Thank you very much for the arc! I have to admit, this is the first book by Noni that I read, and it did NOT disappoint. The way the world is structured is very interesting, the plot is unraveling in a very particular way, and in many cases I did not see it coming; that automatically guarantees a reread, and most definitely checking out their other books! You get invested in the characters, get cute overload from Walnut, and I can easily see it becoming the flavour of the month.

A fabulous start to this YA Fantasy duology with Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibes mixed with a world full of Reapers who feed off of magic and the hunters who destroy them. Viri is a hunter who has been chasing down the Reaper Priest, the leader of the reapers and the monster who murdered her parents. When Reeve, the right hand man of the Reaper Priest, ends up in a prison cell, Viri strikes a bargain with him that will lead her to the Reaper Priest to finally get the vengeance she craves. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The characters were really great and both Viri and Reeve were strongly portrayed and well developed. Their relationship is full of shared history, yearning and relearning what they thought they knew about each other. There’s no toxicity and, for all the misunderstanding, it’s healthy and I’m looking forward to seeing how it concludes after the revelations at the end of this first book. I’m rooting for them! The setting was really excellent too with the city of Aravell on the Elverdine Isle being surrounded by a deadly black mist that only four magically charged obelisks protect the people from. There’s magical portals, hidden mountains and warded locations that seem to move. It’s a really fun location and I enjoyed studying the beautiful map at the front of the book. The cast of characters were amazing and I actually liked them all. There’s a great found-family feel and Viri’s best friend, Wynter, is a great academic counterpoint to Viri’s toughness and brings out her softness. Also, if anything happens to Walnut we riot! The overall plot was great too and I enjoyed the plot twists. I thought I was onto what was going on a few times but was redirected but then ended up shouting “I knew it!” at the end because I knew that particular person was involved, I just didn’t know the details (I’m trying to avoid spoilers). There’s still plenty to be answered in book two and I can’t wait to read it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin UK for the digital arc of Shadow Reaper! This is the new YA fantasy release from Lynette Noni and you do not want to miss it. I fell in love with this immediately upon starting it. It’s so good to be back reading a new release from an author you admire. And Shadow Reaper was no exception to that! We follow seventeen- year- old Viridia (Viri) Solace, a reaper hunter in the city of Aravell who spends her nights hunting Reapers to save the innocent children of Aravell. Viri’s life takes a turn when Reeve Ashton, her childhood best friend and right- hand- man to the Reaper Priest is captured at last. Creating a reluctant alliance with Reeve is the perfect opportunity for Viri to avenge her parents’ deaths. But in order to do that, Viri and Reeve are going to need a lot more on their side. I absolutely flew through this story! Such an easy and addictive read which made it hard to believe it was almost 500 pages long. A classic YA fantasy with a fun cast of characters, intricate plot and a delicious slow- burn romance with taut tension and yearning. Viri is such a sweet but fierce FMC that you can really root for, and there are such great friendships and potentially the start of an amazing found family! (Which is one of my ABSOLUTE favorite things to see in books). And of course it can’t be a Lynette Noni book without an absolutely DIABOLICAL plot twist at the last 1 percent which leaves you absolutely floored!! I need the sequel immediately.

This new series starter from Noni was fully situated in YA, it felt younger than her Prison Healer series, but it owned that identity. The world was complex and ever twisting. Just when you thought you had its measure, it was turned on its head in an engaging way. The female protagonist, Viri was orphaned but loved by a family who took her in after her young tragedy. The world was inhabited by reapers who stole magic from children (killing them), there were hunters after the reapers and a deadly mist that surround the city. The magic of the land was poorly understood and under-used. The MMC Reeve, was a previous friend now enemy that Viri had been separated from for years. Their reunion was not a happy one and from there, these two were fully enemies, at least on Viri's side. I liked their dynamic and his found family. I found the pacing of the story inconsistent but the final quarter was pretty exciting. There were times I really had to push on with the read, thus my rating. However, I have finished firmly in the camp of wanting to continue with the series. I'm intrigued where this story will go. Thank you to Penguin for the early copy.