This was sold as villain gets the girl romantasy and it absolutely isn't. There is very very little romance and the tiny bit that's there is not very believable, they have no chemistry whatsoever. There wasn't even really a plot just endless world building that was complicated for no reason and had holes. Feels like the author just saw what was popular and used that to market the book without delivering on any of it

The plotline of this book has a good layout and therefore a lot of potential but unfortunately the writing just couldn't capture my attention.

In the Kingdom of Noctis, dreams are lethal, spreading a soul-stealing curse known as Corruption. The only safeguard is an expensive elixir taken before sleep, which offers no cure for those already afflicted. Esmer Havenfall dreams of escaping her mundane village life, but when her sister dies from Corruption and her parents are accused of a grave crime, she's thrust into the perilous Dream Realm. There, she discovers she may share the terrifying powers of the Shadow Bringer, who resides in a foreboding castle. Together, Esmer and the Shadow Bringer must fight to save their kingdom and their souls, racing against time as more dreamers fall victim to Corruption. Failure means being forever lost to the Dream Realm.

Good premise. I wasn't too keen on the writing style. Still a good book though.

Dream by the Shadows follows Esmer who lives in a curse ridden world where dreams could be your downfall. After the curse spreads in her town, Esmer must do what it takes to save her brother and ultimately herself.

What I liked about this book was that it was incredibly atmospheric and had an interesting plot. I do feel like the world building could be expanded upon a little, and sometimes the writing felt a little choppy. However, overall I thought it was quite an enjoyable read. I liked the relationship between the two main characters and hope that it’s expanded on further in the next book.

“I fell. Wildly. Relentlessly. My hands clenched around wet, slimy things. Cold mud. Decaying leaves. I was a doll, a stone—useless, useless—slamming into branches and the sharp underside of tree roots.”

Dream by the Shadows is the first volume in the Shadow Weaver Duology and takes the reader on an immersive journey through a dark, gothic world full of magic and mystery. Although the story took a while to get going, I was soon fully immersed in the unique setting Logan Karlie has created.

The world and story of this book is unique and refreshing and something I am dying to delve into. The whole gothic world is set up and all the layers the characters have to offer.

Mythology, monsters, castles, dreams and curses! This book has it all. After all, what is reality? And when are you stuck in a dream that seems to become a nightmare?

The romance in this book is a side plot and hugely slow burn! I am a huge fan of this myself and really enjoyed it due to the fact that this is sometimes harder to find among all the fierce romantic fantasy books.

This is an ARC ebook thanks to netgalley!

And honestly, I can’t wait for book 2 now.

This book had so much potential. The magic system was interesting, the shadows and the dreams. This book promises a gothic fantasy filled with magic and a slow burn romance. For fans of Beauty and the Beast and Labyrinth, this book sounded perfect for me. However, I found it rather boring and a slog to read.
The premise sounded fantastic, but unfortunately the execution wasn’t what I wanted out of the book.

DNF @ 54%

I was loving this book so much when I started it. The world building was a lot, as it switches between reality and a dream state but it’s fairly easy to follow along.

Once I hit the 54% mark I’ve found it difficult to continue- I feel like a lot is happening without anything actually happening…or being explained well enough to even get an idea. While the building is heavy throughout, I actually have no idea about anything that is going on

This book has so much potential but unfortunately not something for me to continue.

In the land of Noctis, to dream is to risk being corrupted by the demons of the dream realm.

Esmer finds herself caught in the events that unfold in her village as corruption takes over, and caught in the dream realm at the mercy of the shadow bringer, keeper of demons. Through layers of dreams and reality, Esmer must do all she can to save her brother, stop the spread of corruption, and escape the shadow bringer's castle.

Set within the two worlds, of dreams and reality, both are visceral in their details and haunting. The un-realities of dreams and nightmares are captured in a way that's spellbinding.

I really enjoyed this story, how it explored the vulnerabilities of the characters through their dreams and how the shadow bringer's history unfolded.

Dream by the Shadows is a bewitching gothic fantasy, by Logan Karlie. An atmospheric tale set in the Kingdom of Noctis, a land plagued by a dream-induced curse known as Corruption. The story follows Esmer Havenfall, a young woman whose life takes a dark turn when her sister succumbs to the curse and her family is accused of a heinous crime.

