✨ The Vibes ✨
The Vampire Diaries x Thor crossover you never knew you needed

📖 Read if…
✨ Thor and Loki are your favorite Marvel characters
✨ You had a Vampire Diaries phase
✨ You liked the romantic tension of Heartless Hunter

I’m super picky when it comes to any sort of fantasy book, so when I read one in a single day you know it’s good!

Soul of Shadow follows Charlie, a teen girl mourning the loss of her sister while trying to navigate high school. When teens start disappearing and a mysterious boy shows up, she’s introduced to a magical world she didn’t know existed.

I was initially drawn to Soul of Shadow because of the mystery element, but quickly fell in love with the fantasy world Noyes created. I thought she did a great job of striking the balance between the real world and fantasy elements, while also paying homage to series like The Vampire Diaries (which added a lot of nostalgia. The pacing was great and I truly couldn’t put the book down - which might have been a mistake because now I have to wait until March for the sequel!

I started reading this via Kindle, but quickly switched to the audio once I got sucked into the story because I didn’t want to stop reading. The narration was great and Emily Pike Stewart really captured the energy of a moody teen fantasy drama which set the scene. Sometimes I can be hesitant to read fantasy via audio because of the complexity of world building, but I found the book to be very accessible in the audio format.

Soul of Shadow is out today! Thanks to Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4.5/5
I received an ARC for my honest opinion

I loved Noyes writing style so much, and when I saw that she came out with a new Norse mythology fantasy book I knew that I needed to read it, and I am not disappointed at all. I really loved the world building in this book (Noyes writes beautiful scenes with her attention to details and never to the point where you would feel as though you’re getting an info dump), you will find plot twists, the characters are well developed and secrets that can kill.

Wow, that was such a fun read, and I have to say that I really need the next book of this series because I need to know what happens next. I really love Noyes's writing style, and I know that I said that earlier, but I love how she can write books that her readers can picture every detail in their mind. From the town to forest, to the Norse creatures and the vivid details of each one of them. I love that in this book you will get to enjoy the normal world, but at the same time realize that there is a hidden world that not all can see. I found the pace of the book to have been fast and enjoyable. However, it was the characters in the book that really shined for me.

I found our main female character to have been great. I would love to be friends with her if I was still in high school. Charlie is just living life the best way she knows how after the loss of her twin sister two years ago. She decides to go to a beach party with her friends, but during the party something in the woods draws her attention and she finds weird runes carved into the trees and something or someone else in the forest too. I found Charlie's character to have been well written, she is loyal to her friends and things that are important to her, she is curious about things she doesn’t know about, and that she follows her gut… well sometimes lol. I enjoyed getting to see her development throughout the book and seeing how her story changes to see what is more important. I liked the fact that she wasn’t scared to talk to Elias when he showed up, but she was worried about him and his story. With Elias he is an interesting character, and I mean that literally. He is complexed, has a lot of heart and at the same time he doesn’t because he is a “Mare, someone who can inflict terror on others”, but I felt as though his character had a lot more depth than we were seeing in the first book and I can’t wait see what the next book will give us about him. OMG, can I say my favorite character out of everyone though is Vatte!!! I found myself wishing that I could have my own Vatte, I would carry that little guy everywhere with me.

I also received the audio of this book and wow Emily Pike Stewart did an amazing job bringing this book to life. I loved that the characters' emotions were brought to life and all the action scenes I could close my eyes and picture them so well.

I can say that this book is one of my top favorite Norse mythology books of 2025. I loved the world, the characters, and the Norse creatures. I am excited about the next book.

I want to thank NetGalley and SMP for the opportunity to review this book.

I love the use of Norse mythology in this book. It's like this generation Twilight, Vampire Diaries, Onyx. With the mysterious bad boy and secret supernatural world. There are modern pop references to probably connect to teens (I am an adult) and found that they added to the story as well. The main character is well developed and independent she isn't whiny or lost. It is instant attraction but not obsession which is very nice when it comes to high school romance plots. The friend group is diverse and again they aren't super clique or whiny like some teenage stories. The plot line is mysterious, it was different and completely kept me guessing. I very much enjoyed the narrator and her rendition of the characters with their voices and emotions. Can't wait to listen to book 2!

