Hrm, well objectively it’s a pretty good book! The story is very unique and one of a kind. I did have some trouble at first grasping the whole magic theory, but it worked out in my brain in the end. I did want more information on it. It had good bones but needed more fleshing out. The story is good, but again there’s just not enough of it. I needed more background on the politics, the magic, the world. It was a pretty slow paced book for me. I had trouble connecting with the characters. Cemmy just felt so immature, naive and at times even a bit stupid (I know, I know there were reasons for it, but it was still annoying). The way she operated in the world was strange and I couldn’t grasp her motivations. I liked Chase, but I didn’t feel any real chemistry between them sadly. Or any of the characters really. The little twist at the end was interesting though and really helped me finish the book. I’m rating it 3.5 stars based on the story and the unique magic system.

I am so so glad I got approved for this one. I started drafting this review thinking I’d give the book a solid 4 at the 50% mark, but now I’ve spent an entire day reading this, seemingly unable to stop. Oh, if only this would never end…

Until We Shatter is a wild ride from start to finish. Kate Dylan’s writing is absolutely beautiful, and extremely readable. Hard to put down, the book is fast-paced and full of thrills. Despite that, the romance and the heist preparation are entirely slow burn, reading like a rollercoaster of successes and failures. The author’s storytelling ability has easily placed her among my favorites. I absolutely ADORE this plot. There’s nothing shallow about it - brimming with themes of forgiveness, grief, and trust.

The magic system is fantastic. It’s kind of Wheel of Time-esque, maybe I’m just thinking that because of the colors though. It’s complex, well-thought-out, and unique. The book definitely demands your full attention for at least the first 100 pages. It’s easy to get lost in the magic details. I appreciate that the author is very obviously devoted to this world and these characters - fleshing out an entire system in so few pages is impressive. I was going to comment on my confusion about how the city was laid out because I guess it was hard for me to imagine, but it’s not even fundamental to the plot, and the world-building, characters, details, and pure effort outshine any of my potential complaints.

The characters are perfect in that they’re both likable and unlikable depending on the circumstances. I truly wanted all of them to succeed no matter what their differing motivations were. It’s refreshing to read fantasy with a FMC with explainable and plausible flaws that don’t make her unbearably annoying. All six core characters have distinct personalities and I’m just so happy that they don’t all blend together. The diversity is also incredibly impressive.

If you can’t tell, I love this book. I love how engaging it is and I just absolutely love when an author is dedicated to a story (which is so obvious here). This story needed its own world and I’m so glad that the author decided to build one.

I enjoyed the fast-placed plot and the magic system was really cool — I love the idea of half-bloods vs full-blooded magic people and people with no magic at all. I think the friendships/relationships were a highlight; there is a misfit cast of characters with some wonderful dynamics. However, I think there was too much world-building crammed into the first third of the book, which made it feel dense and hard to get through. I think the premise was better than the execution, unfortunately.

In an imaginary kingdom, magic is real. ‘Hues’ wield different colours of magic, against the rule of The Dominion, a theocratic state. Cemmy has an ill mother, so she falls in with a gang of thieves to pull off a heist that could change society.

Although there is enough to tempt the fantasy reader, the book is earthbound by an all-too familiar narrative. Cemmy’s mother suffers from a ‘disease of the blood’, her gang are the lovable rogues you’d find in the average crime novel. There’s also the trope from most police procedurals, that our hero is pulled back in for one last score.

In fact, I’d go as far as to say that it is what makes the narrative a little too familiar. See also: not as expansive/ imaginative as a fantasy book could/should be. Cemmy is an engaging character and it’s nice to see one in a fantasy book that is queer, not one that is seen as heteronormative or sexually available. The ‘hues’ is a cracking idea, see also the idea that overuse of one’s powers will kill you, hence that arch title.

But I found the lack of flair, the infodumping and the genuine absence of the fantastic to be a let down. It’s published by Hodder And Stoughton on October 17th and I thank them for a preview copy.

I've been a fan of Dylan's work since Mindwalker and was super excited to try her foray into fantasy. Until We Shatter continues the trend of her brilliant writing style, everything runs so fast paced it's like watching a film.

The main characters anxieties really set this apart for me as it's rare I read a book where a character has an established fear of using their ability and couple with the super expansive magic system this proved to be a really nice & unique read. The limitations on the powers of hues and the complexities behind that were really fascinating and it really sets this book apart.

A fantasy heist comparable to Six of Crows with a diverse & lovable bunch of characters was just the icing on the cake for me! Overall, a fantastic read!
Thanks to Netgalley + Hodder & Stoughton for the arc.

