A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab Book Review

“‘You’re very fond of weapons.’

Lila stared at him blankly. ‘Who isn’t?’

‘You already have a knife out,’ he pointed out.

‘So? . . No such things as too many knives.’

‘You’re a violent sort.'”

(pg. 264)

About

Author: V.E. Schwab

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Series: The Shades of Magic

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Other Shades of Magic Series Book Reviews

A Gathering of Shadows (coming soon!)

A Conjuring of Light (coming soon!)

Synopsis

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.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they’ll first need to stay alive.

Review

Spoilers Contained Below

To all the Londons,

If you’ve been reading my blog posts since maybe 2020, I told myself I was going to read all of V.E. Schwab’s books because I became absolutely, downright unhealthily OBSESSED with The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

I seriously bought all of V.E. Schwab’s books after reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, but my dumb self has not actually read those books until, you know, this year 🤦🏽‍♀️. Why you ask? Why didn’t I read those books until now? Well you know, pandemic things, college got busy with my last few years, getting used to my first job and all the changes, life changes, and then you find yourself five years later, wondering why you haven’t picked up a single book you bought at the time you thought you were going to read them 🙃. I know those are excuses. I have a good reason though haha. I don’t know about you, but when I read a series, I like to be focused—in the reading zone—because if I read the series when I’m not focused, then I feel like I’m not too into the series or I don’t understand it. So that’s why I like to read fantasy during summers or breaks because I can devote more brain knowledge and time to understanding the world and wanting to fall into the story rather than when I am working or busy because my brain goes everywhere else and I only read a few pages here and there, and don’t get into the story. I don’t know if that makes sense, but it makes sense to me 😅.

But I told myself, this is the year because reading V.E. Schwab’s books has been my goal every year since.

And guess, what????? I did the thing, I read the book 👏🏼!!!! ***pats myself on the back for the loser I am 😂*** I’m joking, I’m not a loser, my humor’s just self-deprecating.

ANWAY, I finally read at least one of the V.E. Schwab books I have been meaning to read, and I’m proud of myself for starting because I told myself to make like Nike and just do it. And I did.

Honestly, I liked A Darker Shade of Magic. The plot was interesting enough to keep me steadily reading, I kind of enjoyed the characters for how interesting they were, and the world was quite fascinating. Is A Darker Shade of Magic on my level of obsession of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue . . . ummm, not really, but that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy A Darker Shade of Magic. There were just things about A Darker Shade of Magic that I felt could have been expanded on, and there was something deeper I was missing to be really enthralled by the story. But A Darker Shade of Magic was a solid book, and I will be reading the next book.

Not going to lie, after reading A Darker Shade of Magic, I was like, “Who’s left to write about 😂?” I mean, sis, killed off basically the entire cast of characters, so I don’t know where we go from there except write a whole new cast 😂. But am I not right? I felt like A Darker Shade of Magic was kind of written in completion as if there was the possibility of this book not being a series. I just felt like the way the book ended and closed, felt like a solo book rather than a series, especially with mostly every character seemingly gone, but I’m interested in reading more to see where the story goes because I do have more questions.

I just got WAY ahead of myself there with everyone got killed off, so let’s start from the beginning.

The aspect of A Darker Shade of Magic that I enjoyed the most was the world.

You can tell that V.E. Schwab was fascinated with the idea of London, and expanded on her curiosity with magic. I don’t think someone envisions four types of London if they did not like the idea of London; I haven’t been to London but I do think that London holds a lot of intricate and complex history—also a very beautiful place.

In this world, there are four Londons—–red, white, gray, and black.

Red London is a London full of life—vibrancy, red. It’s a London full of magic. It’s a place thriving with a balance of elemental magic, ruled by King Maxim and Queen Emira with their son Prince Rhy.

Gray London is a dull London with no magic. It’s a place where people are kind of poor, and some people are not, but they know that there is magic somewhere in the world based on history, it’s just they don’t have much magic.

White London is bone London—a dying London built on literal bones. It’s a place filled with a harsh ruthlessness that felt cutthroat and controlling. White London was ruled by two dictators (in my opinion), Athos and Astrid Dane, who ruled with obedience and fear. Athos and Astrid Dane came to power after fighting in a battle with Holland for the throne. They obviously won, and bound Holland as a servant for White London.

Black London is a dead London—physically and verbally (no one dares talk about Black London).