Thank you Netgalley and the publishing company for giving me this audiobook
≫4.5⭐≪
This was a very enjoyable read. It was really good and need more. I can't wait to find out what happens in the next book. The fighting scenes were very entertaining but some parts had me confused or something lost. I can picture the fight scenes that happen. The ending was shocking. It was a great arc to read. Thank you is amazing book.

Do I have taste, or do I just fall for every brooding supernatural boy with secrets?
This YA romantasy hits all the right guilty pleasure buttons: grief, magic, Norse mythology, and a morally gray hottie named Elias who practically screams, “I come with red flags. Fall for me.” Charlie is sad, curious, and entirely too ready to follow a stranger into the woods (relatable).
Is it tropey? Absolutely. Do I care? Not even a little.
I was entertained, mildly stressed, and already craving book two. Think Vampire Diaries meets Shadow and Bone with a heavy dose of teenage recklessness.

A YA Romantasy with fake dating and Norse mythology. The Norse mythology was so interesting because it’s a lot of creatures and gods that I have heard of before but not in the same way as this book shows them. The hidden world was pretty neat with all the descriptions. There’s a small creature that follows Charlie around and he was the absolute cutest!
I liked a lot about this book but something felt off about it too. The second half left me feeling a bit confused. Like it all made sense but also it didn’t. I don’t even know! Also, the circus and magician thing was an interesting detail that I wanted to love but it’s one of the things I was confused about. I know it’s a crucial moment near the end but I guess I just don’t know what the point was.
Overall, I really enjoyed the friend group and the world building. This book felt like it could be a show on the CW or something. It was fun and I’m interested enough to read the next one.
🎧
I listened to the audiobook and Emily Pike Stewart really nailed it. Emily gave each character a different voice inflection and really set the mood for this book with her narration. I hope she narrates the next one too! 5/5 for narration
3.5/5 for the story

I thoroughly enjoyed this YA fantasy/spooky read! This one has old world Norse gods, mythical creatures, and an enemies to situationship to enemies to.... ??? It also has a hidden ancestry trope! The entire book kept me engaged and I finished it in the same day. I really liked the fallible characters and how they related to each other. They were quirky at times, but very genuine in their relationships as well. And the fictional magical creatures - the best! This one is definitely one I will be recommending! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC. These opinions are my own.

Soul of Shadow was such a fun YA urban romantasy. If you loved The Vampire Diaries, this is the book for you. It has a broody, atmospheric small town, a close knit group of friends who have to work together to save the world from ancient evil forces, and the angstiest high school romance ever, filled with forbidden love and enemies to lovers vibes. To all of that, it added Norse mythology and a fierce heroine who loves magic tricks.

Charlie is fearless and strong and rushes into situations without thinking them through, but she has a good heart. She’s loyal, and will do anything to protect her friends and family. Elias is new to town and has secrets. He’s attractive, charismatic, and flirty, but there’s a darkness lurking underneath his surface. Their relationship had a great push and pull, and I need to know what happens next after that ending.

This book was narrated by Emily Pike Stewart, and she did an amazing job bringing this story and these characters to life. If you’re looking for a book with magic, gods, monsters, a hidden world of Norse mythology, and doomed love, this is the one for you.

Thank you to Wednesday Books, St. Martins Press, Macmillan, Macmillan audio, Emma Noyes, and NetGalley for the ARC and ALC.

📔Soul of Shadow
✏️ Emma Noyes
📆 July 29, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

READ IF YOU LIKE:
👤 Norse mythology
👤 urban romantasy
👤 high school drama
👤 magic tricks
👤 small town
👤 morally grey shadow daddy
👤 strong heroine
👤 enemies to lovers
👤 forbidden love

I wanted to like this book, I really did. It had so much potential, but in the end felt super predictable.
Thank you netgalley and macmillan audio for the opportunity to listen to this book.

