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Kell is an Antari, meaning he can travel between four parallel universes that share the same geographic location in the 1800s. The first is Red London, his home, where he serves as an ambassador and a brother to the prince, but rather than a family member, he is treated like an asset. There is bountiful magic for everyone. The second is Gray London, the London of our world where all magic is long gone. The third is White London, which is governed by sadistic twins and where magic is a finite resource that residents will murder for. No one talks about the fourth, Black London because of an unspeakable magical incident that happened years ago.  Along with delivering messages to the monarchs other kingdoms, Kell also smuggles items and letters from common people. After receiving a mysterious talisman from a woman in Grey London, his pocket is picked by a cross-dressing pickpocket named Lilah with dreams of becoming a pirate. He chases her down in an attempt to retrieve the talisman and the two discover that it is actually a piece of the mysterious Black London. The two embark on an adventure across the four Londons to save the world that includes plenty of angst, a slow burn romance, and cinematic magical fight scenes. 

While the plot was quite generic, the worldbuilding completely intrigued me. I enjoyed watching Kell and Lila’s journey across the Londons and all their unique elements. White London’s chilling undertones added a greater feeling of agitation and Red London’s flowery atmosphere gave off a friendly ambience. The writing is poetic and almost lyrical. 

My favorite character was Holland, the only other Antari we know of, who serves the monarchs of White London. I was disappointed that he didn’t get more page time, but he was easily the most complex character in the first book. He made an amazing villain, but I would have preferred for him to have been more of a main character. I was also interested in Kell, mainly because of his small nuances and quirks such as his coat, which he can turn inside and out four times instead of two. Besides that, he’s just a typical character with a rare power and a fake family that does nothing but emotionally abuse him. He does eventually get some development during an interaction with Holland where he begins to struggle with feelings of inferiority as he realizes that he has never had to fight for his life before because of his upbringing of privilege. Finally, I was slightly annoyed with Lilah, Kell’s love interest. I know that it’s supposed to be a defining aspect of her character that she is independent and courageous, which I do admire about her, but she’s also immature and has no sense of self-preservation. When Kell does her a favor by taking her on an adventure, she repeatedly speaks to him condescendingly and makes a joke out of his survival. However, I did enjoy her brutal destruction of gender roles, and, unlike most YA authors, the author never made her strength about being a woman. I wasn’t repeatedly bashed in the head with themes about how the patriarchy is bad, it was simply cleverly weaved into the story. Out of ten, I would give A Darker Shade of Magic an 8.

I would recommend A Darker Shade of Magic to anyone interested in fantasy, epic fight scenes, and sadistic villains. 

Check out a Darker Shade of Magic at NBPL!