A Darker Shade of Magic

Starred review from January 5, 2015
Schwab (Vicious) creates an ingenious set of nesting alternate Londons in this imaginative, well-crafted fantasy. There’s Grey London, set in our mundane world’s Regency era; Red London, where magic flourishes along with the populace; and White London, where a desperate struggle to control magic has bled the city and its people. No one speaks of Black London, consumed by magic and presumed destroyed. Kell, adopted brother of Red London’s prince and one of the few Antari, who can travel between worlds, is a royal emissary and collector of forbidden artifacts from other Londons. When Kell is tricked into taking a dangerous artifact of Black London into Red, he falls in with the cross-dressing Grey thief Lila Bard, a cutpurse with a quick tongue and her own sense of honor. 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. Agent: Holly Root, Waxman Leavell Literary.

December 15, 2014
A fast-paced fantasy adventure that takes readers into a series of interconnected worlds ruled by magic-or the lack of it. Long ago, the doors between worlds were open, and anyone with magic could travel from one to the next. Now the doors are closed, and only a chosen few have the power to travel between Grey London, a world without magic, Red London, a world suffused with it, and White London, a world where magic is scarce, coveted and jealously guarded. As for Black London, the city consumed, no one would be so foolish as to risk a trip-not even Kell. Officially, he's a royal messenger, carrying letters among the rulers of the three Londons. Unofficially, he's a smuggler who collects artifacts from other worlds. It's that habit that leads him to accept a dangerous relic, something that shouldn't exist. And it's when a wanted Grey London thief named Lila steals the artifact that the real trouble starts-for both of them. Schwab (Vicious, 2013, etc.) creates a memorable world-actually, three memorable worlds-and even more memorable characters. Lila in particular is a winningly unconventional heroine who, as she declares, would "rather die on an adventure than live standing still." The brisk plot makes this a page-turner that confronts darkness but is never overwhelmed by it.Fantasy fans will love this fast-paced adventure, with its complex magic system, thoughtful hero and bold heroine.

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Starred review from December 1, 2014

The doors connecting the worlds have been closed for years, with only rare magic users such as Kell able to travel between. A member of the royal household of Red London, Kell journeys to other Londons (including Grey London, our nonmagical world from the age of mad King George III) with correspondence for the monarchs of the realms, forbidden from taking anything else between the worlds. Then he inadvertently comes into possession of an artifact from interdicted Black London, quarantined since its magic grew out of control. A young thief named Lila from Grey London helps him when a fellow magician from White London turns on Kell, seeking a path to power. VERDICT The three Londons we see (and rumors of the one we do not) will captivate fantasy readers. They are pleasantly grounded by the grimy Georgian version that is Lila's home. While scrappy, pragmatic wannabe pirate Lila is a big draw, Kell and White London magician Holland round out a great cast. There is much more to explore in this amazing world from the acclaimed author of Vicious.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2015
Meet Kell, a young man with an extraordinary gift: unlike almost everyone else, he can travel from one version of London to another, moving between parallel worlds the way ordinary people walk from one room to another. His job: carrying correspondence between the rulers of Red London (a city rich in magic), White London (where the relentless fight to control magic is destroying the city), and Grey London (where magic no longer existsthe London of our own past). Kell also has a secret sideline: he smuggles artifacts from one London to another, getting top prices from collectors. When he gets caught up in a bad deal in Grey London, he goes on the run, at his side a clever thief named Delilah, who helps Kell elude his pursuers, desperately trying to find a way not only to save Kell's life, but also to protect the parallel worlds themselves. An ingeniously clever tale.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

May 15, 2015

Kell, a rare Traveler, serves as messenger and de facto prince of Red London, carrying correspondence between three parallel Londons and, in his own time, smuggling tourists between cities. When this side business casts Kell out of favor, he must work with Delilah Bard, an ambitious cutpurse from magicless Grey London to save all of the worlds. VERDICT With more depth and substance than a gimmicky concept, this inventive adventure and its colorful eccentric characters provide the perfect summer escape. (LJ 12/15/14)

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2017

Schwab begins a tale of four vastly different yet parallel Londons, separated by magic. The Travellers are the only people able to journey among the Londons, but when a clever thief meets one of these voyagers, they team up to fight a threat that may destroy all four worlds. VERDICT This series launch is filled with wonder, action, and marvelous characters. The final book, A Conjuring of Light, came out in February. New readers can devour the entire trilogy this summer. (LJ 12/14)

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.