Category: Reread

A Darker Shade of Magic Re-read: Part XIV

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Welcome to my re-read of A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. This is the 14th part of my weekly re-read posts. If you have read ADSOM, come re-read and discuss it with me. If you never read it, I highly recommend it especially if you like fantasy books, sarcastic protagonists, kick-ass heroine, and fabulous coat. Even though it’s a re-read, I will do my best to avoid spoiling future chapters in the post itself, which is quite easy because most of the time, I didn’t remember what happened. So even though this is the first time you read ADSOM, you could follow along. However, please note that although the post itself is spoiler-free from future chapters, the comments section are spoiler zone, where you can talk about anything including the plot twist and the book conclusion. Without further ado, let’s sail through A Darker Shade of Magic. All aboard!

This week, we’re going to cover Part XIV The Final Door.

SPOILER WARNING FOR PART I – XII

This is the end, the last part of our re-read. Which also means we’re now closer than ever to the release of A Gathering of Shadows. o/

So let’s start!

In last week’s post, the Part ended with Kell trying to dispel the Vitari, although the Vitari told him that it’s what kept Rhy alive.

This week, Kell finally woke up and immediately searched the seal on his body. Fortunately, it’s still intact. The black stone, on the other hand, is now just a stone having been dispelled of its magic. Just to be safe, however, Kell decided to use Holland’s unconscious body to transport the stone into Dead London. Handy that, having an unconscious antari around.

But now we have a problem. There are two people, both need to get to Kell London. Only one of them is antari and there’s no magick stone to help Lila. Question: how do we get them both to Kell London? The answer, according to Delilah Bard, is … by being stubborn enough. Well, I’m sure she’s qualified for that. Kell kissed her for luck (seriously Schwab is the queen of slow-burrnn; it’s the final part and she refused to give us any concrete sign of romance) and they’re back in the red city only to be immediately arrested. Oh well, what you’re gonna do.

The pair were brought to the king and queen to face their judgement. But how can you punish someone who gambled his own life to save your son? Not to mention, he is now the only antari around. They freed him (and Lila) and soon we’re blessed by Rhy’s presence. And his sarcastic remarks. Which I will quote later. Lila went in to see the prince(s) and immediately she and Rhy clicked. I knew it! They would be an awesome couple or BFFs and together they will make Kell frown non-stop.

But we have to leave Rhy now as we follow Kell to say goodbye to Lila. Lila refused to go back to Dull London now that Barron is dead and she has no one she cared about. Kell gave her the element board for practice because Tieren said she has magic in her. Then they said goodbye and went their separate ways.

And that’s the end of A Darker Shade of Magic. It’s wrapped-up pretty nicely for a first book in a series. I’m thankful for the lack of major cliffhanger because the wait itself is already killing me, even without cliffhanger.

Questions to ponder while we await for AGoS:

  • Will Lila find magic within her (and turns out to be antari)?
  • Is the stone’s magic really gone? Or has Kell been affected by it permanently?
  • Does a soul seal work both ways? For example, if Rhy dies will Kell die? (technically Rhy was dead, so I’m not sure how it works)
  • Will there be a character ‘return’ from the death?
  • WHO was Kell really?
  • Was Lila really from Grey London or was she actually born in another London?
  • What happened to Lila’s other eye? IS she an antari and the eye she replaced with glass was actually black?
  • Do you think these two will actually get together?
  • Add your question here

Thank you to everyone who read, commented, and liked these very long 14-parts recap. I will be reading AGoS the day it comes out so hit me up if you want to buddy read or any of the like. For now, I will go back re-reading bits of ADSOM while waiting for my pre-order to be delivered.

Favorite Scene

Reunited with Rhy <3

Favorite Quotes

“I love you, Kell, but I had no interest in matching tattoos.” – Rhy Maresh

“I apologize for shooting you in the leg. I was myself entirely.” – Delilah Bard

INDEX

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII

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A Darker Shade of Magic Re-read: Part XIII

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Welcome to my re-read of A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. This is the 13th part of my weekly re-read posts. If you have read ADSOM, come re-read and discuss it with me. If you never read it, I highly recommend it especially if you like fantasy books, sarcastic protagonists, kick-ass heroine, and fabulous coat. Even though it’s a re-read, I will do my best to avoid spoiling future chapters in the post itself, which is quite easy because most of the time, I didn’t remember what happened. So even though this is the first time you read ADSOM, you could follow along. However, please note that although the post itself is spoiler-free from future chapters, the comments section are spoiler zone, where you can talk about anything including the plot twist and the book conclusion. Without further ado, let’s sail through A Darker Shade of Magic. All aboard!

