Thank you to Net Galley #netgalley and Second Sky for my advance audio copy. The narration was fantastic. The book was easy to get into and I enjoyed the story. I almost never say this, but the book was perhaps too short? I don't think enough time and attention was provided in the world building or the character development or the romance. I give this book 3 stars.

Although I enjoyed this story, it is quite verbose.
The world building is necessary in a fantasy, and it was well written, but it was a bit much. There was so much internal dialogue that the story seemed to drag at times.
I enjoyed the audiobook version, and it was well performed by a single narrator.

2.5/⭐
2/🌶️

#arc netgalley
#romance
#fantasy

It's a love at first sight novel about the balance between good and evil
A young witch living in the forest with her guardian until everything starts to change ...

What i loved :
I listened to the spoken version of this book and i love the voice who tells the story
It's calming, has intonation when needed and it really adds to the story

A small plot twists
I wont exactly tell you what but i liked that what she thought was Elodie's turned out to be something else.

What u didn't love:
Besides that there is sadly nothing i can say i truly loved
The book is not bad, but the story has holes in it, we miss a lot of the background stories
The entire book feels like the middle of a story where i missed book 1 already to set the scene

Next to that i am not a lover of love at first sight at least not in this way
We talk about a young girl who never really had contact with boys and to do these kinds of things out of nowhere? How does she even know this ? I do love the way the loning is written just not the way it developed

Sad to say i would not recommend it

**I RECEIVED A FREE ARC OF THE AUDIOBOOK FROM NETGALLEY. THANK YOU A TON. THIS HAS NOT IMPACTED MY REVIEW IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM. **

**NO MAJOR SPOILERS WERE HARMED IN THIS MAKING OF THIS REVIEW**

When i started a Touch of Shadows, I did not know exactly what to expect. I sort of went in blind and wow, it was a wild ride. The narrator does an amazing job at enticing and enchanting you to the story. The writing just lends itself to a storytelling perspective. The world slowly unfolds through the eyes of multple characters. At first I was annoyed at the pov switches, but then just got used to it. I was immediately pulled into this magical realm. At first it almost seemed like a darker reverse version of Rapunzel. We got a girl with supposedly magic hair? but it needs to stay cut and she hides in a tower. But then stuff happens and she meets a cute boy andddd, yeah.

Honestly I was surprised at how fast this novel went. I could not believe my ears devoured it in such a short amount of time. For a hot second I was worried that I had primarily zoned out with this novel. To the point where I even replayed several scenes, but no. This book is really just that fast paced. It was a divine ride and I am glad the travel scenes werent long and boring. I dislike travel scenes to begin with. I am unsure if this is a debut novel, but it is still pretty good. It lays the ground work of the series and while there is room for improvement, I thought it was well done.

I will say I had a difficult time connecting to the characters. In all honestly, I think I liked the second mains more than the first. . . but it just may take time to warm up truly to the characters. Their world is lovely, but they themselves...well, obviously you want to admire Wren, she is the heroine of this story. But she definitely has alot of growning up and maturing to do. I know she is hit with some big secrets and stuff, but....well it will be interesting to see who she copes and handles it in the second book.

Finn is the main male and to be honest, I was a little confused by him but I loved his energy and spirit and immense loyalty. I would not want anyone else guarding my back.

The villain is/was intriguing, and a semi mystery? I kept waiting for true natures to reveal themselves and such. My dumbass kinda wanted her to get with the 'villain' , but thats just me, aha. I thought it was a good build up and good 'reveal'.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. I devoured it and I look forward to the next. Remember, this is all my opinion. If you want your own, read/listen to the book.

There were some great things about this audiobook. The audiobook narrator was excellent. Her voice was perfect for the book. Additionally, the writing was beautiful. It made the whole book feel very ethereal. I also liked that, in addition to the love story between two young adults, there was a romance storyline with people in their 30s and 40s. After all, we deserve love too!

There were some issues, though. The book started with A LOT of definitions introducing the reader to several aspects of the fictional word. Because I listened to the audiobook, I couldn't flip back to read the definitions so I spent half the time wondering what certain things were. Also problematic--instalove. The instalove is (potentially) explained/excused by certain aspects of the story, but it didn't work for me. I have no idea why these people are in love, so why should I care about their relationship? All in all, there is room for improvement on this one. Maybe in book 2?

Super cute and addictive! The characters are easy to love and the villains are easy to hate! I am excited to see what happens next for Wren and Finn!
4/5 stars because I thought there were a few spots where something was missing in the story line, but still excited to continue the series!

First, I want to say Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers of A Touch of Shadows for early access to its pages. I was beyond excited to press play and listen to this tale of shadows and light with not-so-subtle allusions to Rapunzel.

