I love Katherine Quinn's writing. I read her previous trilogy and she always writes the best high stakes action scenes. Her world building is captivating and all the little details always amaze me. And that is something that is very much enjoyed in this book. I also found Jude and Kiara to be interesting characters. I felt like although they were main characters, they were still mysterious. Little pieces of them were revealed to the reader as the story progressed. I am not sure why but I didn't connect with this book as much as I would've liked to. I still liked it, it was a good read but nothing that had me at the edge of my seat. I definitely was along for the ride because I love the author and their writing style, but the story itself was just there.

I really enjoyed the first 85%. I didn’t hate the main female character which is rare for me. The plot was interesting, and the side characters added something. The banter was delightful. For some reason I thought it was a stand alone. Even so, the ending felt rushed and like a lot was thrown in. I might have ignored the rushed ending more if there wasn’t another book. I am still looking forward to reading the sequel.

This took me a bit longer than I wanted for me to get into it - but the ending has me dying for the sequel! I do think the writing style was a little too simple for me personally but it's YA and I'm not the target audience so this isn't actually a negative. I loved the found family trope used here, and I really enjoyed both POV characters (which is great cause there's usually one POV where I just don't care). I thought this was a standalone when I went in but I'm so happy to be wrong cause I really can't wait for more!

The water was ice cold as she dipped her toe into the current. She could hear the beast downstream and the screams of someone struggling. The darkness of the night obscured her vision, but she was determined to prove herself strong, no matter what obstacles got in her way.

To Kill a Shadow is a YA fantasy following Kiara (Ki), who is selected as a recruit for the famous Knights. We also follow Jude, who is the commander. The kingdom is cursed by a mist that is slowly killing everyone and they must stop it.

I wanted to love this book because the premise sounded so good. A fantasy with dark elements and an enemies to lovers plot? Sign me up! But it fell so flat and I was very disappointed. The character development was lacking, the world-building was minimal and led to a lot of confusion, the insta-lust between the main characters made me not interested in their relationship, and the found family aspect felt very forced. Nothing came together well for me in this one, which is sad because it has so much potential. I was not a fan.

A huge thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this title. I apologize I am still figuring out this website and didn't know I needed to send back some form of feedback. I never read the book. I don't think I even downloaded it. I apologize for sending back this feedback. Thank you for the opportunity. I hope to read it maybe later in the future.

Love it! I found the main characters had chemistry that you could feel through the page. I am a sucker for a he falls first trope! I would consider this book a young adult romantasy novel that would be a great read for both YA and adult book lovers. It was beautifully written and not predictable at all. I’m looking forward to reading more by Katherine Quinn.

I don’t received this ARC via NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC, Entangled: Teen in exchange for an honest review.

I fell in love with this cover immediately, which Is what originally drew me in. I really tried to love this book, but the characters and writing just didn't draw me in.

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! This is one enthralling, intense story by Katherine Quinn. There is so much going on, and the world-building is just superb. Chef’s kiss!

The FMC and MMC are layered and complex, and I loved getting to know them—though I know we are only getting started (with this series?) and grazed the surface with Kiara and Jude.

What surprised me the most about this book (because I have a tendency to go in blindly) was the eeriness of the setting and the well-paced plot. The writing is so well done that I could not put this book down. Cannot wait to read more!

#Fantasy #YA #Romance #ToKillaShadow #KatherineQuinn #Entangled #NetGalley

4.5 stars for this fantastic book!

I’m hooked!
I absolutely LOVED the concept of this book and can’t wait for the next one! It’s been a while since I read a closed door YA fantasy that had me gripped as much as this one was!

Read this book if you like:
-dual POV
-a cursed realm cast into darkness
-forbidden love
-forced proximity
-FOUND FAMILY!
-a pulse pounding mystery to solve
-gods and goddesses
-the things that go bump in the dark! 💀

I’ll be pushing this book on everyone for a while!

An incredibly fun read! The premise sounded so good, and I couldn't wait to devour it! Characters were very likable, and the world was so unique. Loved it! And the slow burn? *chefs kiss*.
Can't wait to read the next installment!

