So this was my very first audio book and it didn't disappoint..

I'm a fantasy gal and this was giving me all the fantasy 😍

I liked the mystery around Wren's life, what she is, where it came from and the secrets Elodie held.

I loved Finn straight away, he's like a saviour Wren doesn't need but wants.

I can't wait to listen to A kiss of flame

The Vibes: that thing where it's kinda giving Dark Phoenix, instalove, lionheart/chosen one

Heat Index: 5/10

The Basics:

Tempted by the darkness and cut off from her true past, Wren lives in obscurity until knight Finn crashes into her life. His mission is to hunt those touched by shadow—and it's personal. But when circumstances lead Wren to save his life, he's touched by her magic; and inextricably drawn to her. The problem? That could lead to their kingdom's destruction.

The Review:

I don't have a TON to say about this—other than the fact that it kind of reads like it's meant for a younger audience. While the fantasy here is very much present, the world isn't overwhelmingly built. The romance is pretty straightfoward; I would call it instalove. But it's not... annoying, exactly. Finn especially is a charming character. I really enjoy a noble knight who's tempted into darkness by love.

It's inoffensive. The prose is good. I was interested.

But... it's a pretty surface-level book in a lot of ways. It read as a bit YA to me. That's not an insult; I could actually see recommending this as a bridge book for YA readers who want to try something a bit more adult. It reminded me, tonally, of Kendare Blake's Three Dark Crowns series. None of this is bad. It's just not going to keep my attention for very long.

I also didn't really get into Wren. Finn appealed to me a good bit more, and his conflict of like, stridently trying to be good in conflict with his bad dad was a story. Wren... was a chosen one archetype. But dark. Maybe?

That being said—there's a backstory for a pair of... more complicated characters. Who are like, in their forties by the time the book begins. THAT I was into. It was compelling, it was much more complex than whatever Finn and Wren had going on. I think this was where it felt more like I was reading about adults with adult issues (and I was).

The Sex:

You get a bit of sex in this, and it's well-done, if not especially exciting. Again, I feel like you could recommend this to a teen who's trying to dabble in adult romance. It's explicit, but not SCANDALOUS.

So, yeah. Not a dud, exactly, but not really something I would pick up again. I'd recommend it to a specific audience, and I felt like the narration for the audiobook was good!

Thanks to NetGalley and Second Sky for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I listened to the audiobook of A Touch of Shadows and truly enjoyed it. The choice of narrators was perfect. Both the stories of Wren and Finn and of Elodie and Roland was beautifully intertwined. I wished the story had been fleshed out further. I think it would have given it the depth it was missing. There were so many big emotions in the book and it skipped some smaller moments to help with understanding of motivations. With that being said, I will still be looking forward to book 2.

Audiobook ARC review via Netgalley
Rating: 3.5/5 stars (Rounded up to 4 stars)
Narrator: 4/5 stars
Spice: 🌶🌶 (2 chilis/5, open door)

A Touch of Shadows is a good start to a potentially great romantasy series; it just needs more of everything. More world building, more character development, more romance. Initially, I was excited and drawn into the book by its premise. The beginning of the book setup a darker, grittier story, and then, to my disappointment, it just fell away in favour of a fast moving plot and a trope I’m growing tired of reading, shadow magic. The witches were a nice change, and I’m excited to see them making a resurgence in place of the overspent Fae, but again, I was left wanting more.

As for characters, I didn’t find Wren or Finn that compelling. Neither of them has very much character growth or an arc, if any at all, and their romance was questionable. It didn’t help that the pair of them were pale by comparison whenever Wren’s mother or Rolland were present in a scene. At this point I’m more invested in them than I am in the FMC and MMC.

The narrator for the audiobook was pretty good. There were a few moments when the voices she used overlapped between characters, but generally well done.

Overall, a decent book and quick read.

