I am going to need book 2 to be available in audio format STAT!! I adored this story and had an immediate emotional connection to our young FMC. This story gave be a bit of a Rapunzel vibe which was fun!

The world building was fantastic, the magic system was unique, the pacing was on point, the characters were all strong with great potential for development and the storyline was like peeling back one beautiful layer at a time!

I love the mystery behind this story. The author did a fantastic job dropping clues and enough hints along the way to make you feel like you had an idea where it was going to end up, only to peel another layer and cause you to second guess your suspicions.

The romantic plot is a nice addition but in no way overpowers the storyline, just beautifully adds to it. I am excited to see where Thorne takes us in book 2 and I NEED ANSWERS!!!!

I am sorry to report that this book was not for me. I couldn’t get into it despite trying several different listening environments and situations. I can usually tell if I will DNF a book within the first couple pages, and I knew pretty instantly this book wouldn’t be one I could finish. To start, the world building was weak, and the beginning chapters didn’t do anything to grab me or make me care about the characters or the story. I appreciate Jessica Thorne, Second Sky, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in advance. I look forward to reading other titles that may suit me better.

✨ Magical creatures
✨ Dark and light magic
✨ Forbidden Love
✨ Lies and deception

I enjoyed this new romantasy, A Touch of Darkness by Jessica Thorne. I read this on audio and the narration was perfect. Helen Keeley did such a phenomenal job.

I am giving this book 4 stars because I very much did enjoy this book, but felt the short length impacted the plot. This is a quick read, which almost feels like a prequel or Part 1 of a larger book. You start to see some world building and character development just as it ends. However, there is a lot of potential for the books to follow. I like Wren and look forward to her story in particular. Elodie had me rooting for her, but it was hard by the end. The bond between Wren and Finn, however, has me in a chokehold. I hope the next book explores deeper in to their relationship.

The story is fast paced, but almost too fast paced. I would have liked a little more descriptions of the magic and the history. I would recommend this for fantasy romance readers.

A Touch of Shadows by Jessica Thorne. Book 1 in The Lost Queen series. This is my first ever arc, and it was via audiobook. As someone who primarily consumes books via audio, I must say, narration was excellent. Helen Keeley really brought the characters to life. If you like a well paced story and a unique magic system this may be for you! A fantasy with romance and spice with mystery vibes. Great world building with glossary and chapter epigraphs. Warring kingdoms, light vs dark, hidden identity, shadow mommy that ends on a cliffhanger. I am looking forward to book 2. Thank you NetGalley, Second Sky, and Jessica Thorne.

Thank you Netgalley Audio for allowing me to listen to this arc.

What an exciting witchy fantasy. A runaway queen, a baby who has grown into a powerful young woman, and a knight who falls in love. I cannot wait to find out what happens next in The Lost Queen series. If you love a thrilling romantasy then this book is the book for you! I will say it does feel like a slow burn- very low on the spice level.

Quite a quick novel, this didn’t take long to get through via AudioBook. Unfortunately it felt lacking in story due to it being a shorter read but I will of course attempt the next in the series as this is a world building first novel.

I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review.

For a romantasy book, this was definitely on the lighter side in terms of in-depth worldbuilding, however I found I rather enjoyed it. Wren has been kept in the woods away from everyone, including her own past, by a witch. She eventually has to go out and find her mother with the help of a knight, Finn. She's got magic hair that she has to keep short for reasons. And when she saves his life with magic, her magic creates a bond between them.

If this isn't a darker version of Rapunzel, then I don't know what is. But, I enjoyed it. I know some people are turned off by instalove, but in this, it made a whole lot of sense. There's one spicy scene that was definitely on the romantic side that left me feeling like I needed more moments between them. The magic was interesting, though I definitely feel like we need more information as to what's going on. The reveals that came about? Definitely didn't see them coming.

All in all, I enjoyed this one.

Well, this is the first in a stunning new fantasy series. One that was left on a cliffhanger!

So I LOVED the narrator of the book, and I listened to the book, but I think, for me, this is one I would have been better off reading. I feel like I missed out on some things because of the detail that Jessica has put in. It didn't all completely sink in for me - so next book, I am reading! Although, I might re-read this one! The detail is not a bad thing, you need this detail but because my brain floated away, I missed things.

For me, Elodie was the shining star. There is something mysterious and endearing about her all at the same time. I need to find out more about her and Roland!! Their love, their story I need more!

This is going to sound silly to say, but this book was magical. I love the magic, the world-building, the characters but it was just something special. I loved the easy way you found yourself with the characters as if you had always been with Wren from the beginning. And yet, there is still so much we don't know about her and the shadows. Why does the darkness want her? I know we see a snippet of things, but that's just it, a snippet. I want more - and I have 2 more books to find out my answers.

