-14% $15.51$15.51
FREE delivery Monday, May 20
Ships from: Service First Media Sold by: Service First Media
$8.15$8.15
Ships from: Amazon Sold by: Jenson Books Inc
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
OK
Image Unavailable
Color:
-
-
-
- To view this video download Flash Player
- VIDEO
Audible sample Sample
A Darker Shade of Magic: A Novel (Shades of Magic, 1) Paperback – January 19, 2016
Purchase options and add-ons
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
Shades of Magic series
1. A Darker Shade of Magic
2. A Gathering of Shadows
3. A Conjuring of Light
- Print length416 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateJanuary 19, 2016
- Dimensions5.55 x 1.3 x 8.15 inches
- ISBN-100765376466
- ISBN-13978-0765376466
"All the Little Raindrops: A Novel" by Mia Sheridan for $10.39
The chilling story of the abduction of two teenagers, their escape, and the dark secrets that, years later, bring them back to the scene of the crime. | Learn more
Frequently bought together
Similar items that may deliver to you quickly
- Grey for the magic-less city. Red, for the healthy empire. White, for the starving world.Highlighted by 2,712 Kindle readers
- He could smell Grey London (smoke) and White London (blood), but to him, Red London simply smelled like home.Highlighted by 2,711 Kindle readers
- “I’d rather die on an adventure than live standing still.”Highlighted by 2,477 Kindle readers
Editorial Reviews
Review
Entertainment Weekly's 27 Female Authors Who Rule Sci-Fi and Fantasy Right Now
“A Darker Shade of Magic has all the hallmarks of a classic work of fantasy. Its plot is gripping. Its characters are memorable. Its setting in four parallel, powerful Londons is otherworldly yet believable. Schwab has given us a gem of a tale that is original in its premise and compelling in its execution. This is a book to treasure.” ―Deborah Harkness, New York Times bestselling author of The All Souls Trilogy
“Compulsively readable...her characters make the book. Just as Kell has layers, Lila is a satisfyingly rich invention...With so many worlds on the map, there's plenty left to discover.” ―NPR
“A Darker Shade of Magic feels like a priceless object, brought from another, better world of fantasy books.” ―io9
“Schwab (Vicious) creates an ingenious set of nesting alternate Londons in this imaginative, well-crafted fantasy. Confident prose and marvelous touches-a chameleon coat, a scarlet river of magic, a piratical antiheroine-bring exuberant life to an exhilarating adventure among the worlds.” ―Publishers Weekly, starred review
“A Darker Shade of Magic is smart, funny and sexy ... Schwab keeps the excitement coming with roller-coaster plot twists that establish her as, perhaps, the natural successor to Diana Wynne Jones's contemporary fantasy crown.” ―The Independent
“Fantasy fans will love this fast-paced adventure, with its complex magic system, thoughtful hero and bold heroine.” ―Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Tor Books; Reprint edition (January 19, 2016)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 416 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0765376466
- ISBN-13 : 978-0765376466
- Item Weight : 13.6 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.55 x 1.3 x 8.15 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #271,859 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,316 in Historical Fantasy (Books)
- #8,053 in Fantasy Action & Adventure
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Victoria "V.E." Schwab is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen books, including the acclaimed Shades of Magic series, This Savage Song, Our Dark Duet, City of Ghosts and Vicious. Her work has received critical acclaim, has been featured in the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Washington Post, and more, has been translated into more than a dozen languages, and has been optioned for television and film. When she's not haunting Paris streets or trudging up English hillsides, she lives in Nashville and is usually tucked in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up monsters.
VICTORIA “V. E.” SCHWAB is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including the acclaimed Shades of Magic series, the Villains series, the Cassidy Blake series and the international bestseller The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Her work has received critical acclaim, translated into over two dozen languages, and optioned for television and film. First Kill – a YA vampire series based on Schwab’s short story of the same name – is currently in the works at Netflix with Emma Roberts’ Belletrist Productions producing. When she's not haunting Paris streets or trudging up English hillsides, she lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is usually tucked in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up monsters.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonReviews with images
-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Kell is a deliciously mysterious character with a tortured soul and a habit for bending the rules. From his thoughts you learn that he is devoted to his brother and family despite the tortuous realization that he is not in fact a member of the Royal family so much as their property. Though Kell values the law and order of moving between worlds, he is fascinated by small trinkets with little meaning to others and often risks bending the rules in order to collect these precious items. These small aspects of Kell’s personality show the humanity behind his magical difference from others and allow the readers to wonder more about the man behind the magical black eye.
When you’re just getting invested into Kell and his story, enter Lila Bard — fierce, lethal and likely to steal the glasses off your face before you’ve even finished reading about her. The author chooses to portray her story in the same way as Kell’s, walking the reader through her thoughts and actions rather than providing backstory to prepare you for her arrival. Schwab executes this incredibly well, as I never found myself confused as she shifted between Kell and Lila’s perspectives.
At her core, Lila is an adventurer who longs for a life far more vibrant than the Grey world she was born into. Prone to pick pocketing in order to survive, Lila craves the life of a pirate who serves only themselves and the sea. Despite her rough and tumble, quick draw exterior, Schwab provides the readers with small cracks that show how vulnerable and caring Lila can be. I found myself wondering what led Lila to the life of a thief and who built that wall around her heart that forced her to believe she could only rely on herself.
