A Darker Shade of Magic (A Darker Shade of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab -- Restarting December 11th 2023

[Gillian]

1/4 (view spoiler)[ Four parallel worlds each with one common city "London" Red, Grey, White and Black London, each with varying degrees of magic. Black seems doubtful that is has any magic left at this stage. The more magic the more prosperous the city. Lila and Kell will have to meet up somewhere. (hide spoiler)]

[Gillian]

These are approximate % as I read the book while driving and could not stop to make comments.
1/2 (view spoiler)[ Come on Kell I can't believe you fell for the tale and took the package between worlds. :( (hide spoiler)]

[Gillian]

3/4 (view spoiler)[ I'm really enjoying Lila with her take not shit attitude she is almost fearless in her determination. (hide spoiler)]

[Sharon]

Part 1 - The Traveller (8% done): (view spoiler)[ I love the writing style. I thought the three chapters were really enjoyable. The world is really intriguing. I like that it is divided into smaller parts, so that if we do need a break we can at least one part. I can't wait to see what happens next. (hide spoiler)]

[Sharon]

Part 2 - Red Royal (14% done): (view spoiler)[ I want to know more about Kell's backstory, especially about how he ended up with the red Royals. Holland and Rhy are interesting characters as well. I want to know more about Rhy's parents. I think Schwab is hiding something about them. (hide spoiler)]

[Sharon]

Part 3 - Grey Thief (18% done): (view spoiler)[ I thought the meeting with Lila was short. I thought that could have been a bit longer. Other than that, I really liked the fact that she is mysterious in a way because we do not know that much about her. I cannot wait to find out more about her character. (hide spoiler)]

[Sharon]

Part 4 - White Throne (26% done): (view spoiler)[ This book is getting darker and darker as it progresses. I really am enjoying the world and the characters. I have to say that King Athos is creepy to me. I am loving this book so far. (hide spoiler)]

[Keyona]

20% (view spoiler)[ So far I don't have an opinion of Kell just yet. I'm assuming Kell and Lilla will meet up at the Stone's throw bar. I'm curious to know more about her and Kell's back stories. (hide spoiler)]

[Gillian]

Finished: (view spoiler)[ I enjoyed the book, the concept is a good one but I kept wishing for more information. Particularly about Kell and the Antari. The author obviously needs to keep that information for later books in the series. If no one can get into Black London where did the relic come from and why after all this time has it turned up now? There is obviously more magic in the other worlds than Red London thinks, and I'm betting Black London has a whole heap of it. Lila from Grey London certainly has some magic of her own. (hide spoiler)]

[Sharon]

I finished a lot of the book today, so here are my updates:

Part 5 - Black Stone (31% done): (view spoiler)[ I am thinking that maybe Kell was adopted by the Royals in Red London, and that his family is originally from Black London. That might be an interesting idea. I want to see what happens between Kell and Lila now. (hide spoiler)]

[Sharon]

Part 6 - Thieves Meet (37% done): (view spoiler)[ I laughed when the copy of Kell was undressing. I thought that was really funny. I am loving the story right now. Kell and Lila are great characters. I can;t wait to see what happens next. (hide spoiler)]

[Sharon]

Part 7 - The Follower (44% done): (view spoiler)[ Are the Antari the only ones able to travel the other Londons? Also, it is interesting to find out more about what Kell and Holland are. I also found that the fact the Antari have one black eye interesting. This book is getting better. I am leaning towards a 4/5 rating right now. (hide spoiler)]

[Sharon]

Part 8 - An Arrangement (50% done): (view spoiler)[ This is getting exciting. That kiss between Kell and Lila was sweet. The only thing that made me mad was Holland. I do not think that man deserved to die. He has made some stupid decision, as has Lila, but I think Holland takes it to extreme levels. (hide spoiler)]

[Sharon]