This was a fun and easy romantasy read! The story was really fast paced, and though I had hoped for a bit more world building, I didn’t feel like anything was missing without it. I always skip over the glossary, but in this case definitely could have benefited from reading it ahead of time. Left off on a bit of a cliffhanger so I’m excited to read the next book and see where everything is going with the series!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an arc and listen to the audiobook.

I started with the audiobook, which was narrated fantastically and then moved to the book.

A Touch of Shadows was a decent romantasy read that had some unique magical elements and interesting characters. It may be a good starting point for those new to the fantasy genre, however those who are more experienced may find it lacking in originality and depth. The romance felt a bit rushed and could have benefited from more development, and the plot points sometimes felt blunt and fell short.

Overall, while enjoyable, the book didn't quite hit the mark for me in terms of world-building and character connection.

My house has never been so tidy with all the chores I made up to keep listening to this book. The audio narration is excellent.

If you love romance, lost queens, magic, secrets and mysteries. There’s no slow burn here It’s full on from the beginning with so many twists and turns, can’t wait for book 2. Would love to see more of Roland and Elides story. Only knocked of a star because I wanted to scream at Wren at the end.

★★★☆☆

*A Touch of Shadows* was an enjoyable read with a good narration that really brought the story to life. I appreciated the alternative focus on witches, which was a refreshing change from the many fae-centered books I’ve read lately.

Wren's character development was a highlight, and I’m excited to see what’s next in store for her. The story had potential to be longer with more detail, but I actually found the shorter length to be a nice change of pace.

A Touch of Shadows was a solid read that kept me engaged, and I’m curious to see where the series goes from here.

This was a decent fantasy romance book. I was excited that it’s a bit on the shorter side from similar books in the genre. Though I will say this was a tad of a disservice as we had some world building and relationship building that gets glossed over and we could have used a bit more time developing both. It was a good story with some unique aspects to it. I will likely continue on in the series.

2.5 Stars ✨

Adult Fantasy

Audio Version 🎧 Via Netgalley
Narration 5/5

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced audio copy of A Touch of Shadows, in exchange for an honest review.

This was a decent and easy fantasy read. The plot was fast paced but felt a bit underdeveloped. There is a glossary of sorts at the beginning of the book that explains a few things, but that seemed like a shortcut to not fully explain and actually build the world. I did like parts of the storyline and the characters were ok, but didn’t feel fully fleshed out. Then there was the romance - it was 100 % instalove and I’m more of a slow burn kind of girl. I will say that the instalove was part of the magic system - so I guess it was semi justified. I did like the narrator and thought she did an awesome job. Overall it wasn’t terrible, but I’m not sure if I would continue with the series.

Content ⚠️
-no language
-open door romance (chapter 34)

Unfortunately this is a DNF for myself, purely for the fact I can’t get along with the voice used in the audiobook. I gave it a good go and loved the vibes of what I did hear. I won’t be writing any reviews for this book as it wouldn’t be fair on the author as it is nothing to do with the actual content, just personal preference issue.

I absolutely loved the premise and thought that the plotline of A Touch of Shadows was really interesting, fast paced, and engaging. I can't wait to be able to read the next book because I was definitely not ready to put this one down. My only complaint is that I don't feel like I formed a very strong connection with either of the main characters because the writing seemed to create distance between the characters and my perspective. It was almost as if I was watching the events of the book through a lens, rather than feeling that I was right there amongst the action, which dampened my ability to be completely swept away. I would have also enjoyed a bit more tension between Finn and Wren before giving in to their feelings. I know that Finn contemplated whether the pull he felt towards Wren was due to the way that she healed him or based on true attraction and decided that it was the latter, but I would have really appreciated a more thorough investigation of their feelings or even a little hesitation before giving in to each other. If I had been able to relate to the characters even marginally more than I did, I think this would have been a 5-star read for sure. All of the ingredients were there, and I certainly enjoyed the ride very much. I also felt that the narrators did an outstanding job and their performances perfectly complemented the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Second Sky for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was actually pleasantly surprised by this book, and agree with many of the other reviewers here that it would be a great entry into Romantasy for anyone not versed in the genre.

