In one word: intense! It starts from the very first chapter pretty much throughout the whole story until the last page.

From rainbow magic fairies as a kid to rainbow magic heists as a teen, I think I've finally come full circle in my rainbow magic reading.

YA fantasy heists are usually my favorite kinds of books, so it comes as no surprise that I also really enjoyed Until We Shatter. My favorite part, though, had to be the magic system and the worldbuilding. I'm a huge fan of religious themes, especially when they deal with zealotry, so I was vibing with the themes in this book. I also LOVE magic systems with pretty visuals and aesthetics, so I adored the color-coding systems and also the visual of shattering.
This story takes place in a world where there are shades (basically full-blooded magic people) and hues (half-blooded magic people who everyone hates). Cemmy is a Bronze hue who works with a team of other hues to steal a mysterious object from the clergy. I thought the pacing was pretty quick, and while there was only one major heist, I appreciated the tiny tension scenes throughout. I predicted most of the main plot twists, but I was mostly guessing from vibes and I think they were still well done. My only issue is that the slower pace in the middle left me a little bored, as did some of the misunderstanding tropes, but I still enjoyed the story.
I also appreciated the found family vibes in this book. Cemmy's complicated relationships with Novi, Chase, and her mother made her an intriguing character, and I enjoyed her narration. Novi wasn't my favorite, but I enjoyed seeing her interactions with Lyria. Ezzo and Eve were cute too. As far as Chase goes, I was intrigued by his backstory, but I wasn't a huge fan of his personality (just because he felt a bit tropey), although I still liked him. I thought the villain was interesting as well, and I'm kind of sad that this is a standalone because I think his evilness would have been very intriguing to see in a series.
Until We Shatter is a fast-paced YA fantasy novel filled with found family vibes, colorful magic, and plenty of plot twists that will appeal to fans of heists of all kinds.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

3.75/5

After hearing one of my favorite authors talk about this book, I became curious and requested it on Netgalley. I always love me a good heist fantasy. Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this eARC!

In Cemilla’s world, magic comes in the form of colors. Those exist within the blood of magicians, which are called Shades and are being persecuted by the Church. This makes life harder for Cemmy, who was born as an illegal Hue from a Shade mother and a normal father, which means she has to stay hidden from the church and other Shades at the same time. This is why she has to steal in order to buy the life-saving medication for her mother, even if it means risking death by shattering while she uses her magical gift. Then, out of desperation, she accepts a highly dangerous job: a heist so impossible that it seem to be a suicide mission for her and her friends.

This is certainly a very unique heist story. The setting itself is enough to become a fascinating backdrop for the plot. The world-building, especially the concept of the Gray, the shadows and the shattering, are introduced early on and illustrate how this complex world works well enough. I did lose the overview over all the colors and their gifts, but that wasn’t an issue, fortunately. All the important bits were emphasized enough for me to follow along.

The characters all seem well built. It did stand out to me that they tend to make stupid decisions, but I was always aware that they are traumatized teenagers, and I can easily forgive them for that. At least to me, the characters’ and especially Cemmy’s shortsightedness felt natural. Cemmy also starts out with an anxiety disorder that she tries to overcome. I appreciated the way it was depicted and handled!

In the middle of the character constellations stands the found family of Cemmy’s friend group. Every character there has complex relationship to the others, which felt very authentic and a bit messy in some cases. These friendships are put to the test through the plot, which creates an interesting groundwork for the heist.

Aforementioned heist doesn’t take place until the end of the book, but the plot does not become boring because of it. The preparations for the main theft come with lots of action, intelligence gathering and smaller cons. On top of that, Cemmy tries to break off from their employers, which is hard because of her attraction to one of them. This romance is full of mistrust and the baseless hope that their relationship could be real and not just part of all the mind games. I surprised myself by liking it and the effect it has on the main story.

All in all, once I readjusted to reading for a teen audience, I enjoyed Until We Shatter immensely. It is an excellent fantasy novel with creative world-building, complex characters and a suspenseful heist with lots of twist. I couldn’t recommend it more!

"A wise man will happily live in a house built with magic; a jealous one would rather light a match and burn it to the ground."

