Until We Shatter is an engrossing fantasy book centered around an impossible heist, set in a fascinating world of colorful magic and featuring a brilliant cast of misfits in a kinda messy found-family situation.

Originally known as the “rainbow book”, it definitely lived up to its original title. The magical system is layered and charming in all its aspects, even if a bit too complex to fully grasp from time to time: the idea of associating different powers to each color of the rainbow, and having said powers muted or transformed in those born from a magical and a nonmagical parent, was not only delightfully done, but also served to reflect and highlight a very rigid hierarchy (both in terms of magical ability and social status).

The main concept around which the world is built is one that never fails to be captivating, especially for its realisticity: the conflict between an extremist religion using their faith to justify their never-ending hate on those gifted with magic, and the government body of said people (who constantly decides to sacrifice the weakest of them just go give the Church a scapegoat and pretend that they are better, that they are the "good", in hope of living another day), was so well-built. Telling the story from the point of those outcasts, showing the life they are forced to live for the only crime of being born with half the magic, was a beautiful narrative choice.

The plot was so enjoyable and entertaining: I really liked how each meeting, each exchange of the world, each action and difficult choice ended up reflecting on the overall story, slowly collecting all the pieces that would complete it – and that ended up creating the perfect setting for some extremely gut-wrenching and yet superbly clever twists.

But while the story flows well and the narrative rhythm harmonizes perfectly fast-paced sections related to the heist and more relaxed scenes focus on handling and deepening the complex and beautiful relationships between the characters, their growth and evolution in the midst of a such a multi-faced plot, depth was exactly what was missed from this story.

The prose was sometimes a bit superficial, less atmospheric than its setting required and lacking that level of emotional weight and dramatic attention to feelings I would expect from a story that invests so much on its characters. And due to the choice of having a first-person prose so focused on its main character, the rest of the cast felt a bit dull in comparison - still, they are such lovely and interesting characters, that have flaws and make mistakes and still care so much about each others, and even if some of them are less defined that I would have loved it was impossible to not end up letting them into my heart.

Until We Shatter
Fantasy
Kate Dylan
⭐️⭐️⭐️. 5

• ʜᴇɪꜱᴛ • ꜰᴏᴜɴᴅ ꜰᴀᴍɪʟʏ • ᴍᴀɢɪᴄ •

I wanted to like this book so much but I was disappointed, to be honest.

The magic system was so complicated and intricate that it did confuse me at times.

The characters were ok but I didn't really relate to any of them. I did like the found family trope and the bond between the characters.

The pacing was fast and the world building was quite heavy. There was so much going on for the first quarter that it became too much. It would've been a lot better if it was slowly introduced and explored more throughout the book rather than such an info dump early on.

I liked the plot twists, although some were quite predictable.

I'm sure other readers would enjoy this book, though.

*Thank you to @Netgalley, the author, and the publishers for providing this ARC. This is my own opinion and an honest review, which I am leaving voluntarily*

I loved the premise, and I wanted so badly to love the book. But with major plot holes, not great world building and a magic system that was so complicated I don't even know if a magic chart would have helped me I just couldn't truly love this book. The characters were hard to relate to so this made everything thing fall even more flat for me. Although the writing was beautiful it just felt too complicated, too hard to follow and required way to much concentration - my tried brain at the end of the night likes a reading journey that allows me to easily (that's the key) escape into rich worlds with relatable characters.

A full on, fast paced, found family heist with an interesting take on propaganda and the effect it can have on people.

I really enjoyed the heist part of this, as well as the dynamics between Cemmy and her created family - all were complicated characters with their own motivations and secrets.

The magic system is unique and fascinating, although especially for the first 20% very overwhelming- I kept having to re read bits and take breaks because of how much information was coming at me. It did ease up after the first chunk though and became gripping once the plot (and all the things that go wrong) fully kicks in

The exploration of the way information flow can affect people, lead them astray and create fear and strife was great to read as the story progressed and more and more secrets and their implications were uncovered.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A found family, an impossible heist and Cemmy is between the grey and a bad place. Shades and Typics are just about coexisting in Isitar but Hues, half Typic and half shade are hunted everywhere. Cemmy and her friends, her family, are forced to into an impossible heist or death. Cemmy’s secret has been shattering her found family for the last year and the two new Hues might just be the reasons she loses everything.

The writing flows really nicely and can almost be lyrical at times. However, the amount of world building was not helpful nor enticing. At 20% of the way through I was seriously considering DNF’ing this book. I feel like a lot of it could have easily been imbedded into later parts of the story and it would have been a better read.
I really enjoyed the heist, the middle was a brilliant read and I couldn’t put it down. The ending again let it down, there are so many questions left unanswered, it’s as though none of the side characters were fleshed out or even given an ending.