I have loved each of Kate Dylans previous books so I knew that this was going to be no exception even with a genre switch in the mix.
I thoroughly enjoyed the unique magic system, found family and enemies to lovers aspects of the book as well as Dylan's usual pacing and storytelling. I will be recommending this book to anyone who will listen and look forward to reading whatever Dylan has for us next.

I absolutely loved this book. The 1st pages [hard to say how many as it was ebook and page number doesn't show], felt bit like a info dump and it scared me for a moment, my brain is not made for that stuff ;P, but after that it was smooth ride. It kept me biting my nails from start to finish, the characters were well written, and each brough their own energy to the story. Apart from the initial info attack, the word building then was quite well written, so I don't feel like I am missing something. And I absolutely adored the magic system <3. I have not read any books by this author before, but I am definitely going to change that. If they even as half as good as this one I won't be disappointed <3

Until We Shatter was fun and fast-paced, with an interesting magic system that also manages to be inventive and innovative.
There is some explanation about the magic at the beginning of the book (eARC, in my case, don't know how it'll be in the finished copies) that gives some insight into how the magic works, but it only scratches the surface. The complexity of the magic is taught through the story, which was great as it is my preferred method anyway.
The twist was fairly predictable if you pay attention but in a rewarding way! I was on the edge of my seat to see whether I was right as well as to find out HOW the heist would play out.
There were a few things I think could have maybe been done a little better, like the one or two monologues we had with characters explaining things, and the MC spends a little too many thoughts going back to a few particular moments (we get it, X phrase by Y character was important), but other than these minor things this was a highly enjoyable read that went by SUPER fast.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodderscape for the ARC.

I was initially drawn to this book from the very gorgeous cover and the idea of it being similar to Six of Crows.

I will start this off with saying that I felt like Kate Dylan’s writing style is done very well, especially with the fighting / action scenes. I tend to skim those scenes in other books because of the lack of depth but she did a phenomenal job at keeping me on my toes during them. But my biggest concern was the way the magic system was set up and written, it felt overwhelming and at times I honestly felt like I had skipped a page because I couldn’t grasp what was going on. If we could have gotten a simpler version of this I think I would have enjoyed this book significantly more.
As for Cemmy, she felt like a rough draft… I tend to see myself in small pieces when I read books with a FMC and I didn’t see any pieces of myself in her. She didn’t feel like a realistic woman in my eyes. She made mistakes yes, but she didn’t own up to them or even grow from them.
The “romance” felt bland and less “enemies to lovers” and more “Chase just kind of… sucks?”. I didn’t feel any tension or anything blooming the entire book.
I really wish I could have loved this book, but I would say in the end I did like it. The ending was good (predictable, but who cares). I would say with how confusing and awkward the book started it set the tone for how I felt for the rest of the book.

3.5/5
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Hodderscape and Kate Dylan for the digital ARC. I was honored to be selected for an honest review.

What a fun read! This was such an interesting magic system, I really enjoyed it. I absolutely loved the relationships between the characters and I love a heist!

4.25⭐️
Thank you NetGalley, Kate Dylan and Hodderscape for the ARC and the opportunity to read this book before it’s published. All thoughts are my own.

Friends, I am OBSESSED with this world and magic system. Someone give Kate a price because damn, it hooked me so much!

But let’s proceed in order, this book tells the story of a halfblood (insert Harry Potter reference here to convey message), or more accurately a Hue, Cemilla, and her group of friends, and of how they end up planning the most complicated heist of history.

As previously mentioned because I have no patience, the world building and magic system blew me away, I am extremely obsessed with the premise of having Shades -of magic, and that their combination with human blood makes Hues, each with a different set of skills.
Our heroes are all Hues and getting to know about their personalities and powers was extremely fun.

As classic me, I have beef with the FMC because, damn, why are they always so THICK? (I know, okay, -drama. And possibly the fact that I am a 28-years-old woman reading about teenagers) HOWEVER I am so incredibly excited and happy about the bi rep, it was so very refreshing to see in a YA Fantasy novel.
And even if I thought I had Cemmy all figured out, I actually managed to be hella surprised of a couple twists in the end. So we’ll call it a win overall.

Equally as classic for me, I am not a massive fan of first person + present tense narration but hey, it’s pretty well written so I wasn’t too fussed, take this as merely personal preference.

So: super enjoyable read, well written and with an interesting magic system and high stakes driven plot. Do your math, if you like these, jump on this RIGHT NOW!

This was a gripping read, I thought the characters were intriguing and I'm going to keep an eye out for more from this author.

Cemmy has spent her life hiding who she is, she is a Hue (a half magic user) who was born from an Shade (full magic user) and a Typic (someone without any magic) in a city where this pretty much a death sentence, as the two should not mix

Cemmy has been having to use her magic in any way she can to make ends meet without her ailing mother knowing, and she is also dealing with some ghosts from her past which is also causing a rift with her rag tag found family, who are all also Hues

Despite this, her friends are more than willing to help where they can, so when Cemmy ends up being entrapped and they all have to work on a heist which requires several of their powers, newcomer Chase will test the extend of the friend group and what they are all willing to do for each other.

