This was an interesting listen. The story starts out thrilling with missing students and Norse symbols carved into trees, but then it slows down. It is a YA (I'd say more upper YA) so it has YA problems and scenery to include high school drama and dances. The FMC tended to drone on and irritatingly (for the reader) often didn't ask the right questions. Once the story ramped up again though, there was a wealth of Norse creatures described in wonderful detail and a lot of action. I loved the Vaette! He was great. The rollercoaster of events at the end with the epic surprise, was worth the slow middle. I'll be on the lookout for the next book!

This wasn't really what I was expecting from the initial description. I was expecting more of a mystery whereas this was more of a fantasy adventure and world-building type novel instead. It was much more dark in theme than expected and for my taste but there is definitely a market of people who would enjoy this type of story. Audiobook narration was okay for most voices, but not enjoyable for all. I liked some of the connections/links between the lore in this story and some of traditions/lore told around the world.

Norse mythology set in modern times?! Who knew this existed. What I love about the stories built around mythology: you are learning a piece of history. There are pieces of a culture’s history that are built on these stories and it’s really cool to have a glimpse of someone else’s bedtime stories reimagined.

All that to say, I’ve never read a Norse mythology novel. It was good. It’s YA, there’s some language, low spice, high drama. But who could blame them. Good overall, just not obsessed with it. Will definitely read the next book!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This story is steeped in Norse mythology, which I didn't see coming, and the way Emma Noyes converged modern day with the mythology is masterful. The FMC is struggling with the loss of her twin sister, and to make matters worse, classmates start to disappear and the only clue left behind are strange characters carved in trees. The MMC, a super hot, dark haired boy with a mysterious past shows up when these disappearances occur and cue the love interest. With the help of her friends and brother the FMC begins searching for answers to these strange happenings and finds herself tangled up with the MMC. The narrator, Emily Pike Stewart, does a great job keeping the listener engaged and voicing all the characters. I would definitely listen to another of her audios.

Thank you for the opportunity to review.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I went into it fully expecting one thing only to have it be something entirely different. I like the relationship between the siblings and I’m interested in seeing what happens in book 2.
The narrator was fantastic! She brought the characters to life and gave it the extra zing that made it hard to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Soul of Shadow follows the story of Charlie, a girl navigating the world of high school after losing her identical twin sister. The town she lives in begins to change after teenagers start going missing, leaving only their shoes and strange symbols carved into trees behind. Charlie becomes consumed with finding these missing teens and figuring out what is going on with the new student Elias Everheart, who shows up just when the disappearances start. Charlie's eyes are opened up to a magical world she never knew existed as she discovers the truth behind the disappearances.

I loved this book. All of the Norse mythology added was well done; it did remind me of Rick Riordan's books, but a more adult version. I was expecting a romantsy YA book and was pleased that this book didn't follow that stereotype, and some of the twists left me guessing on the validity of them!

I thought the narrator did a good job with the characters' voices. She had good pacing and helped to bring richness to the world. The only thing that bothered me was some of her pronunciation of words from the Norse mythology.

I'm glad to see more books featuring mythology from around the world and give this one a 5 out of 5 stars.

I got to listen the this audiobook and it was a good YA book. I like the norse mythology and the characters. I interested in what will happen in book two.

I really wanted to like this book as I haven't read a ton with Norse mythology but idk this one fell flat for me. I didn't understand the characters and their thing for the circus like it didn't really apply to anything in my opinion and could have been left out. I did like the descriptions and the narration was good. Thank you Macmillan audio for the gifted audiobook.

This book just did not hit for me. I enjoyed the connection to mythological lore and found that very interesting, but I just could not buy into the romantic aspects of it. I enjoy a good villain romance as much as the next person, but Elias just felt too evil for me. I could not see his redeeming qualities and so the romantic interest between him and Charlie felt forced and unnatural to me.

--I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.--

Soul of Shadow was an imaginative fantasy audiobook. The story follows a protagonist navigating a world where shadows hold mystical significance, blending adventure with emotional resonance. Emma Noyes’ creative world-building and engaging plot make this a standout read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advance copy!

Lately, I’ve been so lucky to read so many fantastic YA fantasy books - and this one is definitely included!

The vibes were a little Percy Jackson, but Norse instead of Greek; and honestly it was perfect! It had a bit of mystery, a bit of adventure, and even a bit of romance - YA appropriate obviously.

