Author: V. E. Schwab
Book: A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1)
Published: January 2016
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Paperback
Rating:
Synopsis:
Kell lives as one of the last two Antari. Antari are magicians able to travel between specific points in parallel worlds. This point is London, of which there are three: Red, Grey, and White. Once there was a Black London which no one speaks of now, save in whispers. Kell’s home is in Red London, called Arnes by the locals of this world.
Kell serves as ambassador between the Londons, traveling to White London with constant bloody regime changes and Grey London which exists without magic. Kell also smuggles little trinkets between the worlds. When an exchange goes wrong, Kell escapes to Grey London and gets robbed by Delilah Bard, who then saves him from a deadly enemy. Kell takes her to Red London where dangerous magic and treachery lurk at every turn.
Review:
I usually don’t pick up alternative world stories as they tend to be confusing. I almost didn’t pick it up the second time I saw it on the Bookery’s shelves. I’m glad I did. The worlds were different enough that I could keep track of which was which. V. E. Schwab uses elemental-based magic, a good grounding point for magical systems. The interplay between the characters proved to be fun.
Kell is a magician who can walk between worlds with the dangerous and highly illegal hobby of smuggling. When he unwittingly smuggles a magical object from Black London, events are set in motion that leads him to Delilah Bard, a Grey London pickpocket who wants a proper adventure. What followed kept me turning the pages. I already picked up the two sequels in the series.
Kurt's Frontier 