Black London is very interesting and carries intrigue. The story goes that Black London used to hold a lot of magic, but the magic fed on the people and the people fed on the magic there; people became obsessed with magic that the magic consumed them and they consumed the magic. Magic in Black London felt like an addictive drug where everyone wanted magic, and once they had a taste of magic, that magic wasn’t enough. They wanted more magic. But consuming the magic wasn’t healthy because the magic literally ate at the people to the point that the people started dying and the world was this dark place. To stop the spread of very dark magic, all London’s closed the doors to each other. White London was the closest to Black London, meaning that when the doors closed, they were the closest to the dark magic escaping, leaving White London to fend for themselves. Hence, why White London was kind of dying.

I wondered who destroyed the doors back then. I wondered if someone was going to open the doors again because it felt like, naturally, if someplace was off limits and held a lot of power, someone would be curious (read dumb) enough to want to open a door again. However, it was said, only a certain kind of magic could open the door again—or you could travel there, just you couldn’t travel back because the doors are sealed from the outside.

Because the doors were closed, no one could travel to other London’s except a special breed of people called Antari.

“‘Some people say magic lives in the mind, others in the heart . . . but you and I both know it lives in the blood.'”

(pg. 173)

Antari are true blood magic people who commanded and ordered magic.

Regular magic was when people could summon upon what was there like the elements, but Antari magic was different. They were rare people who could travel through London’s as long as they had a souvenir from that London and Antari blood to travel. When the Antari had the object, they would cut a scar, which would heal easily because of their magic, and they could travel to that London. Sometimes Antari could travel to a London based on a landmark or a person, but they always needed an object and their blood. Like if someone was in a certain tavern in Red London, they could travel to that same tavern in White London if they used their blood and concentrated enough.

Antari were not born or chosen. They were random in the sense that you were Antari if you were Antari. You were marked by a black eye—-almost giving the vibe of a scrying eye. I thought Antari were interesting because they did seem divinely created because they were not bred; no one could be Antari just by being an offspring of one. I wondered what made someone an Antari and why. Why were there only two Antari’s left?

One of those Antari’s was Kell.

Not going to lie, I compared everything to Six of Crows 😅. Not in a bad way or mean way, more like I couldn’t help but see the similariteies between them.

I mean, Kell? Kaz? It’s like they’re best friends already.

Two people with disheveled hair who lives in very dilapidated places but instill a lot of respect as well as fear from people? Sounds like twins to me.

All jokes aside, Kell did remind me of Kaz.

What was different about Kell though was Kell’s softness, and the way he carried himself with confidence balanced with humbleness. Kell’s softness came in the way he loved Rhy as his brother even though they weren’t related by blood. I was surprised for a second—not going to lie—when it was mentioned that Kell was part of the royal family because what 😆???? Kell was royalty????? Kaz wishes 😂.

Kell’s backstory was something I wanted developed more. I wanted to understand Kell more. Like where did he come from? Who were his parents? Why did his parents leave Kell on the royals doorsteps? Why the royals doorsteps? Did Kell’s parents fear him because he was born with a black eye and that’s why they got rid of him? What was this knife with the engravings of K.L. and why did the parents seemingly leave their baby with a knife? I liked the story of the K.L. engraved on the knife and how Kell got his name—being called kay-el, then being called Kell. Why couldn’t Kell remember his first years of life? I mean, gosh knows I don’t remember much as a baby, but there’s a sense that Kell’s memories were blocked as if his parents didn’t want him to remember?

I thought we were going to get more to Kell’s backstory or a bit more details, but I guess there wasn’t any backstory to give because Kell didn’t remember. I still want the answers to my questions because I felt like part of me wasn’t fully invested in Kell because he did not have a lot of depth. I didn’t know about him, so it was kind of hard for me to fully root for him or care as much because there was no history or no story there. I mean, I only knew Kell in the moment and what we saw of him, but I wanted more of Kell—I wanted to feel like I knew him and what he had been through to be where he is, even if the backstory wasn’t yet the full story.

I’m glad Kell did have a good upbringing in the royal family and that Rhy did feel like a brother to him. Growing up with riches and connection is definitely better than being left alone on the street, tasked with fending for yourself. Kell was lucky in the way he had a home, even if he didn’t feel like he belonged. Rhy served as Kell’s grounding point because he loved his brother and they would do anything for each other, which I liked. I also felt like as much as Kell bonded with Rhy, Kell didn’t feel like he belonged, not just because he was Antari, but because he didn’t really have a connection to who he was. I also felt like Kell thought he was just a pawn or a way for the royal family to watch closely over Kell because they feared him—keep your friends close but your enemies closer. Not that Kell was an enemy, but he had this power that people relished and feared. If I were the royals, I would be concerned what Kell could do or would do with those powers, and I would admire him for it and be scared.

