This story captivated me with its dark and unique fantasy world. Jude Maddox, the stoic Hand of Death, leads the Knights of the Eternal Star through a dangerous land filled with nightmares. When he encounters the fierce recruit Kiara Frey, their tension-filled dynamic evolves into a refreshing romance. Quinn's writing skillfully unveils a complex plot featuring mist-shrouded shadows, terrifying creatures, and unexpected betrayals. The book's intense ending left me eagerly anticipating the sequel. With a captivating blend of romance, fantasy, and suspense, this book is a gripping read that appeals to any fantasy lover, thanks to its intriguing characters and dark world-building.

To Kill a Shadow ticked all the boxes for me: suspense, romance, fantasy. Written in the young adult genre, I think adults would really enjoy the story. The characters are very well developed. Jude has a great back story. Kiara is equally interesting, and who doesn't love a strong female main character? There is plenty of tension between them, that make the romance fun to read and follow. In addition, Quinn has created a wonderfully unique cast of characters that had me thoroughly engaged.

Quinn also sets the stage with top notch word building, creating a beautiful dark environment that is equal parts enjoyable and terrifying. The writing is also really good. It was a one day read for me, and that is saying a lot given my current reading slump. The entire story is interesting, entertaining, engaging, and most of all slightly unpredictable. The ending was one I didn't entirely see coming.

A wonderful book one in Quinn's new series. It's a great read and one that I suggest to romantasy readers and fans of YA fantasy.

To Kill a Shadow is an addictive YA page turner that will ruin readers in it's final pages.

As this was my first Katherine Quinn story, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised with how full the world building felt and how evocative the atmosphere was. I found the Characters, particularly our MC's, to be fully realized and delightfully flawed. The standout of the writing with the brilliant pacing that kept me engaged and turning pages late into the night!!

Readers who gravitate towards slow burn romance, angst, and tension filled stories will surely enjoy this one!

Thanks to Entangled Teen, Netgalley for the advanced readers' copy in exchange for my honest review!

To Kill a Shadow is full of interesting characters, paranormal threats, the frightening unknown. All of which make it a compelling, interesting journey.

Could Jude's life have been any harsher? He's been forced to. become someone he doesn't want to be. An assassin, a hard man, the feared leader. He's good at his job but weary of his circumstances. He's shocked at how bold the new recruit is. Not only is she interesting and attractive, she's not afraid of him. How is she so bold? She's not stupid. She knows who and what he is.

Kiara doesn't know why she's like she is. She's just always been strong and a force. She's been trained hard by her "uncle" and gives no second thought to volunteering in her brother's place for the guard. As they confront the impossible odd of going into the darkness to find the items they've been tasked to bring back, Kiara's powers increase quickly. Through every horrible situation they're thrown in to, Kiara and Jude become closer and closer.

This story is so full of intense, frightening, deadly situations which kept me on the edge of my seat. What more can these people be expected to deal with? How can they ever survive? How will they find love (yes it's a question that kept me wondering)? Though I'm not the target audience (I'm no young adult for sure) and yet I found the story a great read.

Thanks to Entangled: Teen and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book took me slightly longer to finish but was so well thought out! The main character was totally relatable and I could see a little of myself in them. The world was also very unique and interesting! I was not obsessed but still a fun and nice paced and would be to any fantasy reader!

I had the pleasure of receiving an earc of this one and it was such an enjoyable read. We have our fierce warrior fmc, Kiara. She was loyal and a spitfire. Had a witty remark for every conversation. And then we have Jude, the mysterious Commander. Growly and protective. 𝘏𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 and it was divine.

Katherine pulls you in with her descriptive world building and keeps you hooked with the slow burn romance between our mcs.

Full of found family, shadow monsters, betrayal… a little of everything. You see people come together over past traumas, friendship surviving the worst, and betrayals that truly hurt the heart.

The ending made me want to throw my kindle against the wall. I felt like I knew what was coming but yet, it was so well written I didn’t care that it was a tad predictable. Needless to say, I’m super excited for the next installment.

