A Darker Shade of Magic

The idea carries this fantasy: four cities named London sit in parallel worlds, and very few magicians can travel from one to the next. The setting feels fresh and the action moves at a steady, satisfying pace, with twists that land. Opinions split on the leads; some find Kell and the thief Lila thinner than the world around them. A good choice for readers who come for invention and adventure; first of a trilogy.

Worth knowing There are four Londons stacked on top of each other, joined only by the Antari, who are nearly extinct: Grey London, ours, with a mad king and no magic in 1819; Red London, where magic is everywhere and the Maresh family rules; White London, starving for it and ruled by whoever killed the last ruler; and Black London, sealed off after magic ate it. Kell is one of the two Antari left, adopted messenger of the Red royal house with a habit of smuggling, and when he is tricked into carrying a stone from Black London he ends up in Grey London in the hands of Lila Bard, a pickpocket who wants a ship and a different life. V. E. Schwab published it in 2015; A Gathering of Shadows in 2016 and A Conjuring of Light in 2017 complete the trilogy. Fast, clean and not grim.

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