Speaking of backstory, I really wanted to know more about Lila as well.

Similar to Kell, I felt like we only touched the surface of who Lila was. I understood that she grew up in Grey London and had to fend for herself, a true Kaz in essence, but there wasn’t more that we knew about her. Where were her parents? Did she have any siblings? Why did she have a glass eye?

The story mentioned that Lila’s mom passed away when she was younger and her father tried to sell her to pay his drunk tab or something. But other than that, I knew next to nothing about Lila, and again, not really knowing Lila mad it difficult for me to connect with her or fully root for her. I just didn’t care as much for Lila because I felt like I wasn’t given enough to care about her for, if that makes sense. I mean, I cared about her because she was obviously this teenage girl who shouldn’t be out on the street, stealing and hustling to make a living, but I wasn’t invested as much in her character. I didn’t know her. I wanted to know her.

Did Lila run away when her father tried to sell her? How old was she when she ran away? What kind of magic did Lila have underneath it all?

So much undeveloped arcs that I wish I felt more invested in.

Lila reminded me of Inej 😂, down to the very part where they both wanted a ship for freedom.

I mean, how could I not make that connection 😅.

What is it with wayward women who pick pocket who all want a pirate ship?

I understand it’s the freedom, I just found it ironically funny that there are two characters I know of who had similar upbringings or stories that both wanted to find adventure or escape the life they were forced to lead by having a pirate ship to explore the world?

I guess, it must be a uinversal feeling in life and book life how women don’t feel like they have a lot of freedom and they want more for themselves. I could never fault someone who wants more for themselves and have the courage to leave what they know behind in the hopes of finding better for themselves. I mean, to Lila, her life probably couldn’t get any worse than it was now if she suddenly hopped on a ship and let the ship lead her. At least then, she would be unburden from a life she didn’t ask to lead. My heart felt saddened that so she felt the need to steal—to become the thief—because that was the only way she could survive. I don’t blame her for stealing or doing what she had to do to get by, but I felt sad that she was put in a circumstance where she had to.

It’s funny how many thought she was a man before they discovered she had boobs and was a woman 🤪.

Because Kell was one of the only people who could travel between Londons, it was often his job to relay messages from each ruler. That had to suck—meeting all these high and mighty royals. I liked how Kell navigated his relationship with each royal in each London because he quickly grew attuned to who they were and how to best interact with them—almost like a survival tactic. I also liked the way we were introduced to each London seamlessly and had a taste for what made them different. Not going to lie, I think Red London is the best because there’s not a dreariness or a rigidness that the other London’s seem to have.

When Kell was visiting White London one evening, he was approached by a random woman who claimed she had a sick brother in Black London who she wanted Kell to give a message to. She kept going on and on about how Holland, the other Atari, would give messages to her sick brother in Black London and how she got separated from her brother when the doors closed. She gave Kell this random a** envelope and then disappeared. However, when Kell returned to Red London, he realized that there was no letter and probably no sick brother. There was a black stone.

I wondered who this random lady was and why she had the black stone in the first place? Who found this stone and where did they find this stone? Why are we setting up Kell? Who is setting up Kell?

This stone was dark magic from Black London.

The stone had a symbol that meant pure magic—vitari. The Vitari stone could create power and interpreted commands. When using the Vitari stone, it feeds on a person’s energy and also gives that person a high and an addiction to continue using the stone—a parasitic relationship. This was the same magic that destroyed Black London, and now Kell had it.

Kell was followed that night and was attacked by two people, where Kell was forced to use the stone to protect himself. He said the command “stop,” and one of his attackers obsequiously stopped in midair. Just paused, his body turning black and stopping. When leaving the scene later, Kell didn’t see the way the black magic was absorbed into the man, turning him almost zombie like with two black pupils like him. Because the man had black pupils, it made me wonder is Antari magic black magic from Black London? I don’t know.

I would have loved to gone to Black London to understand more of it’s mysteries. I thought the plot of this book was that eventually we would go to Black London because it seemed like we were gearing up to go there with this Vitari stone Kell now had.

Kell knew he had to dispose of the throne, and the only way to do that was to go through all the Londons to get to Black London and put the stone back where it came from. My question was why couldn’t he just transport to Black London if he had an object and his blood already? Why did he have to go through each London? Like was that the same for any London—like if he wanted to go to Grey London, he has to go past X London and Y London like an order? Curious.

Anyway, Kell was in Red London and first had to go to Gray London where he met Lila.

Girl could have avoided this whole dangerous endeavor if she never dare pickpocket an Antari 😅 .

