A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab was our second book club pick. If you remember, Killers of the Flower Moon was first. Now, A Darker Shade of Magic beat out The Alchemist, so I was pretty upset at first. Our book club “leader” shared this whole thing about how it’s a fantasy novel, so it’s definitely different than most things people read. Needless to say, I was not looking forward to it. I was surprised (again), and loved it!
Initial Thoughts
When the novel first begins, characters are introduced like you should already know them. friend pointed out that it’s a C.S. Lewis style to do that. There are more details about these characters later on, which is helpful. I guess it’s kind of like when you date someone: You know their name and who they are in that immediate situation. As you date them, you learn more about them.
The Layout
The book is in themed chapters, with additional sub-chapters. For the most part, the novel follows two main characters, Kell and Lila. It’s set in many Londons, with different languages, cities, neighborhoods, and people. Magic is almost a currency in the different “worlds”. There’s even a battle for power of who has the strongest magic.
At one point, there are these magical…beasts, almost, that go on a rampage, but then they disappear a bit. It’s an odd flow of characters.
I felt that the book wrapped up much quicker than was logical. The novel spent quite a bit of time building up these characters and a struggle for power, and then it was over in just a few pages.
My Recommendation
I would definitely recommend this for someone looking to read a “fantasy” genre book without it being about aliens and space. For me, it felt like a standard fiction book. It’s actually the first in a series of three books. I almost went to 2nd & Charles the day after I finished it to see if the other two were local. I’m trying to save some money, so I haven’t rushed to buy them just yet.
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