I started out very interested in the concept of a color-based magic system, however, at the end of this book I felt like the overall premise felt too weak for my liking. This is correctly being marketed on Goodreads as "young adult" as it certainly reads like it. Heavy on the fantasy and action, almost nonexistent on the romance. Queer and Deaf representation.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC. I really enjoyed this book. The magic system based on colours was fascinating, although a little complicated at first, and the plot revolving around a heist was intriguing. The characters sometimes felt a little flat but that didn't afect the story too much cause I was already invested. I think that you should definitely give Until We Shatter a try.

This is a fun, action-packed YA fantasy. The worldbuilding is pretty immense at times, with a unique magic system, but Kate Dylan's prose keeps the reader engaged. Cemmy is an easy character to root for, and I liked the bi representation and that the friendship arc was developed as prominently as the romantic storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF. This book just really not for me unfortunately. I think it will end up being popular with people that love YA fantasy

Thank you to Hodder Books and NetGalley for this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.25⭐️

This book was so much fun! I've never read anything by Kate Dylan before, so starting this was something completely new for me, and it was such a lovely surprise! I don't quite know how to describe it, but this book was really nostalgic to me. It reminded me of classic YA fantasy (though this book is borderline YA/adult) in the best of ways, and it's been years since I felt such magical reading nostalgia, so I was really grateful for that!

I found this magic-system in this book very unique and inventive, and really enjoyed how expansive the range of powers were (rainbow magic is such a cool concept!), though I do feel at times the magic-system and worldbuilding were presented in quite an info-dumping way, particularly during the opening of the book and ending climax, and I felt this was done in quite a confusing way, so I sometimes got lost, especially during the epic ending scenes. For the most part though, this book is a fast-paced, high-stakes adventure, with a hint of found family, an enemies to reluctant allies to lovers subplot, and a magic filled heist (though, don't go into this read too excited for the heist, it's over quite quickly). The middle of this book is by far the best section, with reluctant alliances (and betrayals 👀) and secret magic and unravelling historical plots. I was completely hooked by this book and truly couldn't put it down. I haven't read a book this fast in months!

I do wish a little bit more time was spent fleshing out characters and their relationships, so I'm very excited for the next book in this world! Whilst this book is officially listed as a standalone, with an interconnected 'standalone' sequel to come, this book definitely needs a sequel in my opinion, to continue to expand on characters, relationships, and the politics of the world. This book provides a really interesting and nuanced discussion and portrayal of religion and government and how lies and misinformation - and the policing of information - can shape and impact the lives of marginalised groups, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Dylan continues this conversation in the next book.

Overall, Until We Shatter is such a fun and nostalgic fantasy adventure with an interesting dose of political commentary, that I recommend to fantasy lovers! I look forward to reading more from Kate Dylan in the future!

Although this was one of the books i was most excited to read this year, i found it to be quite disappointing.
there was a lot of info dumping that made me feel like the author really wanted the readers to know she did her homework - which isnt bad necessarily i just think it wasnt well implemented. i wish it was sprinkled in whenever we needed the information as opposed to just paragraphs of information we dont even need for the particular scene. But the ideas were interesting which is what made me rate it 3 (enjoyment wise it would be probably 2.5). I think its also important to state that i was reading it at the same time as way of kings and i think it probably made me realise i liked it less than i would if i was reading it without comparing.

it it by no means a bad book, just didnt live up to what i feel like it set out to do.
I also followed and watched so many of the authors insta vid about this book and talking about how everyone she gave this book to is rating it high and talks about the emotional damage and i think it set up wrong expectations because i truly couldn't feel it? that being said, reading is extremely subjective and I am glad people have enjoyed the book so far!

I wouldn't mind continuing with the series but i think for me it would be only if some of my friends tell me its worth the time investment.

I love the concept in this book of the In-Between, along with the color coded magic system and the existence of a shadow reality.
Sadly I still struggled to get through this book, even though the writing style is really really good and a good heist always gets my attention.

