The Power of Names and Language in "Kell: A Darker Shade of Magic"
1. Sarah - 2/5 stars - I had such high hopes for "Kell a darker shade of masic" due to the rave reviews, but I was sorely disappointed. The plot seemed scattered and confusing, with too many unnecessary details that didn't contribute to the overall story. The characters were also underdeveloped, making it difficult for me to connect with them. While the concept of multiple Londons was intriguing, it wasn't executed very well. Overall, the book lacked depth and failed to live up to the hype.
2. John - 2/5 stars - "Kell a darker shade of masic" was a tedious read for me. The pacing was incredibly slow, and I found myself struggling to stay engaged throughout the book. The world-building was lackluster, and I felt like I was constantly bombarded with new information without any real context or explanation. Additionally, the dialogue felt forced and unnatural, making it difficult for me to connect with the characters. Overall, I was left feeling incredibly underwhelmed by this book and would not recommend it to others.
3. Emily - 3/5 stars - While "Kell a darker shade of masic" had an interesting premise, I found the execution to be lacking. The writing style was overly descriptive and often dragged on, making it difficult for me to stay engaged. The characters, though well-developed, lacked depth and didn't elicit any emotional response from me. The plot, while initially intriguing, became predictable and formulaic as the story progressed. Overall, the book fell short of my expectations and left me feeling unsatisfied.