A Touch Of Shadows by Jessica Thorne is a good read for readers just getting into high fantasy books. Stories where they must learn a new world and new rules. It was a good introduction to those types of stories as there was good worldbuilding at the beginning of the book but it wasn't too complicated or anything too overwhelming to pick up easily.

I do think the world-building could've used a bit of work as the story went on, specifically the magic system. I felt the magic system felt a bit weak logic-wise as the characters started to use their powers more. While we did get a bit of history and some explanation regarding the magic early on in the book, it still felt a bit vague. I do hope there is a bit of expansion on that in the second and third books.

Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of romance. The insta-love took the "instant part" to a whole new level. I think the author tried to compensate by tying their immediate connection with the magic but I don't think enough development was done with the relationship outside of that. So when the characters started to act a bit intimate I was quite confused as to how we got there.

I quite liked the idea behind Wren's mother and her history. Without giving away spoilers, the idea of her feeling restricted by her position and her eventually being "trapped" by her love is quite interesting.

Thank you to Netgalley and Second Sky Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.