A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab takes us to a London where magic exists and those in possession of it can travel between alternate worlds. After Black London, filled with unquenchable and evil power, became a threat to the others, the doors were shut down to all except the Antari, a nearly extinct race of people who still have the ability to make these doors. To do so, they must use blood and a piece of the other worlds, which is only impossible for Black London, where no trace exists in the others any longer… or so we believe. The story has us follow Kell, an Antari from the lush and magically blessed Red London and Lila, a supposedly human girl with a penchant for trouble from the lacking Grey London, as they try to escape the power hungry White London’s rulers and return a powerful talisman to Black London.

This book was a 5/5, adventurous page-turner for adults who grew up with their noses in The Gideon Trilogy/Time Travelers books. It has the charm of streets of an old-time London, the satisfaction of a well-planned magic system, and the fulfillment of characters who are actually concerned about the task at hand (most of the time). Although no book is truly perfect, this one hit all the strong points I look for in a good magic/adventure novel, and make it just dark enough to not feel childish without it seeming like we are only here for gore or sex. The world building was done well enough that I felt myself frustrated when we didn’t get to see what Black London was like, but also not deep enough that I was studying tables and charts and dictionaries to figure out what was happening. My only complaint was the lack of a map, because in between reading sessions I often forgot which names of places or people belonged to which London, but this is not really a personal offense as my pauses were often quite long.

Overall, I’d recommend the book to anyone looking for a magical adventure (and who has enough money/time to acquire the next book shortly after or risk going a bit mad).

Happy reading,
-Beppa