"I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review"

Sora can move as silently as a ghost and hurl throwing stars with lethal accuracy. Her gemina, Daemon, can win any physical fight blindfolded and with an arm tied around his back. They are apprentice warriors of the Society of Taigas—marked by the gods to be trained in magic and the fighting arts to protect the kingdom of Kichona.
As their graduation approaches, Sora and Daemon look forward to proving themselves worthy of belonging in the elite group—but in a kingdom free of violence since the Blood Rift Rebellion many years ago, it’s been difficult to make their mark.
So when Sora and Daemon encounter a strange camp of mysterious soldiers while on a standard scouting mission, they decide the only thing to do to help their kingdom is to infiltrate the group. Taking this risk will change Sora’s life forever—and lead her on a mission of deception that may fool everyone she’s ever loved.

I had no idea what I was expecting when starting this. I had heard mixed reviews for it so I was unsure what I would think about it, but I can say that all round I did enjoy it and it was a fast read. I think the only issues I had with it was I just didn't connect with any of the characters and I had a bit of trouble getting used the the world at the start.

I think the biggest issues with the characters was in one instance a character feels one way then all of a sudden without any explanation they felt another way and did something that made no sense (I wont say anymore because I try to keep my reviews spoiler free). I love parts of the characters such as loyalty and their humour with each other but the issue I had with them seem to overshadow the good.

I am excited for the second book because I think it gives a chance to expand on the world and build the characters and like I said there where a lot of aspects I liked about this book such as something always seemed to be happening so it didn't drag and the story it self is really fascinating and I have no idea how this mess in the book will be fixed or if it will.

I ended up rating this book 3.5 stars and like I said I will be reading the second book when it comes out because I did enjoy it and want to continue on with the series.

I absolutely liked the idea of the book and I really love the cover, but it just couldn't catch me. While I was reading, my thoughts drifted away again and again. So I put it aside and haven't touched this book since then. I just missed the feeling of being a part of the story, which I usually get when I'm really into a book

Thank you Harper Collins Australia and Netgalley for the review copy.

I've been a fan of Evelyn Skye since I read THE CROWN'S GAME and so I was really really excited to finally read CIRCLE OF SHADOWS. This book was a great start to a duology, loved that it was fast paced and never a dull moment and that I cared for all the characters. Can't wait for the sequel!

I had to start and stop this SO MANY TIMES because I sadly just couldn't get into it as much as I did Skye's previous series, but that said, I did really enjoy this and I look forward to book 2!

Circle of Shadows does a lot of world-building in a short time, and by the first few chapters I had a good sense of where the characters were and their lives. I got to know the characters well enough, and soon was plunged into a world of magic both ordinary and strange. I think this book is aimed at a younger audience, as though I usually enjoy YA I had trouble identifying with and connecting to the characters. As the story unfolded, I was swept along with events but often felt as lost as the heroes did, as they generally had no plan except to do their best in any given crisis situation. Overall I think the plot was a little weak, with no real conclusion to the events of the novel and the obvious cliffhanger leading to a sequel left me unsatisfied.

So much promise in this story: interesting characters, strong world building, so much plot potential. But somehow it didn’t quite all come together for me. Perhaps I just wasn’t in the right mood for the forbidden romance aspect, although I did like both the central characters individually.

Circle of Shadows
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my review in any way and the thoughts expressed are my own.

In a magical world where loyal ninja-like warriors called taigas serve and protect the Empress, four friends must rebel against orders to protect their country. Sora, aka Spirit, and her bonded partner Daemon, aka Wolf, discover a horrific plot to overthrow the Empress and wage war on the entire world. Feary and Broomstick, another bonded pair, help support their friends and their crazy plan.

Daemon has feelings for Sora, the kind a gemina isn’t supposed to have for their partner. He tries to hide his emotions from her especially as the danger increases. This forbidden magically bonded relationship reminded me of Emma and Julian in FFFF. A star-crossed lovers story with a rigid and potentially extremely complicated and dangerous reason provided more intrigue than a simple forbidden romance tends to.

