This has been likened to Leigh Bardugo's "Six of Crows," and I do love a long-con heist story. There is a fine tradition, going all the way back to the first murder mystery, of telling the story from the perspective of a stooge (not Larry, Moe, and Curly, but someone involved in the action but not fully in the know). It has the advantage of allowing exposition without strained dialog. Sometimes it's even done in first person, so you get their real-time reaction to contradictory orders, apparent set-backs, and what not. Likewise, a high-action story can be done in present tense to keep the pressure up. But an introspective first-person in present tense needs to show change and growth or they become tedious.

The plotting here was sufficient, but the world-building is shallow, the tension was uneven, and the main character was tedious. In the Acknowledgements, the author mentions that the first draft was set in New York, which explains why there's almost no detail about the actual world; if it's a world that exists, you wouldn't bother. The Big Bad made very few appearances in the book and the story was poorer for it; if he had been fully realized on page, he could have ratcheted tension up better. As for the main character, Cem, it seems like every chapter she got overwrought about something, flew off the handle causing someone else to get hurt, then rolled around in her guilt. Sometimes she would then get an actual idea or someone would derail her, but otherwise it was lather, rinse, repeat and all in first-person present tense, so there was no escape.

If it were a shorter book with fewer broken metaphors and pointlessly lavish descriptions of nothing relevant, I'd say Yeah, weekend escape read.

Until We Shatter by Kate Dylan 🗡️💜

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

𝘼 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙛. 𝘼𝙣 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙨𝙩.

𝙎𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚 . . . 𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧.

𝘼𝙣 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣-𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙, 𝙚𝙥𝙞𝙘 𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙚𝙧, 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙞𝙭 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙨, 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘽𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝘾𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙧’𝙨 𝘿𝙖𝙬𝙣.

This was an enjoyable read, however not one that left too much of an impression on me, sadly 🥲.

The plot was pretty fast paced and interesting - I always love a heist plot and also anytime where the main character has training for her magic and skills 🫶🏻.

The magic system was very very unique, which was great. However, I found it a bit complex and confusing. There was lots of ‘info dumping’ throughout the book which made it feel a bit clunky and I kept getting confused by the names of all the different magic types and who could do what 😬.

The romance I really enjoyed in the first half, the banter was funny and the tension was great. However in the second half it lost me a bit, the main male character did some things that I was just like, why would I forgive you for this lol. So I feel a bit mixed 🤭.

Overall, this was a quick YA fantasy read with some romance which was quite fun 💖. I’d definitely recommend if you are interested in the plot! It just didn’t blow me away at all and wouldn’t be top of my recommendations.

I enjoyed this standalone fantasy novel even though it didn’t quite tick all of the boxes for me.
I loved the plot of the book and the main character of Cemmy who tells the story in the first person. She is a talented thief as well as being a Hue, meaning that she only has half the magic that she should and hunted by the authorities. She has joined together with a group of others in the same situation and together they are forced to become involved in a heist to steal a mysterious object.
The magic system is ingenious but very complicated which led to a lot of information being given at the start of the novel which was quite difficult to absorb. The world building was really good and the magic and politics were inextricably linked together which I really enjoyed.
The found family aspect of the book was disappointing. As the story is told in the first person, we only get Cemmy’s view of things so we are told how much the others mean to her but until a couple of scenes towards the end, we don’t actually see it for ourselves. Cemmy and Chase are fairly well developed but the others didn’t really come alive for me.
Some of the plot twists were a bit predictable and at times, the story had a very YA feel about it. I did love the heist itself though as well as the writing style throughout the book. I will definitely look out for other books by this author.
Thank you to Net Galley and Hodder and Stoughton for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC. This was a DNF for me @ 50%.

Sadly, I couldn't get into the magic system (which still confuses me somewhat) nor was I invested in the protagonist and her crew. Overall, I was bored, though I can see the potential on what Kate Dylan was trying to do. Didn't even get to the heist of a heist story; what a shame.

I will say though that I liked the Deaf representation most, especially with how the crew was firm in trying to communicate with their Deaf member. Instead of using magic to ~fix her disability~, they opted to use magic to teach themselves sign language instead. Commendable move.

Having never read any of this authors books before but seen this book posted ALOT on social media I was eager to dive in.

I really enjoyed the story, the twists and the characters! I especially liked the magic system!

Thanks to the author and netgalley for the arc!

Having read and loved Kate Dylan’s previous books, of course Until We Shatter was a must read for me. And I must say that I really enjoyed it.

I’m not going to pull punches, the info dump about the magic system at the start is a lot but, it didn’t overwhelm me and I was soon pulled into a world of magic, secrets, controlling bodies, deceptions and of course a high stakes heist.

