If you want to be transported to a world of elemental magic, rich royal history and doorways between worlds, V.E. Schwab’s “A Darker Shade of Magic” might be your next five-star read.

 Schwab’s “A Darker Shade of Magic” is an adult fantasy novel featuring two protagonists, Kell Maresh and Lila Bard. Maresh is an Antari magician who can travel between worlds. There are four worlds in this literary universe: Grey London, which is magicless, Red London, which thrives on magic, White London, which has starved itself of magic and Black London, which was destroyed by magic. Maresh resides in Red London, where he lives with his adoptive family, the royal family of the Kingdom of Arnes (besides Grey London, which is set in England, the other London’s are set in fictional countries). When Maresh steals a forbidden object from White London and brings it back to his world, he realizes there may be a greater danger within the worlds than he realized.

On an errand in Grey London, Maresh is robbed of this object by Bard, local thief and wannabe-pirate. When he tries to take it back, they outsmart each other. They realize that they are more alike than they thought, deciding that they could benefit from being allies. They set out to destroy the stolen object but both quickly learn that destroying it is much easier said than done. In order to destroy it, they must venture to White London, home to the only other living Antari, Holland Vosijk. Instead of using his magic for good, Vosijk plans to destroy Maresh and work his way up to the White London throne. Full of imperial intrigue, well-developed character/family dynamics and sacrifice, “A Darker Shade of Magic” will have any avid fantasy reader on the edge of their seats.

Schwab currently resides in Edinburgh, Scotland. She has written over twenty books in various age ranges primarily featuring the fantasy, horror and dystopian genres. Some of her other titles include “Vicious” and “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.”

“A Darker Shade of Magic” is part of the “Shades of Magic” series, which is a completed adult fantasy trilogy. The first book, “A Darker Shade of Magic,” came out in 2015. This book primarily follows Maresh and Bard as their paths cross, but even after meeting, they are still haunted by their troubled pasts. The second book, “A Gathering of Shadows,” is my personal favorite. This book still follows Mareshand Bard, but two new protagonists are added to the mix: Prince Rhy, who was a side character in book one and Alucard Emery, Captain of the Night Spire. If you like pirates, you might like this one even better than the first. The third book, “A Conjuring of Light,” cleverly wraps up the overarching plot of the series, but it leaves some loose threads.

While the “Shades of Magic” trilogy is complete, the story is far from over. On Sept. 26, 2023, Schwab will release “The Fragile Threads of Power,” which is the first book in the follow-up “Threads of Power” trilogy. I can’t wait to see what new elements Schwab brings to the story.

Sources

Schwab, V. E. (2023). Bio. V.E. SCHWAB. https://www.victoriaschwab.com/about/bio/summer. (n.d.). Royalty Aesthetic. Pinterest. https://pin.it/5frkAAs