This week, we’re going to cover Part XIII The Waiting King.

SPOILER WARNING FOR PART I – XII

And we’re back in Creepy London!

Athos has been waiting for us, I mean waiting for Kell and Lila, in his throne room. Her sister’s body propped up besides him. Apparently, Astrid was still up and wrecking havoc in Kell London. I wonder if she’s killed the all the royal family members minus Rhy. Athos, however, just wanted to kill Kell. For now.

Kell and Lila went into the castle through different doors. Kell was supposed to handle Athos and Lila the still-out-of-her-body Astrid. Kell vowed to himself not to use the stone’s power because he was so close to be consumed by it. Strangely, Athos—who owned the other half of the black stone—didn’t seem to be affected much by it. Or maybe he already gave in a long long time ago and now the stone has his body? I dunno. Kell’s vow proved to be short-lived when it became clear he wouldn’t win without the stone. He used the stone for protection and tried to trap Athos into doing something stupid. This turned out not to be a difficult feat. Athos, upon being compared to his evil genius sister, became angry and summoned a serpent from the stone. Uh oh, remember when Lila tried to create living thing (Kell’s doppelganger) from the stone? The same thing happened here. Eventually, the king was beaten by his own arrogance and shortsightedness.

What about the queen? I always consider Astrid as the smarter one, but her consciousness was still in Kell London. Will this be an easy kill for Lila? Of course not! As if Schwab will let her protagonist get away that easy. After being forced to kill the boy who was bound to Athos’ will, Lila went into the throne room to find the unconscious Astrid surrounded by a circle of protection (which existence she realized after her bullet richoceted back. Dear Delilah, you should’ve known better.). She broke the protection circle, but Astrid woke up right before Lila stabbed her. Unfortunately, the queen—with her magic was too powerful for our heroine. OHMYGODDONTKILLHERDONTKILLHERDONTKILLHER. Fortunately (or not), Astrid decided to kill Kell before finishing Lila.

The cunning queen took Lila’s shape after rendering her unconscious then went to see Kell. Kell, now the proud owner of two halves of the black stone, used his magic to fused back the stone. Lila-who-was-not-Lila asked Kell to give her the stone, and all he gave her was a knife… in the stomach. Oh the bastard, I thought he was going to fall to her trick. The real Lila wobbled in, and everything was right and good—at least as good as it could be considering the black stone was still there attaching itself to Kell’s hand. The calmness lasted one page, more or less, before the stone dragged Kell into its world and tried to force him to give in. He almost did, but then he realized that if he dies, so will Rhy. That sobered him a bit and gave him the idea to dispel the magic. And so he did.

And so back in Kell London, the bodies fell… And the prince shivered then fell still.

And… that’s the end of Part XIII!

Part XIII ended with a freaking cliffhanger, but I promised not to read more than one part each week. So please join me next week to read the LAST PART of A Darker Shade of Magic!

FYI, Victoria Schwab also announced #ADSOMReadalong on her twitter where the internet will read (or reread) ADSOM before AGOS comes out. It’ll start on 02/01/2016. Join in if you want! I might or might not reread ADSOM for the third time. :p

Favorite Scene

The calm before the storm (aka the strange calm before the stone tried to take Kell).

Favorite Quote

Because she said please.

INDEX

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII

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A Darker Shade of Magic Re-read: Part XII

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Welcome to my re-read of A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. This is the 12th part of my weekly re-read posts. If you have read ADSOM, come re-read and discuss it with me. If you never read it, I highly recommend it especially if you like fantasy books, sarcastic protagonists, kick-ass heroine, and fabulous coat. Even though it’s a re-read, I will do my best to avoid spoiling future chapters in the post itself, which is quite easy because most of the time, I didn’t remember what happened. So even though this is the first time you read ADSOM, you could follow along. However, please note that although the post itself is spoiler-free from future chapters, the comments section are spoiler zone, where you can talk about anything including the plot twist and the book conclusion. Without further ado, let’s sail through A Darker Shade of Magic. All aboard!

