By the morning sun, the late afternoon sunset and the nighttime moonlight, I managed to finish A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab in less than 3 days; 400-pages condensed into three work days. 

The hours flew by, and I found myself fully absorbed into the magical world conjured by the brilliant mind of V.E. Schwab; one where the main character, Kell, travels between 3 different Londons existing in parallel. White London, a city filled with powerful magicians, who seek to rule the city through sheer power. Grey London, where magic has died out and the residents live magicless, normal lives. Red London, the sole city which has flourished and retains its use and appreciation of magic. Kell travels between the world with his rare magical ability, recognized, respected, and feared as an Antari, magicians of the rare breed able to travel in between the different worlds.

Part of the royal family in Red London, Kell has managed to lead a somewhat normal life up until a thief from Grey London, Lila Bard, makes an appearance in his life on one of his missions to transmit messages between the royal families. The rest of the story unfolds into an intense chase between the various Londons as Kell seeks to right a wrong he committed, which has led to the potential demise of Red London, with the mischievous, ambitious and at times irrational Lila as the unlikely sidekick for the cool, icy Kell. 

Kell's seemingly innocent favour to help a collector carry an item between worlds upends his peaceful life, and he is in a race against time to reinstate calm and peace to the 3 Londons, chased by a powerful unknown force in the shadows, with him unsheltered and vulnerable in the open. Lila's encounter with Kell presents an opportunity for her to go on an adventure of her lifetime, and a chance for her to satisfy her hunger for something more than a career of thievery in Grey London. 

An engaging escape for the mind on the beach, in a hammock, while you are sipping on an iced drink. This book will open your adult mind once again to the possibility of magic in our world, an escape from the everyday workplace. The best news is, this is only the first book in a trilogy.