*showcases both covers because is unable to choose just one*
Book: A Darker Shade of Magic
Author: V.E. Schwab
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Rating: 5/5
“Aren’t you afraid of dying?” he asked Lila now.
She looked at him as if it were a strange question. And then she shook her head. “Death comes for everyone,” she said simply. “I’m not afraid of dying. But I am afraid of dying here.” She swept her hand over the room, the tavern, the city. “I’d rather die on an adventure than live standing still.”
I don’t know how to start this review, I don’t know where to start, I don’t know anything. I’d been dreading the time to write this review because I loved it so much and have so many things I want to say about it that I’ve developed this innability to organize my thoughts and feelings about this book. When I think about this book my mind seriously becomes a mess of emotions and I don’t know how I’ll manage to organize this and express them in a coherent way in this review.
I think I’ll start with the world in which this book is set. Seems easy enough, right? NOT! There are only a handful of books that make me fall in love with the world just as much as it makes me fall in love with the characters. This book was one of them. This book is set in London, or more specifically four parallel versions of the place we know as London.
There’s Grey London, which is where one of our main characters, Delilah Bard, comes from. It is a place where magic is a long forgotten thing. It’s an ordinary world, ruled by a mad king, in which magic is a long forgotten thing. It’s known as grey London because since they lack magic, they lack color. Everything is grey and lifeless tones, and it has the peculiar smell of chimney smoke and damp stones, of ashes to it, which is something only someone from another London could’ve noticed, as the residents of this place have long grown used to this scent.
After Grey London comes Red London. This London is a place of strength, beauty, music and laughter, a place in which magic is almost palpable, an ever present hum. Magic is its own thing, and any outsider can sense how the magic courses through this place, and can to some extent understand that magic has a life of its own. This London is full of life and color, it has the scent of flowers and hearth fire, spiced wine and underneath, although again, only an outsider could tell you this, and it was named Red London because of the red river, the Isle, that courses through it, so vibrant and vast that its reflection gives the whole city a reddish tinge. In this place it is strongly believed that power is in balance and balance is in power, and it’s where our other main character, Kell, comes from. *resists urge to ramble on and on about how much I love Kell*
Then there’s White London, a lovely, LOVELY place full of life and love. HA, no. Just kidding! This parallel of London is a place of greed and hunger for power because it is a place where magic is a commodity, and people are willing to do anything to gain control over it. Everyone in this place is either extremely violent and ruthless, or too scared to go out and live their lives because of the horrible reality of this place. It is a dying city, full of desperate people, of defiant magic. Their belief is that there is no future for the weak and that power bends only to those who take it. It’s called White London because since everyone is too occupied with desiring power and doing whatever they can to get it, they forget about other basic things and needs, becoming pale and frayed. This place smells of scorched metal and settling ash, and as is for the other Londons, only an outsider could sense this.
The last London, the one that once shined the brightest but is now nothing, is Black London. Not much is explained in detail about this London in the book, apart from that it smells like wood smoke and shadow (I believe), and that it once was a lovely place until its people turned greedy and hungry for power, and so their London was destroyed, closed off from the other Londons, with the slight peculiarity that since everything that came from Black London was destroyed, not even the Antari (I’ll explain what they are later on) could visit it, as to travel into through different Londons they need a token from each one.
The story claims that the doors to each London were open, and not only the Antari could pass through, but everyone could, as magic was something that was basically available to everyone. But once the Londons started getting overruled by greed and everything related, and things started getting out of hand, Black London was destroyed, and the decision to close off the doors to the Londons was made by Red London, and since they were the ones that made the decision, and believed that balance is power, they were the only ones that got to keep magic in its entirety.
Now after the doors to the Londons were closed, only the Antari, increasingly rare people born with magic in their blood, and are therefore able to control it, were able to pass through and travel between these parallel Londons, serving as mediators to the different kingdoms. The Antari can be identify by their peculiar eyes, one of color and one completely pitch black. One of our main characters, Kell, is an Antari, so the readers really get an inside look into these types of people, and how they work. Kell has ginger hair, and has one blue eye and one black. He’s said to be rather pale, tall, and lanky, and has a sort of seriousness to him and what he does.
Our other main character, Delilah (Lila) Bard, is more of a free-spirited, wildhearted thief with a pirate’s heart, in search for an adventure, a purpose in life. Her path crosses with Kell when she attempts to rob him, and succeeds, and he looks for her, asking for what she stole, as it is a dangerous item, and it shouldn’t be in anyone’s hands, much less the hands of a person that has no control over magic. When Kell goes back to retrieve the stolen item, Lila takes notice of his eye, and once she begins interrogating him, she decides that he may be her ticket to an adventure, and the rest is history.
The world and concept of this book is as complex as it is enthralling and beautiful. From the minute I started reading this book I was sold on this book, and something that I really love and appreciate about it is that it’s not one of those books in which one tends to feel lost. V.E. Schwab does an amazing job at explaining the complexity of this world in detail that the readers can’t help but submerge themselves into this world. It has languages and customs of its own and it IS a world of its own, and I couldn’t be more content at the fact that I get to be a part of it (or at least feel like I am).
The characters, specially the main characters, are very real and believable and you can’t not root for them. Each of them has a personality and conflicts of their own, and none of them lacks dimension. Think about two characters (from the same book) that you love. Now think about one of them ceasing to be. What is left of the other character? Is that character still the same, do you appreciate him/her the same? Would the book flop without that character? Would it not be as great? Well the main characters in this book are so real, and intricately well made that V.E. Schwab could write a book on each character alone, without the support of the other, and they would still keep the same feeling to them, and they would be just as great as they are when they’re together.
A Gathering of Shadows, the sequel to A Darker Shade of Magic comes out on February 23rd, 2016. *squeals in excitement*
Delilah Bard, specially, is a character to which I grew incredibly attached, more than one would think. Her way of thinking is so intriguing, and she has this sense of freedom and adventure to her, that I found myself feeling her thoughts and even agreeing with her. Sometimes she’d think or say things that I later found myself turning over in my head, and actually reflecting upon them. If I were given the option of becoming a fictional character, there are obviously an endless list of characters that I’d choose, but she’d be one of the characters that I wouldn’t even need to think about or hesitating on choosing, because she’d be at the top of my head.
And Kell, my dearly loved Kell. Let’s just say he has his own special place in my heart. He’s so real and magical (pun intended), and I feel like he’s someone I’d love to be around with. And fun fact about me, I’ve had a thing for redheads since I was a little girl, so his gorgeous ginger hair is such an incredible plus. Also, you know when someone’s good at what they do, and takes it very seriously, you can’t help but be drawn to them? Kell gives me that same feeling. Something I value a lot in a person is if they’re passionate for what they do, and how passionate they are, and with Kell it’s impossible to overlook how passionate he is about his magic and his duties, and how seiously he takes them. He’s an outstanding character and I could ramble on and on about how much love and feelings I have for him for days and days.
Overall, this book, its story as well as the world it takes place in, is captivating and enchanting and if you’ve ever seen this book and hesitated to buy it or read it, I’ll recommend that you pick it up because I can assure you that you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find yourself immersed and invested in this fantastic world.
the reader's compass 