The audiobook of this was fantastic! Book 1 of a new series "The Legacy," this is an urban fantasy with slow burn romance and morally grey characters. Fans of Bonds that Tie series are going to love this.

Thank you to NetGalley for this audio eARC in exchange for my honest review.

🌟Book Review: "A Shift in Shadows" by Maddox Grey
🌟Series: Lost Legacies, Book 1
🔮Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Series
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

"A wicked feline shifter. A cruel warlock. And a dark secret that can devour worlds." Maddox Grey’s "A Shift in Shadows" opens the door to a dark and magical world where love, revenge, and forbidden powers intertwine in an explosive fantasy adventure.

💖 Why You'll Love It:
🖤 Dark and Gripping: The story dives deep into themes of betrayal, love, and the battle between light and dark. The emotional stakes are high, making every page a thrilling experience.
🐾 Morally Grey Characters: Fans of complex, morally grey characters will find themselves drawn to this cast. The protagonist’s struggle with her forbidden power adds a compelling layer to her character.
💔 Forbidden Love: The tension between the protagonist and Sebastian, combined with the slow-burn connection with Andrei, creates an emotionally charged love triangle that will keep readers hooked.
⚔ Epic Fantasy Vibes: Set in a richly woven world filled with magic, shifters, and dark secrets, "A Shift in Shadows" delivers all the elements of a classic urban fantasy while adding a fresh twist.

🎯 Perfect For:
✨Fans of urban fantasy with dark, emotional undertones.
✨Readers who love strong, flawed heroines battling inner demons.
✨Anyone looking for a fantasy series filled with complex characters and epic stakes.

📚 Step into this dark fantasy world and let the shadows draw you in. Happy reading! Thanks to @Netgalley for the #ALC

#MaddoxGrey #AShiftInShadows #LostLegacies #ParanormalFantasy #BookReview #UrbanFantasy #DarkFantasy #ForbiddenLove #MoralGreyCharacters #FantasyLovers #ShifterRomance #ReadersOfInstagram #IGReads #InstaBooks #Bookstagram #Bookstagrammer #BookstagramCommunity #Netgalley

A Shift in Shadows is a solid first book by Maddox Frey in the Lost Legacy series.

Nemain, our FMC feline shifter, was kidnapped, rescued and now she deals with PTSD and nightmares. People die around her and she’s been alive for hundred of years. She’s being tracked down by Sebastian, a warlock who used to be her lover. Now she’s with a Werewolf, and wanting revenge.

This book has very careful world building and explanations to the magical system in which this story takes place. It blends elements of Greek Mythology with more Urban Fantasy elements. It takes a while to get through this part of the book, but the world building is beautiful.

It can be a little slow in the middle, but I finished this book in 2 days. The Narrator did a great job at capturing multiple character’s personalities and emotions.

I would recommend this book for an easy fantasy read.

This was a quick paced book that I couldn’t put down and finished quite quick! Filled with morally gray characters and an enemies to lovers I enjoyed the characters. Found it to be a slow burn that I kept wanting to know what will happen next. Favourite character is Jinx and can’t help but wanting one my own!

Audience: Adult
Plot: 3 out of 5
Characters: 3 out of 5
Spice: 🌶️ out of 5
Keywords: Urban Fantasy, Shifters, Feline Shifters, Werewolves, Vampires, Fae, Magic, Strong FMC
Tea Pairing: Cranberry Earl Grey by Plum Deluxe – classic with a sharp bite

I received a copy of this audiobook through NetGalley from Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op . Thank you!

In this Urban Fantasy, we are introduced to Nemain, a tough 300+ year old female feline shifter, who has a pretty big secret – she can open gateways to other realms. This power is something that all the other magical beings in the realms would love to possess or destroy.

Nemain is definitely a morally gray character – which is quite refreshing since a lot of novels feature a morally gray MMC. I really appreciated how Nemain was mindful in giving Andrei, her werewolf love interest, a choice in how much of her world he was willing to accept. I felt that there was a lot of respect for the characters’ decisions in those scenes.

