TO KILL A SHADOW by KATHERINE QUINN
A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN
Imagine Stephen King’s The Mist meeting a YA fantasy novel. You’ll get To Kill a Shadow by Katherine Quinn. Eighteen-year-old Kiara Frey is a headstrong girl from a nowher
e village, and when she gets picked by the royal guard to to join their ranks in their fight against the evil Mist destroying their lands, she’s more than happy to take up arms. Jude Maddox, on the other hand, is already a feared captain within the guard’s ranks, dealing death wherever he goes. The two feel an instant connection with one another, but must resist their growing attraction as they fight back the Mist from destroying their kingdom.
Filled with the trappings of a YA romantic fantasy To Kill a Shadow focuses mainly on the romance between Kiara (Ki to her friends) and Jude. Jude is very handsome and broody and readers are reminded of this quite frequently. Kiara has red hair and is feisty and strong. While the romance was serviceable and hits all the right beats for a YA fantasy, the actual plot of the book is a bit unclear. This is for a reason, we find out, but even so, the narrative would have been stronger had the plot been more clearly defined–the whys of things explained. Despite these hiccups, the worldbuilding of this novel is fun–if not a bit basic–and easy to understand
New readers of YA fantasy will enjoy To Kill a Shadow, as well as those looking for a romantic journey for cold winter nights. You can check out To Kill a Shadow at the Argenta Library today!