I loved how he portaled to Lila’s room at the tavern, and she managed to tie him to her bed because Kell had lost a lot of energy and blood from his previous fight. I also enjoyed their banter and barbs with Kell asking for the stone back, and Lila wanting to hide the stone from him. I laughed when Lila used the stone to create her sword and scabbard because she really wanted to live her pirate fantasy, or that she created another Kell who was angry when they dispelled him. I thought Lila was pretty dumb for throwing her sword and scabbard out on the street because, hello????? You can’t just drop a big a** sword out of a window like nothing 😅. Oh my gosh, she didn’t even think for a second about about how that sword could harm someone or get in the wrong hands. Poor random man was peeing and could have got hit by a sword 😂😂😂.

I mean, could you imagine!?!??!?!??!!

La da da da da, doing my business and BAM a sword 😂. Like what?

PSA: Don’t throw swords out of your window.

Common sense 🤪.

You know who wanted the stone?

Holland, the other Antari.

I felt awful for Holland because I don’t think he was a bad guy, per say, he was just angry at how he was a servant to two gosh-awful people. Holland fought against Athos and Astrid for the White London throne. But Holland didn’t win. When Holland didn’t win, he was soul bond by Athos with this rune symbol on his chest to do what they tell him to do. Holland also wore this bone clasp on his coat that people thought was what bound him, but was probably just a horrid reminder of who he served. No duh this dude was pi**ed off because he not only lost the opportunity to rule, he was also bound for life to do a bidding for atrocious people. He was angry, and acted out of anger and a lack of control. I don’t blame his actions because he literally could not control who he was. And it made me sad the way people feared Holland because there was this metal iciness to him that was not his choice.

I mean, we as people do make our decisions, but when you’re controlled, you don’t have a choice nor a voice. I felt like Holland wanted freedom more than anything, so I understood why he would have wanted the stone. In my eyes, he probably wanted the stone to break this bond or to open the portals so he could rule—something to get him out of the situation he was in. His situation sucked, and I understood his malice.

The one thing Holland did thought that I truly did not appreciate was when he killed Barron.

Lila may not have had any family, but Barron felt like her family in the way he quietly looked after her—gave her a place to live, fed her, gave her blankets to keep her warm. Begrudgingly or not, I knew Lila would say Barron meant something to her for all his kindness in never asking her too much over the years. I liked Barron because he seemed like he saw so many people that came through his tavern, but he made his tavern the one place people could rest even if they had nothing. I loved that.

If there’s one thing I admired most about this book though was Lila’s courage.

She was willing to go with Kell through all the Londons to return the stone even if it meant risking leaving her own London and putting her life on the line. She didn’t even know if it would be possible to leave Gray London because she wasn’t Antari, but she wanted to try. Her bravery was inspiring in the way she looked fear in the face unblinkingly.

Lila was able to leave Gray London and follow Kell to Red London to retrieve a White London souviner.

HAHAHA, take a shot every time you see the word London 😂.

Don’t actually. Really don’t.

But I have never wrote the word London so many times in one sentence, and I started laughing to myself.

I digress.

I loved the wonder and amazement Lila had when arriving to Red London—-like a kid going to Disneyland for the first time. All her senses were heightened and she felt alive with the life around her. I could understand Lila’s renewed sense of enthusiasm for being somewhere new, seeing things she never dared to dream of. I felt the same feeling when I went on my first trip in more than a decade last year—like every place was magical and timeless because you were seeing it for the first time. It’s funny because I often think about how when we live somewhere, we think of the surroundings or that place as normal or natural because we are so used to seeing that place everyday. However, to other people, those same places are wonders because that’s not their natural or normal—and it’s crazy to think how we take for granted the things that are “normal” but are wonders for other people.

Kell did not land in Red London with Lila—they were separated.

I liked how Lila thought to give Kell a handkerchief and he gave her his coat so they both had something of each other’s just in case they needed to find each other again a smart idea.

I loved Kell’s coat 😂—-functional and fashionable. I mean, seven coats in one???? Iconic.

It’s like the shamwow—it does everything 😂.

The backstory of the coat was fun to read in how when Kell was younger he played a game called Sanct with a pawnshop (read black market) ownder named Aldus Fletcher. Fletcher thought he was going to win, until Kell showed his hand and used magic to change Fletcher’s hand, causing Kell to actually win. I thought it was funny how it didn’t matter how you won the game, you only had to win. If all games ran like that, there would be more fights in the world, not like we need more fighting. Kell won a whole bunch of stuff that day including his infamous coat, which was hilarious to think about—young Kell just walking out with a big coat that would become his iconic look. As a consolation prize or a prize for cheating, Kell gave Fletcher a white rook from White London.