This week, we’re going to cover Part XII Sanctuary & Sacrifice.

SPOILER WARNING FOR PART I – XI

Last week, we left Kell, Lila, and a very bloody Rhy at the palace. Kell was using his magic to lead them to a safe place. That safe place turned out to be London Sanctuary, a place for scholars and masters to learn and connect with magic. Here, Kell realized that Rhy has became awfully quiet and dying. His magic has failed somewhat. Lila thought that it’s already too late to save the prince. OH NO, YOU DON’T RHY! It seemed that Kell is with me on this one. He wouldn’t let Rhy go, no matter what. He asked Lila for the black stone. BAD IDEA KELL. Don’t do it. Whatever it is you think you’re doing, it’ll end up badly for both of you. 🙁

Kell, however, won’t listen to reasons. He bound his life to Rhy and brought his brother back using a soul seal and magic he deemed ‘impossible’. Well, nothing it’s impossible for the black stone… Okay, here’s a question. How does a soul seal work? Because it seems that the one Kell gave to Rhy is quite different from Athos’ seal on Holland. From what I understand, it’s unbreakable, unlike spells, but technically does it enable the creator to control the receiver (ala Athos and Holland)? Because I don’t think Kell would want to control Rhy.

Right, back to the book.

Rhy, still very much hurt and in pain, was left in the hand of Master Tieren, Kell’s mentor, while Lila finally convinced Kell to take her along to Creepy London. The two made their way to the spot where they could ‘safely’ travel to Creepy London. But when they travel, a force pulled Kell back to Kell London, ripping him from Lila’s hands.

Lila was forced to fend off several thugs all by herself with Kell MIA. Meanwhile, back in Kell London, Kell found out what has pulled him back. It was not a what, but rather who. Holland was there, trying to take the stone –which has now bound itself to Kell’s hand—and Kell because Astrid wanted him as her pet. Holland, obviously, didn’t listen to the second request and try resolutely to kill Kell. Kell, however, has learned his mistake and he didn’t hesitate at all. Using his own power as well as the stone’s magic, he incapacitated Holland (okay, incapacitated is probably not a correct word for ‘stabbing someone using a heavy metal pillar’) and set off to Creepy London using Holland’s token and dragging him along.

Kell arrived in time to save Lila. Actually, scratch that. I fully expected Kell to turn his Hulk mode on and show them who’s boss and warn them to not mess with his lady, but they were surrounded and had to save their energy for the Danes. So… they ran. Yeah, I settled for that. Much more practical. Kell, still carrying Holland, and Lila arrived at the castle to meet the Danes and the other half of the black stone.

Well then, next week should be fun! And by fun, I mean bloody!
Only two parts to go!

Favorite Quote

“… or perhaps I will go with you to the end of the world. After all, you’ve made me curious.”

Favorite Scene

Tieren saying to Lila that she has unawakened, unnurtured power. YAS to that.

INDEX

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI

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A Darker Shade of Magic Re-read: Part XI

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Welcome to my re-read of A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. This is the 11th part of my weekly re-read posts. If you have read ADSOM, come re-read and discuss it with me. If you never read it, I highly recommend it especially if you like fantasy books, sarcastic protagonists, kick-ass heroine, and fabulous coat. Even though it’s a re-read, I will do my best to avoid spoiling future chapters in the post itself, which is quite easy because most of the time, I didn’t remember what happened. So even though this is the first time you read ADSOM, you could follow along. However, please note that although the post itself is spoiler-free from future chapters, the comments section are spoiler zone, where you can talk about anything including the plot twist and the book conclusion. Without further ado, let’s sail through A Darker Shade of Magic. All aboard!

This week, we’re going to cover Part XI Masquerade.

SPOILER WARNING FOR PART I – X

We’re getting even closer to the end!
When we left them last week, Kell was captured by the palace guards and Lila was off to save him. Part XI began with Lila standing near the palace, figuring out how to get in. Soon enough, it became clear to her that the palace was holding a masquerade ball and all she needed to get in was an invitation. Such an easy job for our pickpocket! Lila procured her invitation and set off to find herself a costume. Fortunately, one of the market tenant recognized her as Master Kell’s friend and gave her a mask and a costume for free and told Lila to pay her back someway and to look after Kell. Lila assented and went in as Captain Bard of the Sea King. The guard let her in and as she paid her respect to the royals, she realized that they were under some sort of spell.

