This was a good, not great standalone fantasy. I liked the world and I liked the concept of the magic system, though in practice I found it to be entirely too complex and hard to follow. The characters by contrast felt rather one dimensional, though I did like them for who they were. I really liked the relationship dynamics between all of them, especially the way that the core group stood together. I wish we’d gotten to know more about their history together. The pacing of the story was very stop and start throughout and at times, the language as well as the phrasing was really repetitive. Overall, the physical book is gorgeous but the story left something to be desired.

This was my first Kate Dylan novel and I was so excited for it after reading so much positive feedback on her sci-fi books. Although I might have regretted starting this book with the audio because the magic system would have required me to read it to grasp it quicker, this was incredibly imaginative. I LOVED the magic and all the nuances of this universe, but its complexity might have been one of the negative points, considering it was such a short book. I could definitely see the Six of Crows comparison, but the conflict with the church also somehow made me think about Hannah Whitten’s Nightshade Crown series. This is a brand of fantasy that still has a lot of sci-fi feel to it.
Cemma was an amazing main character and Chase completely stole my heart. The fact that Cemmy was queer was only one part of the anti-normative vibe the band of misfit gave off and this was maybe my favorite part of it.
The fast pace kept me engaged with the story and the developing relationship felt genuine enough that I connected with Cemmy’s feelings a lot. This was emphasized by the fact that the narrator was incredible, which made it an even better reading experience.

Kate Dylan's latest, Until We Shatter, contains a brilliantly-painted world and exciting tale. I'm always a sucker for a heist, and when you add romance and fantasy to the deal, it's bound to be a fun time.

I really enjoyed this one, very well written Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley for this ARC copy in exchange for my review.

There was a really unique magic system that drew me in at first, but despite being based on colours, it was actually quite hard to follow and remember. Definitely agree with the comments about benefitting from a chart or a guide.

The writing is really well done and although the characters had a lot of potential I just didn't really engage with any of them. The best relationship was with Novi and that's a thing of the past, but she was my favourite part of the book for sure. Chase (or Cassiel... because why?) was not a great MMC for me either, he just wasn't all that interesting. I can't really put my finger on it, there was just something missing.

The sign language rep was really nicely done though, extra star for that.

Overall 3 stars because it was well written and it had a lot of potential, it just wasn't for me personally. You'll enjoy this book if you like complex magic systems and heist stories.

This book made me think of Six of Crows and A Darker Shade of Magic.

I liked the pace of the plot through book, the story proceeds fairly quickly. This is a unique magic system full of high stakes heists.
In the beginning I found the colour magic system difficult to grasp, and would have liked a glossary to break it down but once I got my head around it, it was easier to follow.

Until We Shatter is a fast-paced fantasy about survival and identity.
Cemmy, a half-Shade thief, lives in a world where magic users (Shades) and non-magical people (typics) are in conflict. When her mother gets sick, Cemmy must work with Chase on a dangerous heist to steal a powerful relic.

The story has a unique magic system based on colors and explores themes like family and prejudice. The characters feel real, and the relationships are emotional and strong. While there is some romance, the focus is on the action and character growth.

This book is exciting and full of surprises, perfect for fans of detailed fantasy worlds and thrilling adventures.

This had a strong premise and a magic system that I really loved! I found it a bit difficult to get into at first and felt like it was a little confusing at times. I think it would’ve benefited from being a little bit longer to go into more detail about more of the intricacies of the world and the fantasy set up.

Even still, I LOVE a heist story and really enjoyed the characters. I would definitely recommend giving this one a go!

This was an action-packed read, that I didn't want to put down. I absolutely loved the aspect of found family and the heist elements which worked perfectly together to create an intriguing story. I also enjoyed the dynamics in the group and found that they bounced well off of one another.

My one concern is that the world-building felt as if it was set up for a multi-book series and not a standalone.

I Would definitely read more from this author. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an E-ARC of this book

2.75 stars!

this took a minute for me to publish since the arc copy i got wasn’t formatted well due to file issues but i finished it eventually!

review to come 🫶

I absolutely loved the magic system in this book. It was interesting and just fun. I also absolutely loved the chemistry between the characters. I also just always enjoy a good magic based heist.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book*

"Until we shatter" was advertised as a Six of Crows fantasy heist story. While that is true, I kinda missed everything that made Six of Crows so compelling: likeable or at least convincing, complex characters, unpredictable(ish) storylines, a decent world building, novelty, fun. I did see semblances of it in Dylan's book but I guess my hopes were too high. I found our protagonist as well as her groups of friends, her love interest and the antagonist terribly shallow and unconvincing. I did not get into the book with ease, the world building was elaborate yet confusing. The majority of the plot did not surprise me and I was quite annoyed reading vast parts of this book. But maybe this is because I was reading it on my phone whilst interrailing through Scandinavia and I couldn't really immerse myself. So I might be unfair in my rating of this book. And yet the main character is so annoying, naive, unlikeable, I don't think reading the book at another point in my life would've changed much. I finished the ending at home and I was glad it was over and I could start something else. Sorry! 3 stars max

This fell a little flat for me unfortunately!

