A Darker Shade of Magic cover art

A Darker Shade of Magic

Shades of Magic, Book 1

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A Darker Shade of Magic

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

A Darker Shade of Magic is the incredible first installment of the Shades of Magic series, from number one New York Times best-selling author V.E. Schwab.

Most people only know one London; but what if there were several? Kell is one of the last Travelers - magicians with a rare ability to travel between parallel Londons. There’s Grey London, dirty and crowded and without magic, home to the mad king George III. There’s Red London, where life and magic are revered. Then, White London, ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. But once upon a time, there was Black London....

©2015 V. E. Schwab (P)2015 Tantor Fantasy Mystery Supernatural Thriller & Suspense Paranormal Fiction Magic England Magic Users

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Critic reviews

"A Darker Shade of Magic has all the hallmarks of a classic work of fantasy. Schwab has given us a gem of a tale...." (Deborah Harkeness)
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This story is packed full of magic and adventure. Reminding me a little of the long earth series by Pratchett, and also of The Northern Lights books by Pullman, this sees our magic powered protagonists sliding between versions of London in a tale which is gripping and well paced.
The world is well crafted, with carefully thought out plot points explaining why things are the way they are, one example is that when magic spells are cast they come with a price, a price of blood.

This book is well suited for a more mature 11 year old and above, the occasional swear words and swashbuckling approach to life and death make it more for a more mature youngster.

Beautifully written magical adventure

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great story but hand was held throughout. would have liked a few more different voices too. all very similar. worth a read ☺️

great story but hand was held throughout

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loved it. very gripping. could totally see it as a Hollywood movie. love the mix of Londons and the characters are relatable 👌

fantastic

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I read this book a while ago and thought I’d give it a listen. Going in I already had a preconceived notion of the character voices in my head but I honestly found the voices and accents adopted by the narrator very jarring and poorly done.
However it must be said the the narration of the book itself was very good.
Still one of my favourite authors and series though so I did enjoy it overall.

Great Book, Great Narration, Poor Character Voices

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Brilliant story, wonderful characters!
Can’t wait to start book two, the. Immediately number three. Superb!

Gripping story

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The story has potential, however, I need more details, more explanations. The main characters are fun, and while I'm not blown away, I am curious to continue the series. however, the narration of the dialogues in this version is HORRIBLE. They all sound like awful caricatures, it was painful to listen anyone speak, in the otherwise good naration.

potentially good story, decent narration in descriptions but AWFUL in dialogues (overly accentuated caricatures)

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Despite the dark subject matter, this book has a wide streak of kindness and some very fun, sympathetic characters.

It’s a ripping yarn and a lot of fun.

Great Characters

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Wonderful world building and interesting magic system. Exactly what you expect from this author. Highly recommend

An absolute must-read!

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Not my usual genre but an interesting combination of different Londons’, magical powers and characters. Enjoyed the story and narration. Sadly, I won’t be listening to anymore books in the series because the narrator was changed! Why do this repeatedly ?!?!

Magic

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I thought this book was interesting. I found all the characters very intriguing apart from the main character, which is a shame.
The reader in my opinion did not suit the tone of this book.

interesting characters

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