Until We Shatter is a thrilling and captivating heist fantasy that delivers on every level. From the first page, Kate Dylan weaves a rich and immersive world, complete with a gorgeously conceived magic system where colour magic adds layers of intrigue and complexity. The characters are wonderfully fleshed out, brimming with emotion, moral dilemmas, and personal stakes that keep you glued to the story.

Cemmy, our fierce and desperate protagonist, faces an impossible choice—survival or destruction. The tension between her, Chase and Nova creates a delicious dynamic, while the love triangle adds further depth without overpowering the central plot. The stakes are high, the betrayals are devastating, and the found family element gives the novel a heart that balances its darker themes.

This book masterfully blends action, magic, and character-driven drama, with blackmail, deception, and a deadly heist at the core. If you're a fan of morally grey characters, impossible quests, and a fantasy world fraught with danger, Until We Shatter is an absolute must-read. A triumph of storytelling.

“Until we shatter” had such an interesting premise to me that made me request the arc, however it didn’t win me over. I thought that the magic system was quite original, however it was extremely complicated to follow through. The MC was okay considering this is a YA she was what you would expect a MC to be like. I liked the characters, but none of them really left a mark, hence why I did not care how this ended for any of them.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this.

Until We Shatter is well-written book that flows well, the thief FMC is badass and I liked the misfits vibe for the characters. Saying that I didn’t get on well with the romance aspect. I don’t know if this was because I didn’t get attached to the characters or the constant fights just became too much for me. There is another love interest beyond the typical FMC and MMC that was nice and could have been explored more and potentially I could have been invested there.
The magic system is complex and not well explained but I love the concept of it. That then made the world difficult for me to picture. After finishing this book I don’t really know much about it or what actually happened, there’s a heist and some betrayals and sarcastic humour, which I enjoyed. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

A queer, action-packed heist with angst and an intriguing magic system!

This was funny and filled with charming characters, engaging prose and a group of characters working on a heist that will change their lives. Whilst the magic system is unique and entertaining, it was far too complex for the length of the book - i was confused more often than not and struggled to understand everything that was going on, which meant that moments that should have held more importance fell flat as i wasnt able to feel it. The book would 100% benefit from with a guide/page on the magic system and how the different colours work.

I loved the pre-established friend goup, but i do feel like we didnt learn enough about them and the individual friendships. my heart goes out to Cemmy, she was struggling with so much on her plate and wasn't treated very well which did make me like the other characters less. The secrets added angst and tension, which definitely helped heighten the tension, from the beginning we know that something has happened but the truth only comes out at the end.

The queer relationships were more in the background, but i did really love reading about them. I have mixed feelings on the romance, the timeframe of the heist itself is quite short which makes me not like the romance as much, there's no way that it could feel natural which took away from it. i did love them together but wish that it had been more gradual, which i also feel would be better for the plot anyways as it would have made more sense.

Until We Shatter was a book I was really looking forward to reading but it just missed the mark for me. I felt the world building wasn't as fluent as I would have liked and the storyline, though good wasn't grippy. I did like the writing style and thought it was written really well. I can see others enjoying this novel a lot but for me I think it felt on the lower end of YA scale and that's ok because not all books are for everyone.

Until We Shatter is a standalone(?) YA fantasy about a thief and her crew blackmailed into performing an impossible heist. Cemmy is a Hue, born from the illegal union of a magical Shade and a normal typic. When her mother becomes ill, she must use her forbidden magic to become a thief alongside some other Hues. But when they are discovered by a Shade with a vendetta, they are forced to steal a mysterious artifact from the Church that hates all magic while being monitored by the Shade’s minion Chase.

This book could have been better. I’ve read Kate Dylan’s previous two books (Mindwalker and Mindbreaker), and it is practically indistinguishable and reads exactly the same with its structure, tone and protagonist’s voice. Given those two were YA science fiction and this is a YA fantasy, Until We Shatter does not feel like a fantasy at all. It is very lacking in worldbuilding—I cannot get a sense of or picture the setting of where or when it takes place. Its color-based magic system should have given it the fantasy edge, but despite its complexity, it doesn’t feel like its internal logic makes sense (it felt very arbitrary). Think Brandon Sanderson’s Allomancy, but not as logical, not well explained, imbalanced, and severely underdeveloped. I still am unsure how everything was resolved in the end because the solution was purely magical and the explanation was iffy to me (like how did Chase return the shadows and why did Cemmy receive the brunt of the drain?).