I am all for throwing the reader in the middle of the action and trusting them to catch up with the concept and worldbuilding later. However, I need some kind of hook to reel me in - either intellectually or emotionally. And even though these hooks are there on paper (an unjust, oppressive world, personal tragedy, lives at stake, deadly secrets...), nothing has really reached me. Even the found family that is shown later felt somewhat detached (although I really appreciate the diversity and rep).

The world and magic system were super intriguing, though also somewhat too complicated for such short a book. There's orders and churches and colors and Shades and Half-Shades and typics, and I kinda lost my grip on it.

I wanted to love this book, but eventually I found myself rushing through it. I'm sure though that I will try more books by the author, because it's apparent she can write and plot like hell - just this book wasn't for me.

3/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @hodderbooks for the eARC!

#UntilWeShatter #Netgalley #Bookstagram #Heist

𝗨𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗪𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 • 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗗𝘆𝗹𝗮𝗻
★★★.𝟱

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗼 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁
- YA fantasy
- Heists
- Unique world building
- Bisexual MC
- Deaf side character
- Sign language rep
- Found family

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
This was such an interesting YA fantasy that worked towards an epic heist, one so epic that it’s capable of starting and winning a civil war. I liked the world building and the magic system though I think it could have been shown more straightforwardly and cohesively. From what I understand, there were typics who followed the Church, Shades with powers who follow the Council, and Hues, a byproduct of Typic/Shade procreation and one that is hunted.

The protagonist, Cemmy, is a Hue. And possibly the most emotionally angsty hue at that. I thought she was tenacious, but also really self-absorbed. She was unwilling to trust anybody, unwilling to listen to anybody, and entirely unwilling to see reason most of the time. If I had to pull off a heist with her I would genuinely double cross her because she is a liability 😂.

I liked the found family in this book however it did seem more monotone than vibrant. Cemmy hid so much from them all that I felt like the bonds were tenuous at the best of times. It’s not the first time a good book has been thwarted by a frustrating main character, and it surely won’t be the last for me. I’m glad I read it and I think many people will enjoy this.

𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀
“𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦.”

This was unfortunately a DNF from me. I was so excited to read it but I just couldn’t continue. First of all, this is a very fast paced book. Everything was going so fast that it was difficult to keep up with everything that was going on. The magic system was complicated, I wish we had more time at the beginning of the book to learn and experience the magic with the characters. The world-building, magic system and characters all fell flat.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital ARC.

I feel so bad but I'm going to dnf this at 35%.

I liked the synopsis of this book so much and I was overly excited to read it. I mean a magical world, a half shade who became a thief for her mother.

Why I ended up dnf'ing it:
- I found the MC lame. I expected a badass character. In the beginning as I found out how she kept an eye on her friends I was so impressed. She gave me the 'Would die for family and friends vibe'. Then I found out how she is the reason someone died, I felt sympathy towards her. But then I saw how easily she gave up the safety of her friends to save herself, that was already a huge RED flag for me. Also her friends were also lame, how can they handle a betrayal so easily, not even a little bit of anger towards the MC.

That is the main reason that I stopped. If I don't care about the character (s), if I despise the MC. I don't see the point to continue reading this.

Thank you so much netgalley and Hodder Publicity.

The worldbuilding was overwhelming and the characters weren't well developed but the writing was good

Thank you Hodder & Stouton, Kate Dylan and Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely LOVED the entire magic system in this world, but having it be rushed in a 300 page book was overwhelming and confusing. This really could've benefit from being a longer novel or with the help of a glossary at the start of the book.

I already really liked Dylan's writing style, as I could not put this book down once I got over the info-dumping. There were high stakes but again, because the book was cut so short I didn't have enough time to really connect to all of the side characters and some events didn't get me as hard as was most likely intended. Still a really good adult fantasy debut and I'm curious to see what else the author will have in store for us in the future!

Definitly pick this up if you want an action-packed, standalone adult book about magical heists!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an advanced eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish the book and DNFed it at 14%.

I attempted to read a few chapters, but I found myself losing interest and skipping paragraphs or checking my phone. The main character's narrative felt juvenile and reminded me of a 10-year-old's journal entries.

For example:

"That choice was mine, by the way."

"Thirteen seconds, Cemmy. You're in or you're out?"
"Make a decision here, Cemmy."