Kell, meanwhile, came to in Rhy’s bedroom with his brother besides him. It also took him a while to realize that he was bound using special cuff that can dampen magic. Crap, he was in trouble because he smuggled that stone, was the first thing on my mind. It turned out that Kell wasn’t bound because Rhy was mad at him. He was cuffed because Rhy wasn’t even Rhy. *GASP, that necklace from Holland.* Points for you if you managed to figure out this twist. Basically, Astrid sent a necklace imbibed with antari‘s blood (Holland’s I think) to possess Rhy. The antari‘s blood is the one that enable the spell to work in both worlds. So, Astrid was currently safe and sound in White London while possessing Rhy. This lady was an evil genius! ‘Rhy’ tried to get Kell to tell him the stone’s location and Kell told him that he didn’t know. ‘Rhy’ decided to use violence on Kell, but no dice. You should have listened though, Rhy, or Astrid, or whoever, he really didn’t know.

At that point, Lila, I mean Captain Bard, stepped in (more like flew in, actually) and interfered on their brotherly business. Cornered between the antari and the fearless girl equipped with magic stone, Astrid decided to use her last weapon, Rhy. She told them to give her the stone or she was going to kill Rhy. She took off the pendant from Rhy’s body and threw it, at the same time driving a knife into Rhy’s body. The pendant, apparently, was so powerful that Astrid could possess anyone that touch it. Therefore, losing Rhy wasn’t much of a hindrance now that Kell has found out that another person was wearing his brother’s skin. Rhy, meanwhile, was dying. Kell, desperate to save his brother, was forced to run with Lila to avoid being captured by Astrid and the guards under her possession. Kell took Rhy and Lila to his room and made a door to a place he deemed the only safe place for them to go.

But where did the door lead to? We’ll find out in the next part, next week!

Favorite Quote

You look more ready to storm a city than seduce a man.

Favorite Scene

Lila’s awkward exchange with Calla about being Kell’s friend.

INDEX

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X

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A Darker Shade of Magic Re-read: Part X

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Welcome to my re-read of A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. This is the 10th part of my weekly re-read posts. If you have read ADSOM, come re-read and discuss it with me. If you never read it, I highly recommend it especially if you like fantasy books, sarcastic protagonists, kick-ass heroine, and fabulous coat. Even though it’s a re-read, I will do my best to avoid spoiling future chapters in the post itself, which is quite easy because most of the time, I didn’t remember what happened. So even though this is the first time you read ADSOM, you could follow along. However, please note that although the post itself is spoiler-free from future chapters, the comments section are spoiler zone, where you can talk about anything including the plot twist and the book conclusion. Without further ado, let’s sail through A Darker Shade of Magic. All aboard!

This week, we’re going to cover Part X One White Rook.

SPOILER WARNING FOR PART I – IX

Part X is a long, but action-packed one. In this part, Schwab took us back to check on the two vessels of the black stone, one in Grey London left by Lila’s sword and another in Red London left frozen by Kell. The Grey London vessel, having been taken forcefully, has now withered. He was drawn to Stone’s Throw before getting hit by a cart and crumbled into soot. And guess who was there? The enthusiast from earlier. Yep, there’s definitely something with this Edward Tuttle guy. We just don’t know what yet. The second vessel has spread itself like a plague in Red London. A voluntary vessel, it lasted longer than the Grey London’s. It even managed to “kill” Gen and Parrish, Rhy’s personal guards when they were off duty. I am not sure they will stay dead, pretty sure they’ll get possessed and then the black smoke could sneak into the castle and… OH NO, RHYYY.

Speaking of Rhy, his birthday celebration was in full swing. A full-day festival followed by a masquerade ball was taking place. However, his brother was not there and the crown, now fully realized that Kell is indeed missing, has placed a magical notification ad throughout the city with the message to “press here if found.” Fortunately, Kell and Lila were smart enough to cloak themselves going to Fletcher’s pawn shop. Once they got there, Kell and Lila roamed the shop searching for the white rook, the White London’s token, but couldn’t find it. Fletcher, a bone magician, found out that Master Kell was in his shop and stalled them long enough after he notified the royal guards that their wanted person is here. Lila cloaked herself with the stone’s magic so the guards had no idea she was there, and the royal guards took Kell back to the castle. Everything seems well and good, that is until Kell was rendered unconscious and a strange guard possesed by magic came back to get rid of Fletcher. Good riddance! But what about Kell? Was he kidnapped? And what will happen to Lila? Well, if you know her, you will know for sure she is not going to sit around and wait for Kell to come back. Instead, she took the black stone and the white rook that fell from Fletcher’s pocket) and went to rescue Kell.