The characters could have saved the story, but they weren’t all that impactful so the losses/potential for losses weren’t either. It’s just the two main leads—Cemmy and Chase—who get any meaningful characterization and the rest are just defined by a single trait (this is a pattern for all the author’s books so far). And Cemmy was not all that likable. She keeps getting in her own way with a frustrating ability to drag her personal problems everywhere she goes and into every interaction when there literally isn’t any time for her bullshit. Then there’s just so many pointless secrets and unnecessary delays that dragged down the story further. The romance was unremarkable, and the central heist just okay. On the plus side, the book is a brisk 300 pages so it’s a quick read the won’t take up too much time.

Until We Shatter is readable if you don’t go in without much expectations. Unfortunately, I am primarily a fantasy reader so I am expecting a certain level that wasn’t reached. And maybe if I hadn’t read any of the author’s other books, I would not have noticed how similar and basic it was (and I am more forgiving of science fiction since it isn’t my main genre).

*Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for the eARC via NetGalley.

"I am the violence the world made of me."

Until We Shatter follows Cemmy, who is a their with a purpose. Not truly fitting in anywhere as shes inbetween both the magic and non magic side, she has to make difficult choices to stay safe, and help her ill mother in the process. Offered the hardest heist opportunity that could forever change her life - or completely destroy it; she's off, hoping not be be shattered in the process.

This was a solid, YA fantasy story. The magic system was I feel, I bit over complicated to follow along with, but I was invested in Cemmys journey. The side characters were slightly boring to me; I think I wanted a bit more from them as a backstory.

I wasn't truly a fan of the ending- I think it was tied up well but I guess I hoped for it to be bigger? I do think this may need a second read for me to truly enjoy this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publisher & Author. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was interesting. I could only give it three stars because it took until about 70% in the book before things really got interesting enough to want to continue. The plot was incredibly intriguing but the execution felt drawn out, dull, I feel as if there could have been more to it, less talk about what was going to happen and what to do about it and more actual action.

What a book, The Writing had me hooked within a few pages
I binged this in a matter of hours
I loved this book

I loved Kate Dylan’s sci-Fi duology so I was really excited to get an advanced copy of her foray into fantasy, and Until We Shatter did not disappoint!

This ragtag group of half-magic young adults had my heart immediately. It took me a second to get to grips with the magic system but it expkained in a natural way and not info dumped. And the magic system is one of my favourite things about this book. I’ve never read anything quite like it before and I’m really excited to learn more about it in the next book.

The main character Cemmy (Kemmy, Semmy?) is an absolute disaster and and honestly I was so on edge following her decision making process! This was a shouting at the screen watching the heroine go up the stairs in a horror movie type scenario! I had my heart in my mouth waiting for her to figure things out.

Also for a no-spice book, the chemistry and tension between Cemmy and MMC were unmatched. I really enjoyed their developing relationship.

This was altogether a really great read and a really engaging cast of characters and I highly recommend.

Thank you so much to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review!

I am DNF'ing at 42%

The magic system and world is intriguing, but I struggled to feel any kind of emotional investment - I couldn't connect with the characters and struggled to care about what they're going through, and that makes me not care about their story.
The writing was easy to read, and I don't have any complaints other than that I couldn't connect. It might have been the case of right book wrong time for me.

I would recommend this for readers who enjoy heist stories with interesting magic and the found family trope.

Thank you to Hodder Books and NetGalley for this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4⭐️

This book was so much fun! I've never read anything by Kate Dylan before, so starting this was something completely new for me, and it was such a lovely surprise! I don't quite know how to describe it, but this book was really nostalgic to me. It reminded me of classic YA fantasy (though this book is borderline YA/adult) in the best of ways, and it's been years since I felt such magical reading nostalgia, so I was really grateful for that!

I found this magic-system in this book very unique and inventive, and really enjoyed how expansive the range of powers were (rainbow magic is such a cool concept!), though I do feel at times the magic-system and worldbuilding were presented in quite an info-dumping way, particularly during the opening of the book and ending climax, and I felt this was done in quite a confusing way, so I sometimes got lost, especially during the epic ending scenes. For the most part though, this book is a fast-paced, high-stakes adventure, with a hint of found family, an enemies to reluctant allies to lovers subplot, and a magic filled heist (though, don't go into this read too excited for the heist, it's over quite quickly). The middle of this book is by far the best section, with reluctant alliances (and betrayals 👀) and secret magic and unravelling historical plots. I was completely hooked by this book and truly couldn't put it down. I haven't read a book this fast in months!

I do wish a little bit more time was spent fleshing out characters and their relationships, so I'm very excited for the next book in this world! Whilst this book is officially listed as a standalone, with an interconnected 'standalone' sequel to come, this book definitely needs a sequel in my opinion, to continue to expand on characters, relationships, and the politics of the world. This book provides a really interesting and nuanced discussion and portrayal of religion and government and how lies and misinformation - and the policing of information - can shape and impact the lives of marginalised groups, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Dylan continues this conversation in the next book.

