2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss A Darker Shade of Magic, the first book in the Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab.

Pages: 400 pages

Length: 1 month (December)

Participants: Charlotte, Valerie, Dominique

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

Here are some questions to help get the conversation started! Feel free to look up discussion questions specific to this book or come up with your own. Just make sure any questions that contain spoilers are under spoiler tags.
Discussion questions are not required but may be a fun way to talk about the book and get to know each other!

Prior to starting:
What prompted you to join this buddy read?
Have you read this author before? What do you think of their other books?

Mid-read:
What character or ideas do you relate to the most and why?
Do you have any favorite quotes or scenes?

After reading:
What was enjoyable or not-so-enjoyable about this book?
Did this book change your perception about anything, either within the book (character development) or in real life?

I will be starting this in the next couple of days. I read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil and loved them both so hopefully I will enjoy this one as well.

Read parts 1-4 (sections are short) and it’s slipping down easily and enjoyably so far. Skilful world building with mysteries sown in to hook you in. I’m wondering (view spoiler)[ how Lila will fit into all this and if it relates to the clandestine letter passing between worlds. Whatever the case, Kell is definitely living dangerously (hide spoiler)]. We will see where this is all heading.

I haven't gotten around to starting this one yet, but hopefully soon!!

I'm excited to talk about it! And it sounds good that you are already enjoying it!

Will start this weekend.

End of part 9. Well I know the answer to the question I posed in my last post - cleverly done! Pace really picked up and plenty of action. (view spoiler)[ the stone reminds me a little of Gollum’s precious ring - powerful but potentially enslaving. Wondering about Holland - is he simply following orders (without a choice) or does he have his own agenda? I don’t think though that he is ultimately behind all this but then who is? Seems a bit too sophisticated for the Dane twins although they would love the power. Plenty to still be revealed (hide spoiler)]. Keen to see how this all plays out.

Finished. Well the action was certainly fast and furious in the final third of the novel. I even had to pause a few times to let my brain catch up, so much was going on! Not going to say much more for the moment except that this book was a delight to read and I hope you two enjoy it as much as I did.

That sounds great!!
I'll let you both know when I'm done, and then we can discuss it!

Would you want to continue the series Valerie?

Yes Charlotte, I would like to continue the series.

Great! I'm sure that I'll love it, so we can count on continuing then!

Only read part one but will continue with the series.

I just got this from my library, so I'll be starting it in a few days!