Release Date: February 24th 2015Synopsis:
From V.E. Schwab, the critically acclaimed author of Vicious, comes a new universe of daring adventure, thrilling power, and parallel Londons, beginning with A Darker Shade of Magic.
Kell is one of the last Travelers—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel universes—as such, he can choose where he lands. There’s Grey London, dirty and boring, without any magic, ruled by a mad King George. Then there’s Red London, where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London, ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne—a place where people fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city 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, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between the royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see—a dangerous hobby, and one that has set him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations, first robs him, then saves him from a dangerous enemy, and then forces him 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, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive—and that is proving trickier than they hoped.
Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review.
I have heard nothing but amazing reviews of Victoria Schwab's books and writing, so when I saw this on Netgalley I immediately requested it... without realising it was just a preview excerpt. So I guess you could say I felt mixed things when I found out I had been accepted to review it.
I think that was part of the reason this took me so long to get through. I knew that I wouldn't get to see how it ended for a long time, and that it wouldn't count toward my reading goal (what a great excuse).Still, I don't regret reading it at all. How could I?
Victoria's writing feels so complete and labyrinthine (as in complex and rich - probably not making myself very clear, but that's how it felt to me). The world was so well built, from what I could see, and I can only describe it exactly like the writing: complete and labyrinthine. They complement each other in a way that brings to life what I believe will be an amazing full book, once I get to read it.
I am wholeheartedly in love with every single character, especially Kell. You could fell his story unfold with every chapter and I would love to know more about him, and what he learned after the end of this preview. Lila was a badass and I think she will be an amazing female character. I would love to see how this two character's stories intertwine. For some reason, I really felt a connection with Holland. I love the mystery that surrounds him and I'm intrigued to see where he fits in the end.
In conclusion, I loved what I read and I hope I get to read the full book once it comes out, which should be, like, yesterday. This was so good I had to look up words in a dictionary, and I still couldn't find the right ones. Basically, magic, multiple Londons, blood and did I say magic?
