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SNEAK PEEK: A Darker Shade Of Magic SAMPLE (2014)

by V.E. Schwab(Favorite Author)

4.5 of 5 Votes: 4

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Tor Books

review 1: When I originally requested this from Netgalley.com I didn't realize it wasn't the full book. So, I went into this one slightly bummed out that I'd be writing a review and giving feedback on just a sample. The sample was 150 pages long. Its a strange story, with complex world building. It takes place in the past and time travel to parallel worlds. The setting is primarily in London and its parallel worlds. Pacing was fast, lots is going on and there is a decent amount of explaining which needs to take place to keep the reader up to speed with how the time travel and parallel worlds work. Writing style was easy to read, but detailed and complicated. Its told in a third person narrative from multiple character perspectives.The characters were just beginning to come in... moreto there own as the sample came to a close. I enjoyed the main character Kel, he's a deep character, not really being a true human. He has two different color eyes and is able to wield magic. The King and Queen of London, adopted him as a child, mainly because of his value. Not all characters in the book have the ability to time travel or have magic. Lila is a character who narrated a few chapters. I think she's a character I will be drawn to in the full version. I like her strength and perseverance. She's a survivor and to do this she spends a lot of time impersonating a man. This is how she protects herself. This is a great sample. It really made me yearn to read the full book. The story just was getting rolling when the sample concluded. I'm left with so many burning questions and now I'm dying to get ahold of the full version of the story. What a great start to a new series by V.E. Schwa.
review 2: I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Reading this book, I felt super confused and overwhelmed with emotions, I blamed myself for not focusing and kept rereading the sentences but to no avail. The information of the 3 Londons was thrown at me like daggers from everywhere and I couldn't quite keep up.. About 20 pages in, I got the hang of the action and I was immersed into the world. I was hooked from the very first page though, and it was my first time ever reading anything by the eloquent Victoria Schwab and she fascinated me in every way possible. Her writing is addictive, beautiful and you just cannot not admire it. This whole preview is mostly from Kell's point of view; Kell is a great protagonist, he is kick-ass and witty with a smart sense of humor. We also get to see a sneak peek of Lila's life. A thief who dresses up like a man and is an aspiring pirate. I also loved the idea of different Londons (Black, Gray, White and Red.) The idea that the inhabitants of Grey London don't even admit to the presence of magic contrasting with Red London's lively use of magic just blew me away. I loved the details of which the author added of Kell and his many sided coat (also added to the synopsis). The aspect of parallel Londons intertwined with magic and awesomeness is unique and completely new to me! About Prince Rhy, I can't wait to see more of him, I also want to know more about Lila and her life. I need to get my hands on the whole book so I can conquer it. It's definitely high on my TBR list in 2015. Let's just admire the cover for a bit now, it blends in with the story and I love covers that do that!! It's not just random, it actually makes you guess what the story is about. Overall, I gave this 150 page preview a 4/5 stars solely because I was a bit confused.. I'm super pumped for this one. less

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