Additionally, there was a significant amount of info dumping at the beginning of the book, which made it confusing and difficult to follow. It was unclear whether the author was explaining the magic system or describing a specific event.

Overall, while I wanted to enjoy the book, it unfortunately did not resonate with me.

This is the first book I've ever DNF’d, and it wasn't an easy decision. I really tried to push through, but after four days and only getting to 49%, I had to call it quits. The story just didn’t make sense, and I felt it was important to write a review because my issue wasn't about personal preference or technical problems—it was about the book itself.

I honestly had no clue what was going on in the world. The little bits I did get were so confusing. For a book that’s only 300 pages, there was way too much info-dumping with almost no explanation. It felt like I was being told “this is how it is” without any real connection to the story, and it just kept repeating without ever being fully explained.

The characters were so underdeveloped that every time one was mentioned, I had to stop and think about who they were, and even halfway through, I still didn’t know anything about them, aside from a little of Cemmy and Chase. Maybe a bit about Novi being Cemmy’s ex, but beyond that, I couldn’t tell you a single thing about her.

I think I get what the author was going for, but it just didn't come together for me. Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish it.

This was very well done and I was quite impressed with the pacing, the magic system, and how fleshed out and considered the world-building was. This isn't what I would consider to be romantasy, as the romance is sort of a second sub plot to the core of the story, but I was so engrossed by the world-building and the betrayals and twists and turns that I didn't find myself wanting.

"We're always in between something" what a great read! I loved Cemmy and Chase, their enemies to lovers dynamic was done so well! The entire crew was well fleshed out and lovable.

I loved the unique magic systems divided by colors with further variations in the delutided hues, it was fun and different. Plus the added challenges of the alternate reality of the Gray kept things interesting. I really enjoyed the ride and look forward to the next book.

An incredible new fantasy with stunning world building and a hint of romance.

I really enjoyed the pacy plot and how well thought out and detailed the colour magic was.

At times, I found it hard to remember all the magic rules and the traits of every colour. This sometimes got in the way of the flow of reading.

Overall an original and exciting new YA!

We will always love a good heist novel. Even more so when there's levels of secrets, subterfuge, and questions about motivations. And if I know something, it's that Dylan writes a great heist. While it was a bit disorienting to understand the color magic off the bat, you can quickly get into it. What begins as a story about heists, turns into an even broader plot. A conspiracy with intrigue, control, and power. There's the questions of what will make someone join the heist.

I was actually really excited to read this because the premise sounded super interesting, but unfortunately this didn't work me.
The magic system is far too complicated for a book this short and there was so much information/explanation dumping which took so much energy out of me while trying to understand everything and made the story flow less smoothly. Unfortunately, I had to dnf this because I just could't get into the story and the characters just didn't feel fleshed out enough for me to care about them.
The writing wasn't bad though and others might enjoy this more, but this just wasn't for me.

Thank you so much NetGalley and the publisher for accepting my request to read and review this one early!

Honestly I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this, a sci fi but six of crows / darker shade of magic vibes? Sign me up!

Let me start by saying I did enjoy this book, and I’m nit writing a whole bunch of negatives in order to say I rated it low, I actually rate it a 3.5 out of 5 which is a fairly decent rating in my opinion.

Okay so my thoughts:

1. I wasn’t fully connected to the characters of the book. To some degree they all felt one dimensional, and while it made the book likely easier to read, it meant I wasn’t exactly emotionally attached or on the edge of my seat. I just felt like the protagonist Cemmy wasn’t relatable, and her decisions were not ones I would make.
2. I felt like the book was too short. I’m never usually someone to say this but I did feel like elements of this were ultimately rushed.
3. I wasn’t a fan of the magic system of this world, in fact I just struggled to understand it at all to be honest. There was definitely a fair bit of info dumping.

Comparing your book to six of crows and a darker shade of magic does lend itself to assuming greatness.

I did however, really enjoy the authors writing. And for the alone I will definitely be adding this author to my future “keep an eye out” list!

My expectations for YA are definitely higher these days especially due to having mostly grown out of it, but I will say that a lot of the rings I had an issue with I think could be solved with an edit through and some extra passages and detail. Overall I did have a good time.