Thank you to NetGalley & Hodderscape for having provided me with a digital ARC of this much awaited book, coming out this October.
I started reading "Until we shatter" by Kate Dylan expecting a heist fantasy targeted to a YA audience, with predictable exploits and already-seen relationships between the characters.
Boy was I wrong.
Narrated in first person, we follow the ordeals of Cem, a Half Shade - meaning she was born from a Full Shade and a typic, someone who bears no magic. In this universe, magic depends on color: seven shades, seven powers, and a lot of mixing up with atypical conformations when a Hue and a typic come together and have a child: something the Council, those who are responsible for the magic beares in a city where the Church goes to extreme lenghts in order to eradicate magic itself, is extremely against, since it's believed that Half Shades will drain the Gray - the source of magic - of its power and weaken all magic users.
Cem and her friends, a found family of Half Shades, will be caught against their will in something bigger than them: a power they have never encountered, all of them reunited in order to steal something from the Church, blackmailed by a Rogue Shade who has plans - evil plans - for whatever it is they're going to steal, and his assistant, a fascinating Gold who looks all to familiar to Cem.
Then come the revelations, the secrets, the twists and turns of friendships and love and trust, all written and described with extreme expertise: I never had the impression the these characters, all more or less in depth, were acting differently from what their age would expect them to act. They are irresponsible, they make mistakes, they hold grudges and forgive themselves: initially I was afraid the MC would be the usual girl who trips on her own feet and does everything wrong for the sake of cute clumsiness, but no. Cem is hiding something, but she also does everything she can, with some help from her friends, to overcome her trauma not only in order to heal herself, but mostly to become an useful asset for her friends as she once was, before everything went wrong.
The worldbuilding in this story is not that original: magic and colors have always come in pair, and the setting of outcasts fighting against bigotry and power is also something fantasy readers are all to familiar with.
BUT, and this is a big BUT, guess what? It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter because the characters are imbued with the worldbuilding, the powers, their feelings against the authority, and their thoughts and consequent actions are what really make the story move forward with such a natural, pleasant, challenging pace that it doesn't really matter if the worldbuilding isn't something you've never read about (which, I mean, is it still possible in fantasy? To write something 100% new and fresh and original?). Cem is sometimes fun, sometimes insufferable, sometimes naive, as all of the others are, even the one character you believe to be unbreakable until the end.
The writing in first person shows a nice balance between inner monologue and action, never dwelling too much in Cem inner turmoil and doubts. The heist itself is fast paced but not rushed, I mean, what can I say: I think this book is almost perfect, and it will be a huge sensation when it comes out, I just can feel it.
The ONLY thing I couldn't quite wrap my head around was the magic system: I found it to be sometimes too convoluted, kinda hard to follow with the discourse around the Gray and its workings, the different abilities conveyed by the colors and their other atypical formations, but this might be because English is not my first language (I pride myself to have a good grasp of the idiom but hiccups can always occur) and also because I tend to read at night, and being tired is not a great state to be in if you to keep focused on the page.
Well done, Kate Dylan! I can't wait to catch up on your other works and for your pen to dip once again in the fantasy world!

"I was so afraid of losing them, I forgot that love isn't a blaze you feed only by kindling your strenghts. It demands your insecurities, too. It demands faith."

I was gripped from about 10% in until the end. The beginning was an issue for me. I don't like having an onslaught of information from page one. Especially when I'm learning a completely new magic system.
The magic system was explained clearer a few more times so it was unnecessary from page one. I wish I had been eased into this world instead.

I love the concept. I love all the side characters especially Nova. I love the friendship between the group. I hope there is a book two as it feels like the ending isn't concluded.

I thought the romance between her ex was more realistic and passionate. I don't want to give names in case I spoil it. I would have like more romantic scenes between the current romantic interest to build that tension. There seemed to be an equal amount of romantic build-up for the ex and current romantic interests.

This is a book I would buy and read again. The magic system is unique and shows what fear can do to people. I love the way this book can relate to the real world. I would definitely be looking at this authors current books.

I read this book as an e-arc from NetGalley and am very grateful for the chance to read it early! The magic system in this story is brilliant and I loved how well thought out the different terms used were. It took me until around halfway to grasp how the magic worked but I always find that with new systems and I think that once you wrap your head around it, its so fun and the details of different Shades and Hues make a lot of sense.
I enjoyed some of the characters more than others- I loved Cassiel and Novi, but wish we saw more of the found family dynamic and more of Lyria. I would have loved to feel a bit more attached to Eve and Ezzo and even Cemmy's mother. Overall my main (and really only) criticism of the book is that I wish it was longer. I think I didn't care too much for the relationships because I didn't see too much of them, and that more exploration of this tied in with more exploration of how the magic system worked would have been brilliant.
I rated this 3.5 stars and would definitely recommend this as a YA fantasy, its definitely going to be big in the BookTok/Bookstagram communities.

Thanks so much to Hodderbooks and HodderPublicity for the arc!

