I found it really hard to connect with this book. I can't pinpoint the exact reason.
I just couldn't grasp the story, I was more confused whilst reading than anything else.

I'm sorry this one was just not for me.

A great beginning book into the world of romantasy with easy to follow characters, some simple world building, and a bit of passion. I loved the main character Wren, and her new found journey.

The cover is gorgeous and definitely captured my attention.

Narrators did a great job as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this arc in return for my honest review.

Pub date: 5 Sep 2024

Soooo, access to NetGalley feels a little like a superpower. Like, oh my gosh, now I can read books before they are released! And, one might initially make a mistake like requesting a book after only skimming what it was about and liking the cover. Mistakes like this could lead to listening to a romantasy when you don't like it when a romance even starts to overshadow the plot.

So, before I get into what I didn't like, let's start with why people could enjoy this book. If you're looking for a quick romantasy, that's a nice intro to fantasy without a complex, hard-to-understand plot, this book might be for you!

Now, onto what I thought.

I initially was intrigued by the characters, but pretty dang quickly I was put off by the insta-love! Out of all the romance tropes, insta-love and love triangles are my least favorite. I mean, there wasn't really a love triangle, but she did kinda start kissing another guy in her dreams at one point, that was strange. But, I disliked how quickly the characters were saying they were in love and that the other person was their whole world. The time passing didn't even feel like two weeks to me. That all sounds pretty unhealthy and obsessive to me, but what do I know?

And, then the magic system and plot didn't even make up for it. The magic system could have been cool, but, for some reason, it didn't feel that great. I didn't feel like I was given enough information to understand it. The worldbuilding was nonexistent, and the plot felt pretty basic, nothing avid fantasy readers wouldn't have already read in some way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 from me, this was a really easy book to listen to and enjoy. The world was quick to immerse yourself in and I thought the story was easy to follow. It was nothing groundbreaking but sometimes you need a break from the in-depth fantasy books. If you liked the Witcher tv show but couldn’t get into the books I think this is a good read.
I think when the next in the series comes out I will read :)
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

As a romantasy, I loved it as the fantasy part was penned nicely and the romance part was so lovely 😍 I absolutely loved the characters as each was given sufficient scope to contribute to the plotline.
The plotline was well written and executed too.
The narration was smooth and it was fast paced too.

This is a good romantasy book. Such a great audiobook. I enjoyed listening to the narrator. The book was easy to listen to and the story has great plot and I loved the romance. A good slow burn romance. Will definitely look out for book 2!

"A Touch of Shadows" spins a captivating tale of long-standing rivalries, forbidden magic, and burning passion. A noble knight sworn to exterminate her kind and a hidden sorceress burdened by the shadow magic that once destroyed her realm, Wren and Finn are a pair whose fates become entangled in a way neither could have predicted. Wren and Finn's relationship felt like intsa-love, and I personally am not a fan of insta-love. The world-building of the story is was minimal, but Asteroth and Ilanthus provide an interesting setting for the story. This book would be a great beginner series for those that are interested in fantasy romance books. For the more seasoned fantasy readers, this story lacks the world building, character development, and slow-burn romance elements.

Overall, this was a quick listen and an enjoyable experience.

Thank you Netgalley and for the audio-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is a pretty quick and easy romantasy read and I liked it, but I have so many questions! I want to know more about Wren’s parents, the magic system, Finn’s background, why Wren and Finn are so drawn to each other. What the heck is the Knox? Shadowkin? I’ll definitely be reading the second book I search of the answers I’m looking for!

Thank you NetGalley, Jessica Thorne, and Second Sky for providing me the ALC in exchange for an honest review!

I think this story has a lot of potential and I will be in the lookout for the second book but feel like it’s missing something. Very fast-paced and interesting twists and turns. I wasn’t entirely sold on the romance. Maybe I need more of a slow burn and not an instant love trope.

I received a copy from netgalley and the publisher.

Wren hides the dangerous secret that she possesses shadow magic. To protect herself and her small border village, she only uses her powers to aid those in desperate need since magic is feared and hunted.
A noble knight, Finn is sworn to serve Asteroth by hunting down those who use the very magic Wren possesses. Their paths collide when Finn passes through Wren's village and is attacked. Wren uses her magic to save him. With the threat of war looming and enemy soldiers crossing the border into Asteroth, Wren and Finn must decide whether to trust one another to save their kingdom.

Wren's desire to help others often puts her at risk. This softness and compassion are rare in her world because of the danger it would cause someone to know her secrets. Her possession of shadow magic is an untamed power that would make her a terrible force to control. I enjoyed this balance of Wren's character. Fin was the opposite of Wren. He is complex and torn between his anger for his tyrannical father and the desire for his love. Everything he knows is upended by a girl that would change his heart. This conflict makes both characters question their beliefs and their ability to trust one another. You will fall in love with both characters.

The author successfully creates a world steeped in mystery and high-stakes adventure. It is a captivating fantasy book that will appeal to fans of epic romances and explore complex themes, making it a standout. The world-building will continue to grow with the other books of the series. Usually, I'm not too fond of cliffhanger endings, but I was devouring the end of this book. I hope the next book will be available soon. I received the audio version of this book, and the narration was terrific. I was engaged and enjoyed the character's voices.

I received an ARC audiobook for my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Second Sky.

This was an ARC from NetGalley. Thank you.



I read up to 35% I honestly couldn't continue. It was all over the place and I just couldn't get into it. I'm a big fantasy fan and this just wasn't what I was looking for in a book.

I liked this book and the narrator was nice. This book was a good romantasy for me to read and fulfill my current need to read romance books and fantasy books.