The claim that Until We Shatter compare to Six of Crows is seriously bold but, there are similar arcs and jet features and Kate Dylan does definitely keep up the pace and the complexities of found family that are common to both.

I can’t say that every twist is unguessable but, the tone, pace, tension building and characters are all there. The central themes and issues of Cemmy’s life and her relationships with Novi, Ezzo and Eve truly bring her character and the found family theme to the fore in this book. I was intrigued by Chase, and the half-truths and his efforts to walk such a difficult path truly contributed to the depth and world building. This in itself is so difficult to deliver within the restraints of a stand alone book.

And finally I’m returning to the magic system, Dylan has crafted a very interesting magic system that most definitely has layers and depth. I was intrigued by it and impressed with how well it was crafted but, also how seamlessly it formed part of world building and plot.

I really enjoyed Until We Shatter and would truly recommend you pick it up, it’s got all the ingredients for a great escape read and there’s nothing I love more.

Thank you Hodder & Stoughton & NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc

unfortunately i dnf’d as i could not stay interested, and the poor formatting of the eARC greatly contributed to my disinterest

Dnf at 50%. The description of Until We Shatter made it sound like the perfect book for me! I love heist books, found family, and strong female characters, so I was super excited to dive into this one, however I got to 50% of the way through the book and I was just bored and confused. The characters hardly interact with each other so I never really got a found family vibe from them. Instead of being shown the relationships between everyone, the author just tells us how things are.

The magic in this world made no sense to me either. I wish that there had been some sort of chart or something to help me keep track of which color does what, because I have no idea what a majority of them do.

This book was very repetitive, and it drove me nuts. The pacing was very off too, I’d be in the middle of reading important plot information just for it to get interrupted to bring up something that I’ve already been told about the story.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn't get into this one, I liked the idea of it, the blurb really caught my eye (as did the cover). Will try and give it another go but no rush as of yet.

Until We Shatter by Kate Dylan is an adult fantasy that, although it promised a lot with its intriguing premise, ended up being a complicated and, in many ways, disappointing read.

The biggest problem I found was the magic system, which is overly complicated. Although the idea of ​​shadows and "Hues" is original, the way it is developed is difficult to follow. Even after finishing the book, I still feel confused about how it actually works. A clearer graphic or explanation would have been helpful to many readers, as I know I'm not the only one who felt lost in this regard.

Another weak point is the lack of depth in the characters, especially in Cemmy's relationships with her friends Novi, Ezzo and Eve. Although the concept of the "found family" is one of the most appealing aspects of the book, I feel that the friendship between them is not explored enough, making them feel unbelievable and difficult to connect with. Additionally, the romance between Cemmy and Chase, another half-shadow, seems forced and unnecessary. And this is when I wonder why they have to put romance in everything.


I would like to read something else by Kate Dylan, I liked it for the most part but I also felt that I couldn't connect much and that that meant I couldn't fully enjoy the story.

Thank you very much Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC I read on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I literally don't really know how I feel about this book. Overall, I think the magic system was interesting, which is mainly why I kept reading. The plot was interesting, but the pacing was super off for me. The whole book takes place in a little over a week, but it feels more like a month with how much happens in one day. Like I do not think the main character slept most of the time.

I liked the ending, but supposedly this is the first book in a series, and I have no idea how this will be continued. It kinda all wraps up really nicely, and there's not really any threads left really to be brought into a second book. Definitely not a bad read, but also definitely not one of my favorites of the year.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book!

A fast paced, action packed fantasy that ticks all the boxes! A really unique magic system that is explained beautifully. There are some predictable aspects of this story but that did not take away from my overall enjoyment. It still managed to have a few surprises.

I really enjoyed it, but I feel like it suffered from its limitations as a standalone hence why it's not a five stars for me.

I really loved the worldbuilding, everything from the story with all different colors and their powers, the difference between Shades and Hues (their half blood), and the subtility it comes from their own power. However I had a hard time getting it because it feels like you can only learn about it from reading, and I couldn't grasp some stuff until I kept reading about it and then understanding. I really wish there were more time taken into explaining the worldbuilding before getting into the heist, because it was a really awesome idea that deserves to be more developed.

I also really liked that improbable 'heist' story. But here again it was easy to get lost grasping the explanations with the limits of a less than 350 pages of standalone - it was a bit rushed. However once you get everything, you're really into it and I really enjoyed it. There were a bit of easy takes before the heist, but it was action packed or slowed with useful informations, and it escalated slowly until it was all about high risk and important actions. There were losses, there were victories, and while there were some predictable plot twists, it was overall really done well and catching.

I didn't felt attached to the characters, but they were still interesting, as well as all the secrets and betrayals and needs to hide things. Cemmy was a bit hard to like as she was stubborn and naive, I kind of wanted to shake her sometimes and tell her to stop hiding things... but she did grow towards the end.

