Welcome to Grey London, dirty and boring, without any magic, with one mad king―George III. Then there is Red London, where life and magic are revered, and White London, a city slowly being drained through a magical war down to its very bones. And once upon a time, there was Black London... but no one speaks of that now.
Officially, Kell is one of the last Antari―magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons―and acts as an ambassador and messenger between the Londons, in the service of the Maresh Empire.
Unofficially, he's also a smuggler, which is a dangerous hobby for him to have―as proved when Kell stumbles into a setup with a forbidden token from Black London.
Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cutpurse with lofty aspirations, who first robs him, then saves him from a dangerous enemy, and then forces …
Welcome to Grey London, dirty and boring, without any magic, with one mad king―George III. Then there is Red London, where life and magic are revered, and White London, a city slowly being drained through a magical war down to its very bones. And once upon a time, there was Black London... but no one speaks of that now.
Officially, Kell is one of the last Antari―magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons―and acts as an ambassador and messenger between the Londons, in the service of the Maresh Empire.
Unofficially, he's also a smuggler, which is a dangerous hobby for him to have―as proved when Kell stumbles into a setup with a forbidden token from Black London.
Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cutpurse with lofty aspirations, who first robs him, then saves him from a dangerous enemy, and then forces Kell to spirit her away for a proper adventure.
But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.
Prepare to be dazzled by a world of parallel Londons―where magic thrives, starves, or lies forgotten, and where power can destroy just as quickly as it can create.
The first of a series, but not the first publication of the author, I was a little disappointed. The third act wraps up so much in so few pages, it feels like there's something missing. I plan to continue the series, but this one felt rushed and a little haphazard at the end.
Review of 'A Darker Shade of Magic' on 'Goodreads'
4 stelle
Even I didn't know at first I got hooked with the main characters and the possibilities the world(s) the author created, is an fast and easy read (even though it took me a while). I can easily recommend this to anyone how likes fantasy novels, but I'm gonna wait until I read the entire saga, the next book is already on its way.