A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

A Darker Shade of Magic
ADSOM: Book One
Written by V.E. Schwab
Fantasy, Young Adult, Magic
Published February 27th 2015 by Titan Books
Add to Goodreads
★★★★★
Kell is one of the last Travelers—rare magicians who choose a parallel universe to visit.

Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London is ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. People fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Once there was Black London - but no one speaks of that now.

Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see. This dangerous hobby sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to another world for her 'proper adventure'.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive — trickier than they hoped.
OH. MY. FUCKERY.
THIS BOOK WAS BRILLIANT. Okay folks, my bookish fam - people have been shoving this book at me for a year. A YEAR. I have snubbed them every single time. Why? I don't know. Maybe I had a premature stroke. Maybe I was being too picky. Maybe both. But the point is: worst mistake ever! I could have been enjoying this beauty last year but nah my dumb ass didn't think it was my ~thing~. It was so so my thing, I haven't fangirled this hard since.. since a long time. This review will be a shit-ton of shameless gushing so if you're not into that, then I'll save you some time by telling you that this book was my everything and don't be foolish like me! Read it ASAP - life is short.

Kynndra's Thoughts

ADSOM has astounding worldbuilding. This was what I adored most out of a plethora of other things. I'm pretty sure Victoria Schwab prides herself on being original - if she doesn't then she really should because wow. WOW. I was blown away by the uniqueness of the four London's (Red, White, Black and Grey). Each one had its own rules, its own people and its own magical standing allowing for differentiation betwixt four very similar yet different worlds that our character(s) traverse throughout the plot. Despite the fact we don't get to see anything from Black London, we're still provided a vivid image of what it's like. I definitely found White London the most intriguing.

  • The magical system and Antari were fascinating as hell. The powers that the magical beings conveyed was wicked! I greatly appreciated how Schwab made sure to draw her readers a picture so that we understood the logistics of how one controls magic/what their magic entails. Rich & dimensional characters. The characters. UGGGH. There were amazing! Especially Lila, whom I love dearly. She's a thief with no family who just wants to be a pirate (and even when she's swept up into Kell's world she never stops wanting to be a pirate!) Her snark and wit was the highlight of this story for me as she brought so much life to the pages. Kell is also a brilliant MC, who remains mysterious throughout the entire book - I'm hoping we get to see his layers peeled back in book two (no not his skin, even though I wouldn't be surprised as this book was violent af). I ship these two, I will probably wallow away if these guys are not a thing. My OTP to the moon and back.

  • “I'm not going to die," she said. "Not till I've seen it."
    "Seen what?"
    Her smile widened. "Everything.”

  • The Danes were true villains as they ruled White London (notorious for all things bad and dark). These two siblings gave me the creeps but in a good way? If a character is labeled as bad, I want them to be bad. Which they thankfully were.

  • Holland & Rhy were our secondary characters and while I really didn't care about Holland, I did care about Rhy who I imagine will play a bigger part in the next few books.

  • Fantastic writing & a captivating plot. I'm new to this authors work, but if I'm honest I haven't heard of anyone who doesn't like her writing. It's applauded everywhere I go, and by everyone I've spoken to and rightly so. It has everything and more, there is no doubt in my mind that if anyone was born to write it was Victoria Schwab. More importantly though, is the fact that she is a thourall plotter. I was hooked from page one, I needed to know where Kell and Lila's story would lead which kept me reading well into the night even when I was beat. I've added one more author to my short list of favorites.

    In Conclusion

    A Darker Shade of Magic was an adventure that left me wanting more. I did not ever expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, and I'm thankful to all those who recommended it to me (even if it took me twenty years to pick up a copy). I'll have to get a copy of AGOS as soon as possible. I'm even considering getting a quote tattoo (unsure of what yet, there's so many great lines but that's how much I loved it!). Buy it, check it out - just read this series guys!

    grunts. i'm so tired tbh.


    follow kynndra via  TWITTER   INSTAGRAM   TUMBLR   GOODREADS


    26 comments

    1. I love VE Schwab, she's so awesome!!! *-*

      ReplyDelete
    2. Glad you enjoyed this one! The worldbuilding is also my favorite thing from this series, is just so original and incredibly vivid, with the rules, language, culture, magic system, you name it. It's like reading about real country in the real world! Have you seen the cover for the #3 book? It's really amazing, and it makes me can't wait for 2017 XD I hope you'll enjoy the #2 book too!