Esmer's journey into the Dream Realm, ruled by the enigmatic Shadow Bringer, is both haunting and mesmerising. The narrative is steeped in vivid imagery, with the Dream Realm coming alive as a place of terror and wonder. Esmer and the Shadow Bringers romance is well written, emotive and allows the readers to share in their depth of emotion for each other.

Logan Karlie's prose is lush and evocative, drawing readers into a world where magic and shadows intertwine. The first half of the story is more character focused, following Esmer as she navigates the new world she finds herself in, the latter half has a whirlwind of action and revelations.

The world building has been done in a way that allows the readers to be fully immersed whilst also leaving room for further exploration in the sequel.

Dream by the Shadows is a enjoyable dark fantasy and gothic romance. Themes of love, sacrifice and the battle against inner darkness resonate deeply, making it a memorable start to the Shadow Weavers Duology.

I wanted to love it, I really did. It just fell a bit short unfortunately.

Set in a kingdom where dreaming leaves you Corrupt and taken over by a demon, FMC gets trapped in dream land with MMC. I really struggled with understanding what was a dream and what was awake at the beginning (it was more of a mix of both at the start, and ended up all dream, or dream on dream towards the end). I feel like italics or bold or just something to differentiate would have helped, because I honestly didn’t understand what was happening in the first half.

There is a lot of lore and world building. Like my kindle was marked at 70% and there was still lore unfolding. A duology doesn’t need that much lore IMO, it needed to be trimmed down a bit. The writing style was a bit confusing, so I do genuinely think that with more editing the world building could have been a lot shorter yet made more sense than it actually did.

It’s also a massive slow burn. I don’t think they kiss until around the 80% mark? Which I didn’t mind, but from the looks of it it’s being pushed as a romantasy so 80% in book one of a duology feels a bit late?

That being said, I did enjoy it. The concept of the dream world and dreams on dreams was good, the plot did pick up right at the very end, and I’m interested in how it resolves itself. I will read the second one when it comes out - hoping that since there’s been so much lore in this one that the next one will be quite plot driven!

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for a copy of an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dream by the shadows
By Logan Karlie

-Slow burn
-Dark Romantasy
-Shadow daddy
-Dream and shadow magic

I have to be honest, this book was well written and the story and characters were great… but sadly it wasn’t for me.
A little confusing at times but in all a story I would recommend to lovers of darker/a little gothic fantasy.

“I fell. Wildly. Relentlessly. My hands clenched around wet, slimy things. Cold mud. Decaying leaves. I was a doll, a stone—useless, useless—slamming into branches and the sharp underside of tree roots.”

Dream by the Shadows is the first volume in the Shadow Weaver Duology and takes the reader on an immersive journey through a dark, gothic world full of magic and mystery. Although the story took a while to get going, I was soon fully immersed in the unique setting Logan Karlie has created.

The world and story of this book is unique and refreshing and something I am dying to delve into. The whole gothic world is set up and all the layers the characters have to offer.

Mythology, monsters, castles, dreams and curses! This book has it all. After all, what is reality? And when are you stuck in a dream that seems to become a nightmare?

The romance in this book is a side plot and hugely slow burn! I am a huge fan of this myself and really enjoyed it due to the fact that this is sometimes harder to find among all the fierce romantic fantasy books.

This is an ARC ebook thanks to netgalley!

And honestly, I can’t wait for book 2 now.

4.5⭐

Once I started I couldn’t put this book down, everything was written beautifully.

From the plot to the beautifully gothic setting, to the way the demons were written with such descriptive yet terrifying ways and an enemies to lovers storyline that was done so well. The uniqueness of this book is what pulled me in a setting based in a dream realm, the author takes you on a journey in a writing style that isn’t done enough, the world building was perfect and full of every little detail that wasn’t lacking at all.

I loved Esmer as the fmc and especially liked how it felt you were being taken along with her as she navigated her way through her dream journey. A villain in the shadow bringer that was written just right and you felt everything that he was going through and I loved how we learnt things along the way with the characters.

A truly beautifully written gothic book and I cannot wait to read the second one.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book before publication, these are my honest thoughts and opinions.

I thought that this was an incredible world to lose myself in. I loved the dream realm and how this has all been set up. It's a compelling story, and the enemies-to-lovers aspect is genuinely so well done! It was dark and eerie at times and I was able to picture the world so clearly in my imagination. There were a few moments in the first part where it felt like there was a lack of connection or description of certain areas, but overall I greatly enjoyed this book and will definitely be looking out for the next one!

Thank you so much to Headline for the ARC via NetGalley and for giving me the opportunity to share my honest thoughts on the book.