Sora and Daemon were both incredibly strong characters but still had different enough personalities to be interesting. Sora is the epitome of a rebel, who has a tragic family history which fuels her determination to be better, to be more. I loved watching her deal with the few huge surprises she had to deal with on her own. Daemon was raised by wolves and as such still retains the animalist impulses. He had a unique perspective and was compassionate, kind and determined to support his gemina and defeat their deadly enemy. Together they are an unstoppable team with an unbreakable bond and any who stands against them is in for one hell of a fight.

I loved the surprise villain; they provided a unique conflict of magics and moral views. Seeing our main four, so young and practically by themselves, try to stand up to this incredibly powerful enemy was inspiring. To be as brave as any one of them would be very difficult and an aspiration for everyone. This book had so many twists and turns it had me reeling!

This was an awesome book and really blew my expectations out of the water. I am dying for the next one, especially with the fantastic reveal and cliff hanger at the end! I give it 5/5.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

You know when you get SO excited you've been approved for a book but then you kind of just ride that excitement and never read the book? Yeah, so that happened. I don't like my books to go into the over three months list on Netgalley, and I panicked when I saw this date was looming. I hadn't really liked this author's other book, but I'm always willing to give it a shot anyway. This was better, but still lacking in something for me.

I guess I firstly didn't really like any of the characters with their over the top powers and it all felt like it was trying too hard. There was a little bit too much of the young ones using new methods to defeat the old, as if being old was in itself a weakness and had no value. I liked the magic, I did, but all the boom crash opera had me over it by the end <spoiler>fuzzy blue wolves. Nuff said.</spoiler>

All in all, I felt like this was a good fantasy, but I don't feel the need to continue. Four kids against the whole world isn't a saga I want to watch, especially as this hints of a love triangle to come. No thanks. But it does have its moments and it's definitely worth a read, just not for me. Three stars.

Evelyn Skye jumps onto the scene with her new series, Circle of Shadows. Immediately, this was giving me Golden Compass, vibes.Disclaimer: That is a good thing. Quickly navigating the boundaries of the Fantasy genre, Skye constructs a fast-paced novel, which bounds from plot-twist to plot-twist with an astounding deliberate nature,  embracing her own visions of what the story could (and did) become.She deftly incorporates her vision, heavily including her own aesthetic visions. She harnesses an ability to visualise, that is clearly translated on the page, making the characters believable, and opinionated.   Daemon, and Sora are both interesting characters. Both, follow their individualistic ARC, to construct their own personalities, and intriguing measures. They're both wildly individual, and in creating such a fun story-line. Tensions rise quickly throughout the plot-line, and they're practically tangible, with various aspects of the story (I am trying to be spoiler free) running parallel. I personally believe this could have benefited from some intense editing, and an alteration of the overall structure of the novel before release. But as a YA novel entering the playing field, I was still impressed.

Not a fan.
I found the whole plot and world not very creative. You just take an Asian setting and some ninjas and give them different names, add a few tropes, sprinkle a tad of weird romance on it and book you have yourself a hyped up YA fantasy.
I found Sora and Daemon quite shallow and predictable. There was also nothing special about this whole story or anything that stood out.
Quite disappointed with this one, but maybe better luck next time.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC.

I very kindly received this book via NetGalley, which was really rather exciting.

This is the first in a new YA fantasy series set on the island nation of Kichona. It follows Sora and her friends who are all magical apprentice-fighters, facing a threat from a lost enemy.

There was so much I wanted to like about this book. The world-building was great and the magical system felt original and compelling. However, it just didn't really work for me. I always feel dreadful criticising writing as, let's face it, how many 300+ page books have I written? But I do read a lot, and for me, I could not empathise with the characters. They felt a bit wooden, with too much telling, rather than showing. Sora was unfortunately not that interesting a-character and the vague love-triangle felt shoe-horned in, and largely unnecessary.

I hope that as this world expands in further books, the characters will flesh out and live up to the promise of the setting.