Part 9 - Festival & Fire (58% done): (view spoiler)[ Yay! We are back in Red London. Aww...Kell is thinking about Rhy. I wonder what would happen if they saw each other again. Gettting to know more and more about Kell, and it is really interesting. If he was not adopted, could he have been taken? (hide spoiler)]

[Sharon]

Part 10 - One White Rock (68% done): (view spoiler)[ Aww..I feel bad for Lila. To lose her mother at the age of 10, and her father to sell her must be hard as a child/teen. I am wondering what the white rock will do. Interesting, a London that does not have an England, but different names, (hide spoiler)]

[Sharon]

Part 11 - Masquerade (75% done): (view spoiler)[ I think Lila may already have magic within her, and Kell will help her discover it. However, I also wonder if she is more powerful than Kell. She has this really bad-ass quality about her and I love it. (hide spoiler)]

[Sharon]

Part 12 - Sanctuary & Sacrifice (83% done): (view spoiler)[ I think Lila is Antari as well. I mean the missing eye could have been black. If that is the case, then someone might have taken it out in order for her to stay alive. (hide spoiler)]

[Sharon]

Part 13 - The Waiting King (92% done): (view spoiler)[ This is getting better. I think Holland has some traits that make him interesting such as teaching Kell how to fight. It makes me like him a bit more.
(hide spoiler)]

[Sharon]

Ending Thoughts (100% done): (view spoiler)[ I just finished the book and loved it. Kell and Lila are amazing characters. The world building was amazing, and I cannot wait to read the second book now. (hide spoiler)]

[Keyona]

50%(view spoiler)[ So far I am enjoying this. I started reading it on my kindle and had to switch to the audio. I prefer reading it but the narrator isn't bad. He just makes Kell sound much older than I imagined. I can't believe Holland killed Baron! That sucks. That kiss was just a lil weird for me. I personally don't want there to be any romance here. Is that too much to ask? (hide spoiler)]

[Keyona]

70%(view spoiler)[ I wonder why Fletcher was killed. Finally we get the back story on Lillah. It's sad but she doesn't want pity. I find her to be so strong and badass. I love her and Kell's relationship. I hope we never get a romance for those two as I like their friendly banter. I love that she's heading into the castle to save his ass. (hide spoiler)]

[Keyona]

Finished(view spoiler)[ I most definitely enjoyed this book. Talk about an adventure! Lillah's a real spitfire and I love it. I want her and Rhy to get together. I'm curious to know if Lillah is really an Antari being that she has a glass eye. I'm just glad she is able to do a little better for herself. It was sad watching her pick pockets. I'm excited to pick up the next book. (hide spoiler)]

[Abi]

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Reading from the 18th of March 2018

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[Judy]

I am joining this BR!!

[Felicia]

Judy wrote: "I am joining this BR!!"

Me too! :D

[Rae]

I just started this but the coat already made me smile... I can tell that this is going to be a good book!
Very interesting.

[Dr. Andy]

That coat is truly amazing haha

[Judy]

I'm starting it tomorrow! Excited to start it!

[Rachida]

Hi! I also want to join this buddy read :D

I just finished part 2
(view spoiler)[I'm really enjoying it so far! I like the writing style but I hope it speeds up a little. I can't really tell where the story is going yet.
I also like the brotherly relationship Kell and Prince Rhy share. But I understand why Kell feels like he's a possession and belongs to the royal collection. Especially when the king and queen refuse to tell him of his past.
Also, I don't like Holland one bit.. (hide spoiler)]

[Judy]

Where is everyone at? Thoughts thus far??

