Holland, an Antari from White London, lived a difficult childhood in the slums of the city. His left eye turned black, marking him as an Antari. At a young age, Holland learned to fight and became powerful. His brother Alox attempted to kill him, but Holland was bound by Athos Dane as a magical slave for seven years. After seven years of torture, Holland was forced to spy on and kill people.
One of the last two remaining Antari, Kell, is the unofficial carrier of messages between the three living Londons. In A Darker Shade of Magic, Kell is one of the last Antari magicians with a rare ability to travel between parallel worlds. The author has confirmed that she is working on a follow-up trilogy (Threads of Power) centered on Alucard and Rhy’s life a decade after the first book.
Holland, the only other Antari known, is the diplomat for the brother-sister rulers of White London. They have no qualms about using magic to compel others to do their will. Holland Vosijk, an Antari from White London, has had a terrible life, including his brother trying to kill him at nine and his girlfriend trying to kill him. Holland’s death means that he was indeed the someday king, and his sacrifice was the catalyst for the return of magic.
Holding onto Kell’s good fortune, Holland uses it to push through with his not-so-good plans. He has appeared in several books, including A Darker Shade of Magic, A Gathering of Shadows, and A Co. Holland and Kell meet briefly before they learn more about each other.
📹 A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab | Review
I want a magic coat. I spelled “travel” wrong….. Shhhhh A Darker Shade of Magic: …
Did Kell lose his magic?
In this summary, the characters of Red London, Grey London, and White London are introduced. Kell Maresh, the adopted Antari Prince of Arnes, is held captive by Osaron in White London and tortured with a device that cuts off his magic. Rhy Maresh, the Crown Prince of Arnes, is slowly dying due to Kell’s magic being cut off. Lila Bard, the Grey-worlder thief, is trying to rescue Kell. Alucard Emery, the Captain of the Night Spire, is also present. Maxim Maresh, the King of Arnes, and Emira Maresh are also present.
Tieren Serense, the Aven Essen of the London Sanctuary, is present. Calla, Cora Taskon, Col Taskon, Sol-in-Ar, Hastra, and Lenos are also present. Ned Tuttle, an enthusiast and owner of the Five Points, is present in Green London. Holland Vosijk, the Antari King of Makt, is taken over by Osaron, who is now trying to take over Red London.
What pronouns does Ve Schwab use?
V. E. Schwab, formerly known as Victoria Schwab, is now the publisher of all her books. She previously wrote adult and young adult and middle-grade novels under different names until 2021. Schwab, who initially studied Astrophysics, later switched to Communication Design and holds a Master in Medieval Art History and a Minor in Creative Writing. In 2018, she gave the sixth annual J. R. R. Tolkien Lecture on Fantasy Literature at Pembroke College, Oxford.
Do Rhy and Alucard end up together?
In 1817, Rhy began a secret relationship with Alucard Emery, which ended at the Summer Feast party, breaking Rhy’s heart. At the Essen Tasch in Vesk, Rhy was terrorized by Cora Taskon. Later, while drinking with his mother, Kell revealed his illegal inter-London trades, making Rhy feel like a possession rather than a true family member. Rhy gave him a black eye for his words. In October 1819, Holland Vosijk delivered an early birthday gift to Rhy from his sovereigns, Athos and Astrid Dane. Rhy reminded Holland about strict transfer laws, but only accepted it when Holland reassured him that he purchased the gift in Red London.
Who is Holland in A Darker Shade of Magic?
King Holland Vosijk is an Antari from White London who was bound to Athos Dane by one of his runes before his death. He was sent to Black London by Kell Maresh but could return to White London after a deal with Osaron. Holland is tall, has charcoal black hair, pale skin, and holds the Antari mark. He has a faded appearance and smells like woodsmoke. After letting in Osaron, Holland looks more natural and healthy.
He has deep scars along his forearms and wrists due to torture from Athos Dane. Athos also carved a soul seal into Holland’s body to control him, which was regularly reapplied, keeping him silvery and fresh.
Is Holland alive in The Fragile Threads of Power?
The text posits the notion that Holland assumes the role of a ghost-like figure in White London following his demise, presiding over the affairs of the city. The “Reader Q&A” and “Ask the Author” sections provide users with the opportunity to pose queries and respond to those posed by other users. Additionally, the text encourages users to revisit their Goodreads accounts.
Is there lgbtq in A Darker Shade of Magic?
The protagonists of the narrative are not a gay couple, but rather a cross-dressing thief and a royal prince who is bisexual. This presents a divergent portrayal of London and introduces a distinct set of stigmas. In a subsequent volume, a further significant character is revealed to be homosexual. Rhy Maresh, operating within a context of privilege, does not exemplify a trope because he is not explicitly identified as gay.
What happened to Holland in Shades of Magic?