Great story and really interesting magic system, albeit it took my brain a little bit of time to get to grips with all the different colours and their powers.

Kate really knows how to write a story that keeps you on your toes, and she does this just as well in a fantasy setting as she did with Mindwalker/Mindbreaker in the scifi genre. Her characters are hot messes - in the best possible way - and I think I love them ever more because of this as life isn't just all Grey (get it... well, you will, once you've read the book lol)

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodderscape for the early review copy. Out in October and I can't wait for you all to read it

This book had a really cool premise - I was super excited going into it, and had really high hopes for being sucked into the world of Shades, Hues, and the Gray. Unfortunately, it didn't really work out for me.

The book felt unfinished. Kate Dylan has a nice writing style, and I have to say: she is fantastic at writing action scenes and at portraying character movement and interaction with the world. Emotions fell a bit short for me, and I don't feel like foreshadowing was present in this book much or at all during the times it definitely needed it.
The magic system wasn't fleshed out to a point that I felt like I understood it, and more information was constantly being thrown at us as if it was something we should have known, or just a normal thing. It was inconsistent in telling us what people could or couldn't do, and didn't feel developed. As soon as something needed to happen, there was suddenly magic that could explain or help it. I just felt like the worldbuilding was unfortunately a bit lackluster.

The characters were fine, but not amazing. Cemmy, our main character was annoying at times, and I felt like her motivations and the way she navigated the world was both unrealistic and incredibly grating. She couldn't stop talking about Magdalena (even though we didn't even learn what happened until 70% of the way through the book!), and seemed to have some really crappy ways of dealing with her emotions and how she channeled her jealousy towards Novi and anger at the others. The side characters were fine, but they all kind of felt a bit bland, a means to an end. And the romance was similar - it was boring, and felt really forced. There wasn't natural tension between Cem and Chase (and Chase was kind of a dick the whole way through), they just sort of happened, and I didn't feel like there was anything there that justified it.

Plotwise, there was definitely a good outline there, I really like the concept and the ideas, it was just excuted weakly. All of the twists and turns felt forced, out of left field, and never did I feel like there was ever a hint or backstory to the things that happened. The last 2 or 3 chapters went ridiculously fast, and it was just not easy to keep up or fun to keep reading.

I do think that this book could be great, and I love the concept - there's a lot here that I think works and could work. I just don't think that this book delivered what it promised, and it wasn't a personal favourite of mine.

Until We Shatter by Kate Dylan
Rating: 4/5
Release Date: 17 October 2024

No matter where she turns, Cemmy finds herself in peril. The Church is relentless in its pursuit, condemning her for her magic, while the Council of Shades deems her a threat for her lack thereof.

When her mother falls ill, Cemmy is forced to resort to thievery. And when presented with an opportunity that promises to alleviate their troubles, she cannot resist.

The caveat? Cemmy must collaborate with Chase—a captivating yet enigmatic figure—to pilfer a potent artefact concealed by the Church within a treacherous realm of shadows.

Success would mean safety at last for Cemmy. But failure risks unleashing chaos upon the city—and endangering all who dwell within.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat—a spellbinding heist tale with stakes higher than the sky. It was a rollercoaster of betrayal, blackmail, newfound kinship, and romance.

What truly captivated me was the originality of the story—the diverse wellsprings of magic and the myriad planes of existence magic wielders could traverse. The intricate world-building made it effortless to lose oneself in its depths.

If you're in the mood for a light read with an original magic concept, this book is worth a try. Just a heads up, though, it might take some time to grasp the magic system and the world it inhabits. I was pretty confused in the beginning, but once I started piecing it all together, it became more enjoyable.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton | Hodderscape, and the author, Kate Dylan, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

3.5. Interesting concept, but probably not for me.
"Until We Shatter" is set in a fantasy world where society is divided into those who possess magic (Shades) and those who do not (typics). The social divide is also overlaid with political divisions - the city of Isitar is split between the Council of Shades, representing the magic wielders, and the Church, which seeks to eliminate all magic, especially the so-called Grey - the incorporeal world of magic that exists alongside the real world. In between these divisions are the Hues - people who are only half Shades and are not accepted by either the Council or the Church. They possess only half of the magic and require additional spells to cross over into Grey. The book's main character, Cemmy, is a Hue. She agrees to a risky robbery and teams up with another Hue, Chase, to help her seriously ill mother. They are joined by other Hues with special skills to pull off the heist.