Fletcher obviously had hard feelings for the way Kell cheated, which I would too. I found it equally hilarious how the one person who Kell needed something from was now the one person who detested his guts.

The Rose Fields tavern was burned to the ground probably by Holland and the people who were following them, trying to find the stone. That meant most of his objects from other London were destroyed, except the White Rook.

I thought Kell and Lila turning incorporeal was smart in order to get to the pawnshop unseen. I mean, they were trying to hide from Holland who could sense the magic like a beacon, but also, just being ghost-like made it easier for both of them to maneuver through Red London without questions, which was what they needed if they were quickly going to dispel of the stone. I also didn’t know why they had a missing person alert for Kell because that really upped the ante to finding him. Didn’t they know Kell was traveling for work? Did they really have to make him a missing person 🙃????? I get the worry, but still. Missing person causes attention and panic, and that was the absolute last thing Kell needed.

I think Fletcher waited his whole life to get back at Kell to say, “No hard feelings,” when he caught Kell and Lila in his store 😂. If I were Fletcher, I bet I would have used that moment to say the exact same thing. When the guards came rushing in, I laughed at the nonchalance Kell had to be in a pawnshop of all places when people were worried about him being missing. Way to go 😅. I liked how Kell also played it off as he was looking for Rhy’s birthday present because it was Rhy’s birthday and the celebrations were beginning that night. Kell was forced to go with the guards so nothing was amiss, leaving an invisible Lila behind, hoping Kell would come back for her.

However, Kell was punched out in the back of that carriage because those guards were all under the control of Astird and Athos.

Because everything led back to these two power crazy LOSERS.

You know, who I envisioned as Astird and Athos?

HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA

Noooooo but I have the exclusive edition of A Darker Shade of Magic, and you can’t tell me this:

Does not give this:

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Fight me 🤪.

But truly, Astrid and Athos made me laugh because in my head they looked like cinnamon rolls, but their actions said another thing.

I will give Astrid and Athos credit for being ruthless because gosh they were vile people. I mean, the way Athos stormed into a family’s house to take the kid because at some stupid parade this kid didn’t bow to him?????? Instead of ☠️ the kid, he bound the kid to be obedient to him as well because that was a fate worse than ☠️—–to go against his defiance would be obedience.

Also, they were a lot smarter than I literally imagined them to be.

They controlled all these people in Red London, and Astrid even controlled Rhy.

Gosh, that was a real kick to the heart for Kell—his own brother.

The necklace Holland brought to Rhy in the beginning of the book was this compelling necklace. Rhy only accepted the necklace because the necklace promised Rhy strength, and as someone who didn’t have a lot of power or magic, I could understand the temptation and want to wear something with strength. But gosh, they really used Rhy’s insecurity against him, and then used him against Kell.

That had to suck for Kell—to fight the face of someone he loved even if that person wasn’t really them.

When fighting Rhy/Astrid in trying to get the stone, Astrid removed the necklace at the last second before plunging the sword into Rhy where Rhy actually gets hurt. Before this Lila was went through the market to get an outfit for the masquerade ball, where she now owed a favor to a vendor named Calla. Lila was going to go to the masquerade in the hopes of reuniting with Kell who had to go with the guard earlier. So when Lila found Kell by quite literally scaling a window, she saw Kell with Rhy/Astrid. And Lila had the stone.

The way Kell literally dragged Rhy’s bleeding body with Lila to a portal broke my heart.

They left to a sanctuary where Kell used to go and be trained under Master Tieren—which I would like to know more about. Kell’s healing spells weren’t working on Rhy because he was losing his life. I loved the literally life and death moment where you see Kell having to make the decision of whether or not to save his brother by using this dark magic or to let his brother pass away. The more Kell used the stone throughout the book, the more you could feel Kell losing himself and giving the dark magic power. There was this balance that both Kell and Lila had to balance and remind each other to come back from because using the dark magic took part of them, and that one hit was addicting to use. Kell didn’t want to use such dark magic because using the dark magic to bring back his brother could be the one thing that crosses over that balance or he could lose his brother.

Kell deciding to use the dark magic wasn’t easy, and you could feel how much Lila didn’t want Kell to use the stone even if it was for good cause. Kell ultimately used the stone to save Rhy, but Kell had to be specific in his command and he bound Rhy’s life to his. So now if one of them dies, the other does too; if one of them hurts, the other hurts too. They were not forever bound with a symbol over their chest/heart. My first question was how was this bond going to effect Kell? Rhy? How was this darkness going to effect both of them? Basically what Kell did was play necromancy a bit, and there had to be a certain darkness that would forever stay within them because a darkness brought them back. I was curious to the repercussions of this binding.