An incredibly easy and fun read, action packed, the world building that was quickly done and was not overly confusing. Loved to see all the different personalities and powers. Really cool magic system!! I was really happy to see that Dylans writing style evolved from Mindwalker/MIndbreaker. I am looking forward to what she keeps publishing in the future.

To begin with i was just confused, trying to work out what colours were what and how that worked with shades. I was just vibing to begin with i enjoyed the storyline but could not understand the colours. About 20 percent things started to make some sense. I was rooting for Cem and Novi from the beginning. I just didn't feel too captivated by the story which is such a shame as i was really looking forward to this book. I really struggled by about 50 percent the budding potential relationships and the planning in place it just felt slightly flat. i would say at 60 percent i felt fully engaged and was rooting for Cem and chase and Cem and Novi.
Plot twist i did not see coming, so glad i pushed through the last 40 percent of this book DAMN. The plot twist is didnt see coming! Im glad i pushed through as i really enjoyed the last part of this book!

A magical heist with high stakes!.
I adored the magic system and how the characters were built throughout,

It's my favourite trope, slow burn enemies to lovers! & This did not disappoint!

Great diversity which is great to see!

5*

This has been one of my favourite books of the year so far. I’m a fan of Kate Dylan anyway and was particularly excited to see that she was working on a fantasy novel. It did not disappoint.

It took her usual hallmarks of fast paced story telling, compelling characters and snappy dialogue with a really vibrant and well developed fantasy world. The magic system felt fresh and I loved the almost political power dynamics of the church v magical society.

All in all a fun read which packed an emotional punch in the right places. Hope we see more of this world and these characters.


Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing an e-ARC in exchange for a review.

Until we shatter is a fantasy book about a group of misfit thieves trying to perform a heist. The world building and magic system was fantastic but slightly confusing at times. I liked the characters. I do wish more time had been spend on the actual heist because that was what drew me to it in the first place. The colour naming also felt a bit immature. Overall I did enjoy the book

Thank you netgally for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Until We Shatter is a great standalone fantasy novel set in a conflicted world on the brink of all out war. We're introduced to our main character Cemmy and her great band of friends who I came to love.
I will say that I found the world a little confusing at first, especially the magic system, but as I kept reading it was explained in great detail and it was a good world building experience. I came to understand the magic system and respect it for it's uniqueness; I don't think I've ever read anything like it the magic system in this book.

I enjoyed the storyline and the heist of the plot, it was really well thought out and kept me on my toes. There were some great twists and turns that I had no idea were coming! I liked the romance as a sub-plot, but enjoyed more that it wasn't the main plot and just a back story. It brought more depth to the characters and what they were going through.

I would have liked to have learnt more about Cemmy's little gang. I got a liked what I got to learn about them, but would have liked a bit more to help me feel more emotional connected to them.
I also think the whole story happening in a week's timescale is maybe a bit unrealistic... Like did they sleep at all? How did they learn that much control of their magic within a few days? It felt a bit of a stretch.
But these are small criticism, and overall, I really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend it!

5 stars from me. So so good. I loved every single word of this book. So cool and entertaining. The characters were perfectly built and the storyline was immaculate.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I liked the concept and magic system in this book, heists are one of my favorite things to read about and the magic system felt very unique. I also enjoyed the fast-paced narrative and action scenes.

Despite that I will say the actual heist portion of the book was a bit disappointing since it didn’t actually happen until very late in the story. Another thing for me that hindered my enjoyment was how much world-building seemed to be crammed into the first third/fourth of the book, sometimes when it wasn’t even needed. I would have liked to see it in a way that felt less like info dumping and convoluted.

The characters were okay, but they didn’t really stand out in a way that made me super invested in them. The romance also felt like it was just there for me and again, I didn’t hate it but it didn’t stand out.

Overall, I wound up finding this to be a decent book, and I’m sure had I connected to the main characters more I would have enjoyed it more than I did because the premise and magic system are great.

~🄾🅅🄴🅁🄰🄻🄻 🅁🄰🅃🄸🄽🄶: ★ ★ ★ ✰ ✰ ✰~

ARC Book Review: Until We Shatter

Wow, literally such an amazing book, I am truly obsessed… Until we Shatter is a full action packed with an impossible epic heist. This is YA standalone fantasy filled with an amazing and unique magic system. We follow the FMC Cemmy whose existence is under threat as a Hue.

Cemmy and her group of misfit hues are coerced into completing an impossible heist of an object that is draining the magic from their world. The book has such amazing world building, with a world divided by full-blooded magic users the Shades and, Hue’s whose entire existence is illegal as a part-blooded magic user. The magic system takes place in an alternate dimension made of shadows, with each magic user having a different impact on the alternate dimension.