I’m glad I stuck with it but I was left disappointed at the end and wouldn’t recommend it to a friend. I gave it a 3 because I enjoyed the writing and loved the middle and overall plot. It’s just missing too much for me to give it anymore.

I don't know what happened but I just did not get along with this book, I really did try but ended on a DNF - As someone who loved Six of Crows, Shadow and bone etc this heist should have easily pulled me in, but fell flat as a re work of other books. This could absolutely work for other readers so if you are interested I would suggest looking at other reviews - I enjoyed Kate Dylans writing style, but execution wasn't for me unfortunately.

This authors writing is elegant yet simple which made this book very enjoyable. The characters were fun and there was great tension! And who doesn't love a good magical heist!

I received an ARC from NetGalley.

This story centers around Cemmy a young woman navigating a perilous world where magic is both a blessing and a curse. Hunted by the Church for her abilities and targeted by the Council of Shades for her perceived lack thereof, Cemmy's life is fraught with danger. To save her sick mother, she ends up turning into a thief.

When presented with a seemingly impossible heist that could solve all her problems, Cemmy finds herself entangled in a dangerous game. The novel's richly detailed world-building and captivating magic system kept me hooked, though I initially struggled to understand it.
I really enjoyed learning about the found family, I just wished their presence had been more sustained throughout the story. I wanted to know even more about this mischief group and understand more of their personalities.

I appreciated the main character's flaws, which added a layer of realism. It was satisfying to experience moments of frustration and disapproval towards her. Additionally, I thoroughly enjoyed the romantic tension and the underlying secrets that they both keep from each other The hate-love dynamic between the characters created an entertaining dynamic.

While the writing was engaging and often left me on the edge of my seat, I did find some of the plot twists to be a bit predictable. Additionally, especially in the early chapters, there were moments where the story felt too much like Six of Crows.
Overall, Until We Shatter is a captivating story with a compelling protagonist and a beautifully crafted world. I would have appreciated more depth in certain areas, but the novel's strengths undoubtedly outweigh its minor flaws.

I really ended up enjoying this book! The magic system was definitely complex, but unique! The characters were well written and likeable! It was full of action, political intrigue and hints of romance! I look forward to reading more books from this author!

I've just finished reading, and I'm a mixed bag of feelings right now.

The Pros:
The writing. No question, Kate Dylan is a beautiful writer - a perfect mix of action and prose with poetic descriptions.

Unique worldbuilding. Yup, this world is like nothing I've read before, however...

The Cons:
The world is so complicated! There's a LOT of info dumping and exposition to explain the magic systems and I struggled to take in a lot of it. Maybe it would have been easier if you were reading it in a physical format so you could flip back pages, but on an E-reader it was tough.

The chemistry, or rather, the lack of it between characters. Sorry.

Overall, it kept me hooked enough to finish it, and there were parts that sparkled, but not one of my faves.
I will however be looking out for the author in future.

DNF very early on due to the narration by the main character. This book was not for me as I thought.

I loved Until We Shatter! The writing and the plot are amazing. It reminded me a little of Renegades by Marissa Meyer because of the way the world was divided in both books—heroes and anarchists in Renegades and the church and the council in this book. If you loved the Renegade series, this one would be right up your alley.

A few reviews and comments claimed that the magic system was complicated, but this was not the case for me. I agree that there was a lot of information at the beginning, but I am grateful for it as it made it easier to understand the rest of the book.

The division of shades (full magic) and hues (half magic) was quite intriguing. I really loved the plot. The magic system and the worldbuilding were a little confusing, but the concept felt very fresh and unique. It was giving fantasy + dystopian. Although the plot was amazing, the characters fell flat. I wish they were more fleshed out. I couldn't connect with any of the characters, but I love the diversity the author portrayed in the book.

I couldn’t get into the storyline of this book at all, it was an intriguing concept but the execution and writing style was not for me.

This heist, found family book is everything I expected. The premise and story were enjoyable, but the magic system was a bit confusing at times.

— 3.5 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Until We Shatter is an exceptionally unique YA Fantasy standalone featuring an epic heist, colour magic and an expansive world filled with a well-established conflict and political system. Unfortunately for me I found this book to feel too “large” in its world as the first 15-20% felt like a lot of information dumping to mentally absorb in order to understand the lore of the world. There was a lot to take in and I actually wish this story had been expanded into a duology as opposed to a mere-300+ page standalone. There was so much plot and character exploration that could have easily been explored across two books, and I think that this would have helped the story to feel more progressive and less of a rush to get to the finish.