Thank you Netgalley and Entangled for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I was so drawn in by this story! YA doesn’t always hit the mark for me, but this one definitely did. Jude and Kiara had all the tension I needed, and I couldn’t wait to see how their feelings played out with the “forbidden” aspect to it.
I’m usually pretty good at figuring out the twists in books so the whole time I had a certain theory. It ended up being wrong! I love that my theory was wrong though, because the twist was a shock.
This was my first Katherine Quinn book, and after this one not only will I be continuing this series, but I will also be adding her others to my TBR.
Thank you Netgalley and Entangled Teen for the ARC!

When I was offered the opportunity to read this book, I was quite excited. The book sounded exciting and it was getting a lot of early buzz. While I can see why people are enjoying the read, it unfortunately didn't quite hit the spot for me.

I enjoyed Kiara. She was a strong female main character who doesn't tolerate those who are not worth her time. She's tough and is looking out for the underdog. I also enjoyed the plot, it had a lot of excitement, was fast paced, and an easy read. Lastly, I also enjoyed the found family trope here. It's a top trope for me.

Unfortunately, while there were things I liked, I felt the book ultimately suffered from development issues. I am not a fan of the insta-love trope, and this felt very in line with that. Jude, immediately upon meeting Kiara, threw all decorum and appropriate actions for his military position out the window. There didn't feel like any development, a connection was just instantly there. Additionally, Jude is written as this cold, heartless leader who is assassinating people, but again, instantly upon meeting Kiara, he's a changed man.

These issues extended to other parts of the novel, as well. It was a fun quick read, but ultimately the development was lagging.

As mentioned however, this novel seems to be getting pretty high reviews, so I suspect this is more of a me thing and plenty of fans will love this.

Book Review: To Kill A Shadow by Katherine Quinn

To Kill a Shadow is a young adult fantasy novel about a group of knights that trek into a dark and deadly land to bring light back into their world.

Kiara Frey has only known darkness her entire life as her country of Asidia went dark fifty years prior. Due to her incredible fighting skills she’s quickly picked up in a mandatory draft into the king’s army. She and a small team of recruits (led by the mysterious and deadly commander Jude Maddox) are forced to enter the mist filled land at the edge of the kingdom to find the keys to bringing the sun back to their world.

Although this book had an intriguing premise the writing style is extremely corny. I found the inner dialogue of both the commander and Kiara about their mutual attraction so cringy and ridiculous in a setting with such deadly stakes. I also felt like the use of common words like “guys” in a high fantasy novel pulled me right out of the story.

This book has a plot that is fairly entertaining and has a lot of potential but unfortunately the writing and the sappy romantic sub-plot caused a lot of eye-rolling for me.

3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Short Synopsis:
Jude Maddox is the commander of the Knights of the Eternal Star. When he arrives in Kiara’s village to recruit her brother, he sees the fight, passion and defiance in Kiara and takes her to join the Knights - being the only girl among them.

My Thoughts:
This book reminded me so much of Shadow and Bone. There were definitely parts that were very predictable, but I still enjoyed the ride to get there. The romance was top notch. I did want more from the history and worldbuilding though.

Read if You Like:
🌑 Shadow and Bone
🌑 Mulan
🌑 Romantasy
🌑 Feisty FMC
🌑 Great supporting characters

➿𝓣𝓸 𝓚𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓐 𝓢𝓱𝓪𝓭𝓸𝔀 – 𝓜𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓼 #1 – 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀➿
 
“ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴏᴠᴇʀᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ʙᴇ ꜱᴜʀᴘʀɪꜱᴇᴅ ʙʏ ʜᴏᴡ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ʏᴏᴜ’ᴅ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟ. ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ ɪꜱ ᴄʜᴀᴏꜱ, ᴀɴᴅ ʟɪᴠɪɴɢ ɪɴ ɪᴛ ɪꜱ ʜᴀʟꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴜɴ.”
 