That said, this book has more fantasy than romance, and unfortunately the fantasy aspect isn’t fully developed. I craved more world building, and more information regarding the magic system. For such a short book, I feel like this could have easily been added.

As for the romance, it is love at first sight, which isn’t my favorite trope but it is done well here. The author made this believable, despite the inherent unbelievability of the trope. The chemistry was on point, and I will always love a simp.

Overall, this was a good and I would recommend to anyone new to the Romantasy genre.

Narrator: 4.5/5
Story: 4.25/5 rounded down
Spice: 2 (Spice is super subjective)

This book lost me once or twice and then quickly brought me right back in. The story had several twists you saw coming and one or two you did not. Our FMC really learns who she actually is in this book and I cannot wait to see her grow more in future books. I loved seeing her not just be helpless the whole book. If you're on the fence about this series, pick up the audiobook. It's amazing.

I loved the plot of this book. The story is fast paced and captivating. You are instantly immersed into the plot but it does not take away from it. The glossary in the beginning of the book comes in really handy to figure things out. I listened to it on audio and really loved the narrator Helen Keeley, her work to make characters come to life is immaculate in this one.
What did not work for me is the insta-love trope, I find that I do not buy it and prefer more of a slow-burn story. Magic system explanation and world building were a little lacking to my taste.
Overall it is an easy read that I enjoyed, I was still hooked by the story having finished it in two days and after the cliffhanger in the end am very tempted to continue this series.

Wren has been protected and raised by her mother away from the town to keep her magical skills hidden. They seemed safe but no longer. Wren meets Finn and this leads to them being attacked and she is forced to use her magical power to save him. Now they are being hunted. Enemies from Ilanthus are coming to Asteroth and they want to capture Wren and kill Finn.

Excellent well written and well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook). Great characters in this adventurous, well paced novel. Magic, creatures, knights, a king and a lost queen will keep the action going. Can love overcome the dangers and hardships they must face and can Wren be happy? Read to find out.

This book started really strong, I was hooked by chapter one and I read the first half of the book in half a day. The world and magic were easy to understand and the characters were super likeable.
Around 50% the story started to slow down and there was a lot of dialogue with the panicky damsel in distress FMC which I didn’t vibe with. I read to the end and enjoyed the rest of the first book although I feel like some fluff could have been removed from the middle.
I really enjoyed the narration on this audio copy, they were engaging not monotone or dry.

Thank you NetGalley and SecondSky for the advanced listening copy!

I was not a fan of the narrator her voice sounded very flat and made all the characters sound the same making me want to DNF the audiobook 6% into the book. The story has a slow start and I could not care about any of the characters.

I really liked this book. Loads of magic and darkness. Instant love and chemistry between the FMC and MMC. The plot is captivating and keeps you engaged.

My only complaint is the book is very rushed. There is very little world or character building. We’re kind of just thrown into everything!

l really enjoyed this read. The narrator did well to develop a persona for each of the characters and l was able to clearly imagine the story as it unfolded. The settings was lovely and l enjoyed the idea of a world where magic and romance coincided that allowed our main character Wren to begin figuring out her identity and who she should truely trust.

With elements of surprise and so many new people, Wren doesnt know who to turn to.

Finn and Wren's romance was love at first sight and l am intrigued to see how they grow together with the magic and plot reveals. Almost like Romeo and Juliet as they are both from warring sides though Finn chooses to be good and l think it is Finn that anchors Wren and this romance will play a huge part in Wrens character development to warrior and witch.

The cliffhanger at the end has hooked me in and l want to know more, It was a beautiful touch that will clearly see the story become more in-depth and chaotic for our characters.

Reccommend to anyone who has a love for Fantasy Romance books and want to try something new.