A Darker Shade of Magic
A Darker Shade of Magic, from #1 New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab
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.
"A Darker Shade of Magic has all the hallmarks of a classic work of fantasy. Schwab has given us a gem of a tale...This is a book to treasure."—Deborah Harkeness, New York Times bestselling author of the All Souls trilogy
Other books by V. E. Schwab
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Shades of Magic series
A Darker Shade of Magic
A Gathering of Shadows
A Conjuring of Light
The Fragile Threads of Power
Villains Series
Vicious
Vengeful
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
- Pages
- 400
- First published
- 2015
- Language
- English
- Edition
- Ebook
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Reviews
Started May 11, 2026 · Finished May 13, 2026
Am I on a mission to one day read this authors entire catalog? Yes, I am. This was really good, a lil YA, but had adult themes. It reminded me of Six of Crows with the world, and Vicious Villans with the characters. Lila is by far my fav, the way she complements Kell in this journey was a lot of fun to watch unfold. The parallel worlds was an interesting take where sometimes I got a little confused where they actually were, but it all made sense in the end. I am looking forward to finishing this series, I feel like this had a satisfying ending that didn't leave too much hanging and curious to see where it goes next.
Started July 31, 2026 · Finished August 3, 2026
Started May 23, 2026 · Finished May 28, 2026
Started August 14, 2026 · Finished August 31, 2026
It took me forever to get around to reading this book, but I am now so happy that I have. What starts slow builds into an interesting, complex universe of four Londons—three of which are unique and offer their own challenges, whilst the fourth exists as an inaccessible remnant of a darker period of history. Needless to say, the world-building is fascinating, and our main character Kell, one of the sole folk able to traverse these worlds, holds a great mixture of swagger and charm that I love to see in a protagonist while remaining human in their mistakes—and boy does he make a lot of them. I also really enjoyed Lila’s character, though my gripe with her story is purely that I am so tired of seeing aspects of SA used as plot devices against our female characters. Can a woman, even in fiction, ever exist without being leered at or facing a man’s vulgar, inappropriate gestures? There is also a lot more to unpack about Holland. And I need to know what his deal is. By the time we reach the end of the story, something brutal has occurred, giving way to the remainder of a series that I am very excited to continue. I have many questions and I know that things will not remain as neatly tied up as they currently seem.
Started May 31, 2026 · Finished June 10, 2026
Finished May 26, 2025
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 Interesting, and it definitely held my attention... but I expected more. I couldn’t really connect with the characters; they really only had surface level development. I’ll continue with the series, hoping for more depth, stronger character development, and some real answers to the mysteries (and hope they aren't just plot holes or lazy writing). It reads more like YA than adult fantasy, and weirdly enough, gave me strong C.S. Lewis vibes - though not in a bad way, just a bit... juvenile.
Finished May 23, 2025
Started August 5, 2026 · Finished August 7, 2026 · Read 5 times
Finished May 20, 2025
4.5 ⭐ rounded up Where, oh where will you go next, Lila Bard?
Finished February 5, 2016
▸ Did not finish (1)
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