A Darker Shade of Magic cover art

A Darker Shade of Magic

A Darker Shade of Magic, Book 1

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A Darker Shade of Magic

Written by: V. E. Schwab
Narrated by: Steven Crossley
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About this listen

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. There's White London, ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. 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 cutpurse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a dangerous enemy and then forces him to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

©2015 Victoria Schwab (P)2015 Tantor
Action & Adventure Alternate History Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Historical Science Fiction Royalty England Funny Alternate Universe Time Travel

What the critics say

"There is much more to explore in this amazing world from the acclaimed author of Vicious." (Library Journal)

What listeners say about A Darker Shade of Magic

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Book is good, performance made me almost not like it

I like VE Schwab and her writing. This book has a good storyline with good characters. However, the narrator read things in a tone that almost made me not like the characters - he made them sound whiny, and removed any romantic / sexual tension.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Love this author’s worlds

Just read my second V Schwab novel and I wasn’t disappointed. Beautiful writing, good story and entrancing characters. My only point of contention is the narrator, who, having a rich lush voice makes the female main character sound a bit like a cross dresser... like those Monty Python skits with John Cleese and the gang doing their best female impersonations. Other than that, excellent!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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magical realism

the main characters are dynamic and unmatched in fantasy. the setting is unique and the plot is riviting. a must read

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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Narrator issues

Found the narrator difficult to listen to, a bit goofy - but the story was great.

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good story, wrong narrator!!

I'm halfway through the book and I'm having so much trouble finishing it. The story is interesting enough that I want to keep listening, but the narrator is not the right one for this book. My problem is not the accent, but the dialogues don't match to his inflections and speech rate. I don't know how to explain it but it just sounds wrong and rushed. It's unfortunate because I love audiobooks and was looking forward to enjoying this one. Overall, I don't recomed this audiobook, instead get the physical book if you are looking into this series.

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1 person found this helpful

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An amazing read

Narrator was really good and portrayed the story well, but was gutteral at times. Story was well written and entertaining throughout, with cliff hangers and strong story elements. Overall was amazing to listen to.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic female protagonist.

Characters Written like real complex people. So refreshing and delightful. I wish I had a female character like this to read about as a kid.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A Magical Adventure

The story had me hooked from the start. I loved the unique spin on the world. The narration was great too. Can't wait to see what the next book in the series has in store.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story, poor narration

Loved the book - fantastic and engaging story. The narrator was a poor fit. He really did a disservice to one character in particular. I ended up switching to the ebook version half way through.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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I'm In LOVE

A Darker Shade of Magic has that unique kind of ability where it pulls you in and keeps you on the edge of the seat for the entire time and leaves you wanting more once it's finished. The magic system is one of the best I have read in a long time and if anyone asks me for a fantasy recommendation, this will be the first one off my tongue. Can February come a little faster so I can have A Gathering of Shadows, please and thank you?

There is so much good in this one that I don't even know where to start. I loved all the characters (I aspire to be Lila Bard) and can't wait to see what else is in store for them in the future. I could read about Kell and Lila doing mundane tasks and still be happy about it. They have the best chemistry and give and take, both allowing the other to shine but also grow. I loved Lila's want for adventure and Kell's reluctance to let her -- or anyone else -- be hurt because of magic. They had the right mix of sarcasm and actual caring to make them into a fun duo that you were rooting for the entire time.

The plot was amazing. I loved following along throughout the different Londons with Kell -- and then with Kell and Lila -- until we reached the end. I was so nervous about the ending because there didn't seem to be enough time to resolve everything. The ending left it open but also gave closure to this story arc, which was nice. I like when the plot concludes but you can still see the characters living on after. But man am I glad there is a sequel (AND A THIRD BOOK. YAY!) I also really want to know more about Kell's back story and why he can't remember anything because I feel like that is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.

The world building was immaculate. If you are writing a fantasy book right now, take note. The world building in this is flawless and seamless with the right amount of exploring the worlds and being told about the different aspects of them. As Kell traveled through the different Londons, I felt as though I was right there with him. Once explained, I could travel between the Londons myself and understand the difference, but it was nice to have Lila reaffirm the aspects of them as she traveled. It made me as a reader realize that because Kell was so used to traveling, he didn't notice some of the details the same way a fresh pair of eyes would. So having Lila travel and be like "oh everything here is so vibrant and smells so nice" was a nice touch to expanding both the world and the characters.

This is like my number one recommendation right now and forever. I can't wait to see what else Schwab has up her sleeve in regards to Kell and Lila but I know I am excited to read it.

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4 people found this helpful