This novel is very heavy on the action fight sequences, which made it feel like a Hollywood action movie. I thought that was very fun, and made for a pretty entertaining read.

Overall, I thought this was a pretty decent read. I did primarily listen to the audiobook, which was narrated by Krys Janae. I really liked her as a narrator – she read with expression, changed her voice and tone to accommodate for what was written on the page. For example, she whispered when the words on the page were whispered. I have noticed that not all narrators do this, as I am a big audiobook listener, so when it’s done I really appreciate it. I am unsure if Krys Janae has narrated other books in this series, but I would recommend her as a narrator.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

**Dark, Gripping, and Unforgettable!**

"A Shift in Shadows" by Maddox Grey is an intense and thrilling urban fantasy that kept me hooked from start to finish. Krys Janae’s narration perfectly captures the tension and emotion of the story, bringing the fierce and complex characters to life. The blend of dark magic, revenge, and a slow-burning romance makes this a must-listen! Absolutely loved every minute.

A Shift in Shadows by Maddox Grey and urban fantasy that follows Nemain, the fmc. She is a 300+ year old feline shape shifter who struggles with PTSD as she tries to live her life and get her revenge on the one who hurt her. I loved several of the unique characters in this book but Nemain was definitely my favorite. She goes on such a hard journey, mentally and physically, and shows so much growth throughout the story. I liked how diverse her group of friends were. The world was pretty cool and full of supernatural creatures. Vampires, fae, mermaids, demons, shapeshifters, and more. The plot was a little slow for my taste but the cliffhanger ending does leave me excited to read the next one. The audiobook was perfect. Krys Janae did an amazing job at bringing the world and characters to life.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

“A Shift in Shadows” offers an engaging blend of dark fantasy and suspense, centering on Nemain, a feline shapeshifter on the run from powerful enemies. The audiobook’s narration effectively captures the tension and urgency of Nemain’s situation, though the pacing can feel uneven at times. The world-building is immersive, and the story is packed with intriguing characters, but some of the plot twists are predictable, and the stakes don’t always feel as high as they should. Overall, it’s a solid listen for fans of the genre, but it may not stand out among similar titles.

I started off a bit unsure about this. There were a lot of characters and classes to remember. However it's a gripping story. I think i would of enjoyed it more as a physical book. So I could go back to check things I'd maybe forgotten.. but thats just personal reference. I ended up feeling the narrator wasn't always right she sounded very clinical... which made the spicy scenes a bit uncomfortable imo and made some parts lack excitement. Again that's just personal preference.

DNF at 54% - I really wanted to give this book a chance but I found it not only boring, but I also didn’t enjoy the narration.

3.5 ⭐️ Urban fantasy with shifters, werewolves, vampires, fae, witches, warlocks, gods, and a ton of other creatures.

The FMC is a morally grey feline shifter with weird magic that she has no idea where it comes from. There’s a lot of grief as she is avenging an old lovers death.

There’s a lot of mystery elements in the plot where our characters are trying to figure things out.

Overall I’d still continue the series to see what this crew of misfits gets into next.

Adiobook review:🎧 The narrator was good my only thing is she read a bit slow and like the pauses in between were a bit long for my ADHD brain but that's nothing that changing the speed to 2.5x couldn't fix.

A Shift in Shadows (Audiobook)
By Devin Madson


Nemain is a feline shapeshifter with secret magic she must keep hidden to protect her and everyone she loves in the human realm and beyond. Her former lover Sebastion, a warlock, is trying to track her down and is hot on her trail with the help of the vampires. Neimain must fight to keep her magic a secret. If the fae and demons find out they will kill her.


This book has it all fae, vampires, mermaids demons, werewolves, witches, and unique magic systems, and don’t forget found family. The narrator was not my favorite but did not make me stop listening. More character development for Adrian needs to happen in the next book. I was unsure while reading if it was a series I would continue with however by the end I knew I would, and then the epilogue delivered some interesting information.

