Marek reviewed A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab (Shades of Magic)
Some sharp magical fun
4 stars
Though V.E. Schwab has been on my radar for a while I haven't picked up anything by her before. I have now ordered the second two books in this series. This was an interesting, fun adventure, with lots of character.
This is a multiple-worlds story, in which dimensions with different forms or levels of magical power are connected through a shared sense of "London" (though the different Londons and the countries in which they exist are quite distinct from one another).
The primary protagonist, Kell, is a magic user who moves between the worlds. His relationship with his own world is "complicated", and things are made much moreso when he unexpectedly ends up smuggling something he doesn't intend.
There are some lovely ideas here, and the world-building is well-handled. The main characters are compelling and sympathetic, while still having some rough edges. Setting the stage across the different dimensions takes …
Though V.E. Schwab has been on my radar for a while I haven't picked up anything by her before. I have now ordered the second two books in this series. This was an interesting, fun adventure, with lots of character.
This is a multiple-worlds story, in which dimensions with different forms or levels of magical power are connected through a shared sense of "London" (though the different Londons and the countries in which they exist are quite distinct from one another).
The primary protagonist, Kell, is a magic user who moves between the worlds. His relationship with his own world is "complicated", and things are made much moreso when he unexpectedly ends up smuggling something he doesn't intend.
There are some lovely ideas here, and the world-building is well-handled. The main characters are compelling and sympathetic, while still having some rough edges. Setting the stage across the different dimensions takes some time, and so the main plot doesn't kick in until about 100 pages in, but at no point does the book feel slow - there are enough sharp ideas and interesting people to keep things moving. Once things really get going it gets hectic, without much pause for breath for the characters or the reader.
Overall, this is a fun, period fantasy thriller, and a good read. As mentioned above, I have ordered both follow-up books, and did so before finishing this one, I'm looking forward to them.
The story is not without its drawbacks though. Once the world-building phase is done, and the main plot kicks off, that's more or less that for depth. The magic, which had felt like it had some nicely inventive components, gets very general to keep things moving, and there isn't much room for character development at that stage, so the villains are a bit cartoonish, and the differences between dimensions a little...one-dimensional.
I'm still looking forward to the next book, and hoping that the extra story gives Schwab an opportunity to expand and deepen some of the nice ideas here.