The story is filled with lies, deception and adventure, with relationships made and destroyed. I don’t want to give any more away as it will ruin the magic of this story! But this was a breath of fresh air in a very saturated fantasy genre!

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Key themes:
✨ Unique Magic system
⚔️ Epic heist
🤍 Found family
💫 Betrayal and blackmail

Thank you NetGalley for a ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The magic in this book is amazing! It does take a minute to really grasp all the players (hues, shades, etc - all seem the same to me!) but I was pleased once I started to understand it. The story is unique and I enjoyed the characters although some of the sun characters weren’t as deep as I would have liked to actually feel anything for them.

"If there's one thing I've learned, it's how to ignore the impossible.
Because when you live in a constant state of desperation,
that's just what you do.
You find ways to bend it."

I actually requested this book because I am a huge fan of Six of Crows, and I'm always looking for a book that will give the same vibes.
I have to say, it's pretty close.
I enjoyed the magic system: the presence of shades of colors and different types of magic based on those was interesting, as was the concept of shattering. The fact that the magic system was fully explained in the beginning helped a lot in understanding what was going on later in the book. The found family and friendship between all the characters are amazing. The only thing I missed is the multiple POVs... I always love being able to see how all the characters react to certain events and learn about their pasts and ideas. Even though Cemilla gives us a glimpse of each of her friend's pasts, it still wasn't enough.
Apart from this very small detail, Chase and Cemmy's relationship made it impossible to put down the book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

~ 4.5 ⭐️

I liked it. 4.5 ⭐
Liked it, but I do feel it would be better suited to my teenage daughter and it is described as YA so that does make sense.

I thought it was brilliant to start right in the thick of things, despite the slight info dump, the action of it and explanations in real time made the very complex magic systems much easier to digest.
The hues and the shades make for a very unique world of magic amidst the fantasy genre.The Grey... chefs kiss 🧑‍🍳💋 so unique and captivating.
The stakes are high, the action is packed and it really hooked me. 👏

Cemmy could have been a little more endearing for me. I liked seeing how her past losses and experiences had shaped her in the now but I was feeling like I didn't really love her as my FMC and wanted a bit more.
I was a bit underwhelmed by her relationship with Chase. The history between Cemmy and Novi being much more interesting and real feeling. I definitely felt there could have been more development to Cassiel so he'd be more believable and have more depth; a pitfall of a standalone fantasy novel I suspect.

The found family in this book really shone. Something so many of us can relate to and so wonderfully depicted in Kate Dylan's wonderful writing style, which truly was so smooth and beautiful.

Isitar really felt alive to me; very easy to envision (thanks to Dylan) and utterly mesmerising.

Heists, snake-bitten lovers, betrayal, loss, trust and friendship... definitely worth a read.

This was such a good read!! Action packed and kept me so engaged. Great found family and an amazing heist. It totally lived up to the hype I had for it and one of my favorite authors recommended. Will be recommending it to everyone and also adding to our library.

I really hoped that I was going to like this book especially as it was marketed to fans of Six of Crows but I could not get into this book for many different reasons. To start with, this didn’t feel like a book about a fantasy heist. There was very little about a heist until the end and even that fell flat for me. The heist was something the characters were all forced to do against their will, it was not an epic heist for all their own benefits. The whole book was nearly all miscommunication, lies and betrayals between the characters.

The magic in the book was extremely confusing and overcomplicated. The magic of the main characters was easy enough to remember but the other magic ‘types’ (aka colours) were barely mentioned enough. The reason it was so confusing wasn’t the powers having colour names, but there was shades and hues. Shades being the colours with full powers. The characters that embark on this heist are hues, which are rare and have a strange power because they have only one shade parent. It ended up feeling like a dump of metal, gemstone and colour names that didn’t account for anything.

I didn’t connect with the characters at all, they all felt as though they had very little personality. We have almost no back story for any of them. The protagonist, Cemmy, was more annoying than she was likeable. I couldn’t tell who the love interest was meant to be, she was in love with Novi who broke up with her because she was keeping a secret, so there was potential there for when she was ready to tell her what she had been hiding, but then she randomly decides to get close to Chase one night and tell him this big secret, so that’s basically the end of Novi and Cemmy. She starts getting closer to Chase but then also gets mad at Novi for hanging out with another girl in her apartment. Chase could’ve been a great character but there was so much missing. None of these characters had any chemistry with each other and they all seemed to lack empathy.

In conclusion, the story had a good premise but I could not connect to world or the characters. This book really fell short on what I expected it to be.