Next, I genuinely enjoyed this novel, and I will read the next in the series. Before I began the book, I did peruse the previous reviews which had led me to believe that I would be left in a place. I was. But it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. The primary plot line is concluded, and you get the pay off promised. There are some lingering questions of importance, but I wasn’t super pissed at where I was abandoned. I wasn’t super pleased either.

There were a lot of things I enjoyed about the story. I liked Wren and Finn. I rooted for them. I had some trouble understanding the social norms of the world, but I feel like Finn is the only character who cared about them, so he was how I was trying to ground myself in it. The problem with that is that Finn is flighty and very impulsive and doesn’t spend a lot of time thinking about what he is going to do before he does it. Wren, on the other hand is very naïve and doesn’t have any information and so her decisions are also made with little deliberation. I had no idea how to predict either of their actions. Their love story felt a little out of their control and therefore not as enjoyable for me, I am hoping in the next book we will get to see them really choose each other.

I did have some trouble with the two sides of magic and how they interact, at times it seemed contrary and confusing, but the people made sense and that is what is important to me ultimately.

The other two important characters in the story are the woman who raised Wren and I am assuming the Paladin who raised Finn. My guess is that they are darker, older versions of Finn and Wrenn. We do get some backstory and it is indeed grim. I liked both of them, I am still struggling to understand their relationship and I am hoping that I will get more information about that in the next novel as well.

In general, this is a good Romantsy with a fair amount of spice for this “closed door” girly, it has some complex characters that are begging for more development and a storyline that on the surface feels common but once you are deep within it, you will find is quite unique and magical.

I enjoy the narrator and felt she did a good job. The story itself had a good concept and great start, however, I feel the flow could have been better to keep my interest. I wish there was more character development

Great quality audio book. While I enjoyed what I listened to, I DNF’d after 30%. For me, this is one of those books that need to be read due to the complex world building.

Fairly good read. The story was a lot to keep up with but I enjoyed the read. I got a little board with the story line. It's definitely a fantasy novel with interesting characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced audio copy of A Touch of Shadow in exchange for an honest review.

A Touch of Shadow is a quick, romantasy book with a complex magic system. I struggled with the first 55% of the book, but I kept listening in hopes of something, anything to help me finish it. The story started to pick up and held my interest. I'm not sure how I feel about a second book. I'm interested in knowing what happens next, but the book didn't leave me wanting more of the story now.

The glossary is extremely helpful, and that's where I think the missing/lack of world building is located. The characters were okay, but I would have liked more character development. Typically, I enjoy multiple POVs, but it felt like too many POVs being such a short story.

Overall, I think this is a good read for people who enjoy simpler, fast fantasy/romantasy stories.

**Enchanting, Fun, Fast-Paced, Suspense, Steamy**
Jessica Thorne is a master of slowly revealing key details that keep you begging for more! This book has everything a romantasy reader could dream of hidden identities, beautifully written *spicy* scenes, tons of suspense, and action galore. The MMC is to die for (strong, kind, a little mysterious, and a bit dangerous) and the FMC is fabulous. She doesn't have street sense, in the sense that she was raised sheltered, but she's aware of this and her naivety and how it may be impacting her decisions; which is a breath of fresh air compared to the plethora of just plain stupid FMCs I've read recently. The world-building was also done well for the size of the book, it didn't leave me wanting.

One of my favorite things about this book is that at the end of the book I have absolutely NO idea where the second one will take us! TBH, I'm not really even sure if I know who the *real* villain(s?) are. Everyone seems suspish and I have the sneaking suspicion that nothing is as it seems, even at the end.
I cannot wait for the second one and to learn more about Elodie's past and Wren's future.
A Touch of Shadows is a captivating tale of Wren, a sheltered young woman, who is suddenly thrust into an adventure of newfound power, lust, peril, and tons of mysteries to unfold.

I listened to the audio version so here are my audio-specific thoughts:
My only downside to listening to this as an audiobook as opposed to reading it, is the glossary. There is a decent amount of world-building and I found myself having to pause and write down where I was pausing to switch back to the beginning to re-listen to the glossary for the first half of the book until all of the information stuck in my brain. This may be a personal problem (hello nursing school brain fog), but I would have really appreciated a written glossary to whip out when needed.

The narrator does a fabulous job of weaving this story and enchanting the readers (the accent certainly doesn't hurt!). She has a wide range of inflections and dialects to give depth to all of the characters and her timing is impeccable.

So this was my very first audio book and it didn't disappoint..

I'm a fantasy gal and this was giving me all the fantasy 😍

I liked the mystery around Wren's life, what she is, where it came from and the secrets Elodie held.

I loved Finn straight away, he's like a saviour Wren doesn't need but wants.

I can't wait to listen to A kiss of flame

The Vibes: that thing where it's kinda giving Dark Phoenix, instalove, lionheart/chosen one

Heat Index: 5/10

The Basics:

Tempted by the darkness and cut off from her true past, Wren lives in obscurity until knight Finn crashes into her life. His mission is to hunt those touched by shadow—and it's personal. But when circumstances lead Wren to save his life, he's touched by her magic; and inextricably drawn to her. The problem? That could lead to their kingdom's destruction.

