A Darker Shade of Magic by Victoria Schwab
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- little_wonderland
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A Darker Shade of Magic by Victoria Schwab
My favourite quotes:
1. “Why anyone would ever pretend to be weak was beyond her.”
2. “Love doesn’t keep us from freezing to death, Kell, or starving, or being knifted for the coins in our pocket. Love doesn’s buy us anything, so be glad for what you have and who you have because you may want for things but you need for nothing.”
3. Kell: “You don’t know anything about these worlds.” Lila: “Sure I do. There’s Dull London, Kell London, Creepy London and Dead London.”
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― Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel
- little_wonderland
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-- 23 Aug 2017, 23:44 --
So I finally got round to reading the first two! I wrote a review for my own blog but thought I might as well paste it here and share my thoughts rather than duplicate a topic..
I’m not one for fantasy, but this was recommended to me by a friend and I’ve liked everything he has suggested so far. It’s fantasy right to my taste. Where Throne of Glass seemed strange and foreign, and Game of Thrones seemed heavy, A Darker Shade of Magic was just written so well.
The story is set in a world where multiple “Londons” exist at the same time; Red London, where magic thrives, Grey London, in the time of George III where magic has been forgotten, and White London, where magic is dying and people fight for control. Finally, there is Black London, who some believe may never have been at all.
The story follows Kell, one of the rarest and strongest magicians who possess the power to travel between the worlds. Woven into the story is Holland, a magician from White London, and Lila, a thief from Grey London.
The world building in this was brilliant. It is not all dumped on to the reader all at once but is given in the way that you can build your own image in your mind. It was so easy to picture the characters in the different settings. Magic has been written about before, and all authors have their own rules, but Schwarb’s allow for theatrics which makes it entertaining.
What I also liked was the action. I can’t remember the last time I’ve come across “fight scenes” in books and not skimmed over them. However, in this book, I read every word.
It was funny. Some of the characters are cheeky and the dialogue never felt forced. Sure, not all of them are likeable, but maybe your are not supposed to like everyone.Lastly, it did not end on a complete cliffhanger, which, for the first novel in a series, I was impressed.
I’d recommend it to those who like the supernatural and magic, and those that like humour with their fantasy. It’s also very LGBT+ friendly, but with some bad language may not be suitable for the younger readers.
― Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel
- LarissaRunamuck
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I have a signed copy of this book and it is one of my treasures
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