Review: "A Darker Shade of Magic," by V.E. Schwab
That was a fun book! I realise it's a trilogy, but this book was entertaining as a standalone novel. I liked the concept behind there being multiple Londons to travel between, and I enjoyed the magical element of it all. The characters were interesting and multidimensional. I found I could relate more to Lila than I could to Kell. Probably the thing getting in my way of truly loving this book was that I was drawing comparisons to Harry Potter the entire time. There was a lot that felt like borrowed ideas (don't get mad at me!). Even though I know that's a ridiculous thing to think, but I adored HP so much that I'll probably forever be drawing comparisons to HP in any story I read that includes magic in it's many forms, even the stuff I write myself. No doubt that V.E. Schwab has talent - she's a good writer and can weave a good tale together. This story worked because it was very fast paced. The characters were always moving from one place to another and the settings changed, which kept you on your toes. This book first captured my attention because the opening few sentences were catchy. Also the cover artwork is stunning. But as I got into it, I enjoyed the characters. I enjoyed that it felt as though there was more to the characters than this first novel let on, which I know I will find out in the next two novels. I wish the ending of this novel wouldn't have finished the way it did. It was sort of tied off neatly, without toooooo much hanging other than the prospect that there could be some political unrest. As a result, I don't feel too propelled to the read the sequel any time soon, but will probably still do so eventually. Still a good book, and I'd recommend it. It's further proof that there must be some kind of magic in the water in Edinburgh.
