3.5/5 Stars

This book is mostly vibes with a small sprinkle of a fantasy plotline. I had heard many great things about this book but I had a hard time connecting with the writing. I felt that the author spent a lot of time establishing the dark and sinister atmosphere but not enough time on building the world. Additionally, I didn’t feel like the two main characters had good chemistry and their relationship felt a little predictable.

This story follows Kiara and Jude as they are sent on a mission to try to break the curse of mist on their kingdom. Kiara is stubborn and fierce while Jude is cold and aloof. The first half of the book felt very slow and was hard to get through as it didn’t feel like the plot was really moving. The book starts to pick up in the second half but a lot of the plot twists felt a little predictable.

I would recommend this to readers who enjoy dark fantasy vibes with forbidden romance and prefer a more atmospheric book, where the ending makes the book. I would not recommend this to anyone that needs more world building and doesn’t enjoy a predictable book.

I’d like to thank Entangled Teen and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book for my honest review.

I loved this book! I was so excited for this when I get approved for it. I already had a physical copy pre-ordered. But now I NEED this amazing book on my shelf. It was well wrote, held my attention. I loved the characters. I can't stop thinking about this book.

Thank you to Entangled Teen for letting me get this ARC.
This is the first book I have read by Katherine Quinn and now I am excited to jump into more.

"You saved me Kiara Frey. You are the only light I will vow to protect."

It took me a few chapters to get into this book, but once I did, I was consumed.
The tension between the FMC and MMC with their secrets and mystery leaves you wanting more.

I definitely can not wait for book two to come out.

The gorgeous cover of To Kill a Shadow and the whole Jude being the Hand of Death, had me super intrigued.

This is my first read by Quinn, and while I did enjoy it overall, it was a bit of a struggle. I didn't vibe with her writing style at all, found parts of the storyline a bit repetitive, and the pacing a bit too slow for me. Great concept, just didn't work for me.

To Kill A Shadow was one of my highly anticipated reads of the year. I was so excited when I saw it appear on NetGalley. I couldn't click on the request button fast enough and when I got approved, pure joy. Unfortunately it didn't work for me for a few reasons, the structure of some of the sentences were weird, the characters and their actions didn't add up to what was being portrayed and there were illogical things that happened, like the heroine being attracted to the hero even though he was in full body armor and then hero's second in command saying "that being said" was out of place in a world that's not modern. There were other instances but these were the first ones to come to mind. I wanted to love this one but it was a struggle to get into. I kept putting it down reading other books and coming back to it. In the end I decided to throw in towel as I couldn't get past the 11% mark.

3.75 ⭐️

Kiara didn’t expect to be chosen to join the Knights. She was just looking out for her brother. Commander, Jude, The Hand of Death can’t help being drawn to the fiery Kiara. Both of them know it’s almost as dangerous as the magical mist plaguing the land.
Sent on a mission into the mist, Kiara and Jude, along with the other Knights, must survive and find what the king is searching for. But once in the mist you don’t know if you can trust your eyes, ears, your friends, or even yourself.
I found the ending of this story very interesting and makes me intrigued to see where things go. I thought the pacing for the first part of the story a bit slow, but it did pick up. I will be picking the sequel to see what becomes of Jude, Kiara, and the kingdom.

Tropes: YA fantasy, slow burn romance, found family, legends and gods, mystery, quests

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the early copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I had so much trouble getting into this story. I eventually had to DNF cause I just wasn’t into that into it.

Katherine Quinn is a new auto-buy author. To Kill a Shadow is a YA romantasy novel with all the fantastic tropes you could hope for:

- found family
- enemies to lovers
- mythology
- magic
... and more!

Quinn does a wonderful job keeping you on the edge of your seat while you eagerly read on to see what's going to happen next.

I fell in love with the cover and the color so I just requested, unfortunately it was not what I thought and it didn't do it for me.

Calling this Fantasy Horror is a bit of a stretch, slightly disappointing since that’s 100% the reason I wanted to read it. This is straight up romantasy. Which I think a lot of people will prefer! This was an intriguing read with worldbuilding dispersed throughout the story rather than info-dumping in the beginning. I enjoyed the characters, particularly the leads, and liked that it was dual POV. The passages from their lore was definitely my favorite part but gave a bit too much of the twists away (though it was blindingly obvious where things were going anyways). The ending did set up for a great sequel so I’m curious to see where the story goes! The story is centered around acceptance of who we are and I think that was very well-done.

While this felt a bit young for me, I think a younger audience will definitely enjoy it.

I was provided an ARC of this title for free by the publisher and NetGalley and am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This deliciously binge-worthy upper YA (NO 🌶️) romantasy has a lot to offer readers, including but not limited to: an enemies to lovers slow burn romance between a broody MMC and headstrong FMC, both of whom have a history of trauma, a mysterious adventure, and a world you’ll be captivated by. This is a story you’ll happily lose yourself in.

Those last handful of chapters really turned me on my head there, providing a hearty dose of pain and a cliffhanger to go hand in hand with it. I, like so many others, will definitely be on the lookout for the second book of this series.

Thank you Entangled Teen Publishing for the e-ARC.

