Touch of Shadows is a dark and immersive fantasy that masterfully blends magic, mystery, and complex characters. The story draws you into a richly imagined world where shadows hold secrets and power comes at a cost. With atmospheric writing and a gripping plot, it explores themes of trust, betrayal, and identity, all wrapped in a slow-building tension that keeps you hooked. Perfect for readers who enjoy layered storytelling with emotional depth and a touch of danger, Touch of Shadows delivers a compelling journey without revealing its twists.

Book: A Touch of Shadows
Author: Jessica Thorne
Series: The Lost Queen, #1
Book Length: 321 Pages
Publisher: Second Sky
Overall Rating: 4 Stars
Blog Rating: 4 Stars

This book centers on MMC whose name is Finn and is a Knight and employed by the kingdom. His main objective is to hunt down witches using shadow magic. However all his training and weapons can’t help him when he is charged by heinous monsters in the forest near Wren’s village.

Wren is the FMC and had to save this braw Knight. She knows it will reveal her hidden magic and put her in jeopardy, however she also finds herself desiring this swoon worthy man. Are these feelings genuine or is it just the shadow magic making her feel this way?

Finn and Wren both are extremely attracted to one another but both know her magic is very dangerous in the dark. He does not believe he was attacked on a wim but was singled out as a target for a specific reason.

Shall Finn and Wren surrender to their true desires for each other, will they destroy their world and everything and everyone they know? Will they ever truly trust each other and open their hearts? Read and find out their fate!

🖤Shadow Magic✔️
🖤Enemies to Lovers✔️
🖤Hunter✔️
🖤Fated Mates✔️
🖤True Love✔️
🖤World Building✔️
🖤Character Building✔️
🖤Magic System✔️
🖤Secrets✔️
🖤Romantasy✔️
🖤Rapunzel Retelling✔️
🖤Slow Burn✔️
🖤Original✔️

This is the first book in the The Lost Queen Series and my first book by this author. I am excited and anxious to see where this story goes. It is an adult Rapunzel retelling with a fun enemies to lovers story with a slow burn romance. This book is more romance than fantasy in my opinion but still a very fun read which I recommend.

Disclaimer: Thank you to Second Sky publishers, and the author Jessica Thorne. I voluntarily agreed to do an honest, fair, review and blog through netgalley. All words, thoughts, ideas are my own.



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This book could have used 20,000 more words of JUST worldbuilding, I had a good time but didn't feel like the world had enough meat on it.

Wanted to love it but it fell short for me. The world building wasn’t what I look for in a fantasy romance but I will say that made the reading a bit easier. It was a good quick read though!

I wanted to love this one, I really did. The premise was intriguing, but the world building overall felt underdeveloped and I had a hard time getting into it. I wish the magic system was more thoroughly explored as well. The insta-love also just didn't do it for me!

A Touch of Shadows is the first book in a new series. I felt like this was a Rapunzel retelling but I didn't see anywhere that actually states that it is. Magic, young girl taken to a far place to live in a tower with a witch. Saves boy from the scary woods and here there is instalove/instalust. This was a fast read and it did keep moving but there are pieces that still need flushed out and maybe that will happen in the second book. Good just not great.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very interesting fantasy novel. I really enjoyed the magic system in this book and loved how different it was. I loved the multiple points of view in the book as it really added a lot to the story as a whole and had me guessing what would happen next. I really loved Wren and Finn, they were such great characters.

A Touch of Shadows pulled me in from the very first page with its atmospheric setting and an intriguing premise centered around forbidden magic, hidden identities, and the power of choice. Wren’s story, rooted in mystery, bound by secrets, and charged with a slow-burning tension, was compelling and refreshingly unique.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Wren and Finn. Their chemistry felt authentic, especially as it grew stronger with each use of Wren’s magic. The magic system itself, tied to Wren’s hair and her identity, was beautifully symbolic and added emotional weight to the story. And as truths about Wren’s past unraveled, I found myself even more invested in how she would rise to face what had been kept from her.

There’s a great balance here between character-driven emotion and external stakes, especially once the threat from Ilanthus becomes clear. The pacing was solid, the writing lyrical without being overdone, and the romance had just the right edge of danger.

A true slow burn!

