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.

Okay this book, this book guys soooo good. It has magic, romance, mystery, found family, action. This book truly sucks you into the world and takes you on a ride. I could not put it down, i read it at every chance i had. I loved the innocence Wren had but also so aware of the world around her I also love the subtle Rapunzel similarities. Jessica Thorne definitely knew what she was doing i want to devour the entire series.

I really liked this story but I did have a really hard time getting into. I liked the characters and some of the world building. The structure and pacing of the book was good too.

If your looking for a quick breeze of a book this is it!
A good start if your looking to dip your toes into romantasy!
The romance was a little to instalove for me personally.
This would be a great read to bring along on vacation.

I really enjoyed this book! A great start to a series, and held my attention from the beginning, which is hard to do. The amount of world building along with mysteries and secrets easily kept me hooked.

This story follows Wren, who has been raised by Elodie, a mysterious woman who is more than just a hedge witch. Elodie has hidden Wren away in the forest. Witch hunters come looking for them, separating the pair. Wren finds handsome Finnian Ward and begins a journey to find Elodie with him. A strong story of good vs evil.

It does end on a cliffhanger, which is to be expected with the first of 3 books. I'm excited to dig more into Wren's story.

This was such a good book. The magic and mystery of this book were interesting. I loved the characters and the fact that the main characters are witches that turn out to be so much more. Wren is such a strong female character and the things she can do are amazing. Finn is an interesting character that you like right from the start. I can't wait to read book two as this was such a great book and ends with some questions.

"A Touch of Shadows" is a quick romantasy read.
I really wanted to get like this book, but I felt like the structure of the book was lacking. The character development wasn't there, and the world building was a bit chaotic. Definitely felt like the storyline was rushed. I wished this wasn't an instant romance as well.

I tried really hard to get into this one, but I couldn't. From the description, I was excited for the Rapunzel retelling but the plot wasn't really going anywhere and the world felt really underdeveloped.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever for an ARC of this title.

RATING BREAKDOWN
Characters: 2⭐
Setting: 3⭐
Plot: 2⭐
Themes: 2⭐
Personal Enjoyment: 2⭐
Total Rounded Average: 2.25 ⭐

A Touch of Shadows is a fantasy romance and a loose Rapunzel retelling, blending forbidden magic with a high-stakes magical quest. Wren, a young witch with dangerous powers, must navigate a world that fears her while forming an unexpected connection with Finn, a knight sworn to destroy magic like hers. The premise is compelling, blending romance, mystery, and magic, but the execution didn’t fully meet its potential.

Wren was an engaging protagonist, but the male characters felt underdeveloped, making it harder to connect with them. The multiple POVs disrupted the flow, and I found Wren’s perspective the most compelling—sticking with her alone might have created a stronger, more immersive experience.

The magic system, while intriguing, lacked clarity, leaving me more confused than intrigued by the end. A bit more depth in this area would have made the world-building much stronger.

The pacing was another challenge. The story didn’t fully pick up until the halfway point, making the first half feel slower than necessary. By the end, I wasn’t sure this needed to be a trilogy; a standalone or duology might have told the story in a more concise and impactful way. There were also quite a few lingering questions that left me feeling unsatisfied rather than eager for the next book.

Overall, while this book had a creative premise and some engaging moments, it didn’t fully click for me. I can see how it might appeal to readers who love atmospheric fantasy romance, but unfortunately, it wasn’t my favorite

Overall I enjoyed the book, I will say the pov jumping was hard to follow but I kept yearning for more of Fins pov.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. It did feel a little slow and maybe a little confusing as well in terms of the magic system for the first 30-35% but then something clicked for me and was hooked! Next thing I knew I was at 75% and then the day after that, finishing it!

I appreciated having a fantasy book that wasn’t 500+ long, but I do feel like a little bit more could have been fleshed out earlier on regarding the differences between the light and dark magic earlier on. Not necessarily what the magic is doing to Wren because that’s still kind of a mystery/I think we’ll find out about that as she figures it out, but just some history earlier on about particularly what “the nox” is. Maybe there’s something I somehow missed or don’t recall being earlier, but I realized I didn’t fully understand the historical backgrounds of the nox and aurum.

Also, the romance felt a bit forced; I don’t know if what happened towards the beginning with the magic is kind of a play on forced proximity (like the magic forcing feelings on one another). I am looking forward to book 2 to see their relationship hopefully develop a bit more and would love to see more character growth as well, particularly from Wren! Overall, I liked it and will likely read book 2 when available!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Jessica Thorne for an eARC of this book!

A suspenseful fantasy wrought with dark deceptions, assassins, witches and witch-hunters, shadowy evil entities, mounting desires, secrets, and the threat of war.

. Political Fantasy Romance
. Slow Burn
. Shadow Magic
. Hidden Identity
. Forced Proximity
. Dark & Light

Wren was no ordinary girl, she had hair that seemed to flow as if it had a life of its own. She could feel the song of the darkwood singing to her, like the darkness calling. Elodie, the only mother she had ever know, who posed as the town healer, had programmed into her from a very young age to hide what she was, what she could do, and to never venture into the darkwood. But she didn't know why, she didn't know a lot of things, as her mother withheld their past from her.

"... the past... the past was dangerous. Secrets needed to be kept." (pg 63)

A stranger came to town, Finn, a hard stoic soldier. Enchanted by Wren, he became her unlikely defender. But he, too, had secrets. They were forced into an alliance as they fled from dark and dangerous pursuers.

Catapulted into the middle of a policital intrigue and a stalking darkness and burning light, the secrets of the past came down upon them. Secrets, magic, and an enticing attraction that could forever change their lives or cause their deaths and destruction.

There was a lot of inner conflict for Wren, she struggled, even when presented with little to no choice. Lessons were hard learned and hard met, but despite whatever she faced she did it with admirable determination and did what she thought was the right thing to do. Loved that for her. Hoping to see how her relationship with Finn develops and how their lives unfold through the next 2 books in the series.

4.33 (~4)🌟