Shadows Over London is a fast-paced historical fiction/fantasy/steampunk adventure about a family who is unaware of their fae lineage, the conflicts within and between the fae, and their roles in the human-fae wars of the past and present.

Very fun and great audio narration!

SHADOWS OVER LONDON has many fantasy novel elements that I really enjoy but something didn't connect with the narrative. I felt like the plot jumped around a bit to make some pieces not fit together and while I understand that this is a series, the ending was really abrupt. There were aspects I really liked but overall the characters felt flat which made it difficult to be invested in what was happening to Justice and the rest of the Kasric family. Hopefully Klaver is able to sort this out for the sequel, but I'm not sure if I'll read it or not.

I didn't love Fiona Hardingham's performance, but I think that might also be more to do with Hardingham's narration style paired with Klaver's writing.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, CamCat Books, and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks in exchange for an honest review.

A beautifully built story, the narrator of the audio book helps paint a lovely fantasy set in London. It took me a bit to actually get into the plot which was disappointing, but overall a fun story to listen to in your spare time if you love Fantasy novels.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This was SUCH an awesome book! looking forward to reading more of this series and buying it!!

Shadows Over London is very reminisce of a children's book but written for an adult audience. The descriptive visuals of this book make it very easy to imagine. Not my usual go to but the summary sounded appealing. I feel like the storyline of this book was just getting started just as you are finishing the book. I wish there had been more story in the first book to draw me into the second. Overall a good read.

I would like to thank NetGallery and CamCat Books for this Audiobook.

Beautiful imagery throughout this book. I was able to listen to the audio book and I really enjoyed the narrator.
This was a great ma fantasy set in London. The story follows a family caught up in the human and faerie world. There are some fun twists in the story.
I recommend this book to fantasy lovers.

Shadows Over London by Christian Klaver is an interesting fantasy that focuses on the fight between the Fae and a victiorian family in England. Justice is a remarkable main character with a curiosity and spunk that I admire. She seeks to find out more about the mystery of her family and their connection to the magical Faerie invaders who have come to find her. An action packed, daring escape leads to a revelation about the truth of her lineage and her place in the coming war. This book was wonderful in regards to world building and setting up the history and lore of the Fae and the Kasric family. The book felt slightly disjointed at points but overall was a nice read. The narration provided was excellent and the narrators pacing and diction was great.

Shadows Over London is the beginning of a terrifying tale of Faeries invading Victorian London (2 of my favorite things!)

This story read as a dark fantasy with family drama. The family dynamic and character development steal the show with a bit of whimsical magic thrown in.

I cannot wait to read Justice at Sea.

Very intricate fantasy story that sets itself up for a series.

Unfortunately, this ended up not really being for me. There was a lot going on in the book a lot of characters. I personally had a difficult time keeping track of the different characters and plot points. I was confused for a good bit of it, though a lot is explained towards the end. I also don't particularly enjoy reading action-heavy scenes, and there were a good many action scenes in this.

Ultimately not for me, but I think people who like this style of fantasy will love this though.

Fae pirates? With a Bridgerton feel? That’s what this book gave me! I enjoyed it! This was a fast pace read with a lot of favored fantasy tropes. I look forward to continuing the series and can’t wait for more cut throat pirate tales! 3.5 stars

I can't say enough good things about this book but the only negative is I wish there had been a trigger warning about the harming of cats.

There is such great character development within the family and the pacing of the story is immaculate. The story kept me hooked from start to finish and I love how sharp Justice is and how alert she is to the world around her. It got them out of a sticky situation more than once.

The narrator did such an incredible job that I didn't want to stop listening! Looking forward to more of their work together!

Fifteen-year-old Justice is always prepared. Until the night her father unexpectedly returns from a journey and forces his entire family into a carriage for a wild chase through the English countryside. They arrive at a mansion outside of Victorian London, one that seems steeped in magic and cats. Justice soon finds out they are in the middle of a war with the Faerie – but how can she and her siblings pick a side when her parents are on opposing sides?

This was an okay read, but it fell short in most aspects for me. There was some action in this work, but it came in short intense bursts, which made the pacing feel off and left the encounters feeling underwhelming. Similarly, not much happened in this work, which again made the pacing feel stilted. There were many times when characters were just talking for large chunks of the book because they were trapped somewhere, which ground the plot to a halt and made it difficult to stay engaged. There was also a distinct lack of worldbuilding until close to the end. Added to this is the lack of meaningful setting descriptions, making this work lack any sense of immersion.

Justice had several interesting things happen to her, but they weren’t explored in a satisfactory way – they may be in the next work, but just based off this book, it left me feeling disappointed. She was an okay protagonist, but there was nothing that made me really like her or find her engaging. In fact, she often acted like she was much younger than her age, which made her frustrating. The other characters were even flatter, lacking any depth, relatability, or development. The siblings mostly sounded like the same character, lacking any distinct voices.

The writing style of the work was simplistic to a point where it became a bit boring and predictable. This made it difficult to lose myself in the story or the characters. I can understand how others may have enjoyed this work, but it was not for me.

I received a complimentary copy of this work through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was a fun read, a little slow at the beginning but after that plenty of action and enjoyable characters! I really liked the narrator as well. I am looking forward to what happens next!

Justice has always preferred her father over her mother, but it doesn't help that Mother tries to kill her when she agrees to go along with Father's escape plan. Suddenly this otherwise ordinary family finds themselves in the midst of a fairy invasion, but somehow they aren't all on the same side. Everyone seems to be hiding secrets, but Justice isn't about to sit idly by in a ironclad safehouse. In escaping, she discovers she has her own secrets worth protecting.

I can understand why someone who isn't big on subtle character development might not like this book. After all, the plot is basically just Justice trying to figure out what's going on for quite a long time. However, there were enough clues and little victories to keep me hooked, and I loved the way the family dynamic developed throughout the story. Unfortunately, this book feels a bit like a prologue and definitely can't stand alone, but I'm intrigued to find out more and I'll definitely keep an eye out for the sequel.

The audiobook narration was beautifully done, although occasionally I was confused by the pitch changes. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this audio ARC. All opinions are my own.

Title: Shadows Over London
Series: Empire of the House of Thorns Book #1
Author: Christian Klaver
Audiobook Narrator: Fiona Hardington
Publisher: CamCat Books
Genre: YA SciFi Fantasy
Audiobook Pub Date: May 25, 2021
My Rating: Stars 3.5

Although I am not the target audience for this story, I was drawn to the description as sometimes a fun fantasy is a perfect change-up from my typical reading; I don’t read many stories involving fairies and fantastical creatures.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this.
We audiobooks fans know the narrator can make or break an audiobook.
" hadows Over London' was narrated by Fiona Hardingham, and she did a perfect job in performing all the characters! Her voice kept me interested!

Want to thank NetGalley and CamCat Books for this Audio eGalley.
Audiobook was released on May 25, 2021

This book was exciting and fanciful. I loved the beautiful world that was built. London was expanded into a place with fairies. All the characters were exquisitely written and made. I loved this book!