It was free-flowing, easy going, but with some sizzle and some battles and a whole lot of magic and I can't wait for the next instalment.

A well-narrated romantasy with just the right amount of spice, even though this did come across as kind of YA at times.

Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for an early copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.✨

A Touch of Shadows by Jessica Thorne,
narrated by Helen Keeley

This was so good, I'm genuinely impressed!
I enjoyed the world-building, quick pace, character dynamics, multiple character POV, and nonlinear timeline. (Plus, there was a glossary at the beginning, which I love having in fantasy books.)

I saw some reviews that complained there wasn't enough background/world-building, but I disagree.
The main character was kept in the dark about so many things and we're learning these things as she does. It would ruin the twists if we already knew all the background details.

I enjoyed this book the whole time I was listening and I will definitely continue reading the series.

I really enjoyed the vibes this gave me it’s fantasy/romance I love the two genres put them together and I’m all for it lol. This read gives you a taste of romance and fantasy world building it’s not too crazy with the world building so I was able to keep up with it.

Everything in this read had the right amount it wasn’t too spicy it’s just right for this type of story the twists and turns are also there. Overall I feel this is a great read for anyone who’s into fantasy there are topics of magic amongst other things in this storyline. I don’t wanna ruin it for anyone so I’ll leave it at that😊 Also, the narration is perfect for this book

I would recommend this to anyone who’s into fantasy 🥰

thank you, NetGalley, Second Sky, and Jessica Thorne for giving me the chance to read this arc 🥰

I’m on a bit of a Romantasy kick right now if you can’t tell, and when I saw the cover for this book and that it was available as an audiobook on Netgalley? I knew that I had to give this one a go. The plot sounded interesting, the cover was pretty and hopefully, it would be the start of a new series that I would love.

In this book, we follow Wren, a young woman who lives in a dark forest and has been told to ignore the dark magic that calls to her, and Finn, the Knight of a kingdom of the light who is trying to stop those who use shadow magic and to stop his Father from doing evil in another kingdom. When the two run into each other in the forest, Wren gives into the shadows and uses her magic to protect Finn, but that magic creates a bond between the two of them that they don’t understand. Can they work together to save the kingdom?

This book sounds pretty epic. Like, it should have plenty of tension and would be a lot of fun.

And yet…

Look, I don’t want to be completely negative. I genuinely enjoyed the worldbuilding in this book. I’m fascinated to know more about the world and the book definitely had promise.

It’s just that it felt like nothing happened for the entire book.

There is technically a plot, and that felt like it could finish about halfway through the book, but it then takes things further. So tell me why it still feels like the book had no plot?

I could possibly forgive all that if I liked the main relationship. There was some interesting relationship stuff with some side characters in the past. But Wren and Finn were just meh. I was expecting banter and distrust and you don’t really get that. Finn is immediately drawn to Wren due to shadow magic stuff and then the magical bond happens and he’s just happy to go along with anything she says? There was a little bit of smut, but it’s a single scene and it wasn’t particularly memorable either.

So, yeah, this book failed on both the fantasy and romance fronts and I was a little disappointed.

That said, I didn’t mind the book. I listened to it whilst working and it kept me somewhat entertained for a few hours. But it really wasn’t anything special. Will I read book 2? Honestly, I’m not sure. If I even remember the book when it comes out, I might as there’s definitely worldbuilding I’m curious about. But I really don’t think this is a book that I’m going to think much about after this.

A Touch of Shadows is a fast paced, engaging read that will lull you in with its shadow magic. I feel like this book would be a perfect gateway to those looking to get into fantasy/romantasy books for the first time. It’s a relatively short, quick read that isn’t overly heavy on the fantasy elements and world building. I actually read it in one sitting. I wasn’t a huge fan of the insta love going on, but it does work well in this story since the magic’s effect on their feelings is a point of exploration in this book. Overall, I wish there was more going on — more world building, more character development, etc. I read this via audiobook and I felt that Helen Keeley did well with the narration. I thought the story was easy to follow and easy to keep characters straight with the narration. Overall, I’m still curious to see where the story goes.

