The Shadows of Wren was quite an enjoyable book.

The action is filled in a world full of magic and quite a lot of intrigue. The story follows Wren, a shadow wielder that works at the local library. All is well until someone starts attacking the libraries looking to steal some important knowledge and so, Wren's adventure begins. She'll meet a necromancer and learn that not every single one of them is evil. Together they will learn more about shadow magic and also fall in love. I didn't really like the insta-love part, but they are quite cute and he gives her an adorable nickname.

All in all, the book is really nice and reminded me of Sorcery of Thorns

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

I thought at first this was going to be a non-starter. The premise interested me but the first 6 or 7 chapters were slow and I did consider putting it back down again. It starts picking up in depth and pace once the FMC meets the MMC and things start coming together. Although I did like them as a pairing the instalove is not something I can get behind and I find these things awkward.

The World Building was spot on, to be honest, but the plot and characters could have had the same detail to them for me to be able to connect a little more but it wasn't a bad book.

Wren and Tyran give a new definition to moving into a relationship quickly.

The Shadows of Wren is a romantasy novel about necromancers, shadow magic, and the consequences of too much power. One thing I will note before I review any further is that there are a fair amount of grammatical and spelling mistakes (at least, in my copy) so if that's something that you can't ignore like I did, this book is not for you. Also, the telepathy in this book is not differentiated form normal text, meaning it can be a bit confusing at times.
The story itself took me a little while to get into, and I think it had to do with the characters, which I'll get into in a little bit. The magic system was interesting - there are witches, mages, warlocks, and necromancers, and they're all different. The main character, Wren, is a mage (meaning she can use elemental magic from what I gained, but she seems mostly to stick with fire) who also has shadow magic. I didn't really get a clear sense of the plot from the beginning, which is something I struggle with in books, but it definitely became more direct and interesting to me around 60%. I will say that I called most of the plot twists, but that's not exactly uncommon in YA fantasy for me.
I think my biggest struggle was trying to connect with the characters. At first I was excited for Wren because I don't usually see shadow-wielder women in books, but her personality fell a bit flat for me. The same goes for Tyran, whose only personality seemed to be hitting on Wren at every chance he got...and I mean every chance. They met in the woods a few chapters in and started making out at 30%, and then they didn't stop...ever. Bergen, Viggo, Endora, and the rest of the cast were relatively two-dimensional (although I liked Viggo's backstory). I also thought that Rhonin was a cool idea for a villain, but his motives were a bit bland.
If you're in the mood for a short, dark YA romantasy, The Shadows of Wren is a fast-paced read that checks all of those boxes.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

3.25/5

I want to thank NetGalley, and the author Jen Bliton for providing this e-ARC. Witch, I will be giving my honest and sincere review.

We follow Wren and a magical worldbuilding, we find ourselves in a fantasy world.
Wren first lived in an orphanage but found out she had a gift.
Prepare yourself for a world full of ancient magic, amazing characters, sweet enemies to lovers with a mysterious necromancer, Tyran…
Overall I enjoyed this book, it was fast-paced, and we see the story being focused around Wren and Tyran's first encounter in a forest developing into a romance, with all the emotions and conflicts of who they are, we get to see their journey to save their lands, full of action and mystery.


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When I first requested this book, I was so interested in the premise. However it took me a long time to actually wan to pick up the book and once I did start reading I felt the pacing was too slow for me and ultimately resulted in me having to DNF this book.

If I had to sum this up in a few words, I'd say it's full of magic, romance, unforgettable characters and has excellent world building. Bliton has a wonderful way of describing everything, that drops you right into the heart of the story. I really liked Wren, she has unique magic, and Tyran makes the perfect match for her. I would love to learn more about how their magic is linked, and the history of magic in the world overall. The story itself moves along at a good pace, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I really hope to see further adventures, and more chances to explore the world in future books!

A solid romantasy that I flew through and was easily immersed in. It combined the best of the genre and although will not become a new favourite, was enjoyable throughout and faultless for what it delivered. Character creation is key in this genre, for me, and this author nailed every aspect of hers.

This was a new to me author and it was not disappointed! I could get enough of this book. It was so good that I couldn’t put it down!

A captivating, quick, cozy read for every fantasy lover! I can't wait to read more by this author. The pace was a little slower, and this seems to be firmly YA, but I'm a sucker for a cute necromancer.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are my own.