I loved the dynamic between the characters, the chemistry was great and the unique magic system was really intriguing to read!

However what I struggled with was that there was a lot of information thrown at me and it was a little overwhelming; I feel like the book should have been longer to compensate for this! The ending also felt a little quick for me and not properly fleshed out. It was an enjoyable read however!

Until We Shatter is an intriguing YA fantasy with a really interesting and unique magic system. In this world magic is banned/heavily regulated by ‘The church’, colours (magic wielders) have been hunted to near extinction and hues (their children with non magic partners) are all that remained and are ‘diluted’ colours. I really loved Cemmy, the main character, and her unique voice which told the story in a conversational tone. Cemmy is a hue, taught to fear her abilities, yet she is part of a heist crew who use their powers in ‘the grey’ to pass through worlds and steal for money. It turns out that Cemmy needs the money to help her sick mother, making her motives a little more moral. She meets Chase and her world gets more complicated. There are more heists, found family, romance, betrayal and quite a few twists and turns that were quite gripping. Overall I really enjoyed this book

3 stars

Until We Shatter centers around a heist with some nice prose that isn't too complicated! I found the romance and banter to be really fun and cute, however it felt like there was actually more chemistry with the situationship rather than with the main love interest. I would have liked more depth with the side characters, I thought they felt a bit one dimensional and were only there to further the main character's plot - I prefer being able to root for side characters and also getting a little invested in their stories.

I really enjoyed the unique magic system and was really interested to learn more. I did however find it to be pretty heavy on information dumping, which some will not like and felt like quite a lot in 300 pages. I thought it could/should have been a longer book to mitigate this, it felt like it ended a little abruptly which made me wonder if there was a sequel on the way but it appears to just be a standalone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Whilst I loved the premise of this book and the style of writing was so beautiful I found the magic system so confusing and still not sure I get it fully. I was a little disappointed that the romance shifted from Novi as I though that was such an interesting relationship at the start.

I enjoyed this one more than I was expecting. It did get off to a slowish start and the magic system is a little over complicated but the plot got me hooked. I love a good heist plot. I would have liked the characters to be fleshed out a little more and I didn’t need the love triangle drama but there was some nice twists in the plot that kept me invested. I really enjoyed the idea of a shadow world and the unique magical abilities the colours represented. Overall a decent standalone YA fantasy.

First of all, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Until We Shatter is a standalone fantasy novel in which we follow Cemmy, a young thief and magic-wielder, as she is offered a job that could solve all of her problems.

Before we get into the review, can we just appreciate the beauty of this cover? The title is really fitting, and I love the shattered glass effect.

As opposed to some reviews, in which the fact that this book is perfect for fans of SoC was the selling point, I did not read this book for this reason. In fact, it actually made me not want to read it, but the synopsis depicted an interesting and unique magic system, so I decided to request it on NG.
Speaking of the magic system, it is… complicated and confusing, to say the least. Cemmy lives in a world divided between magic-wielders (the Shades, represented by the Council of Shades) and non magic-wielders (the Typics, represented by the Church)... and she is a half-shade (a Hue). In the midst of all that, there are seven types of Shades, like the colours of the rainbow, hence seven types of magic. But each Shade has three variations, and that just made everything very confusing. I would have appreciated a simpler magic system, or to have a chart representing all the different Shades and Hues at the beginning of the book. Nonetheless, it was a great and unique idea.
The plot is filled with alliances, deceptions, betrayals, lies and secrets, but that is what makes me not want to put a book down and keep on reading. It was really interesting to see how the mission evolved as the chapters passed and the dynamics between all the characters.
The female main character was okay, but I felt that there were too many characters at one point and forgot all the names. My favourite character was definitely the deaf Amethyst girl, Lyria, because I love a good deaf representation in books I read (and I love her name).

I really really LOVED this book! I don't think you can go wrong with a heist book done well, and this was definitely that. The characters are fantastic, and I think the care and thought that has gone into them comes across so well. I can't wait to recommend this to everyone

A fast-paced fantasy read with an intriguing and original magic system. Dylan's cast of diverse and lovable characters and smooth, accessible first-person prose make this a fast read. I adored the twists in Dylan's earlier books (including Mindwalker, a sci-fi fave!), and the shocking twists in Until We Shatter still destroyed me. Recommended for anyone looking for an enthralling new fantasy!