Before I even start to explain how amazing this book is, I have to apologise. I read Evelyn Skye’s ‘The Crowns Game’ trilogy, and I absolutely loved it. And so, I was extremely reluctant to even start reading this book, in fear that ‘Circle of Shadows’ wouldn’t live up to my ridiculously high expectations. I put it off, and off and off, and then, I couldn’t do it anymore. Everytime I turned on my kindle, this title would be there, staring at me. And so, I read.

I shouldn’t have been worried. Evelyn has once more captured her characters with a finesse that's hard to create, and gotten me invested in these characters within the blink of an eye. At first, I thought to myself that Spirit may not be a character I can relate with, I have nothing in common with her, after all. But again, I was proven wrong; just because you can’t relate to a character’s experience doesn’t mean that you can’t relate to them as a whole.

The world she has created for her characters has sucked me in, and I can’t express how much I regretted putting this book off. I am now so invested, and I am in awe and anticipation as I wait for the next installment. How could I not be? The cliffy at the end had me gasping. I also love how the writing was so easy to get lost into, almost like you were reading an old favourite for the first time all over again. Before I knew it, I had been 80% of the way through the book.

This is a book that I would happily read again and again, if not only to prepare myself for the Prince’s return to power in the next installment. I cannot express just how much I need everyone to read this book, it is so beautifully written.

Cover Design: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
I absolutely loved the cover design on this book. It's gorgeous and sets the tone of the story extremely well. The contrast of colours is gorgeous and the font used on the title is very unique which I also loved.

Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Sora/Spirit was the first character we really get to meet. Immediately I was able to distinguish that she was much the bold, strong female type. Although this is very common, especially in YA fantasy, I actually found myself loving her and not annoying at all.
We were then introduced to Daemon/Wolf, whom I found myself adoring. He was such an interesting character and his background story is one of the more unique I have ever come across.

Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I found myself delving straight into this book and immediately finding a liking to the story. I loved the world and I loved the slight asian, potentially Japanese, inspiration which I believe I picked up on. The world building was done so well and I found myself intrigued by the magic system constantly.
As for the plot, it was a little boring at times, it seemed full of common tropes but I am aware it's very difficult to avoid this. I would have loved some more action and some more plot twists but most of the action was savoured to the end, and even that was a little underwhelming. Despite this, I am still looking forward to the sequel and I really want to know how the story continues.

Writing Style: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
There wasn't much to fault in terms on how it was written. I loved it from start to finish. It was written in a third person style with the tendency to focus on one person at a time. I quite enjoyed reading this style as I could get a sense of a different perspectives but I was still able to empathise very well with the characters and follow the story both physically and emotionally.

Overall Summary: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I loved this book from the inside out. It had so much cultural depth to it and there was so much thought gone into the world itself. The characters were all so well done and I found myself drawn to almost all of them in one way or another, the background on a few characters was so unique. The plot definitely got a little boring at times and fell a bit short on my expectations, but despite that, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. The writing style was faultless and I loved the way it followed the different perspectives but in third person. Overall, this was a beautiful read and I can't wait for the sequel.

ACTUAL RATING 4.5

Having read Skye's first duology, <em>The Crown's Game</em>, I was wholeheartedly on board for this, her latest novel (also going to be a duology - I feel a trend starting...). Based around a world whereby ninjas (the Taiga) who use hand magic and weapons defend the Empress, it ticked all my boxes. I mean, who doesn't love a ninja tale.

In Skye's world of Kichona, the Taiga are joined in pairs by gemina, a type of soul bonding, enabling them to feel each others emotions at all times, creating a better pairing in battle. They can then 'shut down' this bond voluntarily to keep their partner out, an idea a found a little strange but hey, everyone puts up mental walls so why the hell not. Basically the Taiga are this novels equivalent of that druid in World of Warcraft, who absolutely owned everyone in PvP prior to being nerfed after Pandaria expansion released. They are OP and bad-arse, the toughest and insurmountable barrier to the Empress's safety.

Speaking of the Empress, her name is Aki and she is cute and golden haired and helpless but also sass and power and a complete conundrum. She battled her brother Gin in the Blood Rift and won at the age of 15. Although she doesn't have a large amount of content, she was probably my favourite character because tradition, what tradition??

