A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

September 29, 2022

A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

Kell is an Antari, one of the last magicians who can travel between the four Londons: Grey, White, Red, and once upon a time, Black. His home is in Red London with the royal family, while the most dangerous one is White London, ruled by the Danish Twins and Holland, their Antari. Kell has a side business smuggling magical artefacts for collectors and dilettantes. In Grey London, he encounters a pickpocket named Delilah, who first robs him and then rescues him. Together they must return a mysterious stone to the correct London and find the other half, but which London is the right London?

Colorful, weird characters, invented language, magic in many forms, all mixed with social and political aspirations. Four Londons exist in the same place but on different planes (multiverse), and Kell speculates that there may be more. I have come across the multiple city concept before, in books like The City and The City by China Mieville, where the main character crosses from one version of a city to another by going through a checkpoint. Kell cuts a doorway from one London to another by using his blood. There are two more books in the series.