A Touch of Shadows opens in a war-torn country with a woman holding a small baby. Flash forward to when that baby is grown and feeling growing pains of being in the shadow of her guardian. There is a feeling of secrets that have not been revealed in her life. They are working as medicin women in a remote village with the threat of people finding the, but the danger of that happening is not revealed. Finally the conflict happens and the girl and her guardian are seperated. The girl goes on the quest and starts discovering her powers...the good and the potential evil of it. The story ends on a perfect cliff hanger that is a perfect segway into book two which is to come.

This audiobook was a quick, easy listen with a fast-paced plot and a good narrator who brought the characters to life. The world-building was interesting, though it felt like there was potential for more depth, especially with the unique magic system. The characters were likable, though their development was a bit minimal. If you're new to fantasy romance, this is a solid pick to get started without getting too bogged down by complex details.

The story had a mix of adventure, hidden secrets, and magic, with a bit of romance sprinkled in. While the insta-love between the main characters wasn’t overdone, it might not be for everyone. The ending came as a bit of a surprise with a cliffhanger that leaves you wanting to dive into the next book. Overall, it's enjoyable, and I'd recommend continuing with the series to see where the story goes.

THis was such a great audio. Loved that there were different voices and it was easy to follow along and picture who was who.

3.75⭐️ 🎧 1/5🌶️
An entertaining and fast-paced fantasy book! The narrator Helen Keeley did a great job with the audio in this book. There is something about a British voice reading a fantasy book that gives it an extra edge! Keeley changed her tone & inflection based on the characters, which helped given there was quite a few different POV's. The book follows Wren who hides her magic to stay alive in a small, rural town. An aggressive encounter outside of an inn leads to Wren meeting the MMC Finn. Once Finn intervenes, Wren takes off into the woods and Finn goes after her to make sure she is ok. The tables turn and Wren saves him from the shadow kin (creatures). The book then launches into a battle of countries & heart. You follow Finn & Wren and their journey to discover if they are fated hearts or if something more nefarious is compelling them to be together. I found some confusion in the pacing of the book. On one hand it would feel disjointed and then it would suddenly make sense. The book ends on a cliffhanger, and I will be adding A Kiss of Flame to my TBR!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me an audio ARC in exchange for my honest review

I loved this - book 1 of a new series "The Lost Queen" and I was hooked by this audiobook and listened to it in one day. For those of us who love fantasy and romance and are looking for a new world to fall in love with, this is the one!

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

There wasn’t much world-building in this book and it seemed very short to me for this genre. I’ll need to let this marinade for a bit and then make a decision if I want to continue the series when the next one comes out.

Hunter and hunted. Forbidden magic and forbidden love. Is their meeting by chance or are their other forces at work?

I had a hard time getting into this one. The romance took off from the beginning. Instant love isn't my favorite. I think if the book had taken more time, world building, and developing the relationship between the characters, the story would have taken off for me more than it did. I love romantasy but this one just missed the mark for me. Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC of this audio.

It was absolutely spell binding and extremely thrilling read. A perfect Fantasy thriller!!!!! I am extremely excited to read the next part

A Touch of Shadows
By Jessica Thorne
(NetGalley)

3.5 ⭐ 1🌶️

Tropes:
Slow Burn • Multiple POV’s

Main Characters:
Wren & Finn

Stand out lines/quotes:
She was lost in him and it was wondrous. She never wanted to be found again.

My Thoughts:
This was a super-fast read (listen in my case), the ending was unexpected. Not in the way that something totally wild happened, just that I was listening to the book then all of a sudden it said, “if you want to know what happens next...”. It was a bit of a rollercoaster, not of emotion but of interest. There were parts where I was almost enthralled then other parts were just a bit dry.
I think this would be a good book for someone who wants to start reading fantasy romance. The world building isn’t so complex that you’ll need help understanding it and the romance wasn’t so heavily focused on so you can pay more attention to the storyline more. This could have been marketed as YA, if it had been I think I might have rated it higher. Either way I think I would still like to continue with the series to find out what happens with Wren and Finn.
I did enjoy the book. You can’t go wrong with a lost queen, a “possibly, destined for evil” witch, a handsome prince, and a hot morally grey male. Oh, and of course, an evil King!
This ALC was provided by NetGalley & SecondSkyBooks for my honest review and opinion.

This was a great audio book. The narrator was great and very easy to listen too. And it was very well written

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to listen to this book!
Loved the narrator and was a quick listen. Wasn’t a huge fan of falling for each other right away but it did make it a faster pace.