ARC Review –⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️ (3.5 stars)

Okay, so this was one of those books that I wanted to love more than I actually did.
It had a lot of cool elements—dream magic, demons, shadow magic, even some time travel—which made for a really layered and complex story. And the slow-burn romance? Absolutely chef’s kiss if you love that delicious tension where two characters take their sweet time before acknowledging their feelings.
But despite all of that, I struggled to fully connect with it, and a lot of moments left me more confused than excited.


The Good Stuff:

If you’re someone who loves romance that takes its time, Dream by the Shadows delivers on that front. No insta-love, no rushed emotions—just a gradual build-up that actually feels earned. Esmer and the Shadow Bringer have this beautiful, carefully woven relationship that never felt forced or out of place.
And even though I’m usually so over the whole “shadow daddy” trope, the Shadow Bringer was actually a great morally gray character. His dynamic with Esmer was one of my favorite parts of the book, and I enjoyed it way more than I expected.

This book is dense in a good way. There are mysteries constantly unfolding, pieces of the plot that don’t fully click into place until later, and a sense that there’s always more going on beneath the surface. If you love stories that make you think and require patience to unravel, this one definitely delivers on that front.

I love when a fantasy book has unique magic, and this one had so many cool ideas packed into it. The way dreams played into the story added this eerie, almost surreal vibe, and the shadow magic was just plain awesome.



The Not-So-Great Stuff:

I fully admit this might be just me, but since this was my first time reading something gothic with dream/nightmare and time travel themes, it was a little overwhelming. The story requires a lot of imagination, and while that’s a good thing, I personally struggled with it. I think if you’re more familiar with this style of storytelling, you might have an easier time connecting with it.

There were times when I was really into the story, but then other moments dragged a bit. Some sections felt like they should’ve been more exciting, but instead, they kind of lost my attention. It wasn’t bad, just not as gripping as I wanted it to be.


Final Thoughts:

Dream by the Shadows definitely has the potential to be a strong 4-star read for the right audience.
For me, it just wasn’t quite my style—I need a book to grip me from the start and make me feel while reading. This one had some great moments, but I kept falling in and out of engagement. That’s just personal preference, though!

It has its confusing moments, but if you’re someone who loves unraveling complex worlds and sinking into eerie, dreamlike stories, you might just adore this one.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this, but personally it fell flat for me. The author has a good vision but the execution didn’t hit for me.

I found it to be unnecessarily confusing and spent most of the time trying to figure out what was going on and where we were. I also would not call this a romance. There is little to no romance and very little chemistry between the main characters.

I did like the premise of a dream inside a dream, but the execution felt confusing to me. I also appreciated that the author kept this as a fade to black as YA should be. Overall, I'm not sure I'd read the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providig with an ARC in exchange for an honest reivew.

In the kingdom of Notics, dreams equal death. The citizens have to take a nightly serum so that when they fall alseep they don't dream, if they do they might become corrupt, taken over by the demons that haunt their dreams only in the waking realm to turn on those they love and care about. Esmer has seen this first hand, losing her sister to the corruption and seeing her village slowly fall apart. The corruption is said to have been caused by the Shadow Bringer, a man who controls the shadows and demons and sentened to confine them to his castle in his realm. Due to certain circumstances Esmer ends up locked in the tomb of the Devourer along with said Shadow Bringer. To overcome what comes next she'll have to partner with him, whom she wishes dead. Drawn to the darkness and the man who controls it, she'll slowly learn the truth to the secret behind Noctis's curse and with the darkness they'll either have to figure it out or be destroyed by it.

Learning about the lore of Noctis was very intersting with the weavers, their followers, and the bringers. Also, how everything changed once the corruption took hold. The book does a good job of explaining how everything works between the dream world and reality.

This was a true slow burn, enemies to lovers, with a literal shadow daddy. The pacing in some parts was slow, but the character development and the slow unraveling of the hidden truths made this a very enjoyable read. Some of the twists were a bit predicitible, but didn't take away from how much I enjoyed this.

Honestly, after reading the ending I can't wait for the next book to come out. There were some twists that leave much to be explored!

Dream by the Shadows by Logan Karlie is a masterpiece! I loved every single second of this book. This story was so well made I couldn't stop reading it for a second.

I didn’t realise I had already read this book! But I did really enjoy this book my only thing is I just wish it was slightly less of a slow burn (cause I love a slow burn but this torture in a snail pace)
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.