Fast paced with a lot going on. Characters felt pretty one dimensional and were hard to get attached to. I love the idea behind this one, but wish it would have been more fleshed out.

The narrator was also very monotone and I don't think it did this book any favors

Thank you NetGalley and Maddox Grey for the ARC of A Shift in Shadows!! I thoroughly enjoyed this story! From the plot to the characters to the love interest!! I look forward to the next installment of this series!!!

I really struggled to get into this book and as such struggled to follow along and really get into the story. Nemain is a feline shapeshifter, which was fun because I haven't read a lot of fantasy with feline shapeshifters. I I really enjoyed her interacations with Sebastian and really felt the tension from their past and how they were twined together! I found the writing was more tell-y than showy which doesn't necessarily bother me but it did take me out of it a bit. I was a bit confused by the world-building and never connected. I think it was more a me thing and perhaps I wasn't in the right mood for an urban fantasy!

Thank you for providing me with an ARC copy of this book. I really enjoyed reading A Shift in Shadows and the audiobook was also excellent. I loved the fact that the author brought together a range of supernatural beings and humans and that the focus was not on humans. The world building was great and I loved that explanations were given as to the magic system and the world/realms they live in without giving too much away and still leaving some things undiscovered for future books in the series. The intertwining of Gods and Godesses and supernatural beings was also really interesting and was done in quite a unique way. All of the characters in the book were so interesting and many of them had their own development arc, not just the main character which I really enjoyed. The storyline of revenge and coming to terms with the past was also excellent and executed amazingly. I would love to read the remainder of this series and would 1000% recommend to others who like urban fantasy/different realms/chosen family/ powerful beings/ cool magic systems/ interaction between different supernatural beings.

Neman once loved Sebastián but now she is in fear of him. The warlock is hunting her and is a threat to those she cares about. Nemain has skills and magic that remain unknown but suspected, making her capture invaluable. Can she escape and survive to live her life?

Enjoyed this well written and well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook). Strong and complex characters battling to avoid capture and possible death. Vampires, werewolves, warlocks, witches, mermaids and humans. Complicated lives interact in this well paced, adventurous novel. Look forward to book two.

This book has it all! Mermaids, werewolves, feline shifters, vampires, witches, warlocks, fae, and greymalkin all have their place in this book. There is a lot of worldbuilding with the various characters, settings, magic traits, etc. That is always something that a good fantasy author needs. With this being the first book of the series, I did find it slightly overwhelming trying to keep up with who is who just due to the sheer number of characters introduced. That said, I have absolutely fallen in love with the greymalkin! I hope we see so much more from them throughout the rest of the series! I want my very own Jinx at this point. Lol!

Format-wise, I listened to this book on audio, and found it to be really well done. The narrator did a good job. It would be cool if this series could make it big enough to get a full-cast audio version as I think it would help with some of the character recognition. My biggest complaint regarding listening on audio is that I wasn’t able to look back to see what a character’s abilities were or try to remember which race/classification they belonged to. It is also a bit difficult when it comes time to leave a review and I realize I don’t even know if Jinx is spelled with an x or a k or a ck (thanks other reviewers for including names - hope you spelled them right lol).

Overall, I would give this 4 stars. I found the book interesting and it kept me engaged throughout. I definitely think I will continue reading the rest of the series. 😊

🧚🏻A huge thanks goes out to NetGalley, the publisher, and author, Maddox Grey for providing me with a free audiobook version in exchange for my honest review.

I think I would have enjoyed this more as an ebook or physical book. The audio just wasn’t doing it for me. I felt lost most of the times and just got really irritated with the FMC. She was all over the place and there were so many side plots and diversions that it was distracting. I think it has potential but it lacked a lot of explaining of the world, supernatural creatures etc.

This was very well done. This is the first book in a series and it immediately draws you in and keeps you going throughout this whole story. The concept of how these mythical creatures came to be on planet earth is very well done and I really enjoyed it and very much look forward to hearing more about this world and these characters.!