I really enjoyed this book. Loved the world building and story line. The characters were well developed and overall would read again.

This was even better than I expected! It's thrilling and exciting! Action-packed and great pacing, and that slow burn angst was everything! I absolutely loved Kiara and Jude. They're such strong characters and have the absolute best chemistry and banter.

The twists and turns this story took were shocking and so heart-wrenching at times. It was a great experience. I really enjoyed reading through and slowly putting all the little bread crumbs together. I was still absolutely shocked at the ending! The cliffhanger was equally as exciting, and I can't wait for the next one!

If you enjoyed books like A Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent or Blood & Steel by Helen Scheuerer, I highly recommend this one!

How do I LOVE this book and these characters? Let me count the ways….
1. A bada$$ female main character who has led a hard life and been ostracized for most of it, but who still manages to have a heart of gold? Check!
2. A dark, brooding male main character with so much baggage it hurts to even think about who is obsessed with our girl? Yep!
3. A host of supporting characters that run the gamut from loyal, disloyal, secretive, mysterious, open books, twisty-turny, gods, goddesses, evil rulers, priestesses, fake relatives….all the dynamics that make for an interesting story arc? Check, check, check!
4. True love with more than a little steamy romance and BANTER thrown in for good measure? Oh, we’ve got plenty!
5. Action and adventure that continuously moves the story along through what otherwise could have been a bleak and boring landscape? Got ya covered!
This book has everything I adore in a good young adult fantasy romance….or romantic fantasy, depending on where you are in the reading of it. I devoured it in just a day—couldn’t put it down! I had to know how the beautiful, dramatic story between young Kiara and her brooding Knight, Jude, would end. Well, fair warning….this book ends on a cliffhanger! Let me tell you, I am invested! I have already preordered the beautiful sprayed edge hard cover of this book and will be on the lookout for the sequel. In the meantime, the author’s backlist is high up on my TBR to tide me over. Read this book!!! You won’t regret it!

To Kill a Shadow was another win by Katherin Quinn! She did such a great job moving from adult fantasy to young adult. I absolutely LOVED this story. Kiara and Jude's dynamic is just superb. I love any good enemies to lovers plotline. The land of shadows and nightmares slowing devouring the kingdom was another great twist especially when Jude must lead a group of Knights (including Kiara) into this mysterious place to try to end the curse. The ending was insane! I don't know what will happen to Kiara or Jude.
I loathed the ending and at the same time loved it! Then add the ending addition of Jude confronting someone who happens to be his mother. I absolutely cannot wait to see what happens in the next book. 5 STARS

Also, Katherine Quinn is 100% one of the sweetest and kindest authors!

What a great read! I really enjoyed the world building, The loyalty the FMC has for her friends and family, and the lead characters love story. This reminded me a little bit of Fourth wings Xaden and a little bit of Shadow and Bones, Crows. I can't wait to read the next as the story continues and the magic and love evolve.

This was the first book by Katherine Quinn that I’ve read and I absolutely loved it! It got me hooked just a few pages in and I couldn’t stop reading it! This book made me experience all sorts of emotions from laughing to crying to being angry…
I enjoyed seeing Kiara and Jude opening up to each other, how their characters developed through this story. Jude has been living his life with no emotions but feisty Kiara made him feel again.
Will Kiara and Jude save their world and return the sun?…

I dive into this read and devoured everything in one sitting. It's the perfect romantasy read with suspense and actions. The plot also highlights love and loss, secrets and betrayals.

The commander aka Jude is drafting new recruits, and Kiara--a confident and fierce  woman happened to be enlisted into his team. Ever since their encounter, Jude has trouble keeping her out from his mind.
The plot then dive deeper into reveals to hidden secrets within the mist.

The romance in this is *chef kiss* I really adore both Jude and Kiara, plus the dynamic and tension between them. We have the dark, protective and broody MMC and the fierce and lovely FMC.

It's so underrated, can't wait to read the sequel in Mistlands.

Thank you so much Entangled Teen Publishing for sending me an eArc of the book in exchange for an honest review!

I had very high expectations going into this book! While the book didn’t meet them, I still feel that there is room for potential! I enjoyed the concept of living in darkness and wanting to seek out light again. I think this book started very well with Kiara being brought to the Knights and starting her training. What really threw me off was the middle portion. We spend most of our time with Kiara and Jude and while I do want scenes with them in developing their connection, I also wanted a more equal balance of character development with the other characters! The book was enjoyable overall and the ending has me definitely curious about how the series plans to progress but overall, it felt a bit flat to me for a romantasy.

I loved the first 40% of this book. It starts off strong with high stakes, lots of action, building the found family, FMC and MMC tension! But around the halfway point it lost my attention because it became repetitive. Most of the second half is the FMC and MMC on a quest together and it was too much of only those characters for me. I needed more of the side character interactions and scenes with the FMC without the MMC. Even when the MMC was not physically there, he was on the FMC's mind- it was too much.

There was very little character development. And the relationships were very insta-love. Not just the relationship between the FMC and MMC (which could be explained by their bond) but between the FMC and her new friends that she comes to see as brothers instantly. Not super believable without seeing them develop that bond on page. Also, FMC is the only female character.... so that's disappointing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for providing an eARC of this book.

I don’t know what I was expecting when I started this book but it wasn’t that!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Not only was the inside really good but the cover is fabulous!

There is nothing worse than realizing while reading that this is a first in series and will most likely end on a cliffhanger but man oh man did I still enjoy every second. The last chunk was brutal but I have a love/hate relationship with cliffhangers so I'm eagerly anticipating the next book in this series.
If you like YA fantasy, you should read this book. The romance and world building kept me hooked. Easily captivated. There's betrayal, suspense, action and so much more!

