"I'm not going to die," she said. "Not till I've seen it."

"Seen what?"

Her smile widened. "Everything."

I admit; I had been hesitant to read A Darker Shade of Magic simply because of the hype around it. I am a big fan of YA fantasy, as long as it sits on the non-cheesy side, and also veering-towards-adult side - big thumbs up to the Throne of Glass books here, along with A Court of Thorns and Roses, and honorary mentions to The Bone Season #1 and #2 and Age of X. I knew Victoria Schwab (writing here as V.E. Schwab) was a beautiful writer, because I had read The Archived books... and it was back to the hype.

Such a different premise - would she deliver?

Well, yes. She delivers four worlds - Red, Black, Grey and White London - which are, in unmagical 'Grey London' time, set in the 1800s of the Regency. They have the same geographic location, but parallel planes of existence, and very different developmental experiences.

“There are four worlds,” he said. “Think of them as different houses built on the same foundation. They have little in common, save for their geography, and the fact that each has a version of this city straddling this river on this island country, and in each, that city is called London.”

The citizens of Black London are no more; they are no longer spoken of. The way they used magic led to death, destruction, and terror, or 'the black plague', and meant a need to seal the links between the Londons. Now the only people able to traverse the worlds are 'blood magicians' - the Antari - from the magic-filled White and Red London. They represent their respective Royal families and take messages to King George and the Prince Regent in Grey London. From Red London, this is Kell; foster brother to the Prince Regent, and owner of the best coat in the world. Read the book, and I guarantee you will want it too.

Whilst on one of his clandestine side-sneaks in Grey London, Kell meets Lila. What's the best way to describe Lila? See the quote above. Lila and Kell's destinies become irretrievably wound together along with the seething darkness which has survived Black London, and the seeping, systemic hunger for power that goes with it.

Bad magic, Kell had called it.
No, thought Lila now. Clever magic.
And clever was more dangerous than bad any day of the week.

There is no way to go any deeper into the action without giving plot spoilers, except to say there is brotherly love, lots of stabby stabbing (yes, I love the stabby stabbing), mind control, two of the most unpleasant characters I have come across in quite some time in the form of the two Danes, and someone whom you hope like hell has a shred of humanity left inside them, but truly, absolutely doesn't. Oh - and a cliffhanger of all cliffhangers, leading into A Gathering of Shadows, which has far more mischief and light in it.

This is not an easy read, and the world-building is insanely complex; but the set-up is necessary for the books yet to come, and also because what's the point in having amazingly brilliant concepts and not fulfilling them, fleshing them out? Let's face it, for any reader, when a writer adds a solid framework to sparsely beautiful prose it's a gift of untold value.

I'm including my rating for A Gathering of Shadows here; review to come.