Shades of Magic Series by V.E. Schwab
Welcome to Grey London, dirty and boring, without any magic, with one mad king - George III. Then there is Red London, where life and magic are revered, and White London, a city slowly being drained through magical war, down to its very bones. And once upon a time, there was Black London…but no one speaks of that now.
Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler - one of the last magicians who can travel between the worlds - acting as ambassador and messenger between the Londons, in service of the Maresh empire. Unofficially, he’s a smuggler, which is a dangerous hobby for him to have - as proved when Kell stumbles into a setup with a forbidden token from Black London.
Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cutpurse with lofty aspirations, who first robs him, then saves him from a dangerous enemy, and then forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure. But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they’ll first need to stay alive. - Synopsis.
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This series took me by surprise. I’ve heard for years how V.E. Schwab is an amazing writer, a master of words and so I’ve meant to read her works for a while now and thought what better way than this popular trilogy? I figured I’d be disappointed. I thought she was way over-hyped and overly popular books always seem to disappoint me. I read the first book and I enjoyed it but I didn’t think it lived up to the “oh how it changed my life” expectations. It was fascinating and the world-building left me in awe but I didn’t feel I had connected with the characters enough to love them. By the end of the third book, I never wanted to leave that world. Those characters were as real to me as anyone and I laughed and cried and grieved and rejoiced with those characters. And now I understand, the love for these books is well-founded and I think this is one of those stories that will last a very very long time.
The world-building in this book was extraordinary. Right from the first book, we are immediately transported into a reality not our own where magic can create doors into our world from ones beyond. It took a few chapters to wrap my mind around the “rules” of this new form of magic but once I got it, it was so ingenious! I love love loved that it took place in the 18th century. Old London is always portrayed as spooky and gloomy back then which was the perfect representation of Grey London. And I loved that the other London’s were all within the same time period as well with everything from extravagant balls and elegant palaces to pirate ships and run-down taverns. The Thames being a central and common theme between all three worlds yet in each one so different even though it’s the common landmark was extremely creative especially in the way each is described. The Grey London Thames sludgy and dark, the Red London Thames bright and full of magic, and the White London Thames frozen and lifeless. The symbolism in each world really helps in describing the atmosphere and the slight foreshadowing of “what could be” should the thriving London’s fall down a darker path because, as different as these worlds are, history has a habit of repeating itself. I haven’t been as taken in by another world described in such vivd detail since A Song of Ice and Fire.
The characterization throughout this series was phenomenal. The first book left me feeling a little bereft. I didn’t know the characters as well as I should. Yes, the world-building took up a lot of the novel but every good fantasy adventure is still able to make us fall in love with the characters in book one. This one left me feeling like I needed to know more. We got little hints of Kell’s and Lila’s pasts and a glimpse into their personalities but mostly, who they were, was dominated by what they were going through. When I picked up the second book I had high hopes that I’d be able to connect with the characters a little better and it definitely did not disappoint. The second book moves a bit slower through the first half but I enjoyed that because it gave me a chance to get to know each character in their own element before the action started. It was nice to get to know them in a slower way. By book three I was hooked on each of these characters and I desperately needed each one of them to make it out of this book alive. And because that almost never happens, I meant to take this book slow to prevent the inevitable... I ended up devouring most of it in one night instead. It was just too good.
The villain/victim theme was something I get the feeling Schwab has a lot of experience writing because it was very well fleshed out. No one is just born evil, most “bad guys” are villains of circumstance. And getting to see the human side of the “bad guy” in her books was great to see. Also her separation between a bad person and an actual dark emotionless entity helped put into perspective that all villains and all bad choices are inspired by some type of emotion. It was a very interesting insight into a side we never usually see.
By the time I finished the third book I was convinced this series is nothing short of perfect. However, we have to keep in mind that it did take me at least a book and a half to fully fall in love with this story. I do wish we got to connect with the characters a little more in book one and as much as I enjoyed the slower pace of book two to get to know the characters, it wouldn’t have had to be that way had we known them fully from the start. It did take me longer than I would have liked to read A Gathering of Shadows because of the slower pace. But I do think it was nicely balanced out by A Conjuring of Light being basically action from start to finish (reminding me of Return of the King, I LOVE action-packed stories).
All in all, I loved this series and I will definitely be reading more by this author. It did take a bit longer to sink in for me but once I was hooked I. Was. Hooked!
A Darker Shade of Magic was very exciting and intense but I was a bit let down about how little connection I felt with the characters. This one was a 3.5 star because of that.
A Gathering of Shadows was a slower burn but it gave me a chance to get to know the characters a bit better. And when it picked up it got sooooo good. 4 stars on this one.
A Conjuring of Light was my favourite of the series, action from start to finish and such a deep emotional connection with each character. When I was finished all I wanted to do was dive back into this world. 5 stars.
Altogether this series was a fantastic 4.16 star read. I definitely recommend it if fantasy and magic are your thing.