June 2019 First Book in a Series BOTM - A Darker Shade of Magic, by V.E. Schwab

[Felicia]

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.

[Celia]

chapter 3 - (view spoiler)[it's starting off a bit slowly but it seems like it could go somewhere. I'm excited to get started. (hide spoiler)]

Part 1: (view spoiler)[Part one was a little bit slow, but already things are picking up, and I like the mystery around the three Londons. It makes the reader want to know more. (hide spoiler)]

Part 4: (view spoiler)[I really hope things pick up soon. I want to know more about Holland, though. He's a character I'd like to like, but I don't know if I'm supposed to. (hide spoiler)]

Part 5 (view spoiler)[ So now the story finally gets started, or at least I hope so. It's been kind of like a video game so far, twists and turns but no strong sense of plot. I like Lila and I want to know more about Holland, but even though Kell is the main character I really can't get into his point of view. (hide spoiler)]

Parts 6-7 (view spoiler)[I still don't like the videogame feel of this story. I can't find the underlying plot. In some ways, because the book is 400+ pages, you could say all this is the intro, but we're almost halfway through the book and the action is really only just getting started.

As for characters, I'm liking Kell a little more, but he still lacks something. I like Lila, but I think she also falls short. Can't really place my finger on what I don't like about them, though. I'm still intrigued by Holland, although I don't think there's anything that could make me like him as a character, unless he has a redemption arc. (hide spoiler)]

Parts 8-10 (view spoiler)[I'll take back what I said about this book being slow. I just read 130 pages without noticing. Before, the different parts and sections were annoying, but there they were good stopping points. I just blew through 130 pages so it's not working as well as before

The story is definitely getting more interesting. I love the way Lila and Kell care for each other, even though I don't really see them together romantically. I'm guessing this is the way the story is going to go, though, unless V.E. Schwab decides instead for Lila and Rhy. Even though I don't know a lot about Rhy yet, I'm kind of hoping for this option. (hide spoiler)]

Parts 11-12 (view spoiler)[And the story's gone back to feeling like a video game. There's just nothing that makes me really want to follow the characters or the plot. In some ways, I actually want to know more, but Schwab doesn't really bring that out. (hide spoiler)]

Finished: (view spoiler)[Well, it looks like I've finally finished a book. It was a little too video game-ish for my taste, and the ending seemed too rushed. I don't necessarily like series where the main problem is solved in the first book, because they do make the series seem like a video game instead of a book. The characters were good, though. (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Parts 1-4 (view spoiler)[ This in an interesting world, the different Londons and the scarcity of Antari who can travel between them. I don't trust that lady with the letter, I think she's lying about Holland helping her. (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Parts 5-8 (view spoiler)[Lila is a bit irritating, but I think it's just because she's ignorant of magic and the terrible effects it can have. Hopefully she listens to Kell and joins with him instead of running away. (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Parts 9-11 (view spoiler)[ I am struggling to like Lila, but I do like the story overall and Kell is great. I hope Rhy is okay, I like him a lot too. He cares for Kell so much (hide spoiler)]

[Aly]

Finished (view spoiler)[ I would've liked more information about the Danes before they were killed. I feel like we didn't know much about them. Lila did get better by the end and I'm glad she and Kell parted. Rhy was my favorite and I really hope he's in the next book, I love him. The narrator was so so, I'd prefer someone younger or who can do a better woman voice at least (hide spoiler)]