[ARC Review] To Kill a Shadow by Katherine Quinn

PUBLISHER'S SYNOPSIS: Jude Maddox knows nothing of love or even light. He knows only his grim duty as the Hand of Death, to lead the Knights of the Eternal Star into a land filled with nightmares and certain demise. It’s only when he sees her—a young woman with wild, amber eyes who’s as fierce, defiant, and swift as the shadow beasts themselves—that he feels the warmth of life in his blood…

The other Knights may fear their lethal commander, with his hard, merciless demeanor. Outcast Kiara Frey sees only a leader, a man who knows how to survive. A man like her. But wanting him is as treacherous as the shadows themselves…and just as seductive.

With a kingdom on the verge of collapse, the Knights must now venture into the darkest heart of the land and uncover the secrets of the misted shadows, where evil will prey upon their minds and feast on their flesh.

It will betray their senses.
It will surpass their nightmares.
Most of them will die.

But they have no other choice. Because the only way to fight the darkness…is to become it.

MY THOUGHTS: This YA fantasy/horror blew me away. I could not put this one down, and everything from the plot to Jude and Kiara to the unknowns awaiting them around every corner kept me turning the pages - all the way to an ending I did not see coming. 

Sometimes, you can just tell from the very first chapter that the book will keep you captivated from beginning to end, and Quinn's writing pulled me in from page one and kept me hanging on through every twist and turn. There were so many elements to this story that kept me guessing. There was suspense, action, romantic tension; I repeatedly forgot that I was reading YA. 

I fell in love with a lot in this book. I loved Kiara and Jude; she's brave and feisty, and he's the merciless and ruthless shadow that we should all fear. But just like every other antihero, Jude captured my heart and admiration without much trouble and, just like Kiara, I was willing to easily overlook all of his perceived flaws. 

Surrounded by a dark forest and unimaginable enemies, Kiara, Jude, and their friends had a journey unlike any I've read in YA. As a reader, I didn't know what to expect at the start of their adventure, but everything that happened blew me away. From lore being unraveled, secrets being revealed, and allies becoming enemies, To Kill a Shadow packed a punch and left me reeling by the end. 

Well written, with fantastic plot devices and character development, this book grabbed a hold of me and left me eager for more Jude and Kiara. 

[A huge thank you to Entangled Teen for sharing a review copy of this title with me! All opinions are my own.]

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Release date: 11/28/23

Format: eARC

eARC obtained via: NetGalley