4,5 ⭐️
I was so absorbed in this book that I finished in the same day I started!
It was an amazing time, I felt connected with all characters and I fell in love with the love e and care Elodie gave to Wren.
The mystery that surrounds both kept me so focus I lost track on time.
Already dying to read book 2! This is definitely one of my favorites.

A twisty Rapunzel-esque tale that made me feel like how listening to One Dark Window and Daughter of No Worlds made me feel. The magic system is complex and the family saga is dramatic, with a gothic tone and witches and knights. The narrator was great and I enjoyed the story a lot. I can't wait to see what's next in this trilogy.

I received an advanced copy for review. This is my own opinion.

A Touch of Shadows would be a good entrance into the romantasy genre for someone interested but unsure where to begin. It’s pretty short and low stakes, with normal names and not a lot of moving parts to keep track of (I love romantasy but come on sometimes I need a guide to keep up!)

AToS is a Rapunzel retelling, and I’m interested to see how that plays out. There is insta-love romance that i’d like to see a bit more fleshed out in upcoming books, and a magic system that I’d love to learn more about as well. Looking forward to the second book!

3.5 rounded up.

I enjoyed the narrator as well.

Thanks to Netgalley, Second Sky, and Jessica Thorne for the ALC.

Starting off with the part of the book I enjoyed, I loved the narrator I thought she did a great job and conveyed Wrens loneliness and isolation well, and the overall sadness of the story, the book also had good pace and I enjoyed the worldbuilding, and the slow burn romance between Wren and Finn.
I did however, find the timeline strange, overall the timeline for the book was a few weeks and in that time Wren and Finn fell obsessively in love, I’m not sure if this was the magic involved or just a part of the plot but it was a bit much. I also think having two female main characters was confusing, the plot was more from Wren's POV and we see her as a 20-year-old coming-of-age character, but as soon as her mother Elodie turns up, Wren is transported to a 12-year-old whiny, petulant child. I did feel more attached to Elodie rather than Wren and felt that her ARC was left out, especially because she had a more interesting backstory, and so much was missing. Also, what's with the hair? Is it necessary to have magical hair, what does it add to the storyline?
Would I buy this for myself? Probably not, but it was an ok read.

A Touch of Shadow

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: Audiobook
Speed: 1.25

Our story begins with Elodie escaping with baby Wren. Elodie is a powerful witch on the run. Years later, adult Wren feels isolated and alone; she doesn’t feel she is as good a healer as Elodie, nor does she fit in with the local townsfolk. Finn, a noble knight, has his path cross with Wren, who saves him using her magic. Passionate desire mixed with wariness are the budding elements of their relationship, but they are pushed aside as Finn and Wren have to try to escape with their lives when enemy soldiers are lurking nearby. Readers will be taken on an epic romantic quest that will put everything Wren knows to the test.

Highlights:
⭐️Multiple intersecting chapters from different characters’ POVs
⭐️Narration was beautiful! The narrator read the book with emotion that kept me engaged as a reader.
⭐️The backstory. Not only do we have this main story unfolding in present time between Finn and Wren, but we also have the backstory of Elodie as well.
⭐️Slow-burn romance.

Pitfalls:
❌While the audiobook was amazing, I don’t think it’s the best version of this book. There is a lot of information being thrown at the reader (i.e., world-building, character details, background, etc.), and I feel that as an audiobook, I missed a lot of details (or there are potentially plot holes). If I were going to recommend this book, I would suggest trying the ebook or physical copy instead so readers wouldn’t have to backtrack as much.

Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for the ARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
*Social media post will be posted closer to publication date.

Rating: 3.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a copy of this book. I found A Touch of Shadows really enjoyable. It was a great easy, shorter read and was great as a break from more intense and lengthy books. I really enjoyed the story of this book, the magic system was great and the characters were likeable and fun. The characters don’t see a ton of development throughout but that definitely fits with the shorter nature of the book and I think we would get to see more of that in future books in the series. We didn’t get too much information as a first book in a series but I think that worked to keep the reader engaged and wanting to find out more however the ending was quite abrupt and seemed to be in the middle of the story but didn’t quite give the cliffhanger feel. However I would definitely continue with the series and think it would be great as either a physical or audio copy for those looking for a quick and easy but fun read. I really liked the narrator and found them really engaging.

This was a solid romantasy, nothing groundbreaking but not bad either. It was a slow burn, but the attraction/feelings started rather quickly.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Helen Keeley. She did a great job, it was very easy to listen to her. I just didn’t like her ‚male‘ voice, but I never like this in any audiobooks…
The plot was pretty straightforward.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publishers for the ALC!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC and the author for the opportunity! I’ll start this by saying I received the audiobook version of this title. That can have a much bigger impact on the story than just reading it. I do a mix of reading and listening to books and feel I’ve listen to enough that I have a good idea of when a book is good but the narrator is bad or the book is bad but the narrator is good.
I will say I liked the narrator over all. However, I didn’t love her male voice or the voice she chose for Wren. I felt it made her more whiny than she already was. The book was relatively short and easy to listen to. The plot was pretty straight forward, however the romance I was not sold on. It was like obsession at first sight? And there was a lot of pining but no reason for it. I was also unsure about Wren’s hair. I was getting a tangled vibe with the magic hair.
For the most part I think the book was fine. I think true overall idea was good and there was some good imagery. I just felt like it was lacking on the world building and character development. I would rate it 2.5. I think if you want an easy read and something not too confusing this would be a good book. Just don’t expect too much explanation of magic system and lore. And the romance is kind of just there and doesn't convince me totally. Though, maybe that will come through more in the next book!