Author: Katherine Quinn
 
Couple: Kiara Frey & Jude Maddox
 
Tropes: dark YA fantasy, enemy to frenemies to lovers, morally grey, hidden prophecies, mercenaries/assassins, magical curses
 
“ɪ ꜰɪɴᴅ ɪᴛ ɪʀᴏɴɪᴄ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴇꜰᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴅɪᴅ ɪ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴇ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʜᴏᴡ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ɪ ɴᴇᴇᴅᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ. ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ’ᴠᴇ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ᴄʟᴀɪᴍᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ꜱᴀᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ɪɴ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ ᴇʟꜱᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀꜱᴛ ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜʀꜱᴇʟꜰ.” - ʟɪᴀᴍ ꜰʀᴇʏ
 
Review: Katherine Quinn gives us everything we want in this all new book in the Mistlands series! Kiara and Jude are two sides of the same coin and their antagonistic bond turns to reluctant approval as we delve into this new fantasy romance. I cannot say enough how much both of these characters tug at your heartstrings!
 
“ᴊᴜᴅᴇ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀꜱᴛᴏᴏᴅ ᴍᴇ. ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴅᴇꜱᴄʀɪʙᴇ ɪᴛ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ, ꜱʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀꜱᴋ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ. ɪ ꜰᴇʟᴛ ɪᴛ. ʜᴏᴡ ᴏᴜʀ ʙᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛꜱ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ꜱᴘᴇᴀᴋ ᴛᴏ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ɪɴ ᴀ ʟᴀɴɢᴜᴀɢᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴡᴇ ꜱᴇᴇᴍᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡ.”
 
Kiara is touched by the curse after she was bitten by a nightmare beast as a child and her character arc is fascinating in this first book since it evolves around her slowly learning to accept the scars it left her with. I found her fiery and feisty attitude towards life and authority to be the shining beacon in this story and Katherine created the mystery surrounding her perfectly! After she joins the army to save her brother from that fate, she is thrown headfirst into Jude’s domain and is immediately drawn into his darker side and intrigued by his secrets. I found the snippets at the top of each chapter to be some of the most beneficial parts of this book when trying to unravel Kiara’s mystery and what role she is to play with unraveling the curse of the mist and shadows.
 
“ɪ ʜᴀᴅ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ꜰᴇʟᴛ ꜱᴇᴇɴ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ, ᴋɪᴀʀᴀ, ɴᴏᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ. ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴘᴀꜱᴛ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀꜱ ᴍᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ, ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇʏ ꜰᴇᴀʀᴇᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴍɪʟᴇᴅ.”
 
“ᴘᴇᴀᴄᴇ. ᴡʜᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ɪ ᴡɪꜱʜᴇᴅ ɪᴛ ᴏʀ ɴᴏᴛ, ᴋɪᴀʀᴀ ʜᴀᴅ ꜱʟᴏᴡʟʏ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴘᴇᴀᴄᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴍᴇ. ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍ ᴏꜰ ʟɪɢʜᴛ.”
 
Jude on the other hand is the King’s right hand and the most feared assassin in the mercenary guild. His character is such a dichotomy since he is not the monster, he appears to be but rather a boy that was forced into doing the King’s biding. He was my favorite in this book purely because of all the mystery that surrounds him and the secrets that he is filled with regarding everyone. I enjoyed how Kiara slowly unraveled his stoic demeanor and LOVED how he began to live again after meeting her. Katherine outdid herself with creating his story arc in this first book since when the shocking plot twists at the end come to light, we see how important Jude is to everything. I found myself hurting for him as some long hidden truths come to light and hope that he is able to break the King’s hold for Kiara.
“ᴀʟʟ ᴏꜰ ᴏᴜʀ ᴊᴀɢɢᴇᴅ ᴘɪᴇᴄᴇꜱ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ɴᴏᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ꜰɪᴛ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ᴘᴇʀꜰᴇᴄᴛʟʏ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪꜰᴜʟ, ᴅɪꜱᴀꜱᴛʀᴏᴜꜱ ᴍᴏꜱᴀɪᴄ ᴡᴇ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ.”
 
Kiara and Jude are full of the push and pull tension we love in an enemy to lovers romance but what makes them different is the way both of them are shattered souls who also find solace in each other from the beginning. The innate understanding, they have of one another is beautiful to read and will bring tears to your eyes as you watch them heal together.
 
“ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴀꜱ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ɢᴇɴᴛʟᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ ᴊᴜᴅᴇ ᴋɪꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ. ʜᴏᴡ ʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴍʏ ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴀɴᴅ ɪɴʜᴀʟᴇᴅ ᴍʏ ꜱᴀɴɪᴛʏ, ᴇxʜᴀʟɪɴɢ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴄᴋᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀꜰᴜʟ ɪɴ ɪᴛꜱ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ. ʜᴇ ᴛᴀꜱᴛᴇᴅ ᴏꜰ ᴘᴏꜱꜱɪʙɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴀᴅᴅɪᴄᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ—ᴀɴ ɪɴᴛᴏxɪᴄᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴄᴏᴍʙɪɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱᴇᴛ ᴅᴇʟɪᴄɪᴏᴜꜱ ᴀᴅʀᴇɴᴀʟɪɴᴇ ꜱᴜʀɢɪɴɢ ᴀᴄʀᴏꜱꜱ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ɪɴᴄʜ ᴏꜰ ᴍʏ ꜰʟᴇꜱʜ ᴀꜱ ʜᴇ ᴅᴇᴠᴏᴜʀᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ, ʜɪꜱ ʟɪᴘꜱ ᴍᴏᴠɪɴɢ ᴡɪʟᴅʟʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟ.”
 
I enjoyed how the burn was slow in this book since it really set the stage for a wickedly sinful bond to form between them. I thought the way Kiara was able to break down Jude’s walls and uncover the suave and dirty talking alpha male underneath his armor to be perfect in the best of ways and man was Jude swoon worthy!
 
“ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ꜰʟᴏᴡ; ɪᴛ ꜱᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴇ ᴀᴛ ᴍᴇ. ɴᴏᴛ ᴀ ᴍᴏɴꜱᴛᴇʀ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴀ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴛᴏᴜᴄʜᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋɴᴇꜱꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ɢɪᴠᴇɴ ʟɪꜰᴇ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴜɴ.”
 
A huge area I found to be enthralling in this book was the way Katherine created the mysticism surrounding the Sun Goddess and the Mist Curse. I enjoyed reading all the little excerpts at the top of every chapter and found that a lot of them pieced together information and gave hints at what is to come. I truly did not see the end coming and was shocked at who betrayed everyone in the end. The effortless way the folklore and tragedy were interwoven in this romance was ensnaring and I loved how Jude and Kiara are at the epicenter of it all and that both have the fog lifted from their eyes by the end. I cannot wait to see how the friendships evolve and how Kiara blazes thorough the continent after the endings of this book!
 
Rating: 100+, Jude and Kiara are the makings of the next romantasy couple!

🌬 BOOK / REVIEW 🌬

Well, my entire world just exploded at the end of #tokillashadow by @katherinequinnwrites 😫😫😫

Thank you, @entangled_publishing, beyond words for bringing this gorgeous book into my life! Everyone in their private Facebook group was raving about it, so I figured it would be the next #fantasy read for me!

All I can say is: what.a.story. I adored it from the very first page. My favorite thing about fantasy books is how strong, brave, resilient, and badass all of their main female characters are written. I wish I had found this genre as a younger reader because I adore these women as role models.

The imagery and atmosphere jumped off the pages for me. I loved each and every scene and found myself dreaming of the book when I wasn't reading it. And while there is zero spice, the love story between Kiara and Jude was BEAUTIFUL.

I was not prepared for the whiplash that was the final chapters in this book and audibly gasped at the last page. I am DYING for a sequel!! Bravo, Katherine... this book was everything!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

"The twisted side of me enjoyed this part the most; the seconds before the k ill, when anticipation heated my blood and sent a thrill of adrenaline down my spine..."

Highly recommend it for those who enjoy their fantasy reads a bit more complex with lots of action, mystery, misguidance, and light romance.
Superb world-building.
I felt the cold wrap around my bones, the eyes that followed me

"Being alive is chaos, and living in it is half the fun"

Loved the cast.
Each character brought so much to the storyline.
It was primarily focused on Kiara's journey, yet the other characters were just as front and center and IMO as important to the storyline
I was surprised by Jude and how he developed as the story progressed
I have a feeling Kiara's brother will play an important role in the future. I could be wrong though.
There were so many misleading breadcrumb trails.
I was totally blown away by the revelations during the climax.
So did not see them coming.
Oh, I had my suspicions about some things but the truth
HOLY CRISPY CRACKERS