I appreciated how descriptive the storytelling was and how the world building wasn’t just thrown at us all at once - we get to discover it alongside our FMC, Charlie, and that’s my preferred way. That being said, it’s not too heavy on the world building if that’s not your thing, but provides just enough for things to make sense.

Highly recommend if you’re looking for a fun and captivating YA fantasy read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for making an advanced copy available to me in exchange for an honest review.

Overall Rating | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

I DNF the book at about 30%. No negative comments, it just was too YA for me. Narration had good flow and narrator portrayed emotions well.
I will recommend to my friends teenagers.

this was an amazing start to a series! so cozy and the perfect read for fall. i need book 2 in my hands immediately. i was so invested in the plot line and all of the characters, and the narration was fantastic!

I ended up DNFing at 40 percent. The writing was great and if I was 18 years old, I’d gobble this up. I think it just felt immature for this 36 year old. Lovers of YA and teenage drama though, will enjoy!

Soul of Shadow A Novel by Emma Noyes and narrated by Emily Pike Stewart

Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC. Soul of Shadow is an action packed YA fantasy with a dash of romance. Soul of Shadow’s world is based on Norse mythology, particularly Loki. The mythology was well explained. Emily Pike Stewart narrated beautifully. This could be a book to watch on YA lists.

Quite honestly I went in blind, I liked the colors on the cover, it’s YA fantasy, didn’t read the synopsis at all (whoops). So what started as a typical urban teenage murder mystery turned into a fantastic story steeped in Norse mythology with fake dating, a shadow daddy and lots of twists and turns along the way. I absolutely loved it and can’t wait for the rest of the series! Clean romance.

First, thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC, and the review below is my honest opinion.

This is a story from YA Norse mythology. It was simply lovely how Emma Boyes depicted the mythical realm. She was describing something that I could picture in my mind. I liked the narration by Emily Pike Stewart as her voice brought this story and its characters to life, and I think she did a fantastic job of capturing the characters' ages without making them seem too young.

Life will never be the same again for Charlie Hudson.

Early during her junior year, Charlie’s curiosity draws her into the woods where she goes to investigate the mysterious disappearances of her fellow classmates. The last thing she expects to find there is a young man, new to town and harboring secrets of his own, who opens up Charlie’s eyes to the mythological realm around her.

Soon she’s seeing fantastical creatures lifted directly from folklore and learning that some of those characters from Marvel movies exist in real life—but they aren’t exactly like their onscreen counterparts. Through this new reality unveiled to her, Charlie learns there are even darker forces behind the teenage disappearances than she could have imagined.

If you enjoyed the vibes of Susan Dennard’s The Luminaries series, this series will most likely appeal to you, too.

This is good for fans of morally grey love interests—he’s definitely a dark figure but has some protective instincts towards Charlie, Norse mythology, and steadfast gnome-like or dwarf-like companions. The vätte was my absolute favorite part of the book.

I would have liked to have seen a bit more push-pull between Charlie and Elias and to have seen more in-depth characterization, but I definitely plan to pick up the sequel, especially after the revelation at the end of this book and to see how things pan out for Charlie and Elias. There’s more to their story, and I look forward to seeing it unfold.

I enjoyed Emily Pike Stewart’s narration. I feel like she does a good job portraying the age of the characters without making them seem too young, and I especially liked the voice she uses for a character that enters the scene later in the storyline.

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All review opinions are my own.

Wow! I am SPEECHLESS! First- thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC for me to give an honest review. Typically I have a harder time leaving a review but not this time! Without spoiling the book here’s what I can say… personally, I don’t feel like this book is a young adult book but the story line was great! The very beginning of the book I was skeptical because it didn’t seem to line up with what I expected but I am glad I stuck it out. I will say that there is a lot of talk about underage drinking, drugs, talk about sex, etc. if you can look beyond those things then you should enjoy this book!

Did you like the vampire diaries before? Do you like Norse Mythology? Like books with a Shadow daddy😏? Do you enjoy fantasy mystery books? Then ADD THIS TO YOUR TBR! This book definitely reminded me of the vampire diaries and I can say the MMC and MFC screamed Elena Gilbert and Damon Salvatore vibes to me. Knowing you need to stay away from him but just can’t.

This book I highly recommend to give it a chance!

After seeing a lot of the author's promotional content on social media, I was really excited to jump into this book. I loved The Vampire Diaries back in the day, so seeing it used as a comp was really exciting. I ended up not thinking it was an accurate comparison at all which left me feeling disappointed.