With Rhy’s healing and alive, Lila and Kell could go through to White London—Lila stole back the white rook—but before Kell could go through the portal, Holland pulls him back.

I laughed with how they always got separated 😂. What gives?

There’s a sort of sad justice with Kell “killing” Holland. Holland was asking for a fight because I think at the end of the day Holland didn’t like the role he played and wanted out. He was only fighting with Kell because that was what he had to do, but he didn’t truly want to fight, and so when Kell delivered that “unexpected” blow, Holland let Kell. I liked the way V.E. Schwab described the scene in how that blow didn’t leave Holland shocked or angry, but relived. It was that moment that I felt like Holland found freedom because he was “killed,” and no longer had to do what Astrid and Athos wanted him to do. But that was awful that Holland would have rather lost his life because he felt like he lost his life a long time ago—“that he suffered long enough.” If only Holland weren’t under their control, I wonder who we would have met and if I would have liked his character a lot more. He wasn’t a bad character, not a bad guy.

Kell fighting Athos with the stone was quite a scene as it was funny 😅.

Athos had the other half of the stone because the twins set Kell up. They wanted Kell to carry the stone to Red London because they could pin the dark magic on Kell if something every came up and not to them and Holland. Athos really had to taunt Kell with using the stone because Kell didn’t want to continue using such dark magic. I loved the cleverness Kell had though to basically call Athos out in fighting him like a man 😂. That was the part that was funny because Kell was basically like, “stop hiding behind a stone and kill me like you said you would.” And Athos was like the equivalent of, “yea, you right.” Athos had to dispel the snake he made with the stone, but like with the copycat Kell in the beginning, the stone magic creation got angry at Athos. And this was a big a** snake, so that meant bigger anger. The snake bit off Astrid’s head in Athos’s attempt to get rid of it all because of Kell’s taunts, which Kell knew the snake would turn on him. That was very clever because Kell defeated Athos by not even having to fully do the work himself—the darkness that Astrid Athos destroyed him in the end, which poetic justice too?? Maybe.

Lila had her own fight with Astrid who was sitting all pretty on her throne, controlling the royals in Red London.

Before going to Astrid, Lila had to go through the guard to the throne room. The guard standing outside was Beloc who was the boy who didn’t bow to them at that parade—the house they raided. My heart did a sad pang just thinking about how much that boy didn’t want to be there and he was literally being held against his will to protect someone he didn’t even respect or want to protect. The way Lila asked him ho we wanted to die and the way he said quickly because he just wanted his freedom, made me sad 🥺. He was just a teenage boy with so much life left, but he would have rather someone take his life than be bound to people he did not respect and doing things he did not want to do—-very similar to Holland. What Lila did was hard, but also a mercy and a freedom 😕.

The creepy way that Astrid suddenly came to life when Lila broke the wards/protection around her was jarring. All I could imagine in that scene was you know that scene in the movies where someone’s sleeping and then suddenly their eyes open—-CREEPY.

Anyway, for someone who doesn’t know what kind of magic she has or hasn’t really used magic, she sure held her ground against Astrid as much as she could, until the literal roof fell down. I loved the way Kell instantly knew that Astrid was Lila when “Lila” came running over to him asking him to “please” give him the stone. Every bone in my body hoped that Kell didn’t give Astrid the stone because then she would have both of the stones, and he didn’t know that Astrid took on Lila’s appearance. But then the way Kell stabbed “Lila” had my jaw hitting the floor like WHAT!?!? I was like, “Does he know that’s Lila or . . ?” Kell knew that Astrid was Lila because “Lila” said please—- Lila didn’t say please.

Clever guy.

There was a moment where Kell brought the stones together and had to fight to dispel the Vitari from his body. He fought arduously because Vitari was like a living entity in his body—a being that wanted to overtake Kell. But what brought Kell back was fighting to keep Rhy alive and holding onto that—-Rhy was almost like his north star. But I liked that Kell had someone he wanted to fight for and that he found the strength to spell the Vitari out of him. I don’t know if all of that dark magic truly left him or would ever truly leave him; I’m very curious as to how having the Vitari almost control him will affect Kell in the upcoming books. Does he still have some darkness in him? What about the binding? Does that have darkness that will always linger and affect him and Rhy?