So this is a series -
It is to be continued...
As in you will be left with all kinds of questions eager to get your hands on the next in this must-read series

Highly recommend it to those who enjoy high-action fantasy with light romance with an engaging storyline and a relatable cast

This is a masterpiece !!!! I have no words just wow. The last 10% of this book was just me gasping at everything that was happening, it was mind blowing.
The plot was really interesting, I loved the gods’ story, the fact that there’s no sun anymore and the mist situation. It was pure genius to put extracts of letters and books at the beginning of each chapter because let me tell you that my brain was fuming with all the foreshadowing, it was so thrilling.
I’m so obsessed with the characters especially Kiara and Jude, my parents, but I must say Jake holds a very special place in my heart.

This book was perfect, a must read for any YA fantasy lover. It will give you all that you ever needed in a book : found family, romance, amazing fight scenes, powerful mfc and dark moody mmc.

Tropes:
• forced proximity
• commander/recruit
• knife to the throat
• found family

Thanks to Entangled Teen for the copy of this book!

Reminiscent of Shadow & Bone, To Kill a Shadow is heavy on the romance and horror side of YA romantasy reads.

Kiara meets Jude when she goes from being an outcast in her village to being selected as one of the recruits for the Knights of the Eternal Star. Their forbidden romance is instantaneous as they face the perils of the mist, and I thought their chemistry was really well done. There are quite a few battles in the name of trying to save the kingdom, but overall I would’ve liked a little more background on the gods and the mist. Katherine leaves us with quite the cliffhanger at the end, so put book two on your radar, too!

When there wasn’t a choice, all one could do was fight or die. Besides, I had been molded into a warrior, and a warrior I would be.”

To Kill A Shadow is a YA Dark Fantasy set in a cursed world without sunlight. The cure is said to be found in the Mist, but those who enter rarely survive the madness and monsters lurking within. This year, there's a mandatory recruitment of soldiers, where families are required to send their sons to serve the King. Enter Kiara. Kiara has been trained to fight for years. She gets noticed when The Hand of Death, aka Commander Jude Maddox, watches her fight a bully picking on her brother. Instead of her brother being selected during The Calling to serve the Knights of the Eternal Star, Kiara is chosen. And girls are never chosen…Then Kiara's close band of befriended recruits is selected to journey into the Mist without her., a journey no one is expected to survive…

Let's just say that the journey didn't go as you'd expect. And it's not over yet. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I literally couldn't stop reading. It's packed full of thrilling action, suspenseful mystery, and romantic angst. There's twists and turns you don't expect coming and losses you don't expect. I feel like only a part of the world has been built for us, and I'm eager to uncover more secrets behind the darkness and Mist. And after that ending, I need the next book, STAT! If you like any of these tropes, you'll love this book too!

•YA Fantasy
•Dual POV
•Fierce, protective FMC
•Brooding, morally grey MMC
•Cursed, dark world
•Forbidden romance
•Hidden identity
•Secrets & suspense
•Twists & turns
•Action & adventure

This book is out today! Seriously, run to the store and check out To Kill A Shadow! Thanks so much to the author, Entangled Teen and Netgalley for the ARC!

In a land cursed to never to the sun again, Jude and Kiara, along with a troop of soldiers that soon becomes more like family, set off the subdue the shadows and bring back the light. But all is not as it seems, and as death follows their every step, Jude and Kiara must hold fast to each other as they uncover the truth of the ancient prophecies. This is a romantasy at its finest!

I loved the characters of Jude and Kiara, both fiercely loyal and stubborn to a fault. They are both amazing individuals but together, whooo those were some sparks! But more than the romance, which was so well done and laden with tension, there was the actual plot. A mission into the mist, followed by betrayals, death, loss, and grief just on repeat. But it never felt stale. This book was such highs takes and those last chapters! That ending killed me. Katherine Quinn how dare you. I'm going to need the rest of the series ASAP because you simply cannot leave us with THAT!!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.

I’m really hoping that we get more world-building with the second book in the series – or at least an expansion of our knowledge so far. I am a firm believer in fantasy maps (or any genre to be honest) and I think that one for this series would be beneficial. I like seeing where things are in comparison to one another, and Asidia is a kingdom… but what surrounds it? Especially curious are those from the north and the warriors of the Rine. I am really interested in seeing more of the lore, learning more about the gods/goddesses, and a list of them and their abilities would be helpful.

