A Darker Shade of Magic

In the novel’s final section, Kell and Lila fight against an array of formidable foes to save the worlds. Chapter 13 advances the theme of Choice and Consequence by showing how pride is Athos’s undoing. Kell also contributes to this theme by learning from his missteps and applying these lessons in his battle with Athos. For instance, Kell knows that the serpent will resent being dismissed and turn on Athos, just like Kell’s doppelganger turned on Lila in Chapter 6. Kell also uses the same type of sword that blocked his magic in Chapter 5 to defeat the serpent. These parallels add a sense of completion to the narrative, making past events relevant to the story’s building climax.

Lila also reconciles with the consequences of her choices in Chapter 13. In a metacognitive moment of character development, she ponders how the old Lila would never “choose right over wrong so long as wrong meant staying alive” (366). However, her experiences with Kell have changed her, and she doesn’t run even though she knows Astrid has her outmatched. Even though the chain of events set into motion by her impulsive decision to steal the stone will likely cost Lila her life, she embraces her choice’s consequences without regret because she achieved her dream of freedom and adventure.

In Chapter 14, a plot twist allows Kell to abandon the plan he had intended to execute for most of the novel. His decision to send Holland to Black London with the stone in his stead is a major departure from the self-sacrifice that has typified Kell’s behavior throughout the story. This indicates that the protagonist’s near-death experiences have given him a greater desire to live. Although Holland’s fate seems sealed at the end of the novel, future books in the series reveal that he survives his journey to Black London and returns to White London.

The novel’s resolution weaves together the major themes and motifs. In Chapter 13, Kell succeeds in dispelling the stone’s magic because his will to protect is stronger than its corrupting influence. This simultaneously cements and severs the stone’s connection to the theme of Power as a Path to Corruption: Kell rejects its call and sends it away with someone he trusts to ensure it cannot tempt anyone else. In Chapter 14, Lila holds the silver pocket watch when she says that Grey London no longer has anything for her, cementing its connection to the theme of family. She has lost Barron, who was essentially her father. Her choices and their consequences have changed her too much for her to return to her old life or her home world. Lila looks toward the future and a new adventure, showing that although she has changed and mourns Barron’s loss, she has not lost her independent spirit.

Kell’s family dynamics have changed as well. His smuggling cost him the trust of the king, queen, and citizenry of Red London, but the bond between him and Rhy remains as unshakeable as ever. Rhy has learned his own lesson about Choice and Consequence, as demonstrated by the tears he sheds when he explains that he accepted the Danes’ gift because he wanted to be strong: “I could have doomed my city to war or chaos or collapse” (394). Rhy’s ability to acknowledge his mistakes shows growth and maturity. Although the worlds are now safe from the threat of the Dane twins and the black stone, some of the characters’ choices have lasting consequences.

With their quest complete, Kell and Lila say their goodbyes in Chapter 14. Kell brings the story full circle by giving Lila a kiss for good luck just as she kissed him before they traveled between worlds for the first time in Chapter 8. Looking at Lila in their last scene together, he sees “a cutthroat and a thief, a valiant partner and a strange, terrifying girl” (397). Although Kell and Lila part ways, the admiration they’ve developed for one another sets the stage for the romance that blossoms between them later in the series.

The story ends with Lila rather than the protagonist. she achieves her wish for freedom and appears to be on the verge of realizing her dream of piracy as well. Just as Lila sets her sights on new adventures at the end of the novel, so, too, does the author leave room to explore new sides of these characters in future installments, particularly Lila’s Antari nature and Kell’s lost memories. Schwab provides a happy ending that resolves the novel’s major conflicts while leaving several open questions for her future books to answer.