I received To Kill a Shadow in return for an honest review from the publisher via NetGalley. 

Right from the start I knew I liked Kira and the more the story progressed she just kept getting better. I loved that she cared about her group doing everything she could to keep them alive. She's just the kind of character I would want to have my back. Jude is an interesting character at first I wasn't sure but the more we learned about his past the more I started to like him. I love the sweet connection between them it just works so well. 

I typically don't read a lot of horror but when I saw the cover for this one I just had to sign up. I enjoyed this one immensely the story is a fast paced adventure into the darkness of the mist. I was hooked right from the start and ended up devouring this one in just 24 hours. I just had to know how it was going to play out and I want more. I wasn't ready for this one to end. 

This is my first book by the author so I wasn't sure what to expect. She nailed it with To Kiss a Shadow. I loved her storytelling she's created a beautifully captivating story that I couldn't put down. I enjoyed every moment of Kira and Jude's story and look forward to the series continuing. Highly recommend if you enjoy exciting story with just the right amount of slow burn romance and banter.

To Kill a Shadow was a young adult romantasy that was set in a dark and deadly world! Foreshadowing, death, angst, unthinkable choices, and creatures that were made from nightmares bled through the pages. So in a world that was surrounded in gloom and shadows, I loved that the romance was the lightness to not only this story, but to each of the characters too.

Fate might have brought me here, but from now on, I would be the one to choose my destiny.

Kiara Frey was a fierce and brave heroine that was so easy to connect with. Her thoughts were enjoyable and I loved how she stood up for others. She had no problems doling out violence and her courage landed her right in Jude Maddox’s sights. Jude was known as the Hand of Death and while he was out collecting boys to become the Knights of the Eternal Star, he ended up taking Kiara along too, instead of her brother. Their kingdom was up against so much unknown and it all led us on a wild ride!

“He smiles,” I teased, knowing I was poking the beast. I didn’t care. “And here I thought you would crack if you smiled. Shame.”
Jude caught his breath, eyeing me from beneath thick lashes . “You’d have liked that, wouldn’t you?”
“Immensely,” I answered, unable to keep the smile from widening on my own face.

Kiara and Jude were both my favorite characters in this story. Right away I loved how Jude was a complete mystery. He seemed like an assassin, worked for the crown, yet I had so many questions. When the darkness seemed to swallow him whole, he still had this kindness that would peak out at times for Kiara. Whether he was leaving something that would help her, or even just his words, each time he showed kindness it made me fall that much harder for him. And as we learned about his past, it was hard not to feel so much pain when it came to him. Jude was a tortured soul so many will fall for!

Ironic how the very man I once thought I despised now rendered me speechless.

There were so many moments that were memorable within this story. The bathing scene. The library. So many more I won’t even mention. Just know that their conversations were fun and smile inducing. There were also other characters in the story, and while I liked a few of them, I was greedy and only wanted Kiara and Jude. With adventure set out in front of them, or maybe it was even a death sentence, I was gripped to the pages to see what would happen next!

I didn’t think as I bolted, didn’t consider what I ran toward. There was only instinct and a desperate need to act.
To slay the darkness itself.

To Kill a Shadow was a young adult romantasy set in a blood thirsty world. While we are given clues as the story proceeded, so much was wrapped in mystery. And by that final page we were given so many answers, yet we were also left begging for more! I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next and will be reading the second book in this series.

“You say you’re a monster”— he dug deeper into the wound, and tears streaked my cheeks—“ but a monster didn’t rescue me, didn’t make me believe in hope again.”

4.5 stars

I adored this book!
It kept me at the edge of my seat from start to finish.
The mystery. The world building. The amazing characters ✨️
I loved it.
Man, the way I fell in love with the characters and was on edge every time they were in danger?!?!? Omg!
I laughed.
I swooned.
I cried (all the tears)
It was amazing.
Check TW because this was violent and gory but so fantastic.
Overall, it was an amazing book and now I can't wait for book two.

Thank you to Netgalley and Entanglement teen for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review

I enjoyed this book so much, it was packed with action. I feel like the descriptions in the world building were lacking a bit so I found myself re-reading paragraphs to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Both main characters were strong and I loved them. I wish we would have experienced how they fell for each other in more detail, it felt very sudden. Regardless, I’m excited for the next book to come out! I will definitely be purchasing a copy of this and I hope I get one with the pretty purple sprayed edges.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for allowing me to read this advance copy!

Thank you to Netgalley and EntangledTeen for allowing me access to the digital arc of To Kill a Shadow! This is my honest thoughts and opinions of the book based on an advance unfinished copy!

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To Kill a Shadow is a delightfully suspenseful YA fantasy thriller that tangles gods and mythology with the current events of the book, weaving a delightful tale of a young woman and young man as they journey together into The Mists to uncover the truth of themselves and their world.

