From the Bookshelf of Addicted to YA…

A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic, #1)

V.E. Schwab,

Victoria Schwab

Start date: May 1, 2016

Finish date: May 31, 2016

Discussion: Series

Why we're reading this: Won the poll for the series BOTM
[close] Won the poll for the series BOTM

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 505 topics — 19,050 comments total

Series

* Continuing Series- Nightbane
By Bailey · 4 posts · 30 views

last updated Aug 12, 2025 07:32AM

* New Series- The Princess Trials
By Bailey · 10 posts · 59 views

last updated Aug 27, 2025 04:41PM

showing 10 of 11 topics view all »

What Members Thought

May 06, 2015 Rachel rated it it was amazing

Well this was a fun little fantasy read with imaginative characters and even more imagined worlds. Three Londons separated by magic and only the Ansari can travel between them with blood. Kell is the adopted prince of Red London, a messenger between the kings of the separated worlds. Only Black London is sealed because it was consumed by magic. White London sits beside it, followed by Red London and last Gray, the London from our world. But the story truly begins when Kell is given an artifact f ...more

12 likes · Like · see review

Mar 13, 2015 Lindsey Learn rated it really liked it

V.E. Schwab takes 1819 London and transforms it to a dark, magical place. Blood grants access to power. Kell must cut himself, and his blood acts as the catalyst to let him create a door to another universe (and to create other spells). While some have managed to live peacefully in balance with magic, others bind it tightly for ultimate control. The Antari are a rare breed of magician–one fully black eye marks them as magicians powerful enough to travel between alternate universes. Kell is one o V.E. Schwab takes 1819 London and transforms it to a dark, magical place. Blood grants access to power. Kell must cut himself, and his blood acts as the catalyst to let him create a door to another universe (and to create other spells). While some have managed to live peacefully in balance with magic, others bind it tightly for ultimate control. The Antari are a rare breed of magician–one fully black eye marks them as magicians powerful enough to travel between alternate universes. Kell is one of two Antari known to the world of magic.

Kell is a conflicted protagonist. He likes to follow the rules and understands the risk of magic–the ease of loosing control. Yet, he’s compelled to risk himself for trading magical objects for trifles like music boxes and maps, even though it’s illegal. He also belongs to the royal family of Red London, and though he feels loved by his adopted brother, the prince regent, Rhys, he can’t help but feel owned. Brought to the royal family at a young age for his rare power, he has no memory of his life before the palace. Despite these doubts, and the danger that befalls him, he’s determined to set things right—and save his world even if he has to sacrifice himself.

Lila is from Grey London—a London that has forgotten magic. Lila is a thief, knows how to defend herself, and is fiercely determined to have an adventure. When her path crosses Kell’s, she leaps at the opportunity to accompany him on his world-saving mission. Kell is reluctant for her companionship, but Lila proves her worth and might have some magic in her blood after all.

I was intrigued by V.E. Schwab’s worlds. She created multiple compelling universes and multidimensional characters in Kell and Lila. And some characters that are so horrible you love to hate them. Magic, itself, was a terribly frightening being.

Sidenote: Dear V. E. Schwab,
(view spoiler)

This is the first book in a series. I was glad to get a conclusion to the story, and I’m excited to see what adventures Schwab will take these characters on in the next book. We do find out that there aren’t just alternate Londons, Kell’s duty only includes London; so there’s a whole world of alternates to explore!

Would I let my teen read this series?
A Darker Shade of Magic is a dark fantasy. The characters are adults, which makes me wonder what categorizes this as a young adult novel. I don’t think it belongs in the YA category, even though it might be marketed that way. Content-wise, there are many dark themes, violence, some language, attempted sexual abuse, and a disturbing sexual scene. I would not recommend this book for young teens.

See my full review on FickleLit. ...more

Like · see review

Jun 15, 2016 Julie Phelps added it

An enjoyable read!

Like · see review

Aug 24, 2019 Natpat Mon rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, signed, owned-physical-books, tbr, young-adult

3.5 stars. I love Vicious but I’m not sure how I feel about this one. I found myself drifting off a lot. Probably too much info dump for me. The story is good though so I’ll probably read the next one.

Like · see review