What You Need To Know:
Title: A Darker Shade of Magic
Author: V.E. Schwab
Number of Pages: 386
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Magic, Fiction
Standalone/Series: First Book in the Shades of Magic Series
Publisher: 27th February, 2015
Publication Date: Titan Books

The Plot:
Kell is one of the last Travelers—rare magicians who choose a parallel universe to visit. 

Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London is ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. People fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Once there was Black London - but no one speaks of that now.

Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see. This dangerous hobby sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to another world for her 'proper adventure'.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive — trickier than they hoped.

My Thoughts:

For months I had only heard good things about this book. So many different Booktubers had been raving about it and I knew that I wanted to read it at some point. I'd never read a V.E. Schwab book before and everyone and their mother always says that she is an amazing author so I was extremely excited to pick it up. Sadly I was extremely disappointed.

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

There were few things about this book that I truly liked. The main being the fact that it felt like a Lord of the Rings knock off. Now I know that there are plenty of books that use ideas from other works of fiction but everything about this book felt like the Lord of the Rings. For example there was an evil power who craved one thing that would make them extremely powerful and that one thing could only be destroyed in the place it was created. Sound familiar. Now usually I could look past that, if it was told to be a retelling of sorts. Like the Lunar Chronicles or The Legend series. But no, it says that A Darker Shade of Magic is an original tale and it just pushes my buttons to know that it really isn't.

 "Hesitation is the death of advantage."

Maybe I could have gotten over the fact that it was a bad retelling if the characters were believable. Alas they were not. We have two protagonists. The first being Kell, he is able to travel between the different Londons; a dying art. He sounds like an interesting character but he's completely conflicting. One moment he is naive and innocent; saying something that a person who has seen all different styles of life in different worlds shouldn't do. Then the next moment he is arrogant and condescending; ordering people about and all but expressing that they are nothing compared to him. Not to mention the fact that one moment he is acting as if he loves his adopted family, the Royals of Red London, then the next he hates them. Yes, they do own him in a way but they treat him as a son so why should he hate them the way he does? Truthfully, he's just a selfish character who only wants to please himself, not those around him. Hence why he brings things into the different realms which starts the whole mess of the book.

"Battles may be fought from the outside in, but wars are won from the inside out."

And then there's Lila. Initially she seems more likable and believable because of how she is initially described. She's a thief who lives in hard conditions; a seemingly rough character with big dreams of escaping the life she is living. The type that people usually think is adorable and should be loved. But I actually thought that she was worse than Kell. At least he had some personality, even if it did annoy me. For the most part Lila was dull and annoying and though she said somethings about wanting to change her life; really they were just words that meant nothing at all.

 "Lila Bard lived by a simple rule: if a thing was worth having, it was worth taking."

But that wasn't the main thing that made these characters unbelievable. For me it had to be the backstories; or lack of them should I say. As a reader, I knew nothing about either of their lives and though somethings were hinted at (like their lack of parentage) there were literally no answers. No I know that this was probably done so that the reader would want to continue the series. But to me, that's poor craftsmanship. If you want someone to pick up the next book then don't end the only possible why that that story could be going in one book. Yes, there should be space to know more about the characters and to allow them to develop but that should not be the only way that the series could go. A reader will not remember how the book ended in a year or so when the next book comes out if there is not some pinnacle moment like a cliff hanger. And truthfully it wasn't even that good an ending; it was simple and .... meh.

"Magic made things simple. Somethings, thought Kell, it made things too simple."

Although I don't think that this book was as good as everyone said, I can tell you that there were a handful of things that I liked. Mainly the villains .... ish. They were good villains; dark, sadistic, everything that a person wants when reading a good book. And they certainly did the unexpected but when it said at the start that they would do anything for power, well it just became predictable and dull. Yes they were interesting characters but there was no power behind them and they were far too easy to beat when I think about it. It would have been so much more enjoyable for there to be a bit more conflict between the heroes and villains; something that could have made the ending a little less predictable.

"The bodies in my floor all trusted someone. Now I walk on them to tea."

Review:
Ultimately, I feel that there was so much potential behind this book that really it could have been amazing. Yet it was just poorly executed; jumping on the bandwagon of a well loved classic. Truly it just disappointed me. Hence why I have given it *

-IAMAGEEKINGGINGER!
Book Total of 2016 - 40
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What You Need To Know:
Title: Passanger
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Number of Pages: 464
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Time Travel, Historical Fiction
Standalone/Series: First Book in the Passanger Series
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication: 5th January, 2016

The Plot:
Passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them—whether she wants to or not.Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home... forever.

My Thoughts:
I really didn't know how I was going to feel about this book when I picked it up. I haven't read anything by her before (I know sacrilege) but I wanted to give it ago. I knew nothing about this expect for it being about time travel and it was rather exciting to discover what could happen.

"It's our choices that matter in the end. Not wishes, not words, not promises."

Passenger is a historical time travelling adventure that revolves around 17 year old Etta Spencer who is completely unaware that her family are time travellers. Etta has to learn about how to survive as a traveller - from fitting in with new time periods to discovering and navigating various passages - all the while answering to the tyrant Cyrus Ironwood; Grand Master of travellers.

"In the whole course of history, war had always fallen on the shoulders of the young."

For the most part, I enjoyed Etta as a heroine. She was strong willed and had a large personality. Yes her constant talking did get a little bit annoying at times, especially when she likened everything to concerts and sympathises. But I loved the fact that she was discovering at the same time as us because her reactions were the same as ours (for somethings) and that just really made me happy! Overall I do think she was a rather enjoyable character. Yes she did have some annoying qualities but for me that made her realistic. No one is perfect in real life. Everyone has that one little quality that annoys the hell out of you. So, yeah, it made her realistic.

"There are rules, but rules may be rewritten if only one hand holds the ink."

Not too long ago I came across a tag called The Musical Theatre Book Tag and I was really excited because I was going to be able to do something that expresses my two favourite things: musical theatre and books. Sadly I was disappointed because it expressed fairly obvious musicals through with titles that I personally didn't think worked. So I decided to create my own. In no way do I want it to seem that I am stealing anyone's thunder or anything and I mean no offence to Somethinglikelydia for changing it round. Also I mean no offence to anyone about any of the titles that I have given to certain musicals and books. This is just my personal opinion. So let's get started.