This book wasn’t too terribly dark until around the second half, I was not expecting the gruesome scenes but I’m definitely here for it. Asidia has become brutal and it is dying – it was really nice that the story reflected that. Fair warning – it’s sneaky about it too. The second half of this book is definitely the star of the show – the pacing picks up substantially and it more than made up for the slow beginning. I guessed a couple of the plot twists but some of my guesses weren’t quite right.

Kiara’s character was a nice change – a strong FMC who is confident, snarky, and doesn’t fall into an internal monologue about how she isn’t good enough. On the flipside that internal monologue was very much Commander Maddox. Their reaction and relationship cozies up to insta-love but is relieved (for me, at least) by their snarky banter. If you love found family, this book has it in spades – I LOVED the side characters, especially Jake and Nic. The friendship that blooms between Kiara and the boys is like a hug – their banter just makes it even better.

"All of our jagged pieces might not have fit together perfectly, but what a beautiful, disastrous mosaic we made."

I had to laugh at myself for initially thinking that this was a standalone novel. Towards the last quarter, I had to look and make sure it wasn’t just to save my sanity. I would like to thank Entangled Teen and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book – I can’t wait to see what book two holds. All opinions are my own. Rounded from 4.5 stars.

Thank you to @entangled_publishing @entangledteen and @netgalley for my advance copy of @katherinequinnwrites new release To Kill a Shadow in exchange for my honest review.

I am firmly in my gothic fantasy era and this new series fits perfectly into this genre. I immediately connected to the heroine, Kiara, with her determined and loyal personality offering herself in her frail and ill brother’s place when he is conscripted into the guard. Commander of the guard, Jude, (aka The Hand of Death) has been honed for violence since a child and leads the King’s forces to try and combat the deadly mist that is shrouding the kingdom. Both Jude and Kiara have strange scars and hidden secrets and are magnetically drawn to one another. Could they be the key to finally dispelling the mist and bring back the Sun?

This book is packed with dangerous action, suspense, romance, and found family. I loved the dual POV and the tension between Kiara and Jude. The mist and the nightmares it contains was a uniquely dark magical world and I was captivated in the mission from start to finish and cannot wait until the next installment 🙌🏼.

Rating: 4.5/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

Wow, when I requested this book, I didn’t know how much I would love it. I truly did not want this amazing YA fantasy to end, and can we talk about those ending chapters. Gosh just kill me now because who knows how long I have to wait to know more about this amazing story.

This was my first Quinn book, and it won’t be my last. I loved how the world building was done; it wasn’t an info dump, but it was a little bit throughout the book. When reading this book, you will find yourself learning more about the plot and getting to understand the characters more and seeing what is really going on. I liked that if you paid attention to small details, you would get hints to what was going on even if you really didn’t piece it all together until the ending chapters. You find yourself saying “now that makes sense.” I liked the fact that the plot was clear and didn’t drift away from the book, but you will find action, romance, mystery and of course a magical curse of sorts. I thought the pace was done well, I found myself still invested in the book from the start to the ending even though I didn’t want it to end.

I liked those characters in this book a lot and I found them to be well developed. I really liked that the characters were easy to relate to and found them likable… Well, all but Patrick. I found Jake and Nic to be amazing friends to Kiara, someone that she didn’t know that she needed. Kiara herself, at times I wanted to like her then she would do something, and I was like why you would not do that or why did you do that, but at the end of the chapters I still liked her and found myself understanding her more and more. I liked that with Kiara and Jude they both had horrible traumatic childhoods but together they found a way to accept their past and move forward with understanding that their trauma has helped them a lot of hardships and helped them with their minds getting stronger. I enjoyed getting to see their bonding throughout the book and seeing the small glint of hope and love that they had for each other shine brightly.

I know I said earlier that the last chapters in the book were hard but honestly all I can say is that I felt a lot of emotions while reading those. This tells me that the next book will be just as amazing or even better. This is a must read for anyone who loves YA fantasy, romance, great plot, well-paced, great characters and is okay with emotional endings.

I want to thank NetGalley and Entangled publishing for the opportunity to review this book.