I’ve always found the idea of parallel worlds intriguing, so this book’s setup (there are four Londons, which used to intermingle freely until magic corrupted one of them, and now not even a handful of people have the ability to cross between worlds) had me interested from the start. Fantasy novels are often trope-heavy, which makes them comfort reads in many ways (at least for me), and there are plenty on display here: a plucky lass in disguise as a boy, malevolent twins, the dangers of blood magic. Overall, I found this a refreshingly engaging read. Author V. E. Schwab paces her book well, giving some time to establishing the world, its magic system, and its two central characters (Kell, one of those rare people who can go back and forth between Londons, is raised in a balanced magical world, where he is essentially a ward of the royal family and Lila, from our own world, who turned to thievery to survive when she was orphaned and dreams of piracy and adventure) before letting the plot rip. It occasionally feels a bit rushed, but mostly it’s propulsive and easy to get caught up in. There are some breadcrumbs laid for a romance to develop in later entries in the series, but the focus is mostly on adventure and skirmishes, magical and otherwise. Despite being the first book in a series, it feels like a complete narrative. I will definitely be reading on in this one and found it quite an enjoyable book! ( )

ragazzino mago fa avanti e indietro fra tre Londra parallele lasciandosi trascinare dagli eventi

PS: l'incipit è delizioso

Trama alternativa: il più potente mago del mondo fa il postino ( )

SKSNCNNEJDN SOOOOO GOOD!! ( )

This was a very enjoyable read. Well written. Great characters. A fascinating world. Start to finish had my attention and kept me engaged. So happy to see it's part of a series ... time to pick up book 2. ( )

Schwab is a master of creating unique fantasy elements with perfect world-building, both of which are fully displayed here. ( )