Now the story revolves are Sora aka Spirit and her gemina Daemon aka Wolf and their sneaky escape from the royal city when noone believes that there is a rebellion in the hills at the bottom of the tiger-shaped island they call home. During the events that unfold, both have secrets that unfold and they keep from each other. Given the fact they are soul bonded it felt a little strange but I just went with it because its a fantasy. The pair are both feisty and stubborn, making them the perfect protagonists for the tale.

Gemina-bonded Fairy and Broomstick - yes these are actual names used - get left behind to cover Sora (seriously every time her name is said I can only envisage Kingdom Hearts's hero) and Wolf's flight and are all things friend goals. They are smart, resourceful and experts at helping their missing friends elude the notice of the Society until the time is right. I absolutely LOVED Fairy to be brutally honest and she probably comes in as my second favourite character.

Gin and his Ryuu minions round out the villain side of the team; through the use of magic, he keeps those who would otherwise oppose him under control. He is snarky and mean, determined to get revenge on his sister because what else are twins for other than mutually assured destruction.

As with her previous works, Skye has woven a world which is so perfectly thought out the audience can't help but fall head over heels for the surroundings. With lush forests and sparkling cities, busy seaports and arid deserts, the reader can easily envisage their environments and submerse themselves fully in the narrative.

Now the story, while a good one, could have probably been cut slightly shorter. At just over 450 pages, there were points at which i found myself getting a little bored due to the over-explanation of a large number of events. But then at other points I was hopelessly lost. One of the largest of these was in relation to the Blood Rift. Both Aki and Gin refer to the events on multiple occasions but then don't actually explain what happened. It was a little like I had missed a book somewhere.

As a whole, Circle of Shadows was an enjoyable read. It pressed all the buttons of my fantasy loving heart with it lush imagery and generally well flowing story. At times it stagnated a little but quickly got back on track. By the end, I was questioning what I thought I knew and am now so excited for <em>Cloak of Night.</em> Having recently read her other novels, CoS held its own against a duology that I absolutely adored despite its critics.

Circle of Shadows was everywhere before it even released, I couldn’t open instagram or facebook without seeing photos, or hearing about it at least four times a day.

Naturally, I looked it up on Goodreads and was so intrigued by the summary that it quickly became high on my list of 2019 releases. I wouldn’t say I disliked Circle of Shadows but I will admit that I struggled to get into the story, and sort of stumbled my way through it. Now, I’m going to put a disclaimer here because I do know a lot of people who thoroughly enjoyed this book, but it pains me to say that it just wasn’t for me.

The main two characters Sora and Daemon had good moments, I enjoyed watching them grow as geminas and as individuals, though the two other characters Fairy and Broomstick, those two were the ones I found myself wanting to know more about. A part of me wishes that we could have gotten a bit more character development with them, but I’m sure the author has plans for that in the next book.

Plot and story-wise, the book was alright – I felt as though the pacing in the first half of the book was a bit slow, which doesn’t usually bother me, while the second half was sort of whambameverythingishappening, and that ending! Why.

I feel like there’s a need for me to preface the section that’s coming next:

I’m a huge and I actually mean huge fan of romances, when a book has romance. I’m all over it, as long as there’s an actual story to back it up. I love reading about the moment two people meet, it could be insta-love or slow burn romance, I am all for that. I live for the warm fuzzy butterflies and all the feels.

In this book, I felt like one of the romances was lacking in several departments and so very sudden. It was one of those moments where you sit and stare blankly at a page full of words, and all these questions swirl around your head and you finally go… “excuse me, what?!” Yeah, that was me, and not in a good way either. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I think that the story would have been better without that one romance plot.

That being said, I found the magic system intriguing, and overall the book was an enjoyable read and I’m sure that there will be plenty of people who will fall in love with the world and characters.

3.5 stars!

I was so excited by the premise of this book but unfortunately it read like it didn't have enough editing or fleshing out. I was disappointed but that could be to do with the hype that this book has been getting even though it's not even out yet.
Evelyn Skye is a popular author so I'm hoping that the things that didn't work for me are fixed in the final copy.