ItвЂ™s also one of those books that quite clearly establishes where the magic lies in terms of the whole population: in Red London, magic is accessible to everyone, and like most things, some people have a better knack for it than others, and the AntariВ have their own range of things they can do. A Darker Shade of MagicВ is definitely one of these books: we mostly see the ways the AntariВ use their magic, but a lot of it relies on using blood and tokens related to related to the places they want to go. ThereвЂ™s a lot of books concerning magicky shenanigans out on the shelves these days, and I love that most of them manage to put a complete twist on the magic in the book so that itвЂ™s complete their own and new and something that doesnвЂ™t immediately remind you of something else. But then again, IвЂ™m kind of glad I didnвЂ™t read it then because now IвЂ™ve only had to wait a few days to read the sequelвЂ¦ so the whole situation kind of evens out. I really, really lovedВ this book, and I super regret not picking it up when I saw it on the New Books display at my school library a few months ago.

Of the three, Grey London, the London without magic, is the one that bears the most similarities to our London of from a few centuries ago The surrounding countries and landscapes are named and settled much differently than the countries in our world, with KellвЂ™s country being known as Arnes. The three Londons are different cities, although they bear the same name and basic geography. Kell picked Lila up in Grey London, and these two protagonists bounce off each other really well. The book is narrated in third-person POV, and most of the action we see comes from Kell and Delilah Bard, with a handful of chapters adding on to the story with the perspectives of other select characters. As of the start of the book, he is one of the two remaining Antari ,В people with the ability to travel between the three remaining Londons after Black London fell and the doors between the cities closed. To save all of the worlds, theyвЂ™ll first need to stay alive.ДЄ Darker Shade of Magic,В by V.E. Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. 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. ItвЂ™s a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.ДЇleeing into Grey London, Kell runs into Delilah Bard, a cutpurse with lofty aspirations. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpse of a world theyвЂ™ll never see. Officially, Kell is the Red traveler, ambassador of the Maresh empire, carrying the monthly correspondences between the royals of each London. And once upon a time, there was Black London. White London вЂ“ a place where people fight to control magic and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Red London, where life and magic are revered вЂ“ and where Kell was raised alongside Rhy Maresh, the roguish heir to a flourishing empire. ThereвЂ™s Grey London, dirty and boring, without any magic, and with one mad king вЂ“ George III.

Kell is one of the last travelers вЂ“ magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel universes connected by one magical city.

Inky box review