⭐ 4 stars

Heists and magical powers? Yes please! My first impression was that there was a lot of information tossed out at you all at once, which makes sense considering the page count and the story the book had to tell, but that does not make it less of an obstacle. Although the beginning of the book slogged a little from how much world-building was thrown your way, it didn't impact the fun once everything picked up and the world was established. This was about 10% of the way through, in my opinion. Then, it was genuinely a blast. I really enjoyed the narrative, the cast of interesting characters, and immersing myself in the atmospheric writing. And who doesn't enjoy a heist? I highly recommend

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC

DNF.

Romantasies are difficult, particularly when you can't see the chemistry/draw, or why the protagonist is noticing how beautiful and lovely someone is.
(also, why is it white blonde x white blonde? they're so "siblings or dating")

While the intial magic system seemed fine enough, the names of the Shades vs names of the Hues-- original magic parent has like, their magic is called Violet or Yellow. Their mixed kid's magic is called Amethyst or Gold, which would lead one to believe the latter is treasured more in the society that clearly places value on gems and metals, but that isn't the case, as their existence is illegal.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC for this book!
This was overwhelming for a 300 pages book. I think the prose was the thing that kept me engaged but even then - I had to skim.
The magic system is over complicated. I think this book would strongly benefit with a magic chart because I couldn’t keep up and I saw that a lot of readers had experienced this as well.
I couldn’t get attached to the characters - depth was lacking on that subject.
The plot twists had major plot holes and some plots were weird to the story… they didn’t quite fit in.
I loved the premise for this and was instantly attracted to this book but it unfortunately didn’t work for me.

Kate Dylan has done it again!
This book had me in a chokehold from the very first page. I adored both the setting and magic system and the real cherry on the top was the character development throughout the plot.

I still don't think I have recovered from Chapter 24 nor will I.

Can't wait for book two!!

⭐️⭐️

As a child born from a magic-wielding mother and a typic father, Cemmy has spent her life on the run. With her mother sickening day by day, she resorts to using her unique brand of magic to steal - even if using it risks her life. But when a powerful Shade blackmails her into pulling off an impossible heist, she will need to learn to trust her magic and her tentative allies.

Thank you to Kate Dylan, NetGalley, and Hodderscape for this advanced copy! This was my first book by Dylan, which surprised me - it kind of felt like a debut. The first 15% was really heavy info dumping, but even after I struggled to follow what was happening. I realized towards the end that it’s because there’s hardly any character blocking! I never knew what the characters were physically doing. 330+ pages of internal monologue, some dialogue, and brief scene descriptions dragged because all I could visualize was the characters just standing in a circle talking. The premise was really cool and the magic system was SO clever and unique, but the execution was just not there for me :(

I really liked the idea of the grey and the in-between magic, the inclusive world, and especially the realistic sense of found family, where everything is not always perfect. I enjoyed reading about a main character with flaws, and who had to deal with the consequences of her flaws.

Until We Shatter was my first time reading Kate's work and I have to say, I was quite impressed! The story was very infesting and kept me hooked throughout. I've seen quite a bit of hype from other reviewers and honestly I can see why!

The characterisation was on point, the world building sucked you in and the plot kept things moving a quick pace, which I loved!

Until We Shatter by Kate Dylan is a standalone adult fantasy about a magical heist with an unique magical system and the acceptance that the world is never fully one thing or another, but rather a series of in-betweens.

In a world divided into the magical and the non-magical, Cemmy is a Hue, a half-shade and desperate thief, who belongs on neither side. Fearing for her mother’s ailing health, Cemmy accepts an impossible heist but soon finds herself in dangers she never would have thought. With the aid of Chase, another half-shade who is as beautiful as he is dangerous, she must succeed in her mission before it’s too late.