Next week gonna be fun!

Favorite Quote

Some people steal to stay alive, and some steal to feel alive.

Favorite Scene

Lila telling Kell about her past and Kell telling Lila about what he did to some guys who kidnapped his brother.

INDEX

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX

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A Darker Shade of Magic Re-read: Part IX

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Welcome to my re-read of A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. This is the 9th part of my weekly re-read posts. If you have read ADSOM, come re-read and discuss it with me. If you never read it, I highly recommend it especially if you like fantasy books, sarcastic protagonists, kick-ass heroine, and fabulous coat. Even though it’s a re-read, I will do my best to avoid spoiling future chapters in the post itself, which is quite easy because most of the time, I didn’t remember what happened. So even though this is the first time you read ADSOM, you could follow along. However, please note that although the post itself is spoiler-free from future chapters, the comments section are spoiler zone, where you can talk about anything including the plot twist and the book conclusion. Without further ado, let’s sail through A Darker Shade of Magic. All aboard!

This week, we’re going to cover Part IX Festival & Fire.

SPOILER WARNING FOR PART I – VIII

Aaanndd we’re back in Red London. Well, Kell did. But where’s Delilah? Was she trapped in the path between alternate universes? Or worse, inside the wall? *GASP* We sure hope not. We being both me and Kell. Let’s go find her! *traipsing around Red London*

THERE SHE IS. It turned out, Lila made it to Red London after all, but in different place. She looked around and saw the red river, the vessel of Red London. Quick question. If you’re a wannabe pirate, what is the first thing that you see? The SHIPS of course. They were fabulous and she wanted them so bad. But let’s leave the ships for now because there’s a big thing in town. What is it? Why, it’s Prince Rhy’s birthday celebration. The prince with his parents were leading the procession to the castle and Lila saw Kell’s brother for the first time, not that she knew that. It was not the “sparks flying at the first sight” as I predicted, but Rhy DID notice her so that’s something. On the other hand, Lila also heard about the “missing black-eyed prince.” Wait, what?? … Moving on.

Lila walked around the festival and tried to steal a charm from a merchant tent. Unfortunately, it was enchanted. Fortunately, Kell found her before things got even more awry. They made their quick getaway and Lila cornered Kell into admitting that he indeed belonged to royal family. A heated argument ensued between the two. I have to admit, this was one of my favorite scene between them. How Kell felt like a prisoner in a gilded castle and Lila had to fend for herself and never felt safe. They had their differences, but they were both strong and levelheaded enough to carry on with their mission.

And to The Ruby Fields they went. Except Ruby Fields is no more. It – and all the people inside – was burned to ashes by Holland. Speaking of Holland, here he came. Kell, knowing he was in no condition to fight Holland, commanded the stone to conceal he and Lila. The stone obeyed, and not only it made them invisible, it even made them incorporeal. Holland finally gave up on them, for now, but not before he let them know that he killed Barron. 🙁 COLD HEARTLESS VILLAIN, why cannot I hate you?* But I really can’t. Despite everything, I care about Barron.

After Barron left, Kell realized that he only had one option now that he’s lost all of his trinkets. He has to find Fletcher and took his chess piece back.

Favorite Quote

You have a house if not a home. You have people who care for you if not about you. You may not have everything you want, but I’d wager you have everything you could ever need, and you have the audacity to claim it all forfeit because it is not love.

Favorite Scene

THAT argument between Lila and Kell.

INDEX

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII

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A Darker Shade of Magic Re-read: Part VIII

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Welcome to my re-read of A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. This is the 8th part of my weekly re-read posts. If you have read ADSOM, come re-read and discuss it with me. If you never read it, I highly recommend it especially if you like fantasy books, sarcastic protagonists, kick-ass heroine, and fabulous coat. Even though it’s a re-read, I will do my best to avoid spoiling future chapters in the post itself, which is quite easy because most of the time, I didn’t remember what happened. So even though this is the first time you read ADSOM, you could follow along. However, please note that although the post itself is spoiler-free from future chapters, the comments section are spoiler zone, where you can talk about anything including the plot twist and the book conclusion. Without further ado, let’s sail through A Darker Shade of Magic. All aboard!

