A Darker Shade of Magic

A Novel

By: V. E. Schwab

Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer

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.

"Narrators Michael Kramer and Kate Reading give rich, measured performances." —Library Journal on The Fragile Threads of Power

"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

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books

Critic reviews

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

Love this universe

This isn't my first foray into this universe. I listened to The Fragile Threads of Power before I realized there was a whole trilogy beforehand. I'm so happy I decided to come back and listen to the series from the beginning. This particular storyline follows Kell & Lila throughout parallel universe Londons on an adventure to try to keep dark magic from corrupting, and in turn destroying any of the Londons. It was everything to want in a fantasy without being excessive in descriptions which a lot of high fantasies can be. I think if you're looking to try to get into fantasy this can be a great jumping of point.

One of my favorites, now with new narrators!

I’m so glad this book got a refresh to match the later books! One of my go to books I’ll read again and again

a bit meh

The main protagonists and antagonists were not that compelling. The two lead protagonists were like any other fantasy novel hero & heroine -- so "different" from everyone else but so predictable. The antagonists were also a bit boring -- too powerful, too power hungry, too evil. Holland could've been an interesting character but he turned out to be just evil.

The author tended to kill all side characters for no reason. So I never really got to connect with the different Londons -- which was the only interesting thing about this novel.

Would've loved it better if the story wqa about the different Londons instead of the limited understanding and appreciation of that kind of universe by an entitled, brooding, spoiled main character.

I don't think I'm going to continue this series. I've loved other books by the author but this one misses the mark.

Performance was also meh.

Excellent first book

Loved the book, the world building and can't wait for more adventures from Kel and Dalila

I love a good magic vs user story

The setting, world building and magic were all fun. I felt just a tiny bit cheated since there were always new spells making an appearance when the plot called for it. But generally the outlines stayed put so it didn’t bother me too much. I liked the characters but I felt their growth fell a little flat. Feir, I think it might not have been the focus of the book.
Sure Laila learned the value of composer but it came easy to her. And Kell learns the value of…himself? I guess.
The plot was definitely fun, and I loved the sentient magic system!
Laila’s narrator was good but her voice did not match a 16 year old by any account. It was hard to remember I’m reading about teens.