5 out of 5 gnomes

Wow, this book is one crazy ride. There is some truly epic storytelling throughout. Each London is unique and leaves you wanting to know more about it.

Kell and his Antari magic are so intriguing, plus his many-sided coat sounds so freaking cool. He has his share of troubles and has no idea where he really came from. The whole Antari magic is really interesting and makes you wonder if there are more of them out there.

Then there’s Lila a wanna be pirate/already a thief. I think I’ve guessed her secret and can’t wait to see if I’m right. Her attitude makes for quite the counterpoint to Kell. Her and Kell have some crazy chemistry, so I foresee them either being best friends eventually or an awesome couple.

The whole elaborate world and characters just draws you in. The world building is so intense that each London really feels like its own character in the story.

There are plenty more answers that I’m eagerly waiting to discover. The story and the magic in this book are both refreshing and make for an addictive read.

Words cannot describe the excellence of this fantasy book. I'm honestly speeches from its incredible world and stunning writing.

Absolutely loved this. I’m a big fan of V. E Schwab after reading ‘vicious’ so I knew this wouldn’t disappoint! The world-building and characters are amazing.

3 stars. I really thought I was going to love this one, but it was just a solid novel without much heart. Nothing special. Review to come.

What I read was just a sample, but it does seem promising. It is about a world in which people can travel between parallel Londons with varying degrees of magic. Very interesting premise and I am excited to read the full book.

I was absolutely addicted to this book from chapter one. The characters were amazing and at first I wasn't a fan of Lila but she grew on me. Every step of the way I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened next and then it ended on a cliffhanger. I am so ready to read the next two books in the series.

V.E. Schwab can do do wrong! I loved this book. The world building was incredible and the characters!!!

I really enjoyed this book. V.E. Schwab is an amazing writer. I loved all the characters and really connected to them. Lila is such a badass characters. She's strong and empowering. Kell is also an amazing main character.

This is an amazing and dark world where there are worlds side by side, and accessible by a little magic and a lot of courage.

After reading this sampler I can't wait to read the rest of the book - what more can you ask for from a sample?!

There's a reason this book and this series have taken the world by storm. Wildly inventive and deep, this book is an engrossing read. The characters are delightful, the menace real, and the concept original.

It had been a while since I had read a fantasy YA book because of the fatigue and saturation. But having started A Darker Shade of Magic, it pulled me right in with the rich descriptions of the world this lives in and the magical things within the universe. A great start to a very intriguing series.

A Darker Shade of Magic is one of my favorite recent fantasy novels. Schwab combines beloved fantasy tropes with the an intriguing multiverse that kept me glued to the pages. I fell in love with Kell and Lila (particularly Kell), and I can’t wait to see where the series takes them. I would recommend this book to any readers of high fantasy craving a well-written novel with a new and interesting fantasy world.

This book was not for me. Although I did enjoy the world-building and discovering a new world of magic and mayhem, I just could not connect with the story and found it hard to get into. The writing itself was not bad, but I think this might be a novel I will try and pick up at another time when perhaps I have the time to commit to it properly.

This book flew by. I'm so intrigued by the characters and the story, but there's something that feels missing in this book, like it's just sitting on the edge of greatness. I'm really excited to see more from Lilah Bard, and more from the alternate realities.

I had very high expectations for this novel (I read the novel... not only the extract). Did it live to those expectations? No. But I had a good time reading it and liked it overall.

The world building is very cool. Four different Londons, four different approaches to magic. The main character can travel from one world to the other... and as he doesn't always follow the rules, well... chaos happens. I really liked the second protagonist, Delilah Bard, a badass pickpocket. It's fast paced and action packed. I would have prefered a little more development of the characters, a little more rules to magic use and less coincidences but I'll read book 2!

Can’t give a full review based on an excerpt (though I did get a full galley later on and liked this book a lot)

The preview for this book definitely made me excited to pick up the book. I have recently bought it within the past couple of books. It is definitely at the top of my list for fall reads.

This sneak peek had me hooked on the book. I ended up buying the book soon after along with the rest of the books and I really enjoyed this series and the magic of it.

Good excerpt Good start to the series.. Look forward to reading the book.