Thank you to the publisher for giving me an ARC of this story in return for an honest review!!

The sun has not been seen in 50 years, and with perpetual night, the land is failing and food is running out. The land covered is mist is said to house the answer to bringing the sun back, but it is filled with beasts and monsters, and the mist itself will play with your mind, turning you against your family and self. No one leaves the mist alive, and that’s why it is mandated that one person from every household join the Knights in an attempt to find the keys to unlocking the sun again.
After Kiara’s accident 10 years ago, she has been the pariah of her little town, but her brother (and best friend) has always stuck by her. She would do anything to save him, so when he is about to be chosen to enter the Knights, she shows she’s the better fighter. The commander, and Hand of Death hand picks her, the first woman to join in 100 years, to combat the most and bring back the sun. But when she inexplicably is drawn to the commander and learns his scars are not much different from her own, can she stay on the course to save the sun, thus saving the people she loves?

I REALLY wanted to love this book, I thought the premise was super cool and different. I loved the main character and thought she was pretty bad ass, but the writing and plot was like a really bad fever dream. Nothing was explained in a way that made sense, the history, the way the Knights worked, Kiara’s backstory, none of it was ever given in anything other than the most vague descriptions. I know Kiara’s scars and story was supposed to be this mystery to keep you guessing the entire book but when you’re only finding out 375 pages into a 420 page book it makes it very hard to stay interested and not frustrated. The connection and draw between Kiara and Jude is, again, poorly defined and there is no lead up or slowly becoming more aware of each other… it’s like BAM they can’t stay away… but oh well can’t do this… but come here… no go away. It was frustrating, to say the least. I liked Kiara as an individual character, although her selflessness also got annoying… and then I really liked Jude as a character but together they were just not working. The magic was pretty cool, and the last 50 pages or so were the best in the whole book, which made me rate it slightly higher than I was going to originally. I wish the whole book had more of that writing style throughout the entire thing. Unfortunately this book was just not for me and I’m probably not going to continue with this series. 2.25/5 stars.

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley for my honest review! Thank you Netgalley!

OKAY! This book took me by surprise! The premise seemed really interesting but I read this during a time when I had read several books that were slightly disappointing. BUT this surprised me! This is very well done and I'm so connected to the characters! I can't wait to see where this goes!

To Kill a Shadow by Katherine Quinn Review (Spoilers)

Rating: 4.5 stars

“Tell me a secret, then. One you can part with.”

This was my first book of Katherine Quinn and I was not disappointed. She had me sitting on the edge of my seat and made me feel for her characters in this book. Had me smiling like a fool at parts, shocked faces, and had me on the edge of my seat.

Kiara is the strong FMC and protects the people she cares about and I loved her so much. Jude is the commander and the Hand Of Death, but has a soft spot for Kiara. I loved seeing them go back and forth banter wise or trying to keep it professional with each other. The other relationships she had throughout the book were equally amazing. Her relationship with her brother I can definitely relate on cause I would do anything for mine same as her. I overall loved a lot about this book from characters, plot, and the events we see.

Thank you @netgalley and @entangledteens for sending me this ARC.

3.5⭐️

it is also a delightful YA read. I started it at 10pm, and finished it at 3am, that's how hooked I was! We follow along the journey with two POVs, Jude and Kiara, a commander and a knight (the only female knight!!!) who are tasked with saving their kingdom by traveling to the darkest depths of the lands, in the hopes they can break a curse that keeps their world in darkness. Along the journey, we meet some delightful characters, are introduced to a complex and intense world whilst we follow along Kiras training to become the only female Knight.

Although the concept was great, a cursed world in darkness, the kingdoms knight's are tasked with finding the cure. Mira is the kingdoms only female Knight who goes all "I volunteer as tribute" type thing to be selected instead of her brother.

I feel the relationships came a bit too easy, the age of the commander vs his history doesn't make too much sense too me and it annoyed me that aside from her grandma (seen in flash backs) there are no females in the book.