This book features a unique magic system, and the author deserves credit for her ambition in creating something that sets it apart from other fantasy books. The found family subplot is a positive highlight of this story, especially considering the morally gray nature of the characters. I also enjoyed the romance - enemies to lovers is well executed here, as it's clear from the beginning that the two protagonists are lonely and find a sense of belonging with each other.

Many aspects of this book I liked, and many I find objectively praiseworthy. However, I must admit that I am not completely convinced by this universe. The rules for using magic were so complicated that it took me a good dozen percent of the book to understand them. So it was hard for me to fully immerse myself in the story, and many of the solutions just seemed like deus ex machina. It was quite irritating because this is a heist book, so everything depends on whether the characters succeed in a dangerous mission or not. The abstractness of some elements of the magic system was unfortunately a factor that lowered the stakes for me. Also I felt that some plot elements were just pretextual. For example, one of the characters only learned how to use an item she had carried with her all her life (!!) when it could be used to increase the drama of the story. On the other hand, I liked the ending quite a bit, even though I guessed the main twist.

In the end, I think "Until we Shatter" is a novel fantasy, much more ambitious than the average YA book. I think it will appeal to a lot of people, especially fans of heist books. Maybe I am just not the target audience for this story.

Thank you to netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy to read.

This follows Cemmy and her bunch of unlikely misfit hue friends as they try to tackle a heist to save the world of colour magic.

The writing was exquisite and beautiful. Dylan creates such a wonderful and imaginative world with really unique magic and concepts. I did find it slightly difficult in the first half as we learn about the magic, hues and shades. But as the story developed it all started to make more sense and connected the dots that I couldn't make sense of (completely my misgivings not the authors).

I truly believe this will be the next big fantasy book. It has everything you could want and need. Found family. Enemies to lovers. Magic. An impossible heist.

I 100% recommend this book and can't wait to buy a copy for my shelves.

First things first, if you're a fan of Leigh Bardugo and Sarah J. Maas you will love this book! It's quite the action-packed fantasy with a great world-building and magic system. I noticed myself getting back to the start to remember some stuff about the magic, where it got explained, since it's a lot, so pay attention haha.
The heist in the book was great and I found it quite thrilling.
The protagonists Chemmy and Chase were amazing as well. You built a connection to them rather fast and I had such a fun time with them!
The only thing I was going back and forth was the pacing. It through me off every now and then because it got slower imo, but it picked up again at another point.

Thank you to Hodderscape and NetGalley for the digital ARC!

I've loved Kate Dylan's other works, so when I saw her new book was a fantasy I was pretty excited. It's also amazing how she only has 3 books out, yet I can very much see her writing style already.

Until We Shatter is a magical heist fantasy featuring a bisexual main female character. Set entirely in a single city that's been split in two, you get fully absorbed into the mythology and history of this world. On one side, you have the Shades who have the colour of magic in their blood and can live in the Gray, another world layered over the physical world. On the other, you have typics, those who are magicless. The Shades are threatened by the Church, who preach that Shades and magic are sinful and want to eradicate them.

In the middle, you have the Hues. The children of Shades and typics, neither side wants them and their existence is illegal on both. They have diluted forms of magic from their parent, and are a threat to all.

The Shades here are split into several colours, with each doing a certain thing. Green heals, Red controls, etc. Hues are offshoots, so an Emerald can hold small pockets of space 'In-Between- the Gray and the physical to keep others safe and so forth.

Cemmy, our main character, is a Bronze - the only type of Hue who can interact with physical objects in the Gray. She gets roped into a magical heist that has life or death consequences, but she just wants to help get medicine for her sick mum. She's loyal to her friends and wary of everyone - her existence is illegal, after all.

Chase is our main male character, and I'll leave him to tell you his secrets. He's just as loyal, but also more than willing to be sneaky to get his way.

The side characters were great and felt very fleshed out. I loved the inclusion of Lyria, a Deaf girl who spoke in sign. Everyone accepted her and even accommodated by learning sign, she was never made to feel like an annoyance but was accepted and became a crucial part of the story.

Cemmy herself is very much bisexual - she has relations with both sexes in the book and is completely comfortable with her sexuality. It's never made an issue by anyone - the only thing people don't accept in this world is magic, if you're on the wrong side!

If you're looking for an easy read with a unique magic system, I'd definitely give this a go. Be warned that it takes a little to understand the magic system and the world - I was very lost at the start until I started to piece it together!

This is definitely YA, though Cemmy read younger than her 19 years to me. I did figure out all the twists way ahead of time, but that left me satisfied when I was proven rightA

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this in advance of publication.

This book was a good read, I found it to be fully immersive with an intricate magic system - I did find this complex to remember and had to keep going back to the start to remember what each colour was but that’s my memory’s error.

This book is great for anyone to is interested in heists and an intricate magic system. I look forward to more books from this writer and would recommend this book forward.