A Darker Shade of Magic

Published in 2015, V. E. Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic is a young adult fantasy novel and the first installment of the Shades of Magic series. Kell Maresh, one of the last Antari magicians, possesses the rare ability to travel between parallel worlds. When a dangerous artifact from a forbidden realm falls into Kell’s possession, he and a thief named Lila Bard become entangled in a perilous adventure. The novel—which received a Goodreads Choice Award (2015), a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and acclaim among the BookTok community—explores themes of family, power, and consequence. Schwab's other well-known works include Vicious (2013), City of Ghosts (2018), The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (2020), and Gallant (2022).

This study guide refers to the e-book edition released by Tom Doherty Associates in 2015.

Content Warning: The source material contains depictions of self-injury, sexual assault, torture, and homicide.

Plot Summary

Twenty-one-year-old Kell Maresh has the power to travel between worlds. Although many people in his home of Red London have some degree of magic, only blood magicians known as Antari possess this rare ability.