After dispelling the Vitari from his body, Kell puts the stone with Holland’s body and spells them to Black London where Kell said Holland could go “home.” So did that mean Holland was from Black London, and if Kell spelled Holland to Black London, did that mean Holland had no way of leaving Black London because he couldn’t come out from the sealed door? I don’t know if I liked that we spelled Holland and his dying body wit the stone back to Black London. I mean, I liked that the stone was going back to where it came from, but did we really need to send Holland there too when he was coming back from the brink of death 😑???? You know what I mean. It was like, the dude was basically dying and now you’re sending him to death London with a dangerous stone, but I guess it’s okay because he’s not under the soul binding anymore? I don’t know. I kind of want to see Holland again and see him redeem himself as not a bad guy because I don’t think he was a bad guy. I truly do wonder if we will see Holland again.

After leaving Gray London, Kell and Lila return to Red London to explain what happened to the King and Queen. There was no longer a wanted message across the city for Kell, but I could understand why people would still be weary of him because he was quite dangerous in the powers that they didn’t understand and if they believed he was wanted, there’s the assumption that he could turn on them at any second. Maybe that’s what Astid and Athos wanted to instigate with Kell—fear. But fear is so different from admiration. I didn’t think people had to fear Kell unless the darkness took over, which made me think of what Master Tieren told Lila before they left to Gray London—-to kill Kell if the darkness took over. There was a moment where Lila mentioned how she began this adventure with Kell because she wanted just that—adventure and more for her life. But what started as an adventure for her, became somewhat watching out for Kell and believing he wasn’t strong enough to endure the journey alone, not just because he was bleeding out, but because I think part of her feared what the darkness was doing to him and if that would fully change him. I still wonder. I also wonder if that’s the direction the series is heading—Kell turning to the darkness and Lila being forced to choose her friend or killing him because he no longer was the same person. Foreshadowing maybe? I don’t know.

Kell told Rhy about his soul bind.

Rhy wasn’t as angry as I thought he would be, but then again Kell saved his life. I think Rhy thought he must have meant something valuable if Kell would bind his life to his—-that they truly were brothers. I loved the relationship they had, and also the backstory of why Rhy wanted to be the best brother he could to Kell. There’s a story in the special edition where Master Tieren told a tale to young Rhy about two brothers. In the tale, there were brothers, but not by birth. The brothers were complete opposites where one was like summer and was like winter. One had magic and one did not. But the brothers both had their strengths and weaknesses.

“–and in time, the brothers came to realize that what they took for weakness in each other was simply a different kind of strength.”

(pg. 412-3)

That one’s weakness was another’s strength and that they complemented each other.

The brothers worked well together because they admired each other’s strengths and wanted to be like each other. So they learned from each other and tried to be like the best part of each other. What made these two boys brothers, wasn’t there blood, but their connection—their love.

That was the day Rhy met Kell in the sanctuary, and that was the day Rhy decided they were like those two brothers—bound by love, not by blood.

I liked reading that tale in the back because the story highlighted why Rhy and Kell meant so much to each other, and how strong their bond was. That story also emphasized why Kell made a dark choice for his brother; Rhy would have done the same for Kell.

There was some flirtation between Rhy and Lila that I’m curious about too because Kell also admires and likes Lila. To be quite honest, I didn’t really feel a romantic connection between Kell and Lila. They seem like really great partners and work together well, but romance? I don’t feel it, sorry 🙃. I don’t know. There were just no sparks, and they never really mentioned anything from either perspective about liking each other or seeing each other as more, so I didn’t really feel the connection. That random kiss during that one scene? That felt weird 😅. Nope? Only me. Ooops.

“He would see her again. He knew he would. Magic bent the world. Pulled it into shape. There were fixed points. Most of the time those points were places. But sometimes, rarely, they were people. For someone who never stood still, Lila still felt like a pin in Kell’s world. One he was sure to snag on.”

(pg. 397)

Lila was going to stay in Red London, which I liked for her because Red London had so much more life for Lila to live. And also, without Barron back home, she didn’t really have much to return to. I also liked the cute moment with how Kel gave her that elemental magic board so Lila could figure out what type of magic she had—Kell’s gift to Lila felt like his own way of saying thank you and like he cared about her and wanted her to find out more about who she could be.

I wondered too who Lila Bard could be.

They way Lila saw the dark blue ship and the way I just felt in my bones that she was going to rob it 😂. I mean, sis, had been preaching how much she wanted a ship and now she saw the perfect ship for her to take. I wouldn’t be surprised if she did steal the ship after making up that whole story to Rhy’s parents with how she was out of town and docked her ship there. I guess she needed a ship to go with her story 😂.