While I enjoyed the spin on norse mythology and even the unique side characters/ abilities; the rest of the story kind of fell flat for me. This was written as a YA, centered around high school students. So therefore felt very juvenile with their thoughts and actions.
I wanted to like this book, I really did. It had so much potential, but in the end felt super predictable.

But maybe it was me, I might have just outgrown the fantasy YA genre I guess.

Arc Read Review

4.5

It’s been a while since I read a good YA fantasy and this one really scratched that itch for me! It was a fun mix between high school drama and Nordic mythology, with an enemies to lovers to enemies romantic sub plot, a cute garden gnome familiar of sorts, and family secrets. I had a really fun time with this one and can’t wait to continue the series!

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narrator.

Thank you Wednesday books and Macmillan Audio for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to @Macmillan Publishers and @NetGalley for this early reading AND listening opportunity!

I'd rate the arc 3.5 🌟 but the alc 4 🌟... the narrator really drew me in.

This book starts similar to Twilight with its depressed and grieving (seemingly nothing special) girl, and the hottest most unattainable guy in the school being interested.

It then launches itself into the upside down. Full of real and slide of hand magic 🎩 ✨️ and lots of Nordic mythology.

Careful, it ends on quite the cliffhanger! This book releases on July 29th and will be included on KU.

I was so excited to read this book and I devoured it back about a month ago! It is such a fun, unique premise and such a fast read that I just flew through it. This book is a Norse mythology based story (which I now have to spend time researching) and had tons of magic, deception and action.

I LOVE our MMC Elias (is he our MMC?!??). He is morally charcoal and I am here for it! I hope hope hope he ends up being good but we just don’t know right now. Love a character like that. I also enjoyed Charlie’s backstory. Her motivations for doing things and her relationships with her friends and family really made the book for me.

Definitely check this one out!

Spice: None, just kissing

Read this if you like:
🌲 Murder mystery with magic
🌲 Norse Mythology
🌲 Morally dark gray MMC

Pick this one up if you like:
🪾YA Fantasy
🪾Mythology (Nordic)
🪾Mystery (disappearances)
🪾Morally grey/Bad boy

I haven’t read a fantasy in a long time, so glad I picked up this book. I really enjoyed the Nordic mythology elements. Ms. Noyse does a great job blending the human and Asgard worlds into this story. It started out feeling like a romance and ended up with more of a Percy Jackson vibe. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the next book!

Soul of Shadow was a Macmillan Audio pick and I was intrigued by the comp to The Vampire Diaries with Norse mythology. Ultimately, I think it had like early 2000s supernatural YA vibes, think Twilight and TVD, but it didn’t hit the way those did, with their addicting forbidden romance allure. I was excited by the Norse mythology, but ultimately felt there were mechanics of the magic system that didn’t make sense. The two major twists could be seen a mile off. The bad guy’s motives were not clear enough in book one—it definitely seems like they’ll come up in book two, but I think book one at least needed more hints to convince me. My favorite part of the story was the gnome-like creature, a supernatural sidekick is always the best, and he’s an adorable, ferocious little thing!

While in the end I did think this book was four stars, after sitting with it, and how I discovered my feelings through this review, I think for me this book was three stars. But, I do want to say that Noyes did a great job capturing the YA aspects of friendship, high school, and family relationships.

I did enjoy the narration by Emily Pike Stewart.

A dark YA fantasy adventure of teens who unknowingly walked among creatures of myths and legend until one day they were able to see the truth. The downside to this magical awakening is that they are no longer safe from the grasp of the dangerous creatures that share this world. Once you can see, the monsters can too, and you are no longer safe from their grasp.    

Charlie is not a typical teen who has a small but strong friend group, and since the death of her twin sister, she has felt like she was missing a piece of herself. Not interested in what most teenagers like, such as parties and dating, Charlie never had the urge to date anyone and had zero interest until a new and very attractive guy showed up at her school, and the only girl he had eyes for was her. Elias seemed to have an agenda, and for some reason, it involved Charlie. Soon she finds out why he only seems to have her on his mind, and her life just got extremely interesting, complicated, and dangerous. 

