But the fact that they seem so human and similar to us and actually have their own Achilles' heel is something that makes them infinitely scarier. The villains in A Darker Shade of Magic are realistic.

If that doesn't seem like the coolest thing ever, I don't know how else to impress you!ģ. Corruption in light of the very magic that gave them power. Cool guys with black eyes and thieves and kingdoms rotting to their doom. (The concept, of course, along with the execution. I'm not saying that the concept makes the book good, but.well, no that's kinda, sorta, exactly what I'm saying. Take a look at some of the quotes from her books, and I'm sure you'll be shivering and screeching the same way I was.Ģ. I could only dream of having a grasp on words and writing the way that she does. HOW ON EARTH?!?!?!?! Her word choice is succinct, and the way in which she crafts her sentences and builds them into scenes and dialogue is UNREAL. She has the ability to make words flow effortlessly while at the same time being concise and unbelievably powerful. The second thing you'll notice about this book (the first being the simple yet beautiful cover, of course) is Schwab's absolutely STUNNING writing. Despite its slow build (I love some good slow burn fics, but this one was, well, SLOW ), there are a lot of wonderful things about this book that made my experience reading it a very fun one.ġ. A Darker Shade of Magic is one of the fantasy books that I actually enjoyed, and quite a bit at that. Schwab is a talented writer, that's for sure.Īnyone who knows me at all knows I'm super-picky when it comes to fantasy novels. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive. Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.Īfter an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. Kell was raised in Arnes-Red London-and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see. Kell is one of the last Antari-magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.

A darker shade of magic book