[Sarah Elizabeth]

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Date Changed. Restarting April 16th 2018. Happy Reading ☺

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[GridGirl]

Chapter 1:
(view spoiler)[So far, so good, but not really outstanding. I feel like we have to read a few more chapters to get into the story. So far I can't really tell if I'm going to love this as much as everyone else. The magic system with the elements is interesting. I wonder if I'm going to like Kell or not (I'm reading the German version, so go ahead and tell me in case the names are different) since I wasn't really able to tell what he's like from those few pages. The writing was nothing special so far although I noticed that some words were in italics that didn't make any sense to be... They weren't supposed to be empathized and they weren't proper names, either.... Might be that it's only the German version, though... The struggle of reading a translation, haha :D
(hide spoiler)]

[Jayme]

Chapter 1:
(view spoiler)[I'm liking it so far! I think the first few pages were a bit confusing because we were thrust into this new world with little explanation. Though it seems like information is being slowly revealed to the readers as the story progresses, which I like.
I really like the world building. I'm very interested in learning more about the other worlds, especially Black London. The plot doesn't seem to interest me all that much so far and the characters seem a little flat, but it is only the first chapter after all :)
I have really high hopes for this one, which could work against me, but I'm really hoping that I love this book as much as everyone else seems to. (hide spoiler)]
Edit: I also wanted to clarify that I was counting "One: The Traveler" as chapter one, "Two: Red Royal" as chapter two, and so forth.

[Jayme]

GridGirl wrote: "Chapter 1:"
(view spoiler)[His name is Kell in the English version also! :) I feel the same as you about Kell. I can't tell if I really like him yet. I feel like he could turn out to be a really interesting character. It could also go the other way. I hope his character gets more interesting, because I feel the characters make or break the story.
I didn't notice any unusual italicized words in my version, but I could have missed them. Going back through the chapter in my book, I can see some of the italicized words seemed unnecessary and some seemed to make more sense. So it appears it wasn't just your translation haha :) (hide spoiler)]

[GridGirl]

Jayme wrote: "Chapter 1:"

So did I, don't worry! :)

[GridGirl]

Chapter 2:
(view spoiler)[I'm enjoying the book more after the second chapter. The worldbuilding was more detailed and I especially liked the scene at the market place! I never would have thought that Kell and Rhy are brothers. I've rather expected them to be a couple for some reason. I wonder what exactly Holland gave to Rhy for his birthday, but I feel like we'll find out later... Rhy seems like a fun character, I think I like him :D
And I'm curious about Kell's past!
(hide spoiler)]

[Jayme]

Chapter 2:
(view spoiler)[Okay, so Kell is part of the royal family, but not actually related to any of them. It sounds like the queen and king probably adopted him because he was one of the last Antaris. Whether he was taken by force or given to the royal family, I'm not sure. I'm going to guess he was taken.
Not a lot happened in this chapter, but we did learn a few things. It's interesting that Grey London is supposed to be our London. I didn't realize that until this chapter. The only thing I didn't really understand was whether the elderly lady's place that he was at was in Red London or not. I guess I'm wondering whether he can travel between places in the same world as well as between different worlds. (hide spoiler)]

[Jayme]

GridGirl wrote: "Chapter 2:"
(view spoiler)[I was really surprised to learn they were brothers also! The way they described their close relationship in the first chapter, I can see how you would have thought they were a couple. I really like Rhy as well! He's probably my favorite so far :)
I'm really curious about what Holland's gift also. Something seems pretty fishy with Holland. I'm not sure I trust him or his gift. (hide spoiler)]

[GridGirl]

Jayme wrote: "Chapter 2:"

(view spoiler)[I`m pretty sure that he was taken from his parents, too! I'm sure we'll find out more about Kell's past soon.
I assumed that one of the Londons would be our London, but I wasn't exactly sure which one it was until chapter two :)
(hide spoiler)]

[GridGirl]

Chapter 3:
(view spoiler)[Lila seems like a flawed, but really smart character. I think I like her so far, because she's so independent. I liked how she didn't give in to that guy (I forgot his name; was it something with P?) who tried to rape her on the ship.
I wonder what role she's going to play in the novel...
(hide spoiler)]

[Jayme]

