I was excited for this book because I've seen it around a lot and it sounded exactly like something I would love but unfortunately, it wasn't for me. The characters didn't work for me, nor did the magic system what was quite overwhelming and there were plenty of plot holes, as well. The writing style was nice though and I'm sure there'll be plenty of people who will enjoy this.

ARC Review: Cemmy is a thief and might have lucked into making it (stealing it) big finally. Her mother is deathly ill and they're behind on rent. Thankfully Cemmy has some magical powers to assist her in this heist, so things should be a breeze. <i>Unless</i>...

2.5 rounded down. This book was a bit of a disappointment for me. Immediately, the reader is hit over the head with lore dumps that try to explain the political structure of the world we live in. I think there's been a trend lately where YA authors (and Adult authors) feel the need to hand hold their audience through the book instead of trusting that they can read between the lines and interpret the meaning behind words. That is what I felt was happening here.

Additionally, there wasn't really a need for that as the political structure was incredibly simple to the point that it felt cartoonish. The world essentially boiled down to: Church bad and hates magic, Magic Council bad and hates magic users not under their thumb, Rogue Magic Users bad. The most egregious was the Church, which held no apparent beliefs other than, "We must be shimmering with gold and rid the world of all magic." There was no nuance in any of the sects we are introduced to and only surface-level historical world-building.

The characters were flat and Cemmy, the main character, was dumber than bricks. There are moments that, if the reader had any semblance of an attachment to the characters, would have been incredibly moving. Unfortunately those big moments were kind of just meh.

I think the heist plot and the magic system itself were both interesting, which led me to finish this book. I've seen some comments saying that the magic was hard to follow, and I get it there's a lot of colors involved but I didn't find that to be an issue. There's a moment where the characters get more info on the magic they wield, and from that point on the "twist" at the end was pretty predictable.

My main gripe with this book is that there's no connection to the characters. In a story like this that centers on found family, that's the one thing that the story <i>must</i> have. The plot and the "how will this all work out" question will keep you reading but unfortunately this is overall a forgettable read.

Thank you NetGally and the publisher for the ARC.

3.0

I found myself wanting more from Until We Shatter. I thought the plot was great but the execution could have been better. Across 330 pages Dylan attempts to pack in a heist, romance, magic system, hundreds of years of history and political strife. There was honestly too much going on, and so certain areas displayed a lack of development. Character development was lacking, Cem was the most developed as she should be as the main character but the others found themselves merely payers on her stage, even when they were supposed to be second leads. The history/world building could have been better, a bit more on the origin of the church and council I felt that the history we were given was very surface level and used more as a plot device then anything else.

The positive aspects were of course Dylan's writing, there's not really a dull moment, we move from action to action to action which helps the book maintain it's fast pacing. It's also a standalone, so there's nothing else to focus on but the contents of this one book. Which caused other problems, it was too short. Until We Shatter could have been pushed to 400 to perhaps get in that character development that was lacking Cem was annoying and she never really got better. She's told to do one thing her entire life and it's not even that big of thing and the first thing she does when taking charge of her life and mind you this was at the last 20% was do the exact opposite? I just questioned why I was reading this. It didn't help that at the end of the book nothing changed. Had the situation be better or worse I would have been fine, but the fact that I put up with Cem being an annoying protagonist and I was left unfulfilled at the end of Until We Shatter really got to me.

Thank you, Hodder & Stoughton, Netgalley and Kate Dylan for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

3.75 stars

Books about heists with a found family are just *chef’s kiss*. This was my first book by Kate Dylan; honestly, I am not disappointed. Her color-based magic system was unique, and although it came off as a bit info-dumpy in the beginning, it made sense and was easier to get into the rest of the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Though I remain a fan of Kate Dylan, I must admit that I grow weary of heists and found family themes, I know we all adored (?) Six of Crows and want to replicate its success, however, things like found family need time and compatible characters to develop and heists need to make sense. lol. It requires very delicate movements to balance these along with a strange and complex magic system and romance, that delicacy was sadly lacking here. And I really could not find any joy in the POV of the MC. Thusly, this book was sunk!


Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The main overall problem with this book? I was aware I was reading it. From the magic system to the characters, beats, etc., I could almost see the outline through the writing. Do this so there’s no choice but for character A to act this way, do that so character B is rendered useless, and so on.