I absolutely loved the aspect of found family within the book and I thought Cemmy’s own struggles with her guilt and loyalty were wonderfully done. I think because it was in a first-person POV, I did have a bit of a harder time getting into the narrative and ended up struggling the first couple of chapters to understand the world and magic system as well as adjust to the narrative tone. However, once I did get past this, I breezed through the rest of the book and was engrossed in the characters and story all the way until the very end.

Full of atmospheric storytelling, and plenty of heart, Kate Dylan crafts a captivating narrative and world that will leave you…well, emotionally shattered just as it did with me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodderscape for providing this eArc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own.

A standalone fantasy heist with great characters and an incredibly intriguing magic system, what more do you want?

I absolutely loved this book. From the writing style, to the characters and world building, it was such an enjoyable read. We follow Cemmy along with her friends and some new characters in their journey to doing a heist. I loved seeing the dynamics between the characters, they really felt like people if that makes sense. The magic system is truly interesting and the pacing of the book was great, as well as the writing style.

The representation in this book was great!

4.5 STARS

What an AMAZING fucking ride holy shit. I started Six of Crows and I ended up being in a reading slump so i ended it. After I read the description her a couple months later, I needed motivation to pick it back up so I was hoping this book could do it AND BOY DID IT.
I will be reading SoC here soon but THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING.

(Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.)

So this book follows our MC and her immediate action heist where she needs the money to help her dying mother. Her siblings work but they support out FMC which is rare in fantasy books so go them. Anyways, I can't get too much farther into it without spoiling but IM SO GLAD I PICKED THIS UP!

This book has all the elements you need for a great magical heist adventure.
Unique magic system, well written and flowing plot, banter between characters...however unfortunately I just didnt really gel with it although I cant put my finger on why.
Read if your favourite book is six of crows!

I LOVED THIS ONE SO MUCH!!!! The magic system is chefs kiss, the world building was excepcional and the characters are so lovable 😭❤️‍🩹

The writing hooked me from the beginning and I thought it was SO good!!! For me, the only *mini* flaw in this book was that the author divided the development of the romance too much between her ex and her current romantic interest, but it was still one of the easiest books to rate 5 stars.

I did not go into this read with high expectations and I've no explanation as to why but I was blown away by this read. One of my few five star reads of the year and I'm so incredibly thankful to have received an e-arc of this because I am in awe. Kate Dylan, this was PERFECTION

"I guess that's why they call love the deadliest shade of all."

Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Dylan, and Hodderscape for the E-ARC!

Actual Rating: 2.5/5

When I read the premise to this book, I was really excited to read it. I'm really sad to say that it didn't meet those expectations.

Let's start with some positives though! The magic system and this world are very unique and intriguing. I've never read a book with this sort of magic system. Not only is there a space that only magic wielders can access, the Gray, but depending on your colour, you also have different powers you can use in it. I liked that there was a risk with the use of those powers too, that if you let your guard down for even a second, you would literally shatter. I will be honest that I didn't know the difference between Shades and Hues until well over the half-way point in the book, which kind of hindered some of my reading. I think it must have been explained in the first chapter, but there was such a huge info dump that I must have missed it.

Characters are probably the most important thing to me while reading, so I was pleasantly surprised by a few of them. Lyria was my favourite, her powers and background the most interesting to me. She was just thrown into this situation with a group of people who all know each other and took it in stride. I also liked Chase and trying to figure out what his plans were. I feel like I was mostly right about his character until the end, but he still had me surprised at times.

Unfortunately, unlike the side characters, I really didn't like Cem. Her character was what brought a 4 star book down to a 2.5. She aggravated me to no end. She would always jump to conclusions, and the wrong ones at that, and get mad at other people for them. She barely ever took accountability for her actions. She would always act like she was right and everyone else was wrong, when that was almost never the case. She would lie and yet be mad when other people did. She was jealous when she had no right to be. On top of this, she would constantly throw trauma back into Chase's face whenever she was mad, which was often. Cem had no redeeming qualities to me and made a book with an interesting premise that I was enjoying, to something I didn't want to read because she annoyed me so much.

