Here’s a short summary of A Darker Shade of Magic:
In an alternate world, the world doesn’t exist except for three Londons, divided by universes: Grey London, Black London, and Red London. None of the citizens can transport between these three dimensions except special magicians called Antari. There are only two of these sort of magicians: the main character, Kell, and the deutero-antagonist, Holland. Proper, prim Kell has been adopted into the royal family of Red London as a prince, and he walks through the Londons, sort of as the bridge between universes. Then, in Grey London, he meets a scrappy fighter named Lila, who proves the plot that a London has for its counterparts - and Kell has to stop this all from happening, while dealing with his own balanced foe, Holland.
Here's a short review of the novel:
From beginning to end, this story kept me engaged, ready to consume more and more, like some sort of dedicated feral beast. This novel had, by far, one of the best magical systems in any other book with magicians and places of power, giving limits that defined humanity and its societal impacts. After reading the summary, I was only mildly interested; when I read the first page, I was hooked. By the time I reached the midpoint, I was in a state of frantic delirium, hoping for plotlines I wished to happen. The characters were not the most dynamic in the field of adult fantasy, but they made due. I related a lot to the character, Kell, who was someone who was just trying to make due, quiet and I had the vibes of him being studious. He was not pretentious, like I’d assumed him to be, and it was a welcome change. The other character, Lila, was a character I had little opinion on; she was vibrant and boisterous - ostentatious almost - but she kept out of my reach. Lila was too much into the spotlight for me to care about her. Anyway, my favorite character had to go to the quasi-antagonist named Holland, who filled the book to the rim with chaotic tension and painful interactions that gave other characters goosebumps and chills. It was enthralling to read from a third-person omniscient perspective, and I was delighted in it. In other words, this wasn’t a life-changing work, but it still provided me with a lot of in-depth thought and speculation.