A Darker Shade of Magic

I mostly read YA, and I have 4 favorite authors (please don't ask me to rank them!): Leigh Bardugo, Laini Taylor, Victoria Aveyard and V. E. Schwab. I'm hoping that I'll have an opportunity to meet at least one of them over the course of the next year.

I just finished reading A Darker Shade of Magic, and it was intoxicating! Three Londons, each with varying levels of magic, and a fourth that had to be cut off due to its toxicity.  I don't know how anyone else feels about her books, but I savor them. Mostly, I devour good books, but not V.E. Schwab. There's so much to them that I have to take my time. And she really knows her characters. If you've ever watched her Youtube videos or follow her on Twitter,  you know she does not write until she knows everything about the story. It's a fascinating process, and must require a lot of discipline. But it makes me slow down and really absorb what she's written. So far I've read This Savage Song, Vicious, and ADSOM. I can't wait to read everything else she's written.

ADSOM follows Kell, one of only two known people who can travel between the different Londons: Red, White, and Gray. There used to be a Black London, but the doors to that one had to be closed because their magic got out of control and threatened to take over every London. Red London, where Kell is an adopted son of the monarchs, has a healthy amount of magic that found it's source in the Thames, which casts a red glow over the city. Kell is used as a messenger between the three Londons,  and when he's asked to deliver something a bit more powerful than a message, he finds himself running for his life. He gets unwittingly robbed by Delilah Bard, aspiring pirate and current thief. Delilah is looking for adventure and wants to see the world. She ends up seeing more than she bargained for when she teams up with Kell to help save the world.

I loved this story. It has a full cast of well-thought out supporting characters, a sympathetic villain, and multiple near death experiences. What more could a reader ask for? Oh right, magic! I would recommend this to anyone who loves epic fantasy. Readers of Robin Hobb and Robert Jordan would also love V.E. Schwab. Now I need to go buy book 2...A Gathering of Shadows...