Overall, Until We Shatter is such a fun and nostalgic fantasy adventure with an interesting dose of political commentary, that I recommend to fantasy lovers! I look forward to reading more from Kate Dylan in the future!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (rounded up to 4 stars)

In Until We Shatter, the author creates a very interesting world and sets up a fantastically unique magic system. Although a little tricky to understand at first, the system was very complex and well thought through, with lots of little details that made it exciting to discover throughout the book. The heist is daring and compelling, with a lot of dangers that kept me on edge once the actual plan was set in motion. There are some interesting plot twists, although I had guessed one of the major ones very early on. Still, I loved seeing how it was resolved! I also really enjoyed the queer rep in this (the FMC is bi, and multiple other characters are queer too).

This said, I was let down by the characterisation in this novel. Even the protagonists don't have that much depth, and I didn't feel attached to anyone by the end. The found family was mentioned lots of times, but not enough chances were given for it to be felt. This limited attention to characters definitely affected my enjoyment of the story. Even the romance didn't particularly strike me, as the MCs weren't explored enough and their chemistry wasn't tangible.

All in all, I'd still recommend it to people who enjoy fantasy heists and cool magic systems, but with reservations due to the limited depth of all characters.

Until We Shatter has a complex magic system based on colours - or shades- that encases you in a world full of wonder and surprise.

I loved the found family aspect of the novel as well as the dynamic love interests. The last 30% of the book is where emotions are heightened and I really enjoyed the storyline. The beginning was all a great layout for building up that suspense.

There is a slight political aspects within the novel describing the war between the church and the counsel. This gave some insight for the tribulations the characters would face while building up for the main plot.

My only qualm would be remembering what all the colours represented in the magic system. Maybe a better break down in the beginning of the novel of the types of shades and hues which are “shades” mixed with “typics” (non-magic humans) - this way there would be a reference to look back on.

Overall this was a great standalone.

Thank you for providing me with an ARC copy of Until We Shatter. I loved the concept and the world building of this book and I was really drawn in to the unique magic system from the start. I really liked the elements of mystery and crime that are interwoven through the book and that we as the reader find out new information as the characters do, this made the story really action packed which gave it a fast start. I really enjoyed reading about the friendships between the characters and that the friendships were more of a focus in the book and the romance was not as strong as this made a nice change from a lot of other fantasy reads. However I do think that the characters could have been developed further and I would have liked to have a bit more information on them than what we got. By the end of the book I felt like I didn’t really know some of the characters which dulled the emotional impact for me. I also read this over quite a long period and although I did want to finish it I wasn’t eager to pick it up and I did feel that it slowed down in parts. I also would have liked to have seen the more political aspect to the world and magic system explored more as although it was discussed briefly in parts I would have liked to have read more about this and I think it would have enhanced the book a little further for me.

Overall I did enjoy reading Until We Shatter and it’s a great YA Fantasy with a super magic system that I haven’t seen anywhere else so I would recommend it to those who enjoy a fairly light YA read.

I wish people would stop putting out blurbs saying that X book is akin to this X book meets Y book because it just builds expectations that usually turn into disappointments. As a reader, I seldom pick up books just because they are touted as this A book meets B book. I love reading and rating a book for its own merits and not because they are some sort of riding on the coat tails of famous books. In the case of Until We Shatter though, I made an exception because when a book is being touted as Six of Crows meets Black Prism, I know that I would not be able to resist as former is an all time favorite of mine. In reality, however, Until We Shatter is just a different book. It’s not bad but it’s not as tantalizing as Six of Crows.

Now that we have put it out there, let’s have a proper review of Until We Shatter. It has its own merits and errr~ demerits. For one, Kate Dylan’s prose is wonderful and definitely perfect for the story that she’s trying to tell. The idea of the world and hue-based magical system were both a plus and a pitfall. Yes, you’ve read that right. While the author made an interesting premise and an innovative magical system, the delivery was somewhat subpar. I tried my best to understand how the world of Isitar works (even did some backreading) but I just had a hard time visualizing it out. And I just couldn’t get into the whole magical system, it’s so confusing and it requires the reader to immediately memorize the power of each color right from the start. Otherwise, you will get lost when you are already in the middle of the story.