What to expect from this book?

YA Adventure
Enemies to love interest
Magical creatures
Norse mythology
Valkyrie
Lies and deception
Action
Danger
Humans but more
Worlds colliding 
Rare Bond

At first, when I started listening to this and found it was about a teen girl, I wasn't sure I had chosen the right book. I do read YA, but it usually leans closer to adult, and I feared I wouldn't like it very much. I was wrong. I enjoyed this story a lot. There is a love interest, but it's pretty innocent, and there isn't any spice. It's a slow burn that takes both the FMC and MMC by surprise, as it wasn't anything they were looking for. I love all the Norse mythology name drops (Odin, Loki, Ragnarok, Asgard, Midgard, Fenrir, Mare, Askafroa, and many other creatures. The writing was descriptive, which helps imagine the scenes, but to the point of being annoying.  

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and Macmillan Audio (publisher) for the ALC of this new release in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story about a teenage girl named Charlie who is still trying to get over the death of her twin sister. Charlie lives near a forest with her mother and brother. One day kids start disappearing and a Norse marking is found on the tree. Charlie one day meets this new kid at school and her world drastically changes once he gives her this magical pil and the world around her changes. Charlie becomes aware of all the magical creatures in the atmosphere and they notice her too.
I enjoyed this new fanatasy series, and I am looking forward to reading book two. I’m anxious to see what happens to. Hallie after she finds out the truth of who she is.
Thank you Net-galley and Macmillan audio for the opportunity to review this new fantasy series.

I really enjoyed this one! I love books that incorporate mythology, and this was no exception. Charlie was a great main character; resourceful, intelligent, and she cared deeply for her friends and family. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

This is definitely YA and reads quite young at several points but that did NOT deter me from enjoying every single chapter in this book! I honestly can't wait for the next book to come out!!

3.75 🌟
(audiobook + book review) 🎧 📖


Soul of Shadow felt like a nostalgic little time warp for me. It gave me that “reading YA in high school and college” energy, in the best way. If you grew up loving The Vampire Diaries (especially if you were a Damon girlie, because SAME), this book might hit that familiar, brooding, shadowy MMC spot for you.

This is contemporary fantasy with Norse mythology woven in, but it’s not your typical heavy, dense fantasy. It’s lighter, fun, and set in our world, which I actually appreciated because lately I’ve been in a bit of a slump trying to find contemporary fantasy that sticks.

The romance? Definitely a simmer, not a full force, sweep you off your feet love story yet. The love interest gives major dark, secretive vibes (again, Damon coded), and I have a feeling his story will unravel more across the series. So if you’re going into this hoping for lots of romance up front, just know it’s more of a slow build.

The world building? There’s a mix of magical realism, pop culture references, and Norse mythology here. I loved the creature companions (one of them completely stole my heart, bonus points for his obsession with Henry Cavill because SAME), but I did get pulled out of the story a few times when the mythology felt trivialized by too many Marvel mentions or Google like explanations. That part didn’t quite work for me, but I could see it appealing to readers who like pop culture blended into their fantasy.

The narration in the audiobook was really well done. The pacing, tone, and delivery kept me engaged, and it helped carry me through the slower parts of the story. If you’re an audiobook listener, this one is definitely an easy, enjoyable listen.

There’s also a bit of an age gap in tone. While this is YA, some parts felt more mature, and others skewed a little younger or unpolished in pacing and dialogue. That’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s something to note if you’re super picky about pacing or prose.

✨ The Vibes:

• YA contemporary fantasy with Norse mythology
• Vampire Diaries meets Twilight energy (but lighter)
• Dangerous MMC with secrets & shadows
• Magical creature companion with a BIG personality
• A cliffhanger that had me immediately needing book 2
• Light, quick, audiobook listen with a strong narrator

Overall, Soul of Shadow is perfect for fans of YA who want a darker, broