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!

A good listen if you love fantasy romance .In a Touch of shadow we get Interesting world building with out being overly complex ,we also get two kingdoms at war ,light and dark conflicting powers with secrets and lies ! .
Wren our main character finds herself in danger and much chose to save herself and others therefor revealing her abilities that she has been told to keep secret her whole life or break the Trust and promises to the women that raised her .
This is multiple POVs i normally find more then two to be hard to follow personally but this worked well for this book as we only really got a different character perspective when it added to the relevant plot and flow of the story ,I enjoyed the narrator and how she expressed each character seemed to go well with the individuals and tone of the book .
I mostly enjoyed the relationships between the different characters and would definitely be interested in how they evolve in the next book .

Grateful to have gotten an opportunity to listen to the audiobook with NetGalley! The beginning had me hooked and I am excited to see what happens as the series progresses. This would be a great book for people starting their romantasy journey. The world is easy to understand as well as the other fantasy aspects. I also enjoyed the audio with the voices. I believe they did a good job of bringing the characters to life.

Thank you to Netgalley and Second Sky for the opportunity to listen and review A Touch of Shadows. I was given an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

As far as the book goes, I enjoyed it. It had a fast pace to it that kept me interested. Wren (fmc) young and naive is constantly on the run from danger. Finn, our duty bound paladin (mmc) falls instantly for the young naive witch. I am not a big fan of the insta-love trope, especially since in this particular case, it felt nonconsentual. The author never made it clear if Wren had forced these feelings upon him with her magic or not. Even if it was an accident, I was still bothered by the lack of free will. This book was filled with mystery, I had many different predictions and theories as to where things might lead but was totally shocked by the turn of events that played out. Those plot twists definitely got me. I enjoyed this book and am interested in what happens in book 2.

As far as the narrator for this audio rendition goes, I was blown away! Helen Keeley is magnificent! Her pace and range of voices and how she portrays emotions is unlike any I have ever experienced before. Truly a quality audiobook. She is an extremely talented voice actress, very impressive.

Very enjoyable quick read. The narrator voiced the characters well, although I wish the fmc didn’t come off as petulant and whiny. Altogether it is a solid fantasy romance and I can’t wait to see what else unfolds in the series.

This is a perfect witchy season release that you MUST READ!!! This is such a unique fun fantasy romance that completely took me by surprise! Wren has been raised in the forest by Eloide the hedgewitch, now Wren’s entire world is turned upside down and her inner battle with good and evil comes to a peak!

Elodie the hedgewitch comes to a small village in Asteroth with a young girl named Wren to live in a tower in the woods. No one knows Elodie’s history; the royal guard is hunting witches throughout Asteroth, but the villagers protect her—they need her. Until one day, a knight named Finn comes to town and the royal guard follows. The village is burning and Wren must flee, leaving Elodie behind. Elodie has always kept Wren’s power at bay and turned towards the light. Now that Wren is alone, the darkness is whispering to her, and she just wants Finn and her to survive. In this battle between lifht and darkness, Wren begins to learn the truth of herself and Elodie’s past.

Thank you net galley and second sky books for my advance listener copy.

I loved this! The magic system and magic details in general were so perfect. I was searching for a good fall mood-setting book and I found it! EVERYTHING about this story just made me eat it up. I think I listened to it in 1 sitting.

The push and pull between good and evil for our main character was what made it a 5/5 for me. The call from the dark wood was always so intoxicating and made me, as a listener, sit forward a bit.

"The world is not divided into black and white. There are shades of gray, and sometimes, the lines between light and dark blur."

Jessica Thorne's A Touch of Shadows is a delightful fantasy romance that offers a quick and enjoyable escape into the magical realm of Asteroth. Narrated by the talented Helen Keeley, the audiobook brings the story to life with her expressive voice. While it may be light on world-building (which can be a welcome reprieve), the engaging characters and straightforward narrative make it a perfect choice for those who are new to the genre.

The story's pace is brisk, allowing readers to quickly become invested in Wren and Finn's adventure together. Their connection is both passionate and intriguing, but develops quite rapidly, feeling a bit rushed and lacking the necessary tension and build-up that I love.

While the book's brevity might limit the depth of deeper character exploration and world-building, it really didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. The light vs dark/shadow magic system and uncomplicated plot keep the focus on the characters and their journey.

Overall, A Touch of Shadows is a satisfying read that definitely leaves you eager for the next installment in the series (which coincidentally also releases today and I can't wait to get my hands on it). If you enjoy fantasy with a touch of romance and are looking for a quick and enjoyable escape, this book is definitely worth checking out!!!

"Love is not a weakness, but a strength. It is the light that can piece the darkest of shadows."

It was a good book but I don’t think I’ll continue the series, it just isn’t for me right now. Maybe I’ll feel different in the future. There is a lot of interesting points and great characters and it is quite an intriguing read but it’s not my cup of tea at the moment.

DNF @ 47%. There was nothing to hate but I just couldn't get invested in it, listening to it felt like a chore. It took me almost a week to get this far and that's really saying something as I usually finish books this size in 2 days or less. I wouldn't call this poorly written, I just think it was a bit too basic for me but would be an easy read for someone younger or just getting into reading fantasy.
There was nothing to grab my attention, nothing I really cared to know more about, and the whole insta love thing is boring for me.

Actual Rating: 3.75 🌟

Thank you to Jessica Thorne, NetGalley and Second Sky for the ALC (Advanced Listening Copy)!

Review:
I thought A Touch of Shadows was great! The magic system was really fascinating, I loved how detailed the shadow magic was and it was honestly so intriguing and very easy to understand which I appreciated so much! I loved the element of light and dark, witches and royalty - I can definitely see this becoming a beautifully intricate series.

This book was so twisty and turny which was my favourite part about it cause it had me gasping and frozen on the spot every 10 minutes 😂 There is so much action and mystery happening in this book right from the start and so there is never a dull moment in that aspect. However…the actual PLOT isn’t that fast-paced, sure there are a lot of action-packed scenes but the actual main plot of the book wasn’t moving all that fast. It made me think a lot was happening when really it wasn’t.

The romance in this book between Finn and Wren was definitely insta-love but the insta-love was actually part of the plot and actually interesting ?? I know it sounds weird but it’s why I didn’t dislike the quick turn around of their love story. I didn’t become invested in it either though :/

Where I struggle the most with the book is in the world-building. I think there is a fine line between a book with no substance and an info-dump of a book and this just doesn’t quite reach that perfect middle. I felt that this book gave a lot of information about this world, especially geographical info, and then proceeded to forget about it, so that felt a little bit off.

Also I listened to this as an audiobook! Helen Keeley did a great job - she really brought this book to life with her wonderful voice and pacing.

This is definitely a book you’d read if you were a beginner fantasy reader and wanted a light, easy-to-read book. And, despite everything, I will definitely be reading the sequel!

✨ read if you like:
witches
mystery
forbidden love
magical creatures
shadow magic

A Touch of Shadows is the first novel in Jessica Thorne's The Lost Queen series of romantic fantasy. This felt like a new adult reimagining of Rapunzel, and I liked the concept. A girl with magical hair is hidden away in a tower, raised by a powerful witch who is determined to keep her safe, until the girl is whisked away by a prince. I loved the beautiful language and vivid imagery, which was enhanced by Helen Keeley's fantastic narration.

The emphasis, at least in this first book, is more on the epic fantasy element than the romance. Wren and Finn feel an intense attraction, but their feelings are being manipulated by magic. We don’t know how they would feel about each other without that magical interference. They are trying to work together, and I hope that we will see more development of their romantic feelings in future books.

The magic system seems interesting, but most of the book is told from Wren’s point of view, and she doesn’t seem to understand the magic very well, so we learn more as she does, and I expect we’ll continue to learn more in subsequent books.

The audiobook production was excellent, and I loved the narration by Helen Keeley. She has a pleasant voice and accent, good pacing and pronunciation, distinctive voices and speech patterns to suit each character, and she is able to convey mood and emotion effectively. The story works very well as an audiobook.

I received a free advanced review copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

This story was really well paced. I loved the unique shadow magic system. The romance was delicious and the little bit of spice was enjoyable.

I would have liked a bit more world-building, but otherwise, it was a really fun read. The characters were likable and the dynamic between them was great. I love multiple POVs so this ticked that box.

The narrator did a fantastic job.