As I mentioned before, the way the book ended truly did feel like we were wrapping up the story. I mean, there was no side characters left because we killed them off or they were gone. Holland? Gone. Fletcher? Throat slit. Astrid and Athos? ☠️. Beloc? ☠️. Barron? ☠️. The Rose Field woman? Up in flames. Who was left?

Lila, Kell, and Rhy.

The other royalty too, but I didn’t really feel like I knew them.

So there definitely needs to be some rebuilding or a whole other storyline with the second book because there are no characters left and the stone’s gone. I don’t quite know what we would do in the second book.

I do have ideas though.

I would like more backstory about Kell and Lila as mentioned previously. I would also like maybe some backstories about Kell and Rhy growing up together and how they formed their strong bond. Did they play/train together? What kind of mischief did they get into as kids? I would like to seem a more humane part of Kell and what he was like, also just answers as to who he was as a kid.

I also want to know what magic Lila had. Why did she have a glass eye? Where was she off to next? When will Kell see her again and why?

I would also like to know if the black magic was truly gone and how the bond would affect Rhy and Kell. Was the black magic within them still because they had the bond? Was Holland going to come back? I think we need to go to Black London at one point just because it’s this illustrious, forbidden place that everyone fears. I would like to know more about Black London and walk around there to understand what kind of horrors were there, and what maybe is still there. Wouldn’t it be wild if we go to Black London and find people flourishing and thriving? We would never know because no one dared to go there. I think we will go there eventually in this series. I think we also will explore more of the dark magic because there has to be something more to the stone and why it was there, how the stone survived when every artifact was destroyed.

I wondered more about this Red London rebel group called the Shadows. Kell mentioned once this rebel group called the Shadows and how they beleived Red flashed maic and power brightly because some had magic and some people didn’t. The people who didn’t have magic were treated differently or thought about as less. Because Rhy represented power, they took him, and Kell went to save Rhy’s life when he was taken. Instead of having everyone in the Shadows killed, Rhy gave them a pardon because he understood their anger, which I mean, I loved that Rhy did that. Giving them a pardon when he could have been ruthless in the way they treated him, was a testament to how great a leader Rhy would be. But Kell killed every single Shadow rebel. But in the back of my mind, I’m wondering, did he? Did the Shadows still live on? What would the significance of the Shadows be in later books?

I wondered who was to rule White London now that there was no ruler and no Holland? Who would fight for that throne? Will we see Rhy take to throne in Red London by the time the series ends? What would that entail? Would Kell want to take to throne and what would that mean?

If Kell is kind of the only Antari left, what does that mean for correspondences? What does Kell being alive mean for the different Londons? Would people fear him or revere him more now that he was the only Antari?

I also wanted to know if we were going to get more moments with Tieren. He seemed like he knew a lot about Kell and a lot about magic—dark magic included. I want to pick Tieren’s brain and know what he knows. What can we learn from him about this world and Kell.

So many questions still, and I guess that’s a good thing that a story engages me so much as to leave me with more questions than answers—that I want more.

And i will be reading more.

Overall, I thought A Darker Shade of Magic had good world building because I didn’t feel like my head was going to pop off with trying to understand the world. I also understood the magic, so that’s nice. I liked the action scenes and how they were written with such graphicness, but also a delicacy—like a fine -tuned knife. I would have liked more risk factor or danger because I think the stone traveling through all the Londons and then getting rid of it as easily as we did, didn’t feel as high stakes as I would have liked. The story was still compelling, but something high stakes was missing for me. I didn’t really feel much of a romance, but the beginnings of a great partnership.

Anyway, what was your thoughts of the book? What was your favorite part of the book? Least favorite part? 

If you could leave in any of the four Londons, which London would you live in? Obviously, I would live in Red London for its flowery smell and vibrancy. Also, Red London teems with more life, and I would vibe with that environment better.

Let me know below in the comments as I love hearing from you all 💕

I hope you have a beautiful day whenever and wherever you might be reading this 😊.

And as always, with love,

Overall Rating

3.77 Full Bloom Flowers

Characters: Kell is a compelling character that balances intelligence with a softness that cares about the people he loves and the world around him. I wold like to know more about Kell because I don’t feel like I really got to know him, but he is interesting. Same to Lila, I wish I got to know more about her, but I admire her unwavering courage and fearlessness.

Plot: I liked exploring the idea of different Londons and seeing the magic interwoven in the worlds; the world itself is fascinating. I also liked the partnership between Kell and Lila, and would like to know what they get up to next.

Writing: Action packed, and written with a hint of magic ✨

Romance: Not really a romance book, but a partnership. Maybe Rhy and Lila have a few sparks, but I would just like to know more about these characters.