The only good thing is probably the writing, and even that had its moments of needless melodrama and trying too hard to be deep. Perhaps if I cared about anyone it wouldn’t read as such, though. This is to say that the characterization fell flat. I didn’t care about anyone, least of all Cemmy, the main character. I spent the last 20% of the book actually rolling my eyes, and getting annoyed when she displaced blame and responsibility like other people’s actions should keep her from behaving like a supposed adult.

There was no chemistry between Cemmy and Chase, neither between Cemmy and Novi, who she had a situationship with. I didn’t believe the so-called family the group had created for themselves either, which is rare for me. If you do that decently, odds are I’ll at least like the book.

As for the magic… Well, what to say? Inorganic and forced. I didn’t believe for a second this was an actual universe where this kind of magic existed for at least 400 years. You read that right—four hundred years.

Also I guessed most of the plot from around the 20% mark, and predicted every beat thereafter, even though the author clearly tried hard to make this book seem twisty. The whole thing felt pointless to boot. Cemmy says so herself in the end, and another character has to sort of convince her otherwise—this also read like a direct line to the reader.

I don’t particularly recommend this book to anyone, unless you want to read a standalone fantasy with a color-coded magic system, insufferable main character, and delayed heist (last 20%) that proves less hard than promised.

Huge props to the cover illustrator Jeff Langevin and designer Natalie Chen. It looks absolutely incredible.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Dylan and Hodderscape for the chance to read and review this book.

2.5 Stars
One Liner: Will depend on how you like the FMC

Cemmy’s life is always under threat. The only safe space for her is the In-Between, the Gray where neither the Council nor the Church can kill her. With her mother’s health failing, Cemmy becomes a thief. However, her latest project lands her and her friends in bigger trouble.
Cemmy has to work with Chase (and others) to steal an ancient relic hidden by the Church. One wrong step could kill them and the path is filled with twists, landmines, and dead ends. Can she do it?
The story comes in Cemmy’s first-person POV.

My Thoughts:
With a cover and premise like that, I couldn’t resist requesting the book knowing it is YA. Serves me right I suppose!
The author’s note is at the beginning, which I appreciate. It helped me understand the story to an extent. We also get a short list of the colors and their magic but a detailed list would have been helpful. This magic system is kinda complex without a reference.
We know how important the beginning is for any book. This one has a great first page until the MC starts to talk to herself too often and provides too many details at once. The first two chapters were heavy, slow, and annoying. Instead of making me feel for Cemmy, I ended up being irritated by her. Easing some weight off these chapters should provide a smoother reading experience.
Too much data about the magic system (especially when the initial chart isn’t enough) made it a laborious read in the first quarter. I was constantly pairing up colors to determine where the Hues fit and all that. I’m a go-with-the-flow kind of reader. Still, it wasn’t easy.
The Council and Church part was a little easier. It is similar to religion vs. politicians, church vs. nonbelievers, etc., thingy. Think of something set in ancient Europe. That should give you an idea.
Some of the side characters are cool. I like Novi; she is spunky, sassy, and a no-nonsense person. Eve and Ezzo are nice. The other girl is also nice. Though we are told there’s a found family trope, the dynamics aren’t really there. Also, lies, secrets, and repetitive wrong decisions are used to advance the plot.
Chase, is well, supposed to be the hero. He tried. I have to admit that the poor guy tried to be the kind of hero readers would appreciate – morally gray with hidden secrets, a sad past, powerful, handsome, etc. I did like him okay.
If you haven’t guessed by now, my issue is with the narrator and heroine, Cemmy. Thank god, her self-talk reduced considerably as the story progressed but it was too much in the beginning. I can see why it was necessary but, honestly, that girl cannot carry this plot on her whiny shoulders. Girl’s bi, so that’s the queer angle. For more than half the book, she has a thing for someone but suddenly feels attracted to the MMC. However, this ‘romance’ didn’t feel organic nor did they have much chemistry.
There are dark elements here. Some of it can make you squeamish. That said, older teens should be able to read it. The ‘romance’ is not detailed either.
There are a few plot holes, which raise some questions about the whole thing. I wish there was more detail about the world-building, the magic system, and the hierarchy in general. The ending is more HFN, which does align with the overall vibe.

To summarize, Until We Shatter has an ambitious plot that rests on an angsty teenager and a group of ‘misfits’. You will like it better if you connect with the FMC.
Thank you, NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton (Hodderscape), for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the advance reader copy.

The premise of this book and its magic system were very interesting yet the story was lacking.
I have found that with the authors other book that there was a lot of potential and too much filler. We don’t get a good introduction and description of the magic system and then the world building also felt rushed.