OVERALL RATING: 5/5🌟
STORY: 4/5🌟
WRITING: 5/5🌟
CHARACTERS 5/5🌟
SPICE: 1/5🌶️
ENJOYMENT: 10/10🌟

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STORY:
I'm a sucker for good lore. And this baby right here *pats To Kill a Shadow* can fit so much lore into it.
Memeing aside, seriously, the lore for this story is just 🧑🏼‍🍳💋. And miraculously enough, it does not weigh down the story, despite the amounts of lore and world building we're given in order to fully understand what kind of cursed land we've plunged ourselves into. Quinn found the perfect balance of giving us her world's lore without weighing down the story and dragging it out. In fact, she manages to weave the lore to be as mysterious as the ongoing questions surrounding her main characters.

From the very start of the story, I was hooked. Usually it takes me to about 20% of a book to get fully hooked into it, but not with To Kill A Shadow. Quinn got me almost instantly and had me sticking around begging to know more of this world and its mysteries. She really knows how to do excellent foreshadowing while still absolutely throwing me for a loop.

WRITING:
I loved Quinn's writing. This is my first time experiencing her writing and it was such a pleasure that I cannot wait to read more of what she has to offer. She's got a fantastically detailed prose that flows wonderfully. She maintains a creepy atmosphere that kept me on edge for most of the book.

CHARACTERS:
I loved Kiara. I love spitfire characters and she's a definitely one. Like many other fantasy romance female leads, she's smart, sassy, and loyal with a false bravado that hides her insecurities and fears. And I loved her. I like what I like what can I say. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Jude is a great opposite of Kiara. He's dark, brooding, morally grey, and also traumatized. All the things I do greatly enjoy in my main male characters.
But seriously, yes these two hit a lot of the fantasy romance stereotypes, but they're so incredibly well written and so much fun to watch interact that I couldn't care less. Their fights got me cackling, their banter got me giggling, and their obvious attraction to each other had me smirking.

The side characters who they both surround themselves with are great additions that add to the story. They compliment the main characters strengths and weaknesses well, pushing both Kiara and Jude along on their individual character arcs.

SPICE:
If you're hoping for spice, this ain't the book. We got some heaaavy kissing and a few innuendos here and there, but no spice. I will say, the kissing scenes are worth the build up to them.

ENJOYMENT:
I already want to read this again. I need to get a physical copy and annotate the hell out of it. I joining in with the rest of booksta and saying that I HIGHLY recommend this book. It's GOLD.

I read the blurb about fantasy-horror and thought This-is-mine. I think it's more romantic fantasy as the horror was quite light as the fantasy.
I supposed I would have loved this story when I started reading fantasy. It's well written, there's potentail and an intriguing world building but it's all on the lighter side.
Recommended if you love romantic fantasy with horror elements
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think this is a good book for teens and readers who are getting into YA and Fantasy. There's no spice, it's instalove, and has all the magic, adventure, and danger of a good fantasy.

That being said I don't think experienced fantasy readers will enjoy this read. It started off ok. I liked Jude but wasn't big into Kiara. I was waiting for improvement that never really came. For most of the book she makes questionable choices.

As I read I found Jude and Kiara to be pretty one note. Characters who fight well with a dark past they refuse to give any details about and a soft spot for those they choose to care about.

I liked the lore in the world. I like Jake. I could continue reading so it kept me engaged enough.

That being said, the magic system is underdeveloped and it's unclear how any of it actually works. There's no control over any of it it just... happens. Then there's that thing with the book that was just lazy plotting.

The relationship between the characters is very instalove without just outright calling it love which is fine but it's really annoying to read a story where the romantic couple go back and forth multiple times throughout the story on their position. Are they commander and recruit or are they lovers? Though they also never claim to love each other either.

Jude spends a part of the story focused on Kiara and her body but it's at points in the story that don't make any sense. They're about to go into battle and all he can talk about is how into her he is.

Kiara seems to be good at everything and tries to be a hardass but spends a lot of the book crying, hesitating, stuttering (which is fine), and being knocked out or fainting. But she presents herself as a gorgeous badass and worries more about bruises than about battle. Its just all kinds of weird.

The author has issues with consistency. I found multiple instances where she says one thing but then describes another. For example, at one point one of Kiaras gloves are removed. She says it's thr right one but for the rest of the book it's her left one that had been removed. Then there was a part where Jude holds her from behind but says he's rubbing comforting circles into her back.... how does that work?

So, for beginners who are here for the story, I think they could enjoy it. For me, it wasn't as well developed as a story as it could be.

"To Kill a Shadow" held promise with an intriguing premise and well-crafted characters, complemented by a solid writing style. However, my expectations were tempered by a sense of unfulfilled anticipation. Despite being labeled as fantasy horror, the novel fell short of delivering the spine-chilling atmosphere I had hoped for. While the characters were engaging and the narrative flowed smoothly, the promised horror elements seemed to be somewhat subdued, leaving me yearning for more intense and chilling moments. Overall, a decent read with strong characters, but a shortfall in delivering the anticipated horror vibes.