This was my first book by this author and it definitely won’t be the last! I was utterly compelled by the characters and their backstories. The history of the Hues and the life-long struggles that they have faced. There was a lot of depth to be explored not only within our main character Cemmy, but also the side supporting characters too. Love and loyalty run deep within this group and it was entertaining to watch them grow and learn within the worst possible situation.

Newcomer Chase was met with mistrust and ease which is entirely understandable due to the circumstances. I loved how he came across as a “can I/can’t I” character as I was constantly second-guessing his intentions and whether he was a character to be trusted. I adored his relationship progression with Cemmy and how he made sure to challenge her at every single turn. Their dynamic was explosive to begin with, however it was comforting to watch that develop into a mutual form of trust.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this story and ultimately I only felt let down by its length. It felt too ambitious to cram so much wonderful potential into a standalone, and I truly believe that this would have better thrived as a duology or as a trilogy.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC to read and review.

Until We Shatter is a unique and fast paced fantasy, with color-based magic, political intrigue, religious fanaticism, an a bit of romance.

Cemmy is a Bronze - she can phase into the Grey and manipulate objects. But doing so is dangerous - is the Church or the Council find out she is a half-shade, they'd take her out on the spot. And if she stays too long in the Grey, she risks using up her magic and shattering. But with her mother falling ill, Cemmy has no choice but to take the risk and whatever jobs she can, because a thief who can work in the Grey is a skill few others possess. But when she's brought into a job that seems impossible, she has no choice but to see it through, no matter the cost.

I enjoyed this book a lot! The magic system was totally unique and unlike anything I'd read before. The writing style is easy to fall into, very conversational, which made reading this a fun escape. I enjoyed Cemmy's character - she is bi and we see her relationship with Novi, her friend and former lover, and Chase, a reluctant ally on this job who helps her explore her magic. She has reasons to be scared of using it, but she is more powerful than she realizes. Seeing her growth was great, and I enjoyed the relationship with Chase. I will say this book was a tad slow to get into for me - the worldbuilding at the beginning is a lot to get through, but it is so interesting and unique with the color magic that I had to keep going. It was worth it because the heist and seeing Cemmy work through her challenges along with Chase was worth it. This is a bit of a slow burn, and as a YA is not explicit, so the romance is more swoony than spicy. Overall, this was a fun read, and I really enjoyed this book!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton | Hodderscape for the advanced copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

I love Kate Dylan.

Once again, this author has exceeded my expectations. After her 2 sci-fi novels, she's delved into fantasy and I CANNOT WAIT for more in the future.

Until We Shatter is a standalone YA epic heist fantasy with colour magic, lots of action and so many twists and turns that it'll make your head spin.

There is a an info-dump at the beginning to explain the world/magic system which isn't my favourite way to learn a new world and so I appreciate if some people may find it difficult to grasp the concept at the beginning.

Overall, I think that Kate Dylan delivered a wonderful story with just enough of all the fan-favourite fantasy elements to make a compelling, entertaining and emotional story.

This book started out hard to get into. There was so much written that you sort of had to just push through to get to the part of the job for things to start getting interesting. There were good parts that I was like okay let’s go! Then others that I just feel like didn’t flow well and therefore causing things to seem lagging. I did like the two main characters and the journey they have to take as part of this job and how they each grow as characters.

I thoroughly enjoyed the interesting magic system in this book. It was a little difficult to get my head around first, but after sticking through the first few confusing chapters I quickly got a grip on how things worked. The main drawback for me personally was how frequently certain things were repeated. Because at least one past event was mentioned so many times, it essentially spoiled one of the main plot twists as it was really hammered down in a way that felt like "you better remember this! It might be important later" and resulted in the big reveal becoming easily predictable.

Romance Fantasy with a heist plot.

The story is told by our main character, Cemmy, who lives in a world of Shades - those who can use magic - and Typicals - those who can't - and Hues - children of typics and Shades.
And Cemmy, like every Hue, needs to hide and scheme to stay safe.
One dangerous job lands Cemmy and her friend at the mercy of a dangerous Shade and a Hue he is controlling. Soon, they are forced to join and make a plan to steal a well, a really important thing.
The writing in this book is very pretty.
I really enjoyed the romance - angsty, a bit dramatic, really fun, although a bit fast.
I highly recommend this book! I had a great time!