I think a lot could have been done with this story to make it a more engaging read.

When I heard that Illumicrate was doing this book for their monthly sub I got really excited and reading the blurb I thought it would be right up my alley, but unfortunately I should have DNF’d it midway because I was somewhat bored throughout it. I had trouble keeping up with the amount of heavy world building at the beginning which made me lose interest and I basically forced myself to finish. The saving grace was the characters and I did find the magic system interesting as I haven’t seen it done before so it intrigued me.

Man! This book was a whirlwind. The characters we are introduced true are so well crafted, I found myself deeply invested in the their journey from the very first page.

Dylan's writing is both lyrical and accessible, making it easy to get lost in the writing and forget about the world around you. Plus the tension had me turning the page so fast to figure out what was going on.

While the pacing is generally strong, there are a few moments that felt a bit drawn out. However, the overall emotional payoff makes it worthwhile. Fans of contemporary romance will appreciate the authentic portrayal of love and heartbreak, and the way Dylan addresses important themes adds depth to the narrative.

Overall, Until We Shatter is a beautifully crafted story that will leave you reflecting on love’s complexities long after you’ve turned the last page. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder/Stoughton, and Ms. Dylan for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

Things I liked:
LOVED the cover. So pretty. Really appealing and the shatter lines are well done.
The dialogue between the characters was great and the overall story was intriguing. I do love a heist and a magic heist, even better. Honestly, even when I was frustrated with the pacing and the characters the story itself kept me reading (a good sign).

Things I wasn't as fond of:
The magic system was very complex and hard for me to follow. I thought there were seven colors but then there were 20+ish? The beginning was a bit info-dumpy which also really slowed down the story trajectory for me. A good editor could have really cut that down and streamlined it a lot because it was hard to push through.
The characterization was a bit lacking. I felt Cassiel was not as interesting as Cemmy's group of friends, particularly Novi and Lyria. Cemmy herself was frustrating: she crashed and burned a relationship AND a friendship because she refused to tell the truth, then she demanded the truth (in almost exactly Novi's words to her) from Cassiel. Eh.
I would have preferred the pacing to be a bit quicker and more focus on the heist. I don't mind a training montage if the training is clearly part of the heist mechanics, a la Ocean's 11 etc.
Lastly, please stop selling books as "Six of Crows readalikes". This showed some promise but it was no Six of Crows.


The idea shows promise but the execution needs some work, I thought. ⭐⭐⭐

From the blurb (and the amazing cover) I picked up this book with high expectations, but unfortunately the book didn't fully live up to them.

I enjoyed the idea of the world building, where there are people with powers who are called shades and who are getting hunted by conservative government, which condemns all powers. The powers of shades are based on their hues (a little bit complicated to understand). One rule though that everyone has always (or almost always) followed is that there cannot be half shades and half humans. Our protagonist is a such being, so she needs to hide. However, her mother's sickness push her to accept a dangerous job, which inevitably turns into a mistake. Now she's forced to collaborate with Chase on her new mission, but things aren't always what they seem.

While I grasped the idea the author had about this world, I still found it quite confusing how she described it. There were a lot of information, which at times interrupted the story. I would have also liked to see more character development, not host for our main character Cemmy, but for her friends and Chase as well.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodderscape for a digital arc.

For Cemmy, taking care of her mum is her main priority. Stealing to survive, she has no other choice. When her recent job goes wrong, Cemmy and her friends become involved in something much bigger than them. Their next job might be their last, and if they fail, it won’t just be them it effects, but so many other people.

I really enjoyed this, from the world building, to the characters. There’s a deep sense of friendship and connection, and my favourite – found family. One thing I did have a little issue with was the magic system, while I enjoyed it, it went from easy to understand, to a confusing and often muddled puddle that had me wondering what was actually happening and how the magic actually worked.

I liked the heist aspect of it, and how it wasn’t as straightforward as they’d planned for. I also liked the little twist towards the end, even if I did see it coming. Most of all, though, I really liked the bisexual rep, as well as the deaf rep. I’m always on the lookout for books with good bisexual representation, and was pleasantly surprised to see it in this.

There are some slow parts, and I admit this took me a while to read (busy life, not the book’s fault), but every time I picked it up, I was hooked. It’s my first book by this author, and I’ll definitely be picking up any future titles!



Did I like the book? Yes.

Did I love it? Yes.

Would I recommend it? I would. I think the Six of Crows comp is a bit of a stretch, but there’s found family, a heist and an interesting magic system. As a standalone, it’s a great read for those not looking to dive into another series.