Holland, bound by Athos Dane as a magical slave for seven years, is compelled to engage in acts of violence and espionage. Kell slays him and the Danes, and Holland, potentially under the influence of Osaron, resolves to reanimate his world. In order to rectify his error, he makes the ultimate sacrifice and loses all of his magical abilities. In his final moments, he persistently pursues Kell until the latter takes him home, where he ultimately succumbs to his injuries in solitude.
What happened to Holland at the end of A Conjuring of Light?
The series of books, The Pirate Black Market, is a thrilling adventure that explores the world of Antari power and its consequences. The protagonist, Lila, is revealed to be an Antari, but her true power is not fully acknowledged until the final book. Many side characters are killed off, but none of the main characters are killed off. The series ends with the Shadow King banished, but the problems with the overlapping realms are not solved, and Red London selfishly cuts off ties to Grey London. Holland is returned to White London, where it is presumed he dies.
The inclusion of Kell’s parents adds more questions than it answers, such as his desire to regain his blocked memories and the favor Lila has for returning for her new black eye. The betrayal of the Veskan prince and princess and subsequent assassination attempt of the King and successful attempt on the Queen seem unlikely in the story. The mysterious power invading the world seems to have seemingly petty squabbles over power taking place, and the Shadow King could potentially take control of people in White London to gain power.
The book also introduces a section that includes vocabulary words encountered during the reading, which can be found in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. This section is easier to read in the Kindle format and potentially impossible with audiobooks. The author plans to continue this section for all future book reviews, using the definitions from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Who is Sir Holland a shadow in the ember?
Sir Holland, an Arae, explains that Sera was trained to kill but not kill Nyktos, and he never directly interfered with anything. He also explains that Eythos was the true Primal of Life and Kolis couldn’t take everything. The last 2/3 chapters of the story are filled with amazing, funny, interesting, memes, oddly satisfying, and heartwarming content. The book also features various games such as action, adventure, esports, gaming consoles, gear, gaming news, mobile games, other games, role-playing games, simulation games, sports and racing games, strategy games, and tabletop games.
What happened to Holland at the end of a Conjuring of Light?
The series of books, The Pirate Black Market, is a thrilling adventure that explores the world of Antari power and its consequences. The protagonist, Lila, is revealed to be an Antari, but her true power is not fully acknowledged until the final book. Many side characters are killed off, but none of the main characters are killed off. The series ends with the Shadow King banished, but the problems with the overlapping realms are not solved, and Red London selfishly cuts off ties to Grey London. Holland is returned to White London, where it is presumed he dies.
The inclusion of Kell’s parents adds more questions than it answers, such as his desire to regain his blocked memories and the favor Lila has for returning for her new black eye. The betrayal of the Veskan prince and princess and subsequent assassination attempt of the King and successful attempt on the Queen seem unlikely in the story. The mysterious power invading the world seems to have seemingly petty squabbles over power taking place, and the Shadow King could potentially take control of people in White London to gain power.
The book also introduces a section that includes vocabulary words encountered during the reading, which can be found in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. This section is easier to read in the Kindle format and potentially impossible with audiobooks. The author plans to continue this section for all future book reviews, using the definitions from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Is a darker shade of magic inappropriate?
The rating for A Darker Shade of Magic is moderate due to the presence of strong language and occasional instances of mild and moderate language. The novel contains minimal references to sexual content and a greater prevalence of violence and gore. The depiction of the brother-sister king and queen of White London as sadistic and cruel contributes to the rating.
📹 Review of V.E. Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic
With a brief discussion on the differences between YA fantasy and adult fantasy, this video reviews V.E. Schwab’s A Darker Shade …
I have no comment on this book or series, but your commentary on YA vs Adult fantasy was interesting. It reminded me of Le Guin, being a female author, also having Earthsea pinned as YA, whereas I feel it’s more like “Ageless fantasy”: compelling for young readers, but very deep and rewarding for adults. What YA fiction do you recommend?
I just read this book. I feel the same way about it as you do. Honestly it was kind of meh. I thought the concept of the different Londons and the whole magic system was great and had huge potential, but I didn’t really get enough world building to fully enjoy it. I felt like the characters were all fairly surface level, with the minor exception of Kell and Lila. I actually really didn’t like Lila at all. To me, her character felt sort of ‘not-like-other-girls’ and I found her personality was constantly changing. She also came across as rash and fairly selfish. She is 19 in the story, and I myself am also a 19 year old girl. Despite that, I did not feel any kind of connection to her character. This is one of my best friends favorite series, so I’ll probably end up reading the whole trilogy, but if it weren’t for that I’m not sure I would continue with it. Great article!
Hi there! 🤗 While I can see what you mean when you say that the Dane twins are underdeveloped and can seem a bit “flat” I’d like to encourage you to pick up the next book in the series. The characters gain more personality in my opinion while we learn more about their motivations and backstories and for my taste the setting is getting more engaging with each book. I read mostly adult fantasy and I agree with you that ADSOM would be better described as a more mature YA. Just discovered you through Elliot Brooks and really like your website! Have a great day!