Overall Rating: 3.5⭐️

3.5/4 I listened to this book thanks to an arc I got on Netgalley
The narration firstly is good
The story is about a girl who feels the shadows call in a world where the Nox has been destroyed (nox being like dark shadow magic) but remnants and dark shadows remain especially in the dead wood were people go to make bargains with the shadows.
Wren lives in a quiet village with her healer mother who uses light magic to help her in her craft
But when wren saves a knight in the deadwood her whole world is changed

I don’t want to say more than that because spoilers

This book had a lot going for it
It’s a super easy read, it was quick and I didn’t want to put it down
So much so that I finished it in 2 days.
I liked the characters enough and the plot and magic systems
The start as well was a great set up
It reads like a YA especially since the narrator makes wren sound young (like 17 maybe) and I love YA
But then there is smut in here which I don’t think vibed with the style
(I love smut too btw) also he was more submissive than her which again didn’t feel quite right because of the ages and it’s not my jam personally
Also this was insta-love which I’m not a fan of
And it kinda meant we didn’t get to see Finn battle with his notion of being a witch hunter and then knowing a witch. In fact I don’t even think that’s really mentioned except in the blurb
There is talk of other witch hunters which seems to be against him so this all wasn’t made super clear
Same with certain characters and at one point I did think one person was there uncle which made a scene super weird but I was mistaken and corrected and was like aaah ok
So that’s on me and I may have missed things because I was doing the audio
It is fast paced and I think it could have slowed down a little to expand on characters etc and really see relationships develop

I think the plot and whole concept is brilliant and well written and it’s the start of a very interesting series that I would continue
My main gripes are just the instalove and the smut that I didn’t feel fit with this vibe and not my thing smut wise too but that’s all personal preference

I was pleasantly surprised by this audiobook. I did look up reviews on goodreads so I didn't have super high expectations but I thought it was entertaining. While I'm usually all about the enemies to lovers and slowburn, the insta love in this book was a fun chance of pace and it was not overly spicy but definitely had a bit. I definitely plan to keep reading this series to see what happened next and I enjoyed the narrators. For me it was 3.5 ⭐️

I gave this book a solid 4 stars. I was held back from 5 stars only because I felt that the relationship between Ren and Phin (or is it Finn) was just kind of smashed (no pun intended) together. I don't mind insta-love, but I felt that we didn't get any foundation at all on Ren or Phin/Finn before they're wildly in love. I would have loved a smidge more backstory on Phin/Finn that lead into his magnetic pull towards Ren. Elodie was my absolute favorite character and I very much enjoyed any chapters or scenes with her in it.

If you love shadow characters, light vs. dark magic, lost queen, lost princess, mysterious magic, witches, war, tension and spice, you'll defineitely enjoy this romantasy. I plan on finishing up the series because I did very much enjoy the overall premise of the book. The small flaws were not enough to stop me from enjoying the ride or being invested in the characters (mainly Elodie). The narrator for the audiobook was SUPERB! I also plan to see if I can find more books narrated by her because she is an incredible weaver of stories and her accent/tone of voice was beautiful, mysterious and had me totally drawn in from the first sentence.

This book started out so well- lost queen & heir, secret magical abilities, two warring kingdoms. The first 6 or so chapters were so lively with character interactions and story depth. And then the writing changed abruptly - tons of telling/not showing and limited character interactions through dialogue. This resulted in underdeveloped relationships and plot. The relationship between the FL & ML felt forced and insta-lust. The world building also felt underdeveloped and the stakes were only vaguely discussed. The magic system isn't well fleshed out, so even after finishing the book, I still can't tell you what has the kingdoms warring, the point of them having magic or what the current stakes are. The narrator did a great job eliciting emotion and keeping me interested enough that this didn't become a DNF. That said, I'm not sure I'm motivated to continue the series.

Thank you for NetGalley to grant me access to this audiobook - it was a first time experience, and for that I’m grateful.

Unfortunately the book itself was 2,5 ⭐️ for me. Not sure if these issues are so obvious to me because I listened to the story, but I was struggling hard…
Throughout the book all of the conversations, thoughts of the characters and descriptions of the world were very, very repetitive. Perhaps this was done on purpose to highlight a certain feeling or being stuck but I was still fairly annoyed with it halfway through.
I also felt that the story lacks romance, if anything, this is more fantasy than anything else. Romance happened kind of randomly; with little to no conversation between the characters and when something happened it confusing..

Looking back I also feel like I do not know the characters, they are lacking depth in general.
I hope in the next part the characters will get some more depth and hopefully even some development.

I might into book 2 to see if the story has evolved but I’m not sure…

Appreciate the chance once again though 🙏

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy of Touch of Shadows! I really enjoyed this book and think it was easy to follow in terms of romantasy! It also gives tangled meets game of thrones in some ways. I would love to continue to read this series!

Thank you for this early access copy

This was a really easy and short fantasy romance, I thought the magic system was really interesting but it didn’t go into it as much as I would have liked, I also thought there could have been a bit more world building but the book is only around 260ish pages so I can see why that wouldn’t be the case

The romance for me was a bit lacking, it was pretty much insta love which isn’t something I enjoy in a fantasy book but if that’s something you like then you’d this, I prefer a slow burn

Overall I would recommend this book, it was a fun and quick read