While the beginning was slow and I think the world could use some additional fleshing out, the mystery, magic and romance were great and kept me not only engaged but eager for more. The ending had an unexpected twist and i’m excited for book 2!

THAT ENDING!?
I need book two like now! I am absolutely obsessed with Finn and Wren. And definitely loved the adventure this book took me on. I would have never guessed any of the twists that were thrown my way and I seriously am so excited to read more.

Overall I really enjoyed this book! The slowburn romance was delicious and the mystery element was wonderful.
The beginning of the book felt slow to me however the payoff was worth it. And while the world building felt like it could be a little more fleshed out, it didn’t detract from the overall story. I am excited to add this book to my personal bookshelf.

A Touch of Shadows is a beautifully written, atmospheric fantasy with a perfect blend of magic, mystery, and slow-burning romance. Jessica Thorne draws readers into a world that’s both haunting and enchanting, with a heroine you’ll root for and secrets that keep you turning the pages. A captivating read from start to finish.

This book embodied a slow burn romance. Tangled lies and truths, love and fear, dark and light. Jessica Thorne captured the adventure of a young woman whose past was unknown to her, her present assumed from the woman who raised her, Elodie. Having lived an outcast most of her life, when Wren met Finn her life was turned on its head. Finn, a member of a group Elodie always told her to avoid, but a man Wren was pulled to by forces she could not comprehend. The lust between them shone through the story from the moment they met. While it simmered at times, their desire for each other was red hot, culminating in a pages-long scene that left the reader desiring to read more about their entanglement. I was very pleased with this book and truly want to know what happens next, as the end of the book leaves a potential disaster hanging in the mind of the reader (AGH cliffhanger!)

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

The story was there but it was more of a light read. I love fantasy books but was disappointed by the lack of depth and complexity that usually engages readers.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
.5🌶️

I’m not gonna lie, the first half of this book was SLOW. Like REEEEEEALLY SLOOOOOOW. It made me consider even dnf’ing around 35%. But I pushed myself to continue and I’m so glad I did 🥹

Man, the story was just so good. There were so many little mysteries that had me intrigued. Wren’s hair? Eloide’s identity? Finn’s family? Nox? Aurum? So many questions.

This was so interesting though!!!! After that slow beginning, it really held my attention and I couldn’t put it down.

I had so many words to say about this book but none of them are doing it any justice so let me just say that I loved it and I’m ready for book 2 🥹

Thank you so much to Forever for the ARC of this book! 🫶🏻

3.75⭐️ rounded ⬆️

“We are witchkind. We will live free or die.”

The prologue of A Touch of Shadows was so well written. It did the perfect job of locking me into this story. I was immediately invested in Wren and the magics of this world. Jessica Thorne crafted beautifully immersive scenes of the heroines using their power & I loved how she described them pulling for the shadows or using the power of the light. Complete with a forest of things you don’t want to encounter, the atmosphere was delicious!

This is the perfect book for someone just jumping into fantasy or readers looking for a book lighter on the world building without missing the foundation of a great plot. A Touch of Shadows fit perfectly into breaking up a larger fantasy series I’ve been working on & I was so appreciative of that! It was a quick, highly enjoyable read and I can’t wait to read the next installments!

Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book. It was like an Rapunzel retelling but with her hair needing to be kept short to control the magic.
I enjoyed the story and by the end the characters had really grew on me.
The relationship between Finn and Wren was not explored enough.
The magic system was a little confusing to follow.
All in all I enjoyed the book and would read the next in the series.

This is for Romantasy fans that are looking for a quick and easy on the brain read. It was good, well-written and developed plot. I didn’t feel sucked in pasted the prologue and felt like it was giving a lot of telling and not enough showing. If you are looking for a quick read with all of the best fantasy romance elements, shadows, politics, romance, multiple POVs, then you’re in the right place.

A Touch of Shadows had a really intriguing premise – the idea of a hidden world accessed through paintings, and the exploration of art and memory, was something I was genuinely excited about. Unfortunately, the execution just didn't quite live up to the potential.

While the world-building was interesting in theory, the pacing felt off. It lurched between moments of frantic action and long, drawn-out explanations, making it difficult to maintain a consistent sense of engagement. The dialogue also felt a bit stilted and unnatural at times, which made it hard to connect with the characters. It's a shame, because the core concept was so promising, but the story ultimately fell a little flat.