by V.E. Schwab

A very magical Fantasy with multiple dimensions and a magician, Kell, who can walk between different versions of London which he has designated by colors; Black London, Grey London, Red London and White London. Strictly speaking, it's against the law to move between the different Londons but in Red London, Kell's home, he enjoys some privilege because he belongs to the royal family and he smuggles small items on occasion, especially coins because he needs a token from a dimension of London to travel through to it.

The nature of each version of London is very different, mostly defined by how magic affects the place. Grey London sounds very like the London we know, while Red London is a very magical place. White London falls somewhere between those, but Black London is a desolate place that was destroyed when magic became an uncontrolled force.

Kell is a likable character with a good heart and genuine affection for the prince, who is like a brother to him. His excursions are just a bit of fun for him, until someone who knows who and what he is slips him something dangerous and a lot of things start to go wrong. Political intrigue runs high and Kell does have limits to his power, which becomes apparent when he has to tangle with one of his own kind.

A strong female character enters Kell's life by picking his pocket. Some questions about Lila are left unanswered, but that is presumably intentional as a series is to follow. I'm not sure that I'll continue with it as I feel the story at hand came to a tidy ending and I prefer stand alone books in general, but time will tell.

I thought the story was well done, the magic handled well and the characters very distinctive. The different shades of London were also well differentiated and overall the story was enjoyable. There's plenty of fast action near the end and the essential loose ends were all tied up. I'd definitely recommend this one to traditional Fantasy readers.

by V.E. Schwab

A very magical Fantasy with multiple dimensions and a magician, Kell, who can walk between different versions of London which he has designated by colors; Black London, Grey London, Red London and White London. Strictly speaking, it's against the law to move between the different Londons but in Red London, Kell's home, he enjoys some privilege because he belongs to the royal family and he smuggles small items on occasion, especially coins because he needs a token from a dimension of London to travel through to it.

The nature of each version of London is very different, mostly defined by how magic affects the place. Grey London sounds very like the London we know, while Red London is a very magical place. White London falls somewhere between those, but Black London is a desolate place that was destroyed when magic became an uncontrolled force.

Kell is a likable character with a good heart and genuine affection for the prince, who is like a brother to him. His excursions are just a bit of fun for him, until someone who knows who and what he is slips him something dangerous and a lot of things start to go wrong. Political intrigue runs high and Kell does have limits to his power, which becomes apparent when he has to tangle with one of his own kind.

A strong female character enters Kell's life by picking his pocket. Some questions about Lila are left unanswered, but that is presumably intentional as a series is to follow. I'm not sure that I'll continue with it as I feel the story at hand came to a tidy ending and I prefer stand alone books in general, but time will tell.

I thought the story was well done, the magic handled well and the characters very distinctive. The different shades of London were also well differentiated and overall the story was enjoyable. There's plenty of fast action near the end and the essential loose ends were all tied up. I'd definitely recommend this one to traditional Fantasy readers.

The beginning was weird and slow, but when I really got into the book, it turned out to be such an amazing story with great characters and unbelievable world(s). All these Londons were so different. I actually had a dream about the White one ... more like a nightmare, to be honest.

Kell, a wizard who can travel between worlds, is doing something illegal - for a price he smuggles things from one London to another. Delivering a letter to a dying man he has a feeling that something is wrong, so he opens the letter and finds a blank page. But the package with his payment contains a stone with very powerful and dangerous magic. Kell knows that such magic can destroy his world, so he tries to return it to its rightful place. While escaping the men trying to take to stone away, he meets Lila Bard, a pickpocket from Grey London, who is in search of her big adventure.

These characters were so amazing. I liked how conflicted Kell was - he seemed to have everything but actually was lonely and lost. And I adored Lila. She was wonderful - spunky and bloodthirsty but also brutally honest. Her friendship with Kell was a thing of beauty, so fragile and so strong at the same time. 
I'm glad I got the book from the library and decided to finish it. Yes, there was a moment somewhere on page 30, I actually thought of dnf-ing the book (I told you the beginning was weird). 
Now, I just have to wait for the second book to be translated into my mother tongue.

Sadly I decided to put this book aside for now. I was soo looking forward to  this series but I had a rough start of it. I didn't start liking it until Lila came into the picture, about half way through. But even tho I really started liking it I felt like I was forcing myself to read it.  SO at this point I will put it aside for a while because I really want to enjoy the rest. I think I just need a switch up books for a while .

Finally really enjoying it now that Lila is in the pictures