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I hadn’t heard of V.E. Schwab until now (I live under a rock), but I assure you she’s on my radar after reading A Darker Shade of Magic. This novel was suggested to me when I was looking for books similar to the Magicians series by Lev Grossman (The Magicians, The Magician King, The Magician’s Land), and although I see the connection, I honestly found this to be closer to The City & The City by China Miéville meets Robin Hobb’s Assassin’s Apprentice.

Now, that’s a lot of praise, and I can’t claim that Schwab tops Hobb’s elegant writing—that may be impossible. However, she evokes the same wonder. The story rather effortlessly flows from action sequence to dramatic interlude weaving the story of Kell, one of the last Antari who can travel through the multiple planes of London, and Delilah, a thief who wants more than anything to be on an adventure—or just free of her mundane existence. The ease with which she introduces concepts of parallel Londons and the magic system to the readers while weaving backstories into the mix was masterful. The world is cool, the characters are well thought out, and the story flows smoothly from beat to beat. Good.

With all this novel excels at, I felt a few things held it back. Kell, as interesting a character that he was, felt somewhat bland. He was just a vessel moving the story along. I didn’t get much of anything from Holland except that he was the antithesis to Kell, which wasn’t hard to be. Lila, I found fascinating, and felt like she was Schwab’s main character throughout the story. She has emotion, goals, and pushes against the narrative, but she is cliched. That said, their interactions were the bread and butter of the story. Schwab does wonders when characters intersect.

All said, it’s an excellent novel that takes place in an interesting world different from the usual fare. I hope we get to explore more in the sequels. The characters provide enough life and move the story along to keep me engrossed, and their dialogue and interactions are fire.

Great read!

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