The first in the book in the Shades of Magic series, it takes place in early 19th Century London, well actually several London's.....
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.
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.
Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.
After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. 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.
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So why do I love this book so much? First, the world its set it. I absolutely love the setup of this world the idea of these three parallel worlds is such a fun concept to me and its set in the exactly right time period. Second, the magic style is based in the elements similar to Avatar; The Last Airbender but also has features that you would find the Harry Potter Books. Lastly, characters are all very good, Kell and Lila, are two characters that I just don't see how you can't love. Kell is this Prince who hates almost everything about being a prince, Lila is a want to be pirate/adventurer. The villains (Athos and Astrid) are also very well done with a level of evil and coldness that is just right.
I first learned about this book in 2017 from NPR's review on it (find that here:https://www.npr.org/2015/02/25/387252679/darker-shade-paints-a-fantasy-world-rich-in-depth-and-color) and rushed to buy it. Since then I finished the rest of the series and went on to read several more of V.E. Schwabs books.
You can find more information about A Darker Shade of Magic here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22055262-a-darker-shade-of-magic
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Thank you so much for reading my first post!
I don't really expect this to take off or for to many people to read it, but books are one of my favorites things and I am glad I get to share them with you all.
At the moment I don't have a plan on how often I'll update. As I work on this I figure I'll get a more routine schedule setup.
Also I apologize for an spelling errors, I may love to read but I don't claim I am a perfect writer.
Yours In Reading,
Logan
