5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a perfect fantasy adventure and I loved every minute of it. It can work as a standalone but will probably make more sense if you read “Until we shatter” a linked story in the same world first.

What I loved in particular:
- the magic system is the real star of the show in this book. It is based on colour magic with each colour having certain attributes. Magic users can travel through an alternative realm called the grey. The world building is incredibly well done and the politics of the world are intricate, the shades fear the hues and the typics fear the shades, hue’s seem to exist to run for their lives.
- Raya. She grows so much during the events in this book. She starts out as a bit of a spoiled prodigy and asks her open question as a desperate attempt to avoid being kicked out of the academy and disgracing her parents. By the end though her determination to do the right thing and her ability to take responsibility for her behaviour towards Killen and its consequences made her a flawed but impressive main character. I enjoyed her journey,
-the subtle love story felt more like a gentle story of grief and moving on. I really felt for Ezzo and his grief and guilt about moving on with Raya. The moment he realises he is finally ready to start living again packed such an emotional punch it made me cry.

This was such a fantastic story, I hope Kate Dylan isn’t quite finished with this world yet.

Thank you so much to Hodderscape and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book contains the truly amazing and immersive world building that you come to expect from Kate Dylan, you can feel the depth of the universe she's created. And like it's predecessor Until We Shatter, this book offers the same unique magic system which I will forever adore!
But whereas the first book focused solely on the perspective of The Hues, Before We Collide offers a chance to explore the world, the beliefs and thoughts of The Shades.

This duel point of view, especially being that of two people on opposing sides with completely different ideals and motivations was brilliant and added a depth to Dylan's vivid storytelling.
Dylan's writing just makes it easy to visualize everything from the settings to the characters. Speaking of characters, I loved the dynamic between our leads: a messy, inept girl who can see the future—badly, and a sad boy so struck with grief he has a serious death wish. Their character development and evolving relationship was an engaging element, it was easy to connect with the characters on a personal level; they felt relatable in their struggles and quirks.

Dylan has a way to scarily mimic the real world within their fantasy setting and it's actually terrifying how close to home it hits. This book especially depicts the dangers of propaganda and the ease of dehumanising minorities via this propaganda and cult like rhetoric. How powerful and influencial people or institutes have the ability to brainwash the masses, with deadly implications. This element had some pretty chilling parallels to our society, offering a scary real world overlap.

Add in the mix of mystery and murders, and you’ve got an exciting plot that kept me turning pages. It almost felt like I was part of their Scooby Gang vibe, working alongside them to unravel the mystery and secrets. I could not put this down!

If you want a thoroughly enjoyable page turner, full of mystery and magic, with a scooby gang of relatable characters then Before We Collide needs to be your next read!

Well-written and unputdownable.. I LOVED Before We Collide by Kate Dylan, being back in her world of Hues and Shades, seeing Enzo give love and life another chance it was all *chef's kiss*.

Although, this book can be read as a standalone, the beginning might be slightly hard to get into if you haven't read Until We Shatter. If you stick with it though you will be rewarded with a great book full of treason, love, world building and tentative alliances.

Summary: Failing prodigy Raya sees a forbidden vision of magic’s end—and must join reckless half-Shade Ezzo to rewrite their destiny.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book, all thoughts are my own.

Mind you, I didn’t know this when I requested it, but it’s a second book of a series. However, it’s a standalone so I’d say it works great for me. Even if there was something I missed from the previous book, I didn’t notice it at all.

This being said, this book exceeded my expectations in a very good way. I loved the magic system, how the different colors gave different powers. How much growth I could see in Raya, our Indigo fmc. She became a strong open-minded person and she opened her eyes towards so many wrongs in her world and I’m proud of her. Ezzo, my poor son, I could see his grief, I loved to see him open his heart to the people that stayed with him despite everything and how he reluctantly but determinedly decided to open himself for Raya as well.

The slow burn is slow burning, the romance was a little sub plot to the whole story and I appreciated that because neither Raya nor Ezzo were ready for the romance. It felt realistic and understandable because otherwise it would feel like pushing the romance more than what this standalone meant to do.

I’m so glad that I got the chance to read this book, and I wouldn’t mind if Kate Dylan decides to write more about this world. The council does need some more pushing to open their eyes that a change is needed.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the arc!! I appreciate it!

This story had me hooked from the very first words and didn’t let me go until the last page.

The colour-based magic system is unlike anything I’ve read before. It's so imaginative and unique, and perfect for this world. Raya and Ezzo are two characters I loved instantly. They're both flawed and compelling in ways that made me root for them with every twist. Their dynamic and banter had smiled SO hard one moment and aching the next.

The prophecy storyline was gripping, and the stakes felt sky-high throughout the whole book. I loved how the larger fate-of-the-world conflict was balanced with intimate, emotional and growing character arcs. By the end, I was completely invested in both the survival of magic and the beautiful connection between Raya and Ezzo.

This book gave me everything I want in fantasy books: danger, unique world building, romance, and characters who stay with you long after you finish the book. Easily one of my top reads of the year. If you love enemies-to-lovers, inventive world-building, and heart-pounding twists, Before We Collide is for you.

I've read every book so far by Kate Dylan, and have loved them all.
The magic system in this world is so unique.
I would recommend reading Until We Shatter before picking up this one.

I read this as a standalone but I immediately went and read the other book in this world because it was THAT good! I craved more!

Fantasy.

Before you pick up this book be warned, you cannot out run your fate. But please be sure to ask the right question!