I will still recommend this book to others as the plot and characters are great, with an unexpected ending.

To Kill a Shadow is the first novel in the Mistlands series by Katherine Quinn. [Thank you @entangled for my early copy!] I also recommend you listen to this on audiobook. The narration is great and it really brought the characters alive.

Jude is the Hand of Death for their king and leader of the Knights. Kiara holds special powers (and scars) that she’s hidden from everyone around her for years.

The two clash and banter throughout much of the novel and fits the YA genre well.

As they go on a “no one will come back alive” journey into the mist, the two are tested as knights, and learn more about each other than they ever thought possible.

This sounds like a fun series, so I will definitely read the second book when it is available!

If you enjoy fantasy, banter, YA (this is approachable if you aren’t big on world building!) then you may enjoy this one!

To Kill a Shadow starts off really strong and promising. We have Kiara who ends up taking her brother's place to go into the deadly shadows.

Jude is the Kings assassin and he becomes intrigued by Kiara and feels more alive.

The relationship between Jude and Kiara started well with their pent up frustrations and the tension between them. But as the book progresses it feels more like insta love and not much substance between the two.

This book is told in the povs between Jude and Kiara. At first their voices were different, but towards the middle, they both sound similar. I started to forget whose point of view I was on since they both didn't have those distinct characteristics.

The plot moves quickly and I was intrigued by Jude's past, why Kiara keeps her hands covered, and about the shadows.

All in all, this was still enjoyable, but I did struggle a bit with the romance and I would have liked to see the characters flushed out more. I'll be picking up the sequel and would love to see more of this world.

I was super entertained by this book! The world was interesting and unique, the characters were bold and lovable, the plot was mysterious and gripping.

I adore both of the main characters. Kiara is brash, bold, witty and powerful. Strong female character that I love. Jude is a grumpy loner with a tortured past. Once he warms up to Ki, his funny and smoking side gets out. I enjoyed the tension between them, and I feel like that alone lifts this more to the New Adult category.

I feel like I got swept away by the story and wasn’t bothered by the minor inconsistencies at all. I recognise some of the aspects others have criticised, but none of them got in the way of me enjoying the book.

I am a fan of fated mates and insta-love, so the near instant connection between the main characters didn’t bother me at all. In fact, it made me curious whether there was a deeper bond between them pulling them together. Not to mention the forced proximity and forbidden love tropes.

The worldbuilding could have been more immersive, but I got into the unique world quite effortlessly. I’m intrigued by the history and gods, hope we get even more clarity in the next book.

The plot was quite fast and eventful. There was a lot of action and grief. Also friendship. The pacing was mostly good, but at points large periods of time were just condensed into few sentences. And there were a lot of “nameless” side characters like the other recruits whose number or names were never mentioned. But as they were unfortunate irrelevant to the plot, that didn’t bother that much, just made the whole seem hollow at points.

I binged my way through this story and enjoyed it immensely. This felt like a high stakes fantasy but was super easy to get into and read. Will definitely read the next book!

This one was fun! The romantasy genre has taken the reading community by storm and I am for certain ine of the ones jumping on the bandwagon.
Give me some fantasy, romance, magic, action, any day!

This was a fun one! If you like One Dark Window, you would like this one as well. I loved the mystery of the misty woods, the perpetually night, and the monsters that roam the forests. The MC was quite likable, she is very headstrong, loves quite a lot, and is a definite hero. I LIKED that it wasn't exactly enemies to lovers more like wary of each other to lovers. I also thought the whole "secrets" thing was well done in this one. They both respected each other's secrets until they were ready to share. There were several scenes where I realized I was holding my breath because of how intense they were! And I don't know if this is a trope but there is a hot springs scene. :P
I will definitely be picking up book 2!

I really enjoyed the first 85%. I didn’t hate the main female character which is rare for me. The plot was interesting, and the side characters added something. The banter was delightful. For some reason I thought it was a stand alone. Even so, the ending felt rushed and like a lot was thrown in. I might have ignored the rushed ending more if there wasn’t another book. I am still looking forward to reading the sequel.