Darker Shade of Magic / A Gathering of Shadows / Vicious

by V.E. Schwab, Victoria Schwab

Vicious Victor and Eli started out as college roommates brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same ambition in each other. A shared interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl with a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the arch-nemeses have set a course for revenge but who will be left alive at the end? "Supremely plotted and incredibly well-written. A Darker Shade of Magic Most people only know one London; but what if there were several? Kell is one of the last Travelers magicians with a rare ability to travel between parallel Londons. Theres Grey London, dirty and crowded and without magic, home to the mad king George III. Theres Red London, where life and magic are revered. Then, White London, ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. But once upon a time, there was Black London... Gathering of Shadows Kell is plagued by his guilt. Restless, and having given up smuggling, he is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila. As Red London prepares for the Element Games - an extravagant international competition of magic - a certain pirate ship draws closer. But another London is coming back to life, a shadow that was gone in the night reappears in the morning. Black London has risen again - and so to keep magic's balance, another London must fall.

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Science Fiction Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction

Paperback

Published January 1, 2016

About the author

This author also writes under the name of Victoria Schwab.

VICTORIA “V. E.” SCHWAB is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including the acclaimed Shades universe, the Villains series, the City of Ghosts series, Gallant, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and The Fragile Threads of Power. When not haunting Paris streets or trudging up English hillsides, she can usually be found in Edinburgh, Scotland, tucked in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up monsters.

Reviews

[Haley]

I really enjoyed this series! I found the world-building to be fun and interesting, yet easy to understand. The characters were also really likable!

[Kimberly Vogel]

I enjoyed this series. I recommend this author in general. The Shades of Magic series is a fun, imaginative, engaging, easy read with interesting back stories and character development. This is not including Vicious. That's a different series. Shades of Magic are, Darker Shade, Gathering of Shadows, Conjuring of Light, Fragile Threads of Power, and the two that are yet unwritten.

[Bryton]

It's not high fantasy like I usually read, but the characters are lovable and the story is interesting, I liked the 2nd book the most, the plot is unique, I would recommend reading the book rather than the audiobook.

[T.A. Timothys]

Very well executed. I can't say that I have much to complain about other than the villains being uninteresting. It never exceeded my expectations, but it was a very enjoyable read. Honestly my biggest complaint is that it sets up what seems like a more interesting book than it is.

[Jay Collins]

3.5 to 4 Stars

[Charity Parrish]

Thoroughly enjoyed this series! Really liked the characters; good story arc.

[Steph Hightower]

Great introduction to V.E Schwab's collection

[Matt Miller]

Intriguing world(s) with an intriguing magic system allowing interplay between them. Occasionally frustrating characters, but maybe that makes them more believable.

[Natalie Olshevski]

Mya

[Lisa Meyer]

Solid, good fantasy novel

[Anna]

The idea was unique and the plot was engaging.  

[Izzi Bledsoe]

Lovedddd - each book got better tbh

[BRENDA B]

i have a love, hate for Delilah Bard

[Claire]

Why do I keep forcing myself to read YA? Fun but about 25% too long.

[Denae Christine]

Got a couple of hours in, and the book was too dark for me. One prince had midnight meetings with women and let violent people drug his guards. There were too many lies and hints at violence. Just no.

[Maxi]

This one irritated me so much I couldn't even finish it
Stupid, stupid, stupid insulting - unbelievable super woman