Themes in the Londons - Ellix

The following blog post contains spoilers through page 200 of A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab.

    A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab explores the idea of multiple versions of one city: London. While I'm only halfway through the book, there are many interesting concepts that have already been brought to light. This novel follows the tale of Kell, an antari. He is a messenger for Red London, which is a nickname he gave the city for its "healthy empire" (Schwab 15). There are 3 other Londons, "the lost city known to all as Black London [...] grey for the magic-less empire [...] white, for the starving world" (Schwab 15). He has the strongest magic out of almost everyone. However, his competitor and other antari (Holland) along with a petty thief (Lila) provide conflict he was not expecting.
Kell is sent on a trap of a mission, finding himself with a strange stone. It's marked with the symbol for "magic," and he soon realizes that it can create magic, in a way. This discovery poses a few problems. People are after him to get the stone for themselves, including Holland, who works for the white throne. Kell seems bound to the stone. He hesitates to let go of it, as do other people who get their hands on it. The idea of this stone is that of all-powerful creation. Lila is able to create a sword and even a clone of Kell, who attacks her. The attack of fake Kell represents how magic can be dangerous when used incorrectly or put into the wrong hands. Magic in this world spins out of control easily, meaning Kell is worried to get rid of it in case someone else finds it. 
However, people have already found it. Lila threw the sword she made out of the window, and a stranger picked it up. He became someone, something, else. He absorbed the magic, becoming something of a brainless organism (or an organism belonging to someone else) I’m sure these creatures will come up later in the book as Kell tries to return the stone to Black London, and I’m curious to see how this plays out.
    When it comes to objects like the stone, there are always downsides and consequences. People fight over material goods, something that could give them a leg up in life. Characters in A Darker Shade of Magic consistently steal, perpetually in a state of poverty. With the leadership of all 4 Londons falling apart, social order goes with them. Kell is attacked in the streets, feared because of his status yet a target at the same time. 
    Kell is different from the rest of society, and that makes him stand out like a sore thumb. Both he and Lila tend to wear disguises, as he has a pitch black eye and Lila is a wanted criminal. While they have both committed actions that are morally wrong, it's their only choice in the situations they've put themselves in. Lila has no other options than thievery, and Kell is forced to kill and attack others to save himself and protect others from the magic he's associated with.
    Along with these themes of greed and disguise comes the stereotypes of Kell and Lila's characters. So far, Lila is the stereotypical side character who seems to have more going on with her than even she knows about. The author constantly hints that she can see magic symbols and feels something when touching the magical stone. Because of this, I'm guessing that she has some sort of magic, despite living in the magic-less Grey London. She’s also incredibly skilled at what she does, and seems to have a bad childhood, as the reader doesn’t know where her parents are. This seems to happen a lot in this genre, and it makes books like A Darker Shade of Magic predictable.
Kell strikes me as the all-powerful protagonist, the person who always has a plan up his sleeve. Though he almost dies, Holland causing him to bleed out, the reader knows that he’s going to survive because the book isn’t over and neither is his journey. However, if the author were to kill off the main character, I don’t know if that would make it any better. There would have to be an unexpected way to continue with the story, and I don’t know if that’s the case for this book. Because Kell basically cannot die yet, you can always predict that he will escape from whatever situation he’s in, though the means might be unknown. 
A Darker Shade of Magic has several interesting themes and concepts, including greed, trickery, alliances, and enemies. However, the characters themselves are somewhat stereotypical, making the story as a whole bland at times. However, I think the ideas the author presents are interesting enough that I will continue reading to see how they play out, looking at the world itself rather than the characters.

- Ellix