The Review:

I don't have a TON to say about this—other than the fact that it kind of reads like it's meant for a younger audience. While the fantasy here is very much present, the world isn't overwhelmingly built. The romance is pretty straightfoward; I would call it instalove. But it's not... annoying, exactly. Finn especially is a charming character. I really enjoy a noble knight who's tempted into darkness by love.

It's inoffensive. The prose is good. I was interested.

But... it's a pretty surface-level book in a lot of ways. It read as a bit YA to me. That's not an insult; I could actually see recommending this as a bridge book for YA readers who want to try something a bit more adult. It reminded me, tonally, of Kendare Blake's Three Dark Crowns series. None of this is bad. It's just not going to keep my attention for very long.

I also didn't really get into Wren. Finn appealed to me a good bit more, and his conflict of like, stridently trying to be good in conflict with his bad dad was a story. Wren... was a chosen one archetype. But dark. Maybe?

That being said—there's a backstory for a pair of... more complicated characters. Who are like, in their forties by the time the book begins. THAT I was into. It was compelling, it was much more complex than whatever Finn and Wren had going on. I think this was where it felt more like I was reading about adults with adult issues (and I was).

The Sex:

You get a bit of sex in this, and it's well-done, if not especially exciting. Again, I feel like you could recommend this to a teen who's trying to dabble in adult romance. It's explicit, but not SCANDALOUS.

So, yeah. Not a dud, exactly, but not really something I would pick up again. I'd recommend it to a specific audience, and I felt like the narration for the audiobook was good!

Thanks to NetGalley and Second Sky for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I listened to the audiobook of A Touch of Shadows and truly enjoyed it. The choice of narrators was perfect. Both the stories of Wren and Finn and of Elodie and Roland was beautifully intertwined. I wished the story had been fleshed out further. I think it would have given it the depth it was missing. There were so many big emotions in the book and it skipped some smaller moments to help with understanding of motivations. With that being said, I will still be looking forward to book 2.

Audiobook ARC review via Netgalley
Rating: 3.5/5 stars (Rounded up to 4 stars)
Narrator: 4/5 stars
Spice: 🌶🌶 (2 chilis/5, open door)

A Touch of Shadows is a good start to a potentially great romantasy series; it just needs more of everything. More world building, more character development, more romance. Initially, I was excited and drawn into the book by its premise. The beginning of the book setup a darker, grittier story, and then, to my disappointment, it just fell away in favour of a fast moving plot and a trope I’m growing tired of reading, shadow magic. The witches were a nice change, and I’m excited to see them making a resurgence in place of the overspent Fae, but again, I was left wanting more.

As for characters, I didn’t find Wren or Finn that compelling. Neither of them has very much character growth or an arc, if any at all, and their romance was questionable. It didn’t help that the pair of them were pale by comparison whenever Wren’s mother or Rolland were present in a scene. At this point I’m more invested in them than I am in the FMC and MMC.

The narrator for the audiobook was pretty good. There were a few moments when the voices she used overlapped between characters, but generally well done.

Overall, a decent book and quick read.

This was a fun and easy romantasy read! The story was really fast paced, and though I had hoped for a bit more world building, I didn’t feel like anything was missing without it. I always skip over the glossary, but in this case definitely could have benefited from reading it ahead of time. Left off on a bit of a cliffhanger so I’m excited to read the next book and see where everything is going with the series!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an arc and listen to the audiobook.

I started with the audiobook, which was narrated fantastically and then moved to the book.

A Touch of Shadows was a decent romantasy read that had some unique magical elements and interesting characters. It may be a good starting point for those new to the fantasy genre, however those who are more experienced may find it lacking in originality and depth. The romance felt a bit rushed and could have benefited from more development, and the plot points sometimes felt blunt and fell short.

Overall, while enjoyable, the book didn't quite hit the mark for me in terms of world-building and character connection.

My house has never been so tidy with all the chores I made up to keep listening to this book. The audio narration is excellent.

If you love romance, lost queens, magic, secrets and mysteries. There’s no slow burn here It’s full on from the beginning with so many twists and turns, can’t wait for book 2. Would love to see more of Roland and Elides story. Only knocked of a star because I wanted to scream at Wren at the end.

★★★☆☆

*A Touch of Shadows* was an enjoyable read with a good narration that really brought the story to life. I appreciated the alternative focus on witches, which was a refreshing change from the many fae-centered books I’ve read lately.

Wren's character development was a highlight, and I’m excited to see what’s next in store for her. The story had potential to be longer with more detail, but I actually found the shorter length to be a nice change of pace.

A Touch of Shadows was a solid read that kept me engaged, and I’m curious to see where the series goes from here.