Chapter 3:
(view spoiler)[I like this Lila girl! She's feisty and adventurous and she can stand up for herself. I can't say I'm disappointed that Powell was killed. He sexually assaulted Lila, and she had every right to defend herself.
I wonder what London they are in? I don't think they've said yet. I think maybe she is in White or Grey London, but we'll just have to read on to find out :) (hide spoiler)]
Edit: (view spoiler)[The chapter is called "Grey Thief" so she is probably from Grey London. (hide spoiler)]

[Jayme]

GridGirl wrote: "Chapter 3:"
(view spoiler)[I have a feeling that Lila is going to pick pocket something important from Kell while he's at The Stone's Throw (which I think is one of those taverns that is a constant in all of the worlds), setting off a chain of events. It seems like Lila is being set up as a protagonist, so hopefully her and Kell will at least become friends :) (hide spoiler)]

[GridGirl]

Jayme wrote: "GridGirl wrote: "Chapter 3:"
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I figured it could be something like that. And I think you're right about her being from Grey London. We would have heard more about magic otherwise, I think.... :) (hide spoiler)]

[GridGirl]

Chapter 4:
(view spoiler)[
Wow, those twins are horrifying and cruel. I was afraid they would hurt Kell and I'm still not sure if the stuff he drank was as harmless as it seemed... I have a feeling that the gift Rhy got from Holland was actually from the twins and that something nasty is gonna happen...
I'm curious what is in the package which Kell got from that woman.... Since he was so sure that Holland wouldn't deliver letters from one London to another, I have a bad feeling about this as well... Maybe the twins, again..?
(hide spoiler)]

[Jayme]

Chapter 4:
(view spoiler)[The White London is even creepier than I was imagining. I love the visuals of the muted tones in this world and how it reflects their relationship with magic (It reminds me of President Snow from The Hunger Games, with all of his white attire and the contrast with his blood). The twins that rule this London are really scary as well. They're just so unnecessarily cruel and they enjoy torturing people. They definitely had something planned for Kell and I'm not convinced he got away clean. I think they did something to him while he was blacked out and I think that lady with the package was in on it as well. (hide spoiler)]

[Jayme]

GridGirl wrote: "Chapter 4:"
(view spoiler)[I think so, too. I'm just not sure what exactly they have planned. Maybe they are trying to open the doors between the worlds again so they can take magic from and take over Red London. (hide spoiler)]

[GridGirl]

Jayme wrote: "GridGirl wrote: "Chapter 4:"
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I was thinking about something like that, too. That would certainly give enough plot for a whole book :P
What are your overall thoughts so far?
I like it, but I'm not totally blown away by it. For now, I wonder why it's so hyped.... (hide spoiler)]

[GridGirl]

Chapter 5:
(view spoiler)[
Alright, a lot happened in this chapter! But can we first talk about how hilarious it is that Lila stole the stone from Kell? She's a feisty little thing, that's for sure! :D
So, what I'm wondering is: How did the people in Red London know that Kell was coming with that stone? If someone told them, why did he not bring the stone himself and instead sent Kell? That doesn't make sense to me so far...
Also, I'm wondering if that's what Holland gave to Rhy. A similar stone that'll make him more powerful.... But that's just a wild guess, I'm not sure why he would do something like that....(Maybe because he wants to escape the twins, but that would be a very wild guess. Though, I wouldn't blame him if he wanted to escape...
Oh, and can we talk for a second about how sweet it was that Lila followed those assholes who stole from the poor boy? She seems like a really good person :)
(hide spoiler)]

[GridGirl]

Chapter 6:
(view spoiler)[Oh no, things are starting to go wrong very quickly... I feel like I know what happened to Black London back in the day and why they wanted to keep it locked away....
I'm still wondering why someone would want that stone to be around with the amount of damage it is able to do...
(hide spoiler)]

[Jayme]

GridGirl wrote: "Jayme wrote: "GridGirl wrote: "Chapter 4:"
[spoilers removed]""
(view spoiler)[I feel the same. I like it, but it feels a bit generic :/ (hide spoiler)]