Thank you Entangled and Netgalley for the ARC

While I wont say that this book was bad the whole story just felt flat and un established to me. The Romance if you can call it that starts off weird and just progressively gets even more irritating while feeling very rushed and underdeveloped. The FMC was brash to self centered for my liking. I like a character with good confidence a great independent fierce FMC is great but this one felt a little to young and cocky rather than anything. I get why this book is popular and while the plot wasn't the most thought out it was good and I did enjoy it I just feel it would have been better if the characters were a little more developed and likable.

Thank you to the publisher for my arc.


I didn’t end up loving this as much as I thought I would and that’s due to it not really standing out to me from all the other books I’ve read

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this book. It was the first I’ve read by Katherine Quinn but it won’t be the last. I loved how well balanced the plot was and how the characters themselves were written and portrayed. Kiara is a badass and I love that in a main female character. The whole trope of female knight has been a favorite of mine since I first witnessed it in game of thrones so that was a bonus as well. 4.8/5 stars and will definitely be buying a physical copy. I already can’t wait for book 2

If you're looking to read a character driven romantasy, definitely pick this one up, the mythology and the slow-burn romance and the well-developed plot (with chapter headers that provide increasingly informative hints about the past as the story progresses) were amazing!

The twist at the end was so cool 😭

Also, THE CLIFFHANGER. ahhh. I need book 2 😭

TWs - death of loved ones on page, violence, murder, isolation of a person in a community because of their scars

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

Badass FMC and a morally grey MC?!?! Sign me up. This was so phenomenal. I loved the plot twist, the prophecy, all the characters. Just everything about it was great. And that ending?!?! Jesus I need more asap

I adore Katherine Quinn’s books, so I was beyond thrilled to get an arc of the first book in her new Mistlands series. To Kill a Shadow is a fantastic start to the series. It’s action-packed, immersive, and suspenseful with a well-paced and layered plot, dynamic characters, and a swoon-worthy love story that had my whole heart.

Quinn is an amazing storyteller, and I found myself quickly sucked into this bleak and harsh world and the characters who live in it. The story takes place in a world that has been plunged into darkness for the last fifty years, and Kiara is a young woman, the only woman, drafted to serve the kingdom by battling the mist and the monsters who live there. Kiara, with many other young men, goes through a grueling and perilous training led by an enigmatic and ruthless commander.

Kiara is a layered and compelling protagonist, as is Jude, the commander. She’s brave and skilled, and she’s a strong leader among the trainees. She stands out, and not just because she is the only woman soldier. Her quick thinking, training, and determination attract the attention of many, most of all Jude. He’s drawn to Kiara from the moment he meets her, which is the antithesis of what you’d expect from this ruthless and merciless commander. I love Jude and how protective he is. I’m all for the moody, broody MMC who falls first, and Jude delivers. He has a heartbreaking story, and I so wanted this man to find happiness. The story is told from both Jude’s and Kiara’s points of view, which adds depth and dimension to both characters.

The character development is balanced well with a quick-paced and action-filled plot. From the deadly and dangerous training to the journey into the Mist, the story is intense! And the world-building is as layered as the plot and characters. I found the world so interesting and horrifying, and the lore and history are engrossing. It’s definitely the kind of plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

There are a bunch of secondary characters that are great too, and there are major found family vibes going on with the other recruits. Kiara forms some strong relationships with her peers, and they go through A LOT together. Some parts are brutal and harsh, but it’s appropriate for the world they live in. My heart broke more than once when reading, and I was completely stunned by a couple of the twists and revelations. It’s the kind of book that takes you through myriad emotions, and once I started reading, I found it tough to put the book down. I had to know what happened next!

I thought this was a fantastic start to the series, and I can’t wait to find out what happens next because, man, some of the stuff that happened toward the end HURT MY HEART. I would absolutely recommend the book to readers who like YA romantasy. Thanks to Entangled Teen and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book as I've never read the author, but I liked it! There were several plot twists and surprises that I was not expecting, which I appreciate in a book. I liked both the main characters but do wish there was more world building in the first book. As with most Fantasy/Romantasy books I've read, this one ends on a cliffhanger! If you are into YA Fantasy books, I'd recommend trying this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Entangled Teen and NetGalley for an e-arc!

I started out not sure about this book, then I got more into and liked it, and then I wasn’t into it again. I waffled over whether I was enjoying the book or not. I’m not exactly sure why I didn’t love the book, l definitely liked it, but I wasn’t as into it as I was hoping to be.

This book has A LOT of death in it. Like, I was not expecting as much death as there was! I will admit to being shocked about that. I felt it helped keep the tone of the book though, especially since a lot of it had to do with darkness and the receding of the light. There were dark moments throughout the entire book, but at the same time there were also lighter moments.

I did enjoy the romance between Jude and Kiara, and I wasn’t sure that I was going to at first. I was hesitant because I didn’t sense any chemistry between them in the beginning of the book. But by the middle I started to be able to see it.

I will admit, I had guessed at who the villain was, but it didn’t take away from the fact that I enjoyed the book. I think this was a solid start to a good series!

“Your first kill is the hardest” and “dangerous-and- brooding” are just a couple of lines to help summarize this book! It is a great read! If you’re looking for something with Wolves and Vampires, adventure and suspense then this book is for you! It is a book that makes you want to keep turning the page to figure out what happens next!