This week, we’re going to cover Part VIII An Arrangement.

SPOILER WARNING FOR PART I – VII

We have crossed the midpoint and it’s getting exciting, at least for me.

In the previous part, Kell passed out on Lila’s bed after Holland tried to bleed him dry. In Part VIII, Kell was finally awake and found himself feeling like shit but otherwise healed of his wound. Turns out, little miss resourceful Lila Bard has somehow understood how his coat work—something that even Rhy couldn’t do—and found a magical healing salve Kell himself has misplaced. I wonder what other things he has misplaced in that coat.

Kell finally made up his mind, that he has to bring the stone back to its home, Black London. At this point, Kell info-dump Lila on the existence of four Londons (Dull London, Kell London, Creepy London, and Dead London) and of course she wanted to come with Kell to Dead London. The problem is, one cannot go through directly from Dull London to Dead London because they are stacked like sheets of papers, one on top of another, with Dull London at one end and Dead London at another. This means, Kell (and Lila if she went with Kell) would have to visit Kell London and Creepy London on their way to Dead London. Does it mean Lila will get to meet Rhy? Attend his birthday maybe? Or frolicking around the town? I think those two will get along with each other, giving Kell headache and causing him to frown even more.

Anyway, Lila finally managed to force convince Kell to take her along. Together, they slipped past sleeping Barron and went to another fixed point where Kell would create a door to Red London. He intended to make a quick trip to Ruby Fields where he stored most of his tokens and prized possessions.

And then they were at the wall, Kell cut his palm and Lila kissed him for luck before they traveled through the wall. Seriously, there’s nothing romantic about it. At all. Slow-burning romance (at least I think it’s romance) to the max. You go Victoria. Or maybe I have fooled myself into believing that there’s something between them? Ahahaha, it won’t be for the first time.

I thought that was how this part going to end. OF COURSE NOT. We were brought back to the Stone’s Throw where Barron (who actually heard Kell and Lila leaving)  woke because there’s someone in Lila’s room. Someone who is not Lila. (Oh noes!) He took his shotgun and went to Lila’s room (nooo don’t do it). I think we all knew already who was in her room :/ It’s not like we can stop him though…

And that’s the end of Part VIII.

Favorite Quote

I’d rather die on an adventure than live standing still.

Favorite Scene

Everything that happened just before Kell and Lila stepped through the wall.

INDEX

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII

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A Darker Shade of Magic Re-read: Part VII

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Welcome to my re-read of A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. This is the 7th part of my weekly re-read posts. If you have read ADSOM, come re-read and discuss it with me. If you never read it, I highly recommend it especially if you like fantasy books, sarcastic protagonists, kick-ass heroine, and fabulous coat. Even though it’s a re-read, I will do my best to avoid spoiling future chapters in the post itself, which is quite easy because most of the time, I didn’t remember what happened. So even though this is the first time you read ADSOM, you could follow along. However, please note that although the post itself is spoiler-free from future chapters, the comments section are spoiler zone, where you can talk about anything including the plot twist and the book conclusion. Without further ado, let’s sail through A Darker Shade of Magic. All aboard!

This week, we’re going to cover Part VII The Follower.
Without further ado, let’s dive in!.

SPOILER WARNING FOR PART I – VI

Lila, still trying to wrap her head around the information she just got, that magic exists, that there are other Londons, decided to clear her head in a nearby tavern frequented by shady people. She must still have Kell’s magic scent on her from their recent encounter because someone managed to track her. Yep, nobody could follow Kell into Grey London except for one person. Holland.

Holland tracked Lila and hurt her for a simple reason, to get to Kell. You see, Kell could cover his trace so Holland cannot track him. Lila obviously can’t. So he made her scream. It was awful, I just wanted him to stop and wanted Lila to slap him. Kell was on the bridge, thinking about what has happened to his once peaceful sheltered life, when he smelled Holland’s magic. Then came the scream. He came back for her. Of course he would. It’s like what Holland said, we know our little friend.

We also know what Holland is after. The stone. Kell produced the talisman from his coat and told the pale antari to let Lila go. He did eventually, after all she was just a bait to him. Lila ran and left the two blood magician battling each other.