I agree this book is definitely YA, and honestly I would not recommend the second or the third books. I thought the first book was just average but because of the positive reviews I decided to try the second book as well. And it’s mainly just filler. A lot of mysteries that were set up in the first book are not explained in any of the books, and if you want a complex story this series is not really the best option. This was the first article of yours I’ve seen, and it was very good! Also love your shirt 🙂
I agree with you that the difference between YA and adult fiction lies primarily in its complexity and not so much in its subject matter. There are books about children and teenagers written for adults, which doesn’t make these children’s fiction or YA, mainly because of the psychological details. A lot of classic fantasy I would classify as YA, including Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, Moorcock’s Elric stories, Wagner’s Kane stories, David Gemmell (Legend), Terry Goodkind (Wizard’s First Rule) and also Trudi Canavan (The Magician’s Guild), although I guess she’s not “classic fantasy” since her first fantasy novel was published in 2001. And I suspect The Wheel of Time and Mistborn are YA, although I haven’t read them yet. But I also have the impression that most fantasy published today is YA, there is a lot of contemporary/urban teen fantasy out there, with incredible sales. It’s great that you’re discussing so much mature stuff, we need more of that. Thanks again.
I’ve always enjoyed the premise of this book but I haven’t gotten into it just yet. I’m a big fan of V.E Schwab’s Vicious series. I’d say it is YA because it isn’t the most complex of stories but it’s on the side of older YA due to the amount of violence. I glad you spoke on the differences between YA and Adult fantasy but didn’t necessarily say one is worse or better than the other. I think a lot of times people miss out on great stories because they feel the book won’t be sophisticated or detailed enough for them.
Great review and intro once again . I used to read a lot of YA when I was in my teens, but now that I am an adult I rarely read any YA(and is a big reason why I won’t pick up a book). The real world is raw, brutal and complex and YA books seldom contain these elements which is the main reason why I do not enjoy YA books as much. However, YA books are the reason why I am a constant reader today so there is definitely nothing wrong with these types of books. I just don’t enjoy them that much but I am always open for suggestions.
I wish I had watched this article before deciding to read this book! I find the labels of “young adult”, “new adult” and “adult” confusing; your explanation of the difference being that of complexity is incredibly helpful! One thing that really turned me off A Darker Shade of Magic is something I’ve observed in other fantasy novels, even though I’m new to the genre. Supposedly “strong” female characters (e.g. Lila) demonstrate traits of what we now call “toxic masculinity”, e.g. a refusal to admit any vulnerability, feelings of rage whenever they think someone pities them (i.e. feels empathy toward them), a quick temper with the knee-jerk reaction to any unpleasantness being to threaten or mete out violence (e.g. Lila wanting to attack anyone who she perceives as insulting her, Nynaeve from Wheel of TIme hitting pretty much everyone who annoys her; I think even, to a lesser degree, Molly and Althea from Robin Hobb’s books are like this). I am quickly becoming addicted to your website – thank you for your great articles! 🙏
Sorry, cannot help motivate you to read on. 😅 Agree with most everything you said, and nothing about it grabbed me or made me want to pick up anything by Schwab again. Though I’m tempted by the premise of another series by her.. the Vicious one. Darker Shade, however, was just a bad book to me, wether it was YA or adult.
Love your reviews. Great content as always. I wanted to pick this series but what to do there are so many books to read. I did finish the The Immortals of Meluha by Amish Tripathi (Shiva Trilogy). It is an amazing book you should read that one. I will begin the second book soon I wanted to take a break from it and read a standalone novel.
I have been hearing alot of good reviews about this book and author. I’m interested in a read through, especially if the first book can work as a stand alone. Unsure if I will get to it soon as im in the middle of WoT and am checking out Tad Williams Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series as he has inspired a lot of the Fantasy giants of the modern day. The issue with YA is that I feel like publishers want to slap it on any book they possibly can in order to broaden the appeal in marketing. YA sells very well and a lot of parents don’t think twice about letting their kid pick up any YA book since well its YA and ment for a younger audience. Ya is just too broad in that it can be a book written for a middle schooler or a book written for a college freshman or sophomore or a book never intended to be YA by the author. These are very different demographics being marketed to and categorized in the same way. Its like some YA books are comparable to the Disney website while others are more like the CW. The use of language, plot lines, stories, complexity, structure and over all feeling are just wildly different. It’s because of this weird marketing that I’ve shyed away from the YA section. Thats not to say YA writing is bad. There’s plenty of great writing in the YA genre. The problem is publishers exerting to much control in an attempt to maximize profit. The authors most often don’t get a say when it comes to marketing their book. To a point that makes sense as authors aren’t marketing experts, and are very emotional invested in their work, but once the intended audience changes and other potentially sexist trends arise in the industry it can typecast the author, their work and how they are represented.