A Darker Shade of Magic

Kell is one of the last Atari - magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons: Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.

Kell was raised in Arnes - Red London - and officially serves the Maresh empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cutpurse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.

Released in 2014, A Darker Shade of Magic sits at an interesting point in literary history, bridging classic sensibilities with more modern narrative techniques.

It sits at the crossroads of Fantasy, Adventure, and Young Adult, making it appealing to readers with varied tastes who enjoy stories that defy easy classification.

Available on Bookble for readers looking to explore V.E. Schwab's work and build a focused reading list.

If you enjoy V.E. Schwab's voice, explore The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue from the same author to continue in a familiar style.

Within Fantasy, readers who liked A Darker Shade of Magic often gravitate toward 1984, Project Hail Mary, and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone — each sharing thematic DNA while offering a different perspective.