A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

As a general rule I tend to avoid anything that gets a lot of hype.  It doesn't matter if it is a book, film, music or anything else but I usually end up disappointed so I leave whatever it happens to be for quite a while.  This book fell into that category until my choice was made for me and it came up as the book of the month for one of my reading groups....and so began a reluctant read.

When it comes to the Fantasy genre it is quite hard to find real originality out there with so many competing dragons, wizards, various forms of magic and everything else that comes under this particular umbrella.  In my opinion there are some good original ideas to be found in V. E. Schwab's novel with the various versions of London and the ingenious way of travelling between them being my favourite.  The clothing worn by the main character is another - I can't remember reading of another quite like it before.  The world building is superb with the different Londons all very well depicted with the drab Grey London feeling dull and almost claustrophobic, the Red version that the main character, Kell, inhabits is beautifully vibrant and the White kingdom of the Dane twins is suitably dark and brutal.  All are written very capably, giving the novel a great deal of structure and vitality.

Kell is a good character, a clearly powerful and respected individual in his own kingdom and those he must travel to as one of the very few with the talent to do so.  He is also internally restless and a little bitter and has many unanswered questions about himself, something that is alluded to in the story but not resolved.  It is this disquiet that gets him into trouble and gives the book its plot.   Forced to flee his world, Kell ends up in Grey London where he meets another main character - Lila.  For me she is a bit too much of a cliche - the abandoned young girl who becomes a thief and killer in order to survive which inevitably leads to the normal trust issues, the search for adventure and desperation for a better life.  To me this makes her one-dimensional but there is an attempt to make her more interesting with hints of a far more involved back story creeping in later on.

There are some great villains embodied in the Dane twins, Holland and the stone itself that gives the book its dark title.  To me, if anything, other than Kell, the stone and its origin is the most intriguing part of the plot.

This can be read as a standalone with a good conclusion, however there are plenty of possibilities mentioned in passing that would be enough to make the curious reader say...but What if? Why did that happen?  

All in all a pleasure to read.  'A Darker Shade of Magic' is original, colourful, gripping and one I would highly recommended to both established Fantasy fans and those thinking of giving the genre a try.