This book was an easy listen, I thought the narrator was good and had a variety of tone for different characters. The story itself was fast pace and easy to follow. There was some world building but I think there was the potential for so much more, especially with the unique magical system and abilities that were in the story.

The characters were alright, they all felt a little underwhelming in parts and the development in this book was very small, I felt like they didn’t grow much in this book. The romance was Insta love/lust between the two main characters but it was don’t well, I’m normally not a fan of Insta love.

I felt like there was a lot of hidden secrets in the book which were at times hard to remember but overall I enjoyed the book and I want to see what happens in book two.

The audio narrators where amazing the story was good but it’s always hard to start a book from the beginning knowing you have to wait on the next book and there’s a cliff hanger

I really enjoyed this book.

It was fast-paced and easy to follow. The MFC, Wren was likable and relatable. There was adventure, old family secrets, magic, witches, knights and spice with an exciting and original plot. I am only giving 4 stars because of the cliff-hanger ending. I will most definitely be checking out the next book, A Kiss of Flame to see what happens next.

The narrator did a wonderful job on this one. Her voice fit perfectly with the story. The only thing I didn't care for in the audiobook was the narrator reading off the world glossary at the beginning of the book. I felt it was confusing and would serve the people reading the physical book or eBook better. 
I received a free advanced review copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

I enjoyed this book while on vaca! This is the first book I have read by this author. I liked the plot development. The world building was there. I felt like the side characters were more than just existing to exist. I really look forward to the next book in the series.

* A Touch of Shadows* by Jessica Thorne is a quick, fun fantasy/romance that’s light on the world-building and heavy on the action. Wren’s got shadow magic she has to hide, and Finn’s a noble knight with serious trust issues—especially when it comes to magic users. When Wren saves Finn’s life with her powers, sparks fly (literally!), but with enemies at the gates, they don’t have time to figure out their fiery connection. If you’re new to fantasy and don’t want to get bogged down in too much lore, this book is perfect for you!

📚 Book Review

A Touch of Shadows (The Lost Queen 1)
By Jessica Thorne
Second Sky Books, 5th September 2024

This witchy, endearing, and exciting read follows Wren, apprentice to local hedge witch Elodie, who is also her guardian. Living on the outskirts of the Darkwoods, Wren knows dangerous shadow magic lurks within...the same shadows that exist inside her.
This secret is hard to bear and means her and Elodie live a secluded life when not attending to the needs of others.

When Finn, a knight, finds his life threatened, he is saved by Wren, and the pair are magnetically drawn to each other instantly. Drama ensues, emotions run high, and I was on the edge of my seat in parts.

I'd love to see further world building, and the characters' back stories expanded further in book 2: A Kiss of Flame, which I'll be picking up soon!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Second Sky and Jessica Thorne for providing an eARC via NetGalley; this is my unbiased review.

#NetGalley #ATouchOfShadows #JessicaThorne #Fantasy #FantasyFiction #Romantasy #Witchy #WitchyReads #HedgeWitch #RomanticFantasy

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for letting me review this book.

There's secrets to unravel. I like how it ties everything more and more together as the story progresses.

I love the worldbuilding. Maybe I would have liked even more in-depth worldbuilding in some scenes.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a new romantasy read.

Includes:
Shadows and magic

First impressions 💭
I Loved the way the Narrator immediately transported me into a dark gothic fantasy world. She did an amazing job of establishing the vibes of the book right from the start.

What I Loved ❤️
- It has an original and intriguing concept on shadow and light magic, Wielded by witches aswell!
- there were family secrets over generations left for the reader to untwist and unravel that leave you guessing until the last second (in-fact I’m actually still questioning everything I think I know about all the secrets and hidden identities in this book!)
- I loved the wholesome romance between the two mains characters, they share an undeniable connection and seem to always have each others backs even through some make-or-break moments.

What I didnt love 👎🏻
- I found it a little difficult to follow along with some of the worldbuilding in audiobook format. But I have since went back and read the E-book and also found it easier to connect with the characters.
So while I enjoyed the audiobook I did prefer the E-book version

Favourite Quote 📝
“It's stronger than anything I've ever felt, Like I'm being swept up in a flood, where the only choice is to let it take me with it”

“ She was lost in him, and it was wondrous.
She never wanted to be found again.”

Final verdict ⭐️
The cliffhanger has left me theorising and definitely wanting more, I’m immediately reaching for book two!