Review: A Darker Shade of Magic

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hmmm. I've mixed feelings about this book. After a long time I picked a fantasy novel and I so very much wanted to like it. Did I like it? Sorta!

It's a story with a good pace. A lot is happening on every page. It reminded me of Neverwhere. It's not a bad story. But for some reason I was not able to associate with any of the characters. The feelings towards the end of the book where the protagonist's victory is your victory wasn't there for me. I'd feel a little bad if something terrible happened to the main characters but not in the way I did for other characters in other books. Not like the way I felt for the boy Bod in the The Graveyard Book or Professor Severus Snape in Harry Potter series. That meant the whole story felt a little hollow to me. Also I like fantasies that don't convey Anything-is-possible-in-fantasy thingy a little more.

It's a good story. But It doesn't push me to grab the second part immediately like other series did. Your mileage may vary.

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