Gray London, Red London, White London, Black London

I have been in a serious reading slump since February and couldn't really find any book to keep my attention.  Last week, I got a notice from the library that it was finally my turn to read V.E. Schwab's A Darker Shade of Magic.  I was in the midst of reading Shadow Scale, the second book in Rachel Hartman's Seraphina series, but the book wasn't really holding my attention, so I switched to Schwab's.  And, poof!  The slump was over!  I was immediately pulled into the universe Schwab created.

It's not that Schwab's universe is particularly ground-breaking or original, or that the story is one that hasn't been told before in different guises.  But, like the best storytellers, Schwab takes an old and used skeleton and gives it new life.  Here, she gives us four worlds, all of which center on grand cities named London.  There's Gray London, with no magic; Red London, rich with the balance between people and magic; White London, where people and magic are at odds; and Black London, which no one talks about any more.

Kell is one of only two people across the entire universe who can travel between the worlds.  He works for the royal court of Red London, sharing messages back and forth with Gray and White London.  He also has a little side business through which he illegally transports goods between the worlds.  One night, though, he is given something truly dangerous and forbidden to transport, and it sets all the worlds on edge.  And the only person who seems able to help him is Lila, an orphan in Gray London who wants nothing more than to escape her life.

In reading over the plot summary, I can't quite pinpoint why I loved this book so much.  As Care stated so well in her review of The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessey, sometimes you just love a book, and who cares if no one else does?  I was completely entranced by the idea of four Londons with varying amounts of magic.  I am very intrigued by the way the Londons interact with each other and how those interactions may grow in the future.  I want to understand the political structures of each place.  I loved Kell and his 25-sided coat, I am looking forward to gaining a better understanding of his background and the pact that he made to his prince, and I think Lila will grow up to be pretty badass herself.

I also appreciated that, even though this is the first book in a trilogy, the book actually had an ending.  Not a cliffhanger, but a satisfying ending.  So while I am so looking forward to the next book in the series, I am happy with where this one left things.

But really, I think this was just the right book at the right time.  So often, fantasy novels are the ones that bring me up and out of my reading ruts, and that is exactly what happened for me here.  I became so immersed in the world, so attached to the characters, and so addicted to the action that I read the book in just two nights.  That hasn't happened in I don't even know how long.  And I just LOVE that feeling.  So thanks for that, Victoria Schwab!

PS - The cover art for this book is SPOT ON.  I love when that happens!  I definitely think this one will be a contender for best cover art of the year.