Jude is known as a Knight of the Eternal Star in charge of training young adults selected each year that may join the Knights ranks. Kiara is the only female chosen to train. She fights better than most males and has a spirit that can't be matched. This is a dystopian YA/NA fantasy novel with hints of horror. I really enjoyed it and the author keeps you guessing throughout the book. Some things you might guess and some you might not even think to guess. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.

This book was a first from Katherine Quinn for me and I can say right now - it will not be my last!! Right from the first page we are introduced to beautiful world building and complex characters, and the addition of legends and what they meant to the characters added so much complexity both to the characters and the world they live in. As a history buff, I felt a little bit of extra appreciation for them as well as its to something you typically see to this extent in books.

The characters themselves were so well fleshed out, with our broody MC and fiery FMC. I loved watching both their character growth, their relationship develop and how it grew them as individuals, and the angst... *chefs kiss*. The plot itself was engaging all the way through, and the last 10% of the book had me feeling every single emotion and then some. I enjoyed the complexity of the plot and how it wasn't predictable - every single guess I had for how things were going to turn out, was not how they turned out at all.

Absolutely LOVED this book, all the stars! Can't wait to read more by this author, her writing style is spot on for me!

I am half way through this book and can say I am really enjoying it! the beginning kinda made me feel lost but the drip of information made it to where I was able to continue reading it with out feeling like I was left with out a paddle. The book is written well and is engaging. we come back to the brother a lot which I like. I will be uploading a review of the book to Youtube, Tiktok, and Instagram aswell as Goodreads and Storygraph once completely finished. I just wanted to updated you half way through the book. my handle on all media is ricekrispiekarter.

To Kill a Shadow by Katherine Quinn is an action packed adventure with a fierce female and a brooding commander that hooks you from the beginning and keeps you turning the pages.

This fantasy with a strong hint of romance was a fun binge read full of instantly likable characters and an intriguing world of mysterious twists.

Although I really enjoyed this book I felt at times that the characters didn’t match up well with the plot - almost like the story was too large/advance for these characters ( although they are great characters ) I think maybe once we get book two and we get to know each of them more they’ll be more rounded out and have a bit more growth making the story even better.

I did still really enjoy reading this book - I love an intriguing fantasy book that I can read quickly and the realm that the author has created is full of mystery and unique magic. The ending was a big surprise and I’m very curious as to how things will turn out in book two.

THIS. This might be one of my top 2023 books. The characters, the plot THE ROMANCE. Like are you kidding me??? Entangled knows what they’re doing, and I trust them (as well as this author) with my life.

Love love this book keeps you entertained,at the end of your seat great twist and turn and the ending I Need more

This one has taken me a while to get through but I do not believe it is the stories fault. The story is good but I bc am struggling personally. I am glad I was able to read it but I think I will need to reread later to give it an accurate review

4.75⭐️ - rounded up to 5 ⭐️
0🌶️ - true YA , did not expect any spice.

This was my introduction to Katherine Quinn’s writing and I am so happy that I was able to try her out. This was such a fun romantic fantasy read with a good balance between a faster burn romance and the fantasy aspects of the world.

There is a mist surrounding the Kingdom of Asidia, a plague following the fall of the Sun Goddess Raina. Only danger lies within the mist.

The king’s Commander of The Knights of the Eternal Star, Jude Maddox, is conscripting new recruits to help find the secrets within the mist and help bring back the Sun Goddess Raina. He happens upon a fierce, strong-willed girl, Kiara Frey in a tiny town and adds her to the ranks.

Both Jude and Kiara are pushed into the dangers of the mist, while also uncovering shared secrets and destinies. This is a true tale with worldbuilding, mythology, survival and romance.

I loved Kiara’s character as a strong, wild woman who dances to her own song. She has many quirks, but when she starts making connections with the other recruits and commanders, people see her beauty. There is definitely an attraction between Jude and Kiara that draws them to each other and though I’m not usually a fan of “insta-love” or indescribable attraction, this was done very well and tastefully.

Every chapter started off with a proverb, short legend or background lore for the reader that somehow connected to the chapter. I loved that touch, it really helped recap some of the things that were mentioned and bring them to the surface for the reader. I wish the Gods were the land were further fleshed out. Other than Raina, most are not brought up other than in passing or in only a chapter or two. I am hoping they take a bigger role in future books within the Mistland series.

Very much looking forward to the sequel, the end leaves on a slight cliffhanger. Definitely excited to see what secrets are unveiled.

Strong female leads
Brooding, but protective Commander
He Falls First
Fantasy mixed with mystery
Mix of Mulan & Game of Thrones “Night’s Watch” vibes
Unknown Evil
Gods & Prophecies

If you love a YA romantic fantasy, alternating POVs from the strong leads and intriguing world building, this is made for you! Katherine Quinn is now on my auto-buy author list! I loved every second of it.

To Kill a Shadow releases November 28, 2023!

Thank you to Entangled: Teen and NetGalley for this digital galley in return for my honest review.

4/5
Few people knew that the night spoke. Even fewer knew how to answer when it did.
I had enjoyed this book when it was getting towards the end. In the beginning the pacing was kind of slow but as it hit that fifty percent mark it really got into the story. I really enjoyed Keira and Jude and their relationship. As well as the rest of the characters I could definitely see the found family trope shining through. The climax was great as well. It had a lot of action and I was surprised more than once. Overall, if you are looking for a romance a little like Reylo, I would say this book would be good.