Kell somehow found himself pinned to a door and lost the stone after he hesitated to attack Holland. Holland took the stone and made Kell bleed. And when I said bleed, I didn’t mean he wounded Kell, I meant he made Kell’s blood seeped out from his body. We also found an interesting fact about Holland on what actually bind him to the Danes. Kell, weakened from blood loss, begged Holland to not do it – whatever bad things he planned to do – but he surely wouldn’t survive if Lila hadn’t come back.

Yes, Lila (apparently burdened by the fact that Kell came back for her) hit Holland in the head to save the gentleman in distress. That’s what you get for hurting Lila Bard. A head for an arm. You go girl! She half dragged Kell back to the Stone’s Throw and with Barron’s help removed his blood-soaked clothes and put him on her bed. Great, Kell. That’s the second time you managed to get onto her bed unconcious. Let’s not pass out on the third time you meet her, okay?

Favorite Quote

Long story. Heavy body.

Favorite Scene

When Lila came back to save the day and got her revenge.

INDEX

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI

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A Darker Shade of Magic Re-read: Part VI

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Welcome to my re-read of A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. This is the 6th part of my weekly re-read posts. If you have read ADSOM, come re-read and discuss it with me. If you never read it, I highly recommend it especially if you like fantasy books, sarcastic protagonists, kick-ass heroine, and fabulous coat. Even though it’s a re-read, I will do my best to avoid spoiling future chapters in the post itself, which is quite easy because most of the time, I didn’t remember what happened. So even though this is the first time you read ADSOM, you could follow along. However, please note that although the post itself is spoiler-free from future chapters, the comments section are spoiler zone, where you can talk about anything including the plot twist and the book conclusion. Without further ado, let’s sail through A Darker Shade of Magic. All aboard!

This week, we’re going to cover Part VI Thieves Met.
Without further ado, let’s dive in!.

SPOILER WARNING FOR PART I – V

It’s starting! The black magic Kell released from the black stone is now out in the wild. The first victim was the man with the royal sword who attacked Kell near Ruby Fields. When we left him, he was frozen by the magic. Now, the shell has melted, not away from him but going inside of the man. The man, now with two black eyes, walked away. For now.

Well, there’ll certainly be repercussion to that.

Back to Grey London. Lila, fresh from pick-pocketing Kell, was back in the Stone’s Throw. But when she returned to her room, a man walked in, not from the door but from the wall. It’s Kell. These two haven’t been acting nice to each other. Kell asked Lila to return the stone. Lila asked Kell how did he get in. They both lunged for the stone, or at least Lila did. Kell decided to lay down on the floor. Dude, you cannot just pass out in a room of a badass thief. It might lead to bondage trouble. Lila considered dumping Kell’s body, but when she realized he was still alive, she settled for hitting his head with a book. How romantic resourceful.

Chapter III began with this sentence: “When Kell came to, he was tied to a bed.”

Okay, Schwab, we see what you did there. Kell continued his streak of having doomed conversations with Lila by using this opening line: “One of your eyes is lighter than the other.” Not quite there, but it definitely show attentiveness on his part. Also, it might be important. See, Kell is an antari with one black eye and one blue eye, so it totally make sense that he’ll pay attention to other people’s eye color. After yet another poor attempt on conversation, Kell told Lila the facts, namely he came from other London and entered her room using magic. At this point, one would start yelling and call him a liar. But Delilah Bard believe him, perhaps because Kell put on a magic show for her or maybe because she has touched and felt the magic from the stone.

Speaking of the stone, Lila—upon realizing that the stone contains magic—tried and succeeded in creating a black sword from thin air using the stone. And then she proceeded to create Kell doppelganger… and made him (it) to do a striptease (of course she would). Before he (it) finished taking off his clothes, Kell noticed that the doppelganger face starting to shift—or maybe he was just saying that to try protecting his dignity. Kell told Lila to dispel it. Lila, as expected, didn’t know how (it’s not like she studied magic for years), but before the doppelganger could hurt her (more), the real Kell dispel it. After dispeling the fake Kell, the real Kell trapped Lila’s hands in the wall (show off) and left her there.

Whoa that was intense.