Additionally, all the characters including Cemmy were all unrelatable. I could not bring myself to get invested in them. I did not feel the bromance between Cemmy and her friends, more so the romantic relationship between her and Cassiel. I wasn’t also convinced with their individual struggles and collective plight as half-Shades existing in the world of Isitar. Even the antagonist’s personality and ploys did not get a rise out of me. I love me a good villain so yes, it made me sad that I did not get to take out my cheering board for Until We Shatter’s main antagonist. 🙁 And while the plot was entertaining, it needs a lot of beefing up to compensate for the other lackluster aspects of the story.

All in all, approach Until We Shatter without expectations that it would be another Six of Crows. Read it for what it is to get the most fun out of it. Do not compare it with Six of Crows because you will be up for a major disappointment. So yes, as a reader who likes to treat every book as if each one has their own identity, I’d say that Until We Shatter was neither bad nor remarkable.

One of my favorite fantasy reads of this year, it’s insane!

Even the most perfectly planned heist can go wrong, so when it’s not so perfectly planned, it can go both ways.

Cemmy isn’t living, with having to take care of her mom, hiding from the Church and living in exile with others like her, she’s surviving especially with what happened to her friend. So what happens when a boy comes along and promises better things, great things, all he asks of them is to perform the heist. However, Chase doesn’t seem like sharing all his secrets, especially who he’s working for. Will Cemmy and her friends be able to survive it all and perform the perfect heist, or will they Shatter?


Oh boy oh boy oh boy!
It took me some time to get into I will admit, only for all the terminology and all the different types of “auras” or Hues as it is described in the book. But once I understood it all and got the gist of it, it was honestly such a good and maybe intense read. I love the friendship, the tension, the world they live in. I will gladly recommend this book to anyone who liked The Darkest Minds meets Six of Crows.

Thank you so so much to Netgalley for sending me an early copy in exchange of an honest review!

I knew pretty early on this one wasn’t for me (I made it to around the 7% mark or just past🫣) the second there was some semblance of explaining the magic system my eyes glazed over, great idea poor overly complicated execution. I will say, I can’t fault the authors writing style at all, which I actually really enjoyed! So much so that I think I’ll go and check her other works. Just the faff of everything else was not it

So sorry it was not for me at all! Thanks however to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC

This has been likened to Leigh Bardugo's "Six of Crows," and I do love a long-con heist story. There is a fine tradition, going all the way back to the first murder mystery, of telling the story from the perspective of a stooge (not Larry, Moe, and Curly, but someone involved in the action but not fully in the know). It has the advantage of allowing exposition without strained dialog. Sometimes it's even done in first person, so you get their real-time reaction to contradictory orders, apparent set-backs, and what not. Likewise, a high-action story can be done in present tense to keep the pressure up. But an introspective first-person in present tense needs to show change and growth or they become tedious.

The plotting here was sufficient, but the world-building is shallow, the tension was uneven, and the main character was tedious. In the Acknowledgements, the author mentions that the first draft was set in New York, which explains why there's almost no detail about the actual world; if it's a world that exists, you wouldn't bother. The Big Bad made very few appearances in the book and the story was poorer for it; if he had been fully realized on page, he could have ratcheted tension up better. As for the main character, Cem, it seems like every chapter she got overwrought about something, flew off the handle causing someone else to get hurt, then rolled around in her guilt. Sometimes she would then get an actual idea or someone would derail her, but otherwise it was lather, rinse, repeat and all in first-person present tense, so there was no escape.

If it were a shorter book with fewer broken metaphors and pointlessly lavish descriptions of nothing relevant, I'd say Yeah, weekend escape read.

Until We Shatter by Kate Dylan 🗡️💜

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

𝘼 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙛. 𝘼𝙣 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙨𝙩.

𝙎𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚 . . . 𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧.

𝘼𝙣 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣-𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙, 𝙚𝙥𝙞𝙘 𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙚𝙧, 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙞𝙭 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙨, 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘽𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝘾𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙧’𝙨 𝘿𝙖𝙬𝙣.

This was an enjoyable read, however not one that left too much of an impression on me, sadly 🥲.

The plot was pretty fast paced and interesting - I always love a heist plot and also anytime where the main character has training for her magic and skills 🫶🏻.

The magic system was very very unique, which was great. However, I found it a bit complex and confusing. There was lots of ‘info dumping’ throughout the book which made it feel a bit clunky and I kept getting confused by the names of all the different magic types and who could do what 😬.

The romance I really enjoyed in the first half, the banter was funny and the tension was great. However in the second half it lost me a bit, the main male character did some things that I was just like, why would I forgive you for this lol. So I feel a bit mixed 🤭.

Overall, this was a quick YA fantasy read with some romance which was quite fun 💖. I’d definitely recommend if you are interested in the plot! It just didn’t blow me away at all and wouldn’t be top of my recommendations.