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

by V.E. Schwab

He could smell Grey London (smoke) and White London (blood), but to him, Red London simply smelled like home.

Grey for the magic-less city. Red, for the healthy empire. White, for the starving world.

The people fed on the magic and the magic fed on them until it ate their bodies and their minds and then their souls.”

men who waded into waters claiming they could swim should not need a raft.

So much of the Grey world was clunky, but now and then its lack of magic led to ingenuity. Take its music boxes. A complex but elegant design. So many parts, so much work, all to create a little tune.

Lila Bard lived by a simple rule: if a thing was worth having, it was worth taking.

“Death comes for everyone,” she said simply. “I’m not afraid of dying. But I am afraid of dying here.” She swept her hand over the room, the tavern, the city. “I’d rather die on an adventure than live standing still.”