I have been really excited to get to this book but I had a feel from the start it wasn’t right for me and so I’ve sadly DNF’d at 20%. The idea behind it is interesting, and the magic, plus the story is moving along at a good pace but there’s something that isn’t working for me at all. I think it may be in part the writing and also the main character, Cem, who I’m not connecting with. I wasn’t drawn into the writing or the story enough to keep going but this really is more personal taste than there being anything bad about the book so I know it will be a hit for other readers.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

I liked the writing and the plot, but sadly I couldn't connect to the characters. They all fell kinda flat to me.

Until We Shatter is a YA fantasy standalone written by Kate Dylan. This book is full of action, deceptions, lies, secrets, alliances and betrayals. It revolves around a highly risky heist and a group of thieves who are as skilled as they are misfits. A quick, gripping and engaging novel that kept me glued to the pages and highly satisfied! I would absolutely recommend this book to fantasy lovers, especially if you are not looking to dive into a series with this being a standalone.

I loved that we jump right into the plot instead of being presented with pages and pages of world-building! I'm a sucker for a heist plot and combining that with a really unique colour magic system made this novel one I found hard to put down. There is a romance sub-plot and I really enjoyed this as well, even better than it wasn't the entire focus of the story!

Thank you to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton, and Kate Dylan for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars, rounded down.

I'd like to begin this review by stating that Until We Shatter was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and because of this, I might have set my expectations a little bit too high before picking it up to read. That being said, this is also not a debut novel, so my expectations, although high, weren't unreasonably so.

As a reminder to those of you who have read my reviews before, or as an explanation for those of you who are new here, anything I rate 3 stars or higher is something that I liked... but didn't love.

Kate Dylan's latest novel contains many elements worth appreciating.

First, she has crafted an eclectic mix of characters, each with distinct desires and ambitions, showcasing personalities that are flawed, amusing, and realistically gritty. Although there was a limit to what could be achieved in (what I believe is) a standalone novel, Kate Dylan effectively assembled a group of believable would-be thieves connected through shared history and trauma.

Another aspect I enjoyed about this book was her writing style. Kate writes very pretty sentences that can pack a real punch. I believe she'd really excel in the adult domain, which would allow her to push her skills even further. Her words read well aloud, and I can imagine they would translate very effectively in audiobook format. She uses narrative pauses beautifully. I believe this is the main reason I was able to persist through what I found to be challenging.

That being said, there were a few things I didn't like. Namely, a criticism that seems to be a common thread among many early reviewers here: the world building is overwhelming and confusing, and frequently left me scratching my head, trying to remember which colour meant what power, or what a metallic even was. I read a considerable amount of adult high fantasy novels, many of which include maps, glossaries, and detailed lore explanations. I only mention this to highlight that complex magic systems are not new to me, and I genuinely believe that the problem with Until We Shatter is that the world-building got lost in translation.

The power glossary at the beginning of the novel lacks sufficient detail. There is no explanation for shades, family trees, or other information that could help readers understand what Kate Dylan aims to convey. To me, it felt like I was pushed to create my own resources to explain this complex system—a demanding expectation for a Young Adult novel. I took an unexpectedly long time to realise that each colour corresponded to a metallic "shade" counterpart, and until I made this connection, the novel was quite difficult to follow. I initially assumed the entire heist group consisted of "normal" magic users until halfway through the book, when a journal excerpt provided additional context for the lore.

If you are feeling confused while reading this review... I trust that my point is translating well. I, too, am confused. Confused about how to communicate what I experienced. Confused about what happened to make it this way in the first place... It was quite a lot to process.

I truly wanted to love this book. I made a genuine effort to engage with it. From a purely utilitarian perspective, this book appears to have fallen into a common pitfall many standalone novels encounter: overambition within a limited page count. Had this book been divided into a duology, it might have allowed Kate Dylan the opportunity to convey her lore more effectively. But as it stands in my eyes, it's a book that I liked, but didn't love.

This book was a slow start for me, a lot of world building but from about 20% it had me hooked. The plot with the heist had me on the edge of my seat.

The magic system in this book was very interesting with how all different colours had certain abilities.

The characters were well written and their interactions with each other was brilliant. I was not sure if I like Cemmy but they definitely grew on my through the book.

Will definitely recommend this book to others.

Note to self: if a book blurb says “perfect for fans of Six of Crows” it just means it’s a cheap, badly written copy of it.