I wish I liked this book more, but I just kept getting stuck on the insta-love part. I know many people out there will really enjoy that bit, but it really distracted me from the story and made me start skimming.

This is a fast paced, insta-love book, which I don't normally mind, however, this book would've really benefited from a slower burn. I still enjoyed reading it, and being in the world but just a slightly slower pace for the romance and a few more scenes, would've made it excellent.

I found this story to be a little boring. I tried to pick it up about 3 different times but each time, I felt myself dragging through the chapters. I think the concept of the book was good, but the characters didn't have enough emotional growth for me.

I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would, but it wasn't for me entirely. The worldbuilding was what kept me going, but I think the romance element just wasn't what I was looking for. I think that just boils down to the dynamic that perhaps I personally prefer in romance fantasy - but for fans of more insta-love, this might be better received. My experience of this book made me want to almost skip over the romance and only focus on the world-building, which in hindsight left me feeling like the overarching plot was left behind sometimes (but that could be because of my disinterest in the romance). I am, however, still interested in seeing what is next for Wren in Bliton's coming works.

Unfortunately this book was just not it for me. I found it really hard to get into and pretty boring. I’m also not a big fan of the Wizard and Witch stuff in fantasy books like this nor am I a fan of insta-love. Both of which were present in this one and made it hard for me to enjoy the read.

I could not get through this book. Almost put it down a few times then finally decided not to finish it. The main character was poorly portrayed. One moment she would be questioning her fortitude and exhibiting symptoms of depression and the next she would be full of resolve and talking about her strength. Her portrayal was so inconsistent it felt awkward. The setting seemed to be more historic (no electricity) yet contemporary terms were used. When guards died at the library, the main character seemed more concerned about the loss of books than the loss of life. Overall, what I read felt disjointed.

I'm not exactly a fan of YA, but what can I say? Pretty cover is pretty.

Add to that a rather unique - to me - concept for a story, with an unconventional male lead, and I was intrigued, to say the least.

Plotwise, the book took a bit of time to actually pick up pace and truly let us in on the real theme of the story - I think it was about page 60 or so. The good news is, I don't usually leave a book until page 100, so I was able to be around to witness the change and honestly get invested. The bad news is... other people don't have that kind of patience. Yes, lore and world building and background story info are important, but they shouldn't take the focus away from what really interests a reader, which is the story itself. The action and the mystery and the characters.

So it's a good thing I don't drop a book easily, because once it got to the main part... Mhmmm, perfection! So much action and suspense, plus the feeling of the protagonists and their loved ones being in real danger that they had little odds of defeating. And don't even get me started on the romance!

Tyran was a wonderful example of non-toxic masculinity, the ideal blend of dark and marhsmallow, and I kept melting each time he showed just how awesome he was in and out. The guy saw a powerful woman, fell head over heels, was not afraid to admit it, and swooned every time Wren exhibited the kind of power that others would consider blasphemous or terrifying. I'm pretty sure she could have killed someone in cold blood, and he would still be on the sidelines yelling "You're doing great, sweetie!"

All in all, a really good book that only minor editing could have made even better.

***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***

I will start by saying I was provided with an advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review

This is a sweeping fantasy adventure. The history and depth of world building is wonderful to see.

The characters are believable, well written and dynamic. You can look at them and find something of yourself in them.

The book took awhile to get into and was a bit slow to start but once I was reading I had to know how it would end and how the relationship between Wren and Tryan would go.

Throughly loved this adventure.

I really liked this book and the writing! The story was full of plot twists and intrigue. The Shadows of Wren was very imaginative and had unique story line that held my interest until the end.

Magical and action packed. I found myself really invested in this story. Good world building and great character development.

4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved this book!! The world building was great, leading the story to possibly continue into a series. To which I am very excited to see happen. Magic 🪄, necromancy, mythical creatures, shadow wielding, and some romance… yes please🤩

The story flowed so well for me, the characters, their journey, and their issues. I could not get enough of it. I loved how Jen Bliton made Wren relatable with anxiety and her doubtful thoughts.

Also, Wren and Tyran, ughhh I cannot get enough of them 🖤 I swear I wished this book had some 🌶️ scenes 😅 They literally are my favorites from the book. Like come on when Tyran calls Wren “My Dark Star” ⭐️ (internally screams), bye I’m unwell. Loved their interactions and how their relationship progressed.

Thank you Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and to review it.