These characters drive the plot of this story through their incredibly vivacious, competitive and quick-witted relationship. There is a tangible chemistry between them from the very beginning, again showing the brilliance in Schwab’s ability to write dimensional characters. Their chemistry is undeniable, yet it doesn’t distract from the main plot of the novel. They continue to pursue their goal while simultaneously showing that the nature of their relationship is evolving along the way into something more than just a thief and a smuggler who wound up obtaining a rare and deadly artifact that could destroy the worlds they know.
I found myself impressed by all the characters and their ability to subtly hint at what’s to come. We’re given ruthless villains readers easily hate, who introduce us to the main problem of the series — reintroducing the true vitari magic to Grey, Red and White London, potentially leaving them open complete destruction. These villains are tied to Holland, the only other antari to exist, who we long to believe has good inside his controlled soul. Holland’s character reminds me of the Darkling from the Grishaverse in that he is ruthless and cunning, yet tortured and a product of his circumstance. You want so badly for this character to redeem himself.
I thought the end of this novel was the perfect set-up for future books in the series. There were questions answered, resolutions provided, and yet so many little easter egg situations scattered throughout that never really were addressed. This is brilliant writing because it allows readers to feel comfortable and content with the ending, only to likely have their worlds shattered and mind’s blown at the beginning of the next book. I am not convinced that some characters won’t come back to haunt us in the next book, and I love that I have that sense of unease.
Overall, this book is filled with excellent characters, an intriguing and mysterious plot, and dynamic relationships. I was hooked from the start and only craved more with every page turn. This is an excellent read for those who love magical stories but may want a change of pace from the fantastical elements of faeries, witches, wizards and mythical creatures. This book perfectly ties the modernism of present day world with royalty and magic. Definitely worth taking a chance on this book!
Historical Urban Fantasy isn’t something I find very often but I usually enjoy it when I do.
Most people are going to like Kell. And why wouldn’t you? He is a little bit naughty, magical, broody, angsty and tradgic with a lost past. Plus he has a fantastic coat that is actually 5 different coats in one that is added to the magical book items I’d love to have.
And I do like Kell quite a bit but Lila was the character that called to me the most in this. She is snarky, deceptive, innovative, bold, uncouth, impetuous, brave and wants to be a pirate when she grows up. What was not to love?
***Lila wondered, not for the first time, if something was wrong with her. Barron used to say so, but Barron was a bore. Looking for trouble, he’d say. You’re gonna look till you find it.
Trouble is the looker, she’d answer. It keeps looking till it finds you. Might as well find it first.***
This is set in a slightly different world I like to think of as a sandwich.
Layer one: Grey London ( no magic at all) Lila lives here
Layer two: Red London (Beautiful Red Powerful Magic) Kell lives here and this London is practically perfect in every way
Layer three: White London (Creepy Weird Magic) Something is really amiss in this violent decaying place
Layer four: Black London (Evil Magic Rules Here) Actually this place is so overrun with magic that it has be shut off and blocked from the rest of the London’s so it’s magic doesn’t leak through.
Kell is a rare breed of magic user that can travel between all the Londons. Usually he is a messenger for Royalty between the Londons but that is about to change when a piece of Black London ends up in his hands and it could be the thing that might open up the doors and let the magic of Black London through if he can’t find a way to get it back.
This ended up being a really fast read for me. The set up takes a minute but once Kell and Lila meet we were off to the races and I couldn’t read it fast enough. They have this great chemistry together on the page and no it isn’t what you are thinking there is not really even much of a romance going on between them they are just so different and so they play off one another very well.
***. “What are you?” she asked.
“A monster,” said Kell hoarsely. “You’d better let me go.”
The girl gave a small, mocking laugh. “Monsters don’t faint in the presence of ladies.”
“Ladies don’t dress like men and pick pockets,” retorted Kell.
Her smile only sharpened. “What are you really?”
“Tied to your bed,” said Kell matter- of- factly.
“And?”
His brow furrowed. “And in trouble.”****
Lila really made this story for me. I loved the character that she was just finding out about magic in the world and instead of being reluctant she is ready to jump into this new word doing a cannonball and create as big of a splash as possible.
The piece of magic from Black London was really intriguing and I liked seeing how it was different than the magic Kell knew how use. I really wanted to get a look inside of Black London to see if it was really as bad as they suspect.
When doors ran between your world and mine, and others, and anyone with a bit of power could pass through. Magic itself could pass through. But the thing about magic,” added Kell, “is that it preys on the strong- minded and the weak- willed, and one of the worlds couldn’t stop itself. The people fed on the magic and the magic fed on them until it ate their bodies and their minds and then their souls.”
All and all I really liked this book. Kell is an interesting character and I liked the little hints given for the direction that his story is might go. His past is a mystery but he was raised by the king and queen so one has to wonder if they are part of the cause of his past being a mystery or if they adopted him since his magic would be a valuable tool. Lila’s potential is just as great. For someone that comes from a world with no magic it will be interesting to see what she can do in worlds with it and how much more trouble she can get into.
Rys is Kell’s brother the Prince. They are close and I love the bond between them. Rys got to be the playboy in this book but I wonder if he will get a larger role in the continuation of the series after what happened in this one. I think that man would flirt with a plant if he thought it would sit up and take notice.
***“You are surely not an intrusion,” he said, pushing himself up in the bed. “Though I fear you’ve met me rather out of my usual state of grace. Do you have a name?”
Delilah Bard,” she said. “We’ve met before. And you looked worse.”
Rhy laughed silently. “I apologize for anything I might have done. I was not myself.”
“I apologize for shooting you in the leg,” said Lila. “I was myself entirely.”***
Overall:
If you are a fan of UF and 19th century London then this could be just what you were looking for.
Top reviews from other countries
Reviewed in Brazil on April 1, 2021