I think this book could’ve been amazing. The magic system is unique and fun and the world it takes place in is interesting, but I had some issues with the pacing.

It was great for the first 10% and then it drug until about 80%. Once we hit 80% everything was happening all at once and I think it could’ve been more impactful for me if it was spread out a little better. Due to the pacing, I didn’t really connect with the characters, I didn’t really feel the fear and desperation that came with the big bad and really the only thing that kept me reading was the magic system. While I loved the magic, I felt like there were a few major components that were just dropped in and not explained which made it difficult to keep track of everything. All together, with the ending, I enjoyed it enough but it really could have been a five star read had the pacing been a bit better mixed with a little more world building.

This book was addicting. I loved Kate Dylan's writing style, the characters, the humor, the romance, it's all perfect. I devoured it in two days and only want more. Highly recommend.

I LOVED this book. I was pulled in right away and didn't want to put it down.

When I first saw this book was compared to Six of Crows, my thought was "ha, okay. Bold claim." But honestly, it does compare in that there are similar high stakes heist with a gang of misfits and fast pacing. The writing was very well done. I've never read anything by Kate Dylan before, but I'm thoroughly impressed. Her use of mesodiplosis is so satisfying to read; the last sentences of the book? Poetry. I loved the characters and their relationships and complexities. Her use of foreshadowing was excellent in that you knew it was foreshadowing something, but, at least personally, not what was actually coming. This played into there being plenty of instances that you knew something was going to happen, but I was surprised by every twist right up until it was about to be revealed.

My one negative critique is that a ton of information about the new magic system is thrown at you right away. At first, I struggled with it, thinking I needed to remember everything or else the book wouldn't make sense. Eventually I figured "it'll either be explained more later or I'll understand this book on a surface level". It was definitely explained multiple times throughout the book, so go into it knowing that you'll be a little confused at the beginning, but it'll make sense later and you don't have to memorize the first few chapters. This is the case with a lot of fantasy books with new/complex magic systems, so it's not really a big complaint, just good to know. In hindsight, the beginning confusion is worth it because the magic used is very unique and interesting and if anything, I now want to explore it more.

Overall, I had a great time with this book. I have seen other reviews hoping for a sequel, but I honestly hope it's a standalone and that we can imagine where the characters go from here. I will absolutely be reading other books by Kate Dylan.

4.5/5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder&Stoughton for gifting an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Red, to control.
Orange, to strengthen.
Yellow, to alter.
Green, to heal.
Blue, to hasten.
Indigo, to foresee.
Violet, to know.

Until We Shatter kept me on the edge of my seat as I followed Cemmy and her misfit friends on the magical heist of the century. Just when I thought I figured out the twist, I was thrown for a loop in the best way. I loved the rainbow concept for magic in this world, although it was a bit hard to fully grasp until later in the book (perhaps this was intentional!). I found the characters lovably flawed and enjoyed following their development- especially Cemmy. Overall this was a positive introduction to Kate Dylan's writing, and I'm looking forward to reading more of her work!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book!

The book could not keep my attention for a moment. It was a struggle to get through this. And that is partially because it was read at an inopportune time.

The magic system is overly complicated and did not help with the struggle, and was especially frustrating due to the shortness of the book. Furthermore, the characters were rather flat.

Disappointing, as I was very excited to read something by this Author.

I love a good heist. The premise for this one seemed really fun, I love unusual magic systems and this one uses elements from colour science to differentiate between different magical classes .

But something didn't quite work for me and I did end up setting this story aside. The world building was engaging but at time overcomplicated and not delivered in the best ways, but I think my biggest issue was with the tone of the writing. I am an adult reader and this is a YA title so this should be considered with my review, but where I think it was aiming for playful it landed more in the realm of immaturity. I unfortunately find it very difficult to connect to characters if the prose is not working well for me, and that was an issue I had with Until We Shatter.

Not a good fit for me, but for readers who are less particular about their prose this one does have a creative premise and very relevant themes.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton, and Hodderscape for this advanced copy. You can pick up Until We Shatter on October 17, 2024.

While I wanted to love this one and get swept away in a world full of color-magic and heists, I'm afraid this story didn't hit the mark. Right away, I was bombarded with info-dumping and over-the-top world-building that slowed the story and took me out of it completely at times. While the premise had potential, the execution of the various Shades and their capabilities was overcomplicated and difficult to keep track of. I felt little connection to Cemmy or her crew, and it felt like the plot forced itself along at times.

This book was just not my cup of tea, but others might get a kick out of it if they enjoy intense fantasy worlds and lots of banter.