After managed to pried herself free from the wall, Lila found the black sword in her room. Then, considering what happened before, she decided to get rid of it no matter how beautiful it was. I told you she’s a smart girl. Lila hurled it down from the window in her room. Unfortunately, the sword (was) found (by) a man named Booth. The black sword decided it like Booth and refused to let him go, even went as far as killing him and possessing his body. *shudders* Similar to the frozen man we encountered before, both of his eyes turned black and he walked away, away from the Stone’s Throw.

Favorite Convo

Lila: What are you?

Kell: Tied to your bed.

Lila: And?

Kell: And in trouble.

Favorite Scene

Kell and Lila in her bedroom attempting to (not) rip each other’s head off.

INDEX

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V

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A Darker Shade of Magic Re-read: Part V

Posted on by Windie @ dip into books
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Welcome to my re-read of A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. This is the 5th part of my weekly re-read posts. If you have read ADSOM, come re-read and discuss it with me. If you never read it, I highly recommend it especially if you like fantasy books, sarcastic protagonists, kick-ass heroine, and fabulous coat. Even though it’s a re-read, I will do my best to avoid spoiling future chapters in the post itself, which is quite easy because most of the time, I didn’t remember what happened. So even though this is the first time you read ADSOM, you could follow along. However, please note that although the post itself is spoiler-free from future chapters, the comments section are spoiler zone, where you can talk about anything including the plot twist and the book conclusion. Without further ado, let’s sail through A Darker Shade of Magic. All aboard!

This week, we’re going to cover Part V Black Stone. I also change the format a bit so let me know which one do you prefer.
Without further ado, let’s go!.

SPOILER WARNING FOR PART I – IV

When we left Lila back in Part III, she was retreating to her room in the Stone’s Throw. Now, however, she was back to her daily thieving activity and was hauling back fair amount of coins to the tavern. Upon returning, she passed a beggar and decided to share a couple of coins. This, as anyone who has read enough fantasy books could tell you, is a bad idea.

Me: he’s so going to get killed by some thugs because of that money

Real scene: the thugs took the coins, but the boy escaped unscathed (thankfully, he has enough sense to not fight the thugs)

Lila—the thrill seeker she is—obviously went off to chase the three thugs who took the boy’s money…

On the other side of the parallel universe, Kell was delivering the letter he received at the end of Part IV. He quickly realized that something was amiss when he noticed someone was watching him and that the letter was nothing but a blank paper. At this point, I sat up excitedly. I mean, I have read this before but I still couldn’t help but get excited upon the (terrible) possibilities. (YES I AM EVIL)

Quiz time. You have been caught red-handed carrying illegal stuff you smuggled from another world. Do you: a.) reason with the captor or b.) flex your magic and make them tremble upon witnessing your power.

Answer: Kell c.) ran. Uh yeah, I didn’t expect that. I suppose it made sense in retrospect. He’s a messenger and traveler, not a soldier. (And I would totally do the same thing. While screaming and yelling)

And do you know who else decided to run? Delilah Bard. When she realized she was trapped between the thugs who wanted to capture (kill) her to get the reward money, she did the thing she had to do even though she hated it. You didn’t survive in the street using only your muscles and not using your brain, especially if you are a girl seems to be the message. And it’s a good one.

So let’s recap. Kell brought something he shouldn’t bring to Red London and now he’s on the run. Lila was after street rats who took the money she gave to a beggar, but now she’s also on the run. This is going to be exciting. *flips page*

Kell ran to his hiding place, the Ruby Fields, but of course the shady people have put a tracing curse on the parcel he smuggledcarried. The parcel itself turned out to be a black stone that came from Black London. And of course, it’s a magical stone. The stone contains so much magic that Kell could freeze a person while his own magic bleeding out of him. Still bleeding, our red-haired magician ran to a place where no one, save for one person, could follow him. Kell traveled to Grey London.

And now, for the big moment we’re waiting for.

Kell, meet Lila. Lila, meet Kell. Have fun and try not to kill each other, okay?

And here’s Lila, of course, interpreting the very definition of ‘fun’ as ‘go find trouble’ as she relieved Kell of the black stone he carried. *groans* Next time, make sure the item you steal is not cursed, okay Bard? Okay, we’ll see what happen to these two next week!

Favorite Scene

Lila stealing from Kell the moment they met, as one would expect.

Favorite Quote

“Careful now. Someone might think you’ve got a heart under all that brass.” –Barron

INDEX

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

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