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

by V.E. Schwab

She considered him a moment before answering. “Delilah Bard,” she said. “But Lila will do.” Lila. A soft name but she used it like a knife, slashing out on the first syllable, the second barely a whisper of metal through air.

This was the very first thing I wrote for Lila Bard, scribbled in a notebook when I was planning characters.