A Darker Shade of Magic: 4/5 ★★★★☆

                                                                                                 V.E. Schawb

     Kell has the ability to travel through the doors to the other "Londons." He and one other Antari are the only ones with this ability. Each 'London' has varying degrees of magic. Kell's London, Red London, is rich in magic, flourishing and beautiful. The other Antari's, White London, has been corrupted by magic and grows weaker and more wild. Grey London is seemingly devoid of magic. and finally, Black London has been sealed off, the door was shut forever, overrun with bad magic. Kell accidentally smuggles a powerful talisman that puts all London's in jeopardy. With the help of fierce and clever Lila, a girl from Grey London, Kell must try to keep the evil rulers of White London from abusing the talisman's power. 

I just finished this book and. Whew. It was a breath of fresh air. I read it while also reading one of those fantasy YAs. you know, girl hates guy but they form an alliance to save their world and eventually fall in love. And this one just felt mature. Like the loving older sibling to the YA. Similar story but just written for people with braincells. not that i don't love those trashy (used lovingly) fantasy YAs. This book is clever and descriptive and it has the right amount of suspense to keep you reading. I will say that the ending felt a bit rushed but i will give it the benefit of the doubt and say that is must be because the climax of the first is just the prequel to the adventure in the next two books. I would definitely recommend this book!