Overall, I do think if the author came out with another book in this world (with a different main character), I would be intrigued to read it. There's so much more I feel like could be explored outside of Isitar. Sadly, this one just wasn't for me.

Wonderful story, excellent world building, lovable characters - I enjoyed this very much!! Wonderful story, excellent world building, lovable characters - I enjoyed this very much!!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC for an honest review

Heists? Magic? Politics? This was interesting from the first page, and yes this was. It took me a while to get past the information dump, I believe that stories especially with magical systems should have a show, not tell. The information felt like an afterthought, and for the rest of the story, there is very little mention afterwards . I liked how packed it was for a shorter book, there's a lot to think about as you progress. I just wish the worldbuilding was properly distributed.

Not a big fan of Cemmy's attachment and relationship issues. Maybe just Cemmy in general and the way she treats those around her. Every character has their own flaws, and I think self-centeredness is one of her biggest flaws.

Besides the main girl herself, there were some decent plot twists, fairly predictable but enjoyable nonetheless. The scenes were well paced, no one moment is dragging, not too much action. A lovely short YA read

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read an ARC of Until We Shatter.

The magic in this world is so interesting, and I wish there was more time spent on the different shades and how they worked. I had a hard time remembering everything and had to scroll back a bunch of times.

I am blown away by the diversity in this book. It is handled so well and my heart is so full. I do wish the characters would've gotten a bit more time too, because they weren't very distinctive to me.

Overall, I think Kate Dylan tried to do a lot with this book, but with a new, extensive, magic systems, quite a lot of characters and a whole heist, it could've easily been twice as long and still interesting. I hope there will be a second part, because I'm very invested.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. I enjoyed this, always have been a sucker for colour based magic ever since reading Warbreaker many years ago, although I did feel that the magic system could have been a little better explained, I would have liked a little more in regards to the side characters and the book does use mis/non communication which I am not the biggest fan of, but overall I would recommend if you like fast paced YA with found family and heist troupes.

I am a huge fan of Kate Dylan's books and so far she has yet to disappoint! I was so excited when her fantasy debut was announced and the plot of this book sounded right up my street. It took me a while to get to grips with the world and the magic system, which would be my only downside of this book. Once I'd figured out what was going on it was a rollercoaster of emotion and action from there and I could not read fast enough. Well worth a read!

Kate Dylan's Until We Shatter is a captivating fantasy adventure that weaves a thrilling tapestry of magic, danger, and forbidden love. Cemmy, a young woman living under the constant threat of both the Church and the Council of Shades, finds herself thrust into a desperate fight for survival. The story immediately grabs the reader's attention with its compelling premise: Cemmy, burdened by her ambiguous magical abilities, is forced to resort to theft to save her ailing mother. The stakes are high from the get-go, and Dylan masterfully builds tension with each turn of the plot. Cemmy's character is deeply relatable. She is a young woman navigating a world that feels stacked against her, constantly having to fight for a place where she can simply exist. Her struggles resonate with anyone who has ever felt misunderstood or trapped in a system that doesn't value them. The introduction of Chase, a mysterious and alluring figure with secrets of his own, adds another layer of complexity to the story. Their relationship is fraught with tension and attraction, creating a dynamic that keeps the reader guessing.
The world-building is both intricate and imaginative. Dylan crafts a believable society with well-defined factions, each with their own motives and agendas. The realms of shadows, with their inherent dangers, are described vividly, adding to the overall sense of wonder and suspense. While the plot is fast-paced and action-packed, Dylan also takes the time to explore the emotional depth of her characters. Cemmy's journey of self-discovery, her struggle to accept her powers, and her search for a place to belong are all compelling aspects of the story.
Overall, this is a highly enjoyable read that will appeal to fans of fantasy adventures with a touch of romance. Dylan's writing is vivid and engaging, and her characters are both complex and captivating. With a thrilling plot, a rich world, and a heroine who is both resourceful and courageous, this book is a must-read for anyone looking for an immersive fantasy experience.