A Darker Shade of Magic vs The Tombs of Atuan: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Magic -- Fiction, Young Adult, Magic, Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction
A Darker Shade of Magic
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STEP INTO A UNIVERSE OF DARING ADVENTURE, THRILLING POWER, AND MULTIPLE LONDONS. Kell is one of the last travelers--magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel universes connected by one magic…
The Tombs of Atuan
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Arha's isolated existence as high priestess in the tombs of Atuan is jarred by a thief who seeks a special treasure.
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Tombs of Atuan is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 7 for A Darker Shade of Magic.
- The Tombs of Atuan has the widest readership — 141012 ratings behind its score.
- The Tombs of Atuan runs the darker storyline; A Darker Shade of Magic stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| A Darker Shade of Magic | The Tombs of Atuan | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | — | 4.1 (141012) |
| Hardcover | 3.9 (1520) | 4.1 (672) |
| Google Books | 5.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (929) | 4.5 (263) |
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Reception
| A Darker Shade of Magic | The Tombs of Atuan | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 1520 | 141012 |
| Editions | 17 | 67 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | — | 49252 |
| Reading it now | — | 3569 |
| Written reviews | — | 7831 |
| Wikipedia attention | 3856 | 4771 |
| Pages | 400 | 181 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: A Darker Shade of Magic or The Tombs of Atuan?
The Tombs of Atuan has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Tombs of Atuan 4.1/5, A Darker Shade of Magic 4.1/5).
Which is shorter to read: A Darker Shade of Magic or The Tombs of Atuan?
The Tombs of Atuan is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Tombs of Atuan (181 pages, ≈ 3 h 21 m); A Darker Shade of Magic (400 pages, ≈ 7 h 24 m).
Which is harder to read: A Darker Shade of Magic or The Tombs of Atuan?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — A Darker Shade of Magic: Light; The Tombs of Atuan: Light.