I have come to welcome Kate Dylan’s books with open arms, this one is no different. She has a skill. To the reader she provides a hook, then she gently pulls on the story’s threads. Until you find you’ve been pulled multiple times into reading beyond midnight because you cannot put the book down.

So the right question?

I think it is, ‘Do I need this book?’.

The answer? Your fate says yes, if you want to have fun.

Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for the ARC. The views given are all mine, freely given.

She's done it again. Another phenomenal story from Kate Dylan.

This story builds on beautifully from the first with more wonderful world building and exquisite characters.

Oh, Ezzo. Poor, beautiful Ezzo. Dylan did him dirty in Until We Shatter and my heart broke for him all over again reading this. Reading more about his past and his relationship with Eve and what it did for him had me tearing up. His grief is so heavy and all consuming.

Raya is a true messy girl and I loved it. She tried so hard to find her place in her world and I felt the desperation to belong so strongly that it was like being 15 again. There was something so powerful about seeing her make space for herself and owning her identity without the need for permission.

Dylan really understands the importance of found family and nails it every time. I loved this gang of misfits just as much as the first bunch and would love to see them come together in a "Scooby gang" type situation to take on the council and everyone else who's tried to knock them down.

The exploration of the magic system from the different points of view was intriguing. We had a mostly Hue perspective in book one so it was good to see how it differed for Shades in this book and to see this from Raya's stance with her magic not being as strong as was expected of her was interesting. It was great to see her question the things she had been taught about using her magic and how it didn't align with the things she was learning throughout the story.

I don't know the origins of the quote or idea but I've heard the notion that books can be a window, a door or a mirror and damn did this one have huge reflections of the current mess that is society. Dylan unapologetically points the finger at the role of capitalism and political corruption for the state of the world and the allegory for societal injustice and racism steam rollered its way through the pages.

Another 5 star read and further confirmation that if Kate Dylan writes it, I'm going to read it.

Thank you to the publisher Hodderscape and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review and to the unparalleled Kate Dylan for another stunning story.

I really enjoyed the sequel, the pace was good and I loved seeing Ez getting his happy ever after, Raya was such a formidable character and I had a great time with this book!!

Honestly it was very close to a 5 stars, but the main reason why it's a 4.5 instead of a full 5 is the lack of reminders on what happened in 'Until We Shatter'. While it is said to be a compagnon book, it's also considered as a book 2, and I had a hard time remembering what happened in UWS and this book did gave some hints but they were incomplete. And for those who would read this as a standalone (without reading UWS), I do believe it'd also lack a worldbuilding and explanations on the shades and hues - it might confuse those readers.

Otherwise, I really truly enjoyed it! I really liked the fate side of this book, everything about Raya's visions, what was destined to happened and the things that could, perhaps, hopefuly, be changed. It was well explained and really a nice idea, loved it.

I also found the "bad guy", the big plot of this book, to be more risky and evil than UWS. His way of acting, what he was doing, even with slim reasons... what he was doing was horrible. There were true risks the protagonists was trying to prevent, there were losses, some plot twists, some disappointments for them... Everything was really awesome and entertaining!

I really hope for a book 3 for a true ending, as I really feel like this series could be a trilogy - I really wish for a closure, with or without Raya and Ezzo, but mostly to have a (hopefully good) ending with the Council.

eeee five stars!

Loved Before We Collide so much. Had the best time reading this book. The storytelling had me locked in throughout and I found myself thinking about the story and the characters even when I wasn't reading. Could not wait to pick it up again.

Thanks so much for the ARC!

I loved Kate Dylan’s debut sci-fi series, and her entry into fantasy with Until We Shatter last year was brilliant.

Before we Collide is set in the same world, and although you probably could read it as a standalone, one of my favourite things about it was learning more about the truly unique and fascinating magic system.

This book picks up sometime after the events of Until We Shatter, following one of the characters from that novel. Without spoiling the events of the first book, Exxon is self-destructive and really doesn’t care what happens to him, when he gets drawn into another world ending plot with the female main character of this book, Raya. Raya is a full shade, so we see much more about how the magic system works from this angle.

I was also delighted by the reappearance of some other familiar characters from the last book.

This was a really great read, and I’m very much hoping there will be more to come in this world from Kate Dylan.

Before We Collide picks up once more with Ezzo’s story, a clandestine figure glimpsed in "Until We Shatter". This sequel plunges us into the tumult of Raya’s world—a Shade whose formidable magic is shadowed by haunting flaws, casting doubt and wonder in equal measure. You must read the first book to truly grasp the intricate magic system, mourn the tragic genocide of the Hues, and understand the vast, immersive world these characters inhabit—so rich with history and turmoil.

Ezzo remains haunted by the ghost of past grief, their loss etched deep within their soul. I genuinely appreciated that the author resisted the temptation to drown the narrative in pointless angst or to reduce characters to mere stereotypes of suffering. Both protagonists are truly endearing, yet I found myself more deeply connected to Raya’s courageous journey toward growth and enlightenment, which carried the story forward with relentless passion. The appearances of Cemmy and Chase, however, felt somewhat like convenient plot devices rather than cherished characters who could have brought richer layers of meaning. This was the only faint shadow in an otherwise brilliant tapestry—an underdeveloped touch that, thankfully, did not diminish my overall enjoyment of the story.

Clearly, the author is laying the ground for even more tales to come, and I, for one, am desperately eager to see what unfolds next. The world crafted here is alive—vivid, complex, and bursting with colour. The magic and political machinations weave seamlessly, enriching the narrative with depth and intrigue. The characterisation is masterful, pulling you in and refusing to let go. This is a story that captivates the heart and ignites the imagination—an adventure I could not put down.