3 or 3.5 stars

I saw so much early hype and incredible reviews for To Kill a Shadow, which may have made my expectations too high. The book and premise were good, however it felt rushed at times (particularly the first half of the book). I think we need more time with world building and character development. For this reason, I didn't find the romance between the two main characters very believable or interesting.

This being said, I did like the ending and currently plan to continue with the series to find out what will happen next.

3.5 Stars.

This was a good book! I will absolutely include it in my YA Fantasy recommendations moving forward. That said, I am NOT an instalove fan and found the immediate draw between Jude and Kiara a little confusing. I also wish there was more world-building. I just wanted to know more. That said, I kept wanting to read it and really loved the ending, even though it hurt! I'll be very excited to read book 2!!

Thank you to Entangled for the eArc!

This one looked really promising, but unfortunately I found it to be lacking in character development, worldbuilding, and plot. I didn't really like any of the characters, I found the first part of the story to be rushed and not fully fleshed out, although I did like the romance, and the magical forest setting was nice.

ANOTHER GREAT ONE! Strong female characters from the get go are rare in the fantasy world so I was happy to see this from the start. The dynamic between our two main characters is what really shaped this story and made it feel like I was there.

Couldn’t put it down! The main characters are so easy to love and writing was wonderful! What a cliffhanger!! Can’t wait for the next one!

To Kill a Shadow is another disappointing case of great idea, poor execution.

In theory, I should have loved this book. It had all the right ingredients for me to - enemies to lovers, shadow/light magic, yet another war plot!

Unfortunately, I didn’t find myself majorly connected to either Kiara or Jude. I liked them both, don’t get me wrong, but there was never a time reading when I was really rooting for them. Either independently or as a couple. I liked their banter together, but at times felt it was a bit much and repetitive, and I could see some chemistry between them but couldn’t really feel it.

I didn’t have any connection to any of the side characters, so events throughout the book that occur to them had little to no impact on me as a reader.

I’m fully aware this may have been because I wasn’t a huge fan of the book, but I felt that the plot moved super slowly at times. This book felt LONG. And to be fair, it’s not the shortest, clocking in at around 450 pages.

The world building was also sparse. We’re not told much beyond the fact that there’s some deadly mist and an evil King, with some sprinkles of information about Gods from the epigraphs. Though I appreciate the plot doesn’t span much of the world, and it will likely be expanded upon in future books, I still would have liked to see a little more.

Overall, I was really disappointed by To Kill a Shadow. I could see a lot of elements throughout that I would normally love, but the execution fell flat for me, and so I didn’t. There were reveals at the end that I found interesting, as well as somewhat of a cliffhanger, but I don’t think I’ll be continuing with this series.

Thank you to Entangled Teen for sending me an eARC via Netgalley!

↠ 2 stars

- thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc to review!

- the book sounded amazing in its description, but while i was reading, i found a few things lacking. mostly, it was the characters and their personalities, which were lackluster and annoying, and the world building didn't have enough for me to be fully engaged, though it was the most interesting part of the story. overall, i wish there was more to this story, but what was there was not enough for me while i was reading.

I have heard some amazing things about Katherine Quinn, this was my first toe dip in her world and I can’t wait to read more!!

I appreciate how strong Kiara is! And Jude is just perfect for her. They both have so much going on with their pasts.
Honestly this whole book took me all over the place and I really can’t put it all into words other than to tell you to read it.

There is nothing more horrifying than a mysterious mist, but combine that with a never ending darkness and you have fear like you’ve never seen. With an evil king hellbent on only making himself more powerful, the two main characters are sent on an impossible quest through the mist. Both armed with more secrets than thought possible, they realize there is more to live for than just duty to their people.
With an ending I didn’t see coming- in more ways than one- I have so many questions and can’t wait for the second installment.

Wow. I’ll be the first to admit it’s been months since a high ya fantasy romance has grasped my attention so distinctly but To Kill a Shadow by Katherine Quinn wouldn’t let go. From the first few chapters I was immersed into a dark, deadly world where a group of special knights seeks a way to bring light back to the land.

So this story centers around skilled fighter, Kiara Frey and the leader of the group of knights, Jude Maddox. These two were ADDICTIVE. Omg, the best tension. From the moment Jude sees Kiara he’s drawn to the fierce young woman. This is NOT a slow burn, y’all. These two know life is short and they don’t waste it beating around the bush.

The Mist was a fantastic plot point. The creatures inside were unique and deadly. The ending was sooooo good! I’m not a fan of cliffhangers but I enjoyed the storytelling and romance so much I loved the ending and can’t wait for more!

Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for one of my favorites arcs this year!

If you’re looking for a book that’s going to transport you to another world, this is the one. I was slightly confused around the middle of the book and thought it was getting muddy but the ending explained everything. Excited to see what’s in store in the next one.

This fantasy story was one that I can not wait for book two. I loved the characters and the world building. And the start of each chapter was so good. It was like a story within a story. I need more books by this author!!