      Tasya // The Literary Huntress

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. The world building was absolutely delightful. You hit the nail right on the head, Tasya! What Victoria has created is nothing short of original. I've never seen anything like this in what I've read. It truly is like a real country! Omg yes, the cover for book three is gorgeous xP I'm positive I'll enjoy book two!

        Delete
    3. I am so eager to read this book!! It's so close to the top of my TBR. Just have to read a couple more and then FINALLY I get to enjoy this! I hope I love it as much as everyone else *crosses fingers*

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. I really hope you enjoy it, Ali. It's a wonderful and kickass story!

        Delete
    4. Yesss I am so happy you loved it so much, Kynn! This is one of my favourite ongoing series at the moment. I love the concept of the Londons & the blood magic of the Antari. Plus, Lila is literally perfection?! If anything, she's even better in the next book. I can't wait for you to get stuck into AGOS and then suffer with me as we wait for ACOL!

      Aentee at Read at Midnight

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. It's up there on my list of favorites too, Aentee! The concept of the four London was so fascinating - purely because it's never been done before to my knowledge. Plus, I love going "omg this author has a fantastic imagination" which I found myself often thinking. Can't wait to nose my way into AGOS!

        Delete
    5. I don't even like fantasy and I loved this! I'm glad you did too. :)

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. See! Anyone can fall in love with this series c:

        Delete
    6. Somehow i still haven't been able to get to this book yet. I really want to read this book.

      Awesome review :)
      Aparajita @Le' Grande Codex

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Thank you, Apa! I really hope that you're able to get your hands on it in the near future ^^

        Delete
    7. I need to read this! I know I do! It just sounds fantastic. That's great you finally gave it a go and found it totally worthwhile. And yay for bad characters actually being bad! lol

      -Lauren

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Gah! I can't explain how badly you must read this, Lauren! It's way too good to pass up.

        Delete
    8. I heard about this a while ago and forgot. Yeah oops, I'm a dumb ass. Thank you for putting it back on my radar :-).

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Haha! It's all good, I'm a dumb ass too for waiting so long to read this one. You're welcome, glad I could put it back into your sights c:

        Delete
    9. I'm really glad that you loved this because I did too! VE Schwab took me by surprise with her amazing and unique style, and I also enjoyed this one more than I expected to! Great review :)

      Kim @ Divergent Gryffindor: BLOG || VLOG

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Yaas! Schwab has such a kick ass imagination + writing. So happy to hear you loved this one too, Kim.

        Delete
    10. Okay, I need to read this. I'm where you were before reading the book. The summary doesn't sound all that thrilling, and maybe even a little confusing, but I've only seen rave reviews. Will it be a trilogy?

      ReplyDelete
    11. TEEHEE! I loved everything about your review! I felt your excitement for this KYNNDRA! <3 I was like you too, I've been seeing this book everywhere but I've always been like NO. I DON'T WANNA because mainly, I didn't know how I was going to feel about it but you have finally convinced me and I'm going to read it! So, TANK YOU. <3

      ReplyDelete
    12. YESSSSS I am so glad you loved this! Are you going to go straight into reading AGOS?

      ReplyDelete
    13. I'm so glad you liked it. Isn't this book just fantastic? I agree, I really enjoyed the worldbuilding and magic system in this book. It made the book so original. The characters were so much fun, I did find Lila to be a bit annoying at firs,t but she grew on me. She's very impulsive, which was frustrating to read, but was also quite endearing.

      And a quote tattoo really demonstrates your love for this book. I can't wait to hear what quote it is you get if you go through with it.

      ReplyDelete
    14. I just started this last night and am SO EXCITED to finally get to this series!

      ReplyDelete
    15. *sobs* this is the ONE series I simply MUST get my hands on!

      ReplyDelete
    16. I've had this one sitting on my bookshelf, growing dust, for literally a year too -- and for the same reason as you did: I keep thinking that maybe it's not going to be My Thing.

      However... After reading your review, I think I need to read it like, right away?? The magic, the world-building, the plot... It all sounds so intriguing! And I'm even more encouraged by the fact that you were in basically an identical position to me, and were absolutely blown away by it!

      So, basically, thank you so much for convincing me to pick up a book that's been very sad and neglected for so long. ^_^

      Shaunna @ Books Over Bros

      ReplyDelete
    17. I've just started reading this and I LOVE IT!!!!!

      ReplyDelete

    © Diva Booknerd. Design by Fearne.