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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was the December Owlcrate book. I read it, then participated in the read along in January for it. I LOVED this book! It's been a bit since I've read it, so it's hard for me to remember everything about it, but it was really good. It does have the trope that is kind of annoying, where bad boy falls instantly in love with wallflower girl, but who cares.
The female MC is such a total badass. I LOVED her and the male MC. This book does end on a bit of a cliff hanger, so there better be more to come! I'd 100% read other stuff from this author, and plan to.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The sun has been gone for over fifty years, leaving behind a cursed mist that surrounds the Realm of Asidia. After an incident in the mists left her hands covered in horrible black scars, rumors of Kiara’s curse begins to spread throughout her village, isolating her. Her only friend is her asthmatic brother, and she lives in dread of the day when he’ll be drafted to the knights, sworn to bring back the sun. When that day finally comes, the village bully goes after her brother in front of the knights, and Kiara leaps into action, putting the bully on his rear and catching the attention of the knight’s commander, Jude. Impressed by her skill, Jude allows her to take her brother’s place in the draft and takes her back to the training grounds. Despite being the only woman in a group of boys, Kiara quickly proves herself as the most capable of the bunch, earning Jude’s attention and favor--and his reluctant heart. When the king orders Jude to take Kiara and her fellow trainees into the poisoned mist, Jude does his best to leave Kiara behind for her safety, but Kiara refuses to let her friends go into danger without her. Following the group, Kiara learns that their mission is to retrieve the three keys needed to break the curse and bring back the sun, but nothing in the mist is as it seems. As Kiara and Jude move deeper into the cursed lands, they both discover dangerous secrets about each other and themselves.
I thoroughly enjoyed the chemistry between Jude and Kiara. Their shared scars and low self-esteem really brought them together in the most adorable way. The only thing about their relationship I didn’t get was the part early on when Kiara was reminiscing about how she’d hated Jude to start with. I totally missed that part! Jude himself tried to keep a decent distance between them, but that was more professional since he was her superior. An aspect I really appreciated was how the boys adopted Kiara as their favorite big sister. No one treated her differently because she was the only female, or tried to make her life miserable because she was the best of them. No, they all hid behind her, and let her deal with the danger, which I think is awesome. The mist itself was horrible and traumatic, but I liked how dark it got, and the bits of histories and letter at the beginning of every chapter were an excellent touch!
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Conceptually really fun book, loved the lore with the mist and gods. I thought the way we were given lore through very small tablets at the start of each POV was great and gave us just enough without dragging the book. Started a bit slow and reminded me of divergent, but once we were brought into the mist the story got 1000% better.
That said, good LORD the edgyness was so heavy-handed. Every other page was filled with lines trying too hard to be cool, snarky, with a dark juvinile witt or dramatics. Every now and then would be fine, but I just found my self cringing too ften when the book tried to step too far into the edgy mystique writing style the author was going for. For Kiara it was giving very much I'm not like other girls. Book are nice but I like fighting, daggers, the thrill of adrenaline during a fight. Blah blahl blah. For Jude it was sad boy hours, I have a mask, im darkness in shadows blah blah blah. Honestly they both had a lot of self-depricating, "im a monster" lines. It just wasn't landing as often as I'd like.
One of the last examples the author gave us came at the end in Kiara's POV: "...It had saved him. My Monster (she's referring to herself here) had saved him."
Again most of the actual plot points and obstacles in the mist were great. I thought they were intense, atmospheric, and really felt like an unpredictable threat. Excelent writing there. its just the dialouge and inner monolouges would sometimes ruin the tension.
I did just shit on the writing a lot there, but I actually did enjoy the characters and their relationship though. They had nice chemstriy, a good rapport, and when not too edgy they were actually both pretty funny at times. While I definetly wish the story wasn't so insta lovey, I appreciate that the relationship between Kiara and Jude didn't progress super fast beyond that love/intense attraction at first sight. It was cute, a nice lil thang.
That said, good LORD the edgyness was so heavy-handed. Every other page was filled with lines trying too hard to be cool, snarky, with a dark juvinile witt or dramatics. Every now and then would be fine, but I just found my self cringing too ften when the book tried to step too far into the edgy mystique writing style the author was going for. For Kiara it was giving very much I'm not like other girls. Book are nice but I like fighting, daggers, the thrill of adrenaline during a fight. Blah blahl blah. For Jude it was sad boy hours, I have a mask, im darkness in shadows blah blah blah. Honestly they both had a lot of self-depricating, "im a monster" lines. It just wasn't landing as often as I'd like.
One of the last examples the author gave us came at the end in Kiara's POV: "...It had saved him. My Monster (she's referring to herself here) had saved him."
Again most of the actual plot points and obstacles in the mist were great. I thought they were intense, atmospheric, and really felt like an unpredictable threat. Excelent writing there. its just the dialouge and inner monolouges would sometimes ruin the tension.
I did just shit on the writing a lot there, but I actually did enjoy the characters and their relationship though. They had nice chemstriy, a good rapport, and when not too edgy they were actually both pretty funny at times. While I definetly wish the story wasn't so insta lovey, I appreciate that the relationship between Kiara and Jude didn't progress super fast beyond that love/intense attraction at first sight. It was cute, a nice lil thang.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Kiara is an outcast when she’s chosen to join the Knights by the Hand of Death, Jude. With a kingdom on the brink of collapse, they’re tasked with delving into the mist in search of salvation. However, it’s not that simple. The mist is out to mess with their minds, and there are beasts living in the shadows. Although, when death is the only other option, they have no choice but to fight.
✨
✨
To Kill a Shadow is my first read by Quinn and it certainly will not be the last. This book was phenomenal - equal parts creepy, hopeful, and full of mind blowing twists and heartbreaking betrayals. Seriously, the emotions Quinn brings out during this story will give you whiplash. It’s that good. The world building and magic system are well developed and explored throughout the story. While those certainly add to the overall success, the character development and relationships really perfect the tale. Kiara’s ability to open up after everything she’s been through is remarkable. The found family trope is expertly used as part of her character development. Additionally, her relationship with Jude is mutually beneficial in terms of character development. They’re able to push each other to become better versions of themselves. Not to mention the chemistry between the two is intense. The side characters also add an interesting dynamic to Kiara’s personality. Be warned, the last few chapters will have your head spinning and demanding the next book in the series. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book.
✨
✨
eARC courtesy of netgalley and entangled teen
✨
✨
To Kill a Shadow is my first read by Quinn and it certainly will not be the last. This book was phenomenal - equal parts creepy, hopeful, and full of mind blowing twists and heartbreaking betrayals. Seriously, the emotions Quinn brings out during this story will give you whiplash. It’s that good. The world building and magic system are well developed and explored throughout the story. While those certainly add to the overall success, the character development and relationships really perfect the tale. Kiara’s ability to open up after everything she’s been through is remarkable. The found family trope is expertly used as part of her character development. Additionally, her relationship with Jude is mutually beneficial in terms of character development. They’re able to push each other to become better versions of themselves. Not to mention the chemistry between the two is intense. The side characters also add an interesting dynamic to Kiara’s personality. Be warned, the last few chapters will have your head spinning and demanding the next book in the series. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book.
✨
✨
eARC courtesy of netgalley and entangled teen
I went into this book blindly and I’m so glad. I adore Kiara. Everything about her is just pure and wholesome but she’s got bite. She is fiercely loyal. Jude was revealed to us layer by layer. They both have so much to work through and overcome in books to come. It’s an adventure that I will impatiently wait for.