Welcome to the Darker Shades of Magic Tour! In less than a month the third and final book of VE Schwabs’s great series will be published: A Conjuring of Light.
Since finishing the second book – A Gathering of Shadows – nearly one year ago and being left with a MEAN CLIFFHANGER I have been EAGERLY waiting for the grand finale … Now, so close to “the end” let us relish the adorable characters that VE Schwab created for her series.
Today, I would like to introduce you to 2 main characters, two young gentlemen, two brothers by heart – but not by blood..
Kell the Antari
Kell was adopted as a young boy by the royal family of Arnes and is marked as an Antari, a blood magician through his eyes. His left EYE is of a crisp blue color while his right one is solid BLACK – through and through. There is nothing human about this eye – it clearly states his heritage as an Antari.
As an Antari, Kell has the rare ability to travel between worlds – in his case – between cities. And there are 4 in total: Red London (vibrant, healthy empire), Grey London (magic-less), White London (starving world) and merely whispered about: Black London (corrupted magic)
His ability is being used by the Royals to carry messages between Grey, White and Red London. However, it is highly forbidden to carry other objects than those letters between the worlds – in fear of importing darker magic by accident. Transference is considered as treason! Unfortunately this does not keep Kell from SMUGGLING little token between the different cities. It’s like a special spleen, an addiction, that he cannot let go off, no matter how often his brother Rhy is begging him to do so. He has even rented a tiny room at a scrawny Inn in Grey London, where he collects all his trinkets.
The other peculiarity about Kell is his COAT which has neither one side, not even two or three .. but SEVERAL or let’s put it that way: as many as necessary and whenever needed!
Though Kell seems to have everything, the fact that his origin, where he came from and who his real parents are, remains a mystery is demoralising for him … and possibly one of the reasons why he disregards the law of smuggling token … which leads to the DISASTROUS path that we are walking together with him in the Shades of Magic series!
Rhy Maresh
Prince Rhy of Arnes, heir to the throne of Red London, is celebrating his 20th birthday at the beginning of “A Darker Shade of Magic”. Handsome and CHARISMATIC as he is, he clearly likes to play the role of a bon vivant. Going out for a drink? Charming a beautiful young lady? You can count on Rhy! More often than not he is dragging Kell along with him, drowning his self-consciousness in ale and wine. But behind his charming and FLIRTATIOUS gestures you will find a sharp mind and a good heart. His deepest desire is to make those surrounding him happy, to please everyone’s wishes and to one day be the just and regal king that his people deserve.
The fact that he has hardly any gift for magic wears on him, which is one of the reasons why he is looking up to Kell. Rhy considers Kell as a brother, as his dearest friend.
“There is nothing I would not give you.” Kell’s chest ached. “I know.” (p. 50)
Though Rhy and his parents treat Kell like family, he doesn’t always feel the same way, as he has no roots and doesn’t know where he actually came from!
“I’m not truly a Maresh, for all that the king and queen have offered me that name. I feel more like a possession than a prince.” (p. 49)
Nonetheless, the bond between Rhy and Kell is strong, destined to survive whatever fate there is to come. They might not be brothers by birth but in their hearts, in their minds, they are one with the others best interest always on their minds.
I think with Kell and Rhy VE Schwab has created a brotherly pair that is congenial, authentic, genuine and absolutely adorable. They are indeed “Two of a kind”.
Want to win a beautiful bookmark …?
Let me know your thoughts in general, COMMENT below and WIN THIS beautiful BOOKMARK designed by Skinny Hues (see pictures below)!
What are your feelings about the #ShadesofMagic series … ? I have many questions such as…
- … what do you think about those two brothers, how do you perceive them?
- … would you fall for Rhys charming nature?
- … would you like to be as powerful as Kell with his blood magic?
- … what DON’T you like about them?
Certainly no need to answer them all – just share your thoughts with me!
This chance is valid for exactly ONE week until February 3rd, 2017 at 23:55 pm midnight. Please make sure I can contact you via Email and please be aware that you need to be avove the age of 18.
For more information on the #ShadesofMagicTour visit the following blogs:
- Ivy from Effi Reads
- Shanna Hughes a renowned author; see ShannaHughes.com
- Kim from Dreaming in Libraries
- Anna from Ink of Books
- Sarah from The YA Book Traveller
Good evening! 🙂
Ah, Kell and Rhy. In my opinion one of the most amazing brothers/friends in the bookuniverse right now. Probably the main reason why I’m so pumped for book 3. Their dynamic is amazing and uhm… I hope the condition… which one of them is in… uhmmmmm… doesn’t turn out lethal.
As for the questions: yes, I’d definitely fall for Rhy. He’s described as being so charismatic and his way with words *sigh* his kind of banter is probably exactly what would win me over. Plus, he makes being a Prince seem so… easy? Kinda cool? We know that it’s not, but he really does a good job at being adventurous besides his royal boundaries. So yeah, definitely!
I wouldn’t want to be as powerful as Kell, no. The fact that we can see into his thoughts and see the way it burdens him – pretty sure I’d collapse under this kind of pressure in under five seconds – would have kept me from wanting that kind of power, even if we wouldn’t have seen what happened to other „powerful“ people like the twins or Holland. It’s even kinda sad that he probably missed a good chunk of fun things because of this. (Also a reason why Rhy and Kell work so well, not only as a concept but also because of how the Queen of Schwablins gives them words)
Great post, can’t wait to read more 🙂
Greetings,
Tabi
Liebe Tabi,
ein ganz fettes DANKESCHÖÖÖN für Deinen wunderbaren Kommentar. Ich hatte Dir auch in englisch ausführlich darauf geantwortet. Ich hoffe sehr, Du hast es noch gelesen. Mein Blog wurde letzte Woche komplett gehackt, so dass ich ihn mittels Backup wiederherstellen musste. Um sicherzugehen die Zeit vor dem Hack erwischt zu haben, hab ich das Backup direkt nach Veröffentlichung des letzten Beitrages genommen – vor Deinem Kommentar und meiner Antwort. Lange Rede … und so weiter ,-) ich würde Dir gerne verdienter Maßen eins von den echt schönen Lesezeichen schicken … Gehe ich richtig in der Annahme, dass die Adresse auf Deinem Blog korrekt ist? Dann werde ich das Lesezeichen am Wochenende auf den Weg schicken!
Einen ganz lieben Gruß sendet,
Kati