Have you ever had that moment when you’ve looked around you and asked yourself, “what if that didn’t exist?” or “what if things worked differently?” and you fall down the rabbit hole of imagining a whole different kind of world? Well, that is exactly what reading V. E. Schwab’s novel A Darker Shade of Magic did for me.
A Darker Shade of Magic takes place in a world that holds multiple universes, four to be precise, and only those with magic can cross over into the other worlds. While so many things are different in each of the worlds, one thing remains the same: London. There is always a city called London on an island nation, which are distinguished by colours: Grey London, Red London, White London and Black London. In some worlds, magic is accepted and in others it remains unknown. Some places covet magic, while others respect but fear it simultaneously.
I had only heard about Schwab in passing, and it wasn’t until late last year when the bookstagram world was in a frenzy about her newest book Vengeful that I really took a moment to check her out. Rather than starting with the Vicious series, which her latest book is a part of, I decided to go for her already finished series (nothing worse than catching up on a series and having to wait a year for the next one to come out). I did not regret picking up A Darker Shade of Magic at all!
Though it is labelled as adult fantasy, elements of the novel were very reminiscent of the young adult fantasy novels I read in my teens. For me this was a welcomed feeling. The novels of my adolescence often sent my imagination booming like very few other novels had, leaving me to imagine new worlds, characters, creatures and whole cultures and languages. I revelled in it and I felt the same delight and attachment to A Darker Shade of Magic. Though it was more adult in its treatment of a fantasy world, it maintained a sense of curiosity and unbridled recklessness and passion that very often came with the protagonists of young adult fiction. And that was very much due to the characters.
The novel switches between Kell, one of the last of those who can travel between universes, and Lila, a street thief with a dream of becoming a pirate. Brought together by violence, the two align for unlikely reasons and have to learn to trust one another. But how do you learn to trust when dishonesty keeps you alive? The nuances of the budding allyship between Kell and Lila is addictive to read, even more so because they are not seeped in cliché. Lila is a strong personality who is not going to swoon for anybody but is simultaneously witty and incredibly capable.
My only issue with the novel was that I found the momentum of the events to be a bit strange. Though it followed the relatively traditional route of building to a climatic event, bits of the novel seemed quick to begin with, with a relative period of slow development before jumping back into the dramatic and fast-moving pace. Though not a big deterrent, it did mean I struggled to get through a middle section of the novel more than the rest of the book. However, regardless of this, it was not a book I was planning on abandoning.
So much so that I cannot wait to pick up the next of the series very soon!
If you’re looking for a good fantasy book with strong characters, this would be my suggestion!
~S~
