“Until We Shatter” by Kate Dylan is a wild ride through a unique magical world. The color-based magic system is pretty cool, but I found it a bit too complicated to fully get into. The story moves at a breakneck pace, which kept me turning the pages, but I wish the characters had more depth—I didn’t feel as connected to them as I wanted to. Some of the plot twists were a bit predictable or didn’t quite hit the mark. All in all, it’s an adventurous read with a fresh take on magic, but it left me wanting more in terms of character development and a clearer magic system.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. I started the book through NetGalley and shelved it for so long that it was no longer available on there and had to finish it elsewhere.

I was very intrigued by the premise of this standalone fantasy, but the book unfortunately did not meet my expectations.

From the start, the magic system was not explained smoothly and that continued throughout the entirety of the novel. The explanations were stuffed into chunks which seemed jarring.

I also found there to be a lot of plot holes which should have at least somewhat been addressed given it is a standalone.

I do appreciate a good found family story, but it felt like that and some other tropes were stuffed in because they’re popular.

For the positives: the cover of this novel is beautiful and captivating. And more importantly, Kate Dylan is a talented writer showcased by her ability to write beautiful prose. I found myself pausing at times to admire the way a sentence was written and that is not something I routinely do.

I do look forward to future works from this author.

I ended up DNFing this because I could not bring myself to care about anything in this book. The characters were boring and uncompelling, the plot was basic and the magic system, which was the coolest part of the book, was just not enough to hold my attention. The writing isn't bad, and neither is the book really, but there just is nothing truly unique and special about this.

A fantastic foray into an incredible new world - I was hungry for the details of the mechanics, the mysteries and magic of this empire.

So many little details stood out as beautifully inclusive of gender, sexualities and disabilities that felt seamlessly included and, although present in a terrible system, felt so normalised and accepted.

Cemmy is a half shade, caught in the middle,

"The Church would see her killed for having any magic.
The Council of Shades wants her dead for not having enough.​"

​Desperate to save her mother Cemmy must pull off an impossible heist, but when her friends are dragged into the plan, old secrets threaten to be exposed.

I loved this one. The characters, the world, the use of magic, everything felt so fresh.
A story unlike any I have read before.

This was my first Kate Dylan book, and I was not disappointed. Until We Shatter has amazing characters, a strong plot and some amazing world building. And the twists of it kept me on the edge the entire time.

The pace of this book is amazing and i felt like the magic elements of the book were quite unique. And i cannot wait to read more from this author.

I absolutely loved this book. This is the first time I have read anything from Kate Dylan, and I was not disappointed. She did an excellent job with the characters, world building, and the plotting of the book....not to mention the twists that keep you on the edge of your seat. This was a fast paced romantasy that I was hooked on from very early in the book. I loved the magical elements that are unique with the secrets and lies all woven in to make for an excellent read. I highly recommend this one. I can't wait for more from this author.

Thank you Net Galley ARC, Hodder & Stoughton/Hodderscape, and Kate Dylan

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The world building was amazing and it was fast paced which I always love for a book. I really enjoyed the feature and the characters were amazing.

Once again a book is marketed as ‘for fans of Six of Crows’ and I just think marketing books comparing them to others really creates unreachable expectations when all books should be considered in their own right. The comparison is made here because there is a heist - however if you’re expecting fun high jinks, loveable characters, yearning and expert scheming, unfortunately, for me, this wasn’t the book. There feels a lot mot talking about a heist than actual action and doing the job, making the pace a little off. Cemmy is also hugely difficult to like, she keeps things from her friends who have her back but still expects loyalty, and that’s without even mentioning the romance (more below)

While there is a romance, unfortunately it’s one without any chemistry - having a bi character, this has potential however disappointingly the romance (when ff and fm is on offer) is with the male character, despite there not being any spark between them, it’s just instant attraction and a lot of toxicity and ignoring problems. Novi makes sense - Chase doesn’t and his actions (and Cemmy’s) are way too easily overlooked and forgiven to be something I rooted for. I suppose in that sense they make sense because they both hate accountability and Novi absolutely deserved better (and still shows up even she’s treated poorly), but the most likeable characters in this book are pushed to the sidelines in the story.

I don’t like to be negative about a book when someone has put their time and heart into it but I just couldn’t really connect with this book, the premise has potential and while the world building is overly complicated at times, it could really work, I just didn’t like the main characters, or the romance, and the pacing was a bit slow.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Don't sleep on this book!

If you enjoyed six of crows or house of bane and blood PLEASE pick up this book.

The characters were perfection!
The magick was refreshing and original
Kept me guessing until the end

✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨
Until We Shatter by Kate Dylan

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A gripping sci-fi journey into rebellion, sacrifice, and hope that had me hooked from start to finish.
Until We Shatter is an electrifying dystopian sci-fi with morally gray characters, high-stakes action, and a dash of romance. Kate Dylan delivers a thought-provoking story set in a world of oppression and rebellion, with twists that will keep you guessing.

What I loved:
💥 The world-building is immersive, with a dark and gritty atmosphere that enhances the stakes.
💥 Complex, flawed characters who feel real, each grappling with choices that challenge their beliefs.
💥 The blend of fast-paced action with moments of vulnerability and emotional depth.
💥 A story that explores themes of loyalty, survival, and what it means to fight for a better future.

Trope list:
✨ Found family
✨ Enemies to allies
✨ Morally gray protagonists
✨ Dystopian rebellion

If you enjoy sci-fi with heart, tension, and plenty of twists, Until We Shatter is a fantastic choice. I can’t wait to see what Kate Dylan writes next!

💬 Have you read Until We Shatter? What’s your favorite dystopian read? Let’s chat below!

#UntilWeShatter #KateDylan #SciFiReads #DystopianBooks #Bookstagram #MorallyGrayCharacters #FoundFamily #BookReview

This book is honestly so delightful. I'm a sucker for a heist novel but I absolutely loved the characters and the sense of found family that Kate Dylan created. It didn't feel too heavy but was a great dose of adventure!

I really enjoyed this page-turner of a heist novel! I fell in love with the characters, especially Cemmy! It was a really fast read from one of my favourite Science fiction/fantasy authors.

I am not sure why I just have such a hard time getting into heist plots, but this one was decent. I really enjoyed the unique magic system, though it felt incredibly complex; I also enjoyed the plot twists and queer rep. I found the romance to be lacking as well as the character development. Overall a pretty good read.

Thank you Hodderscape for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a young adult fantasy involving an elaborate, high stakes heist. The world and the magic are unusual and take a little work to fully understand but it's a really engaging read and after the initial world building the pace really picks up. I loved Cemmy, the main character, who was somewhat difficult and certainly flawed but had me rooting for her all the way. I also loved her found family and the romance. On top of this, there was fast paced action and betrayals galore which made it hard to put down. And though I understand it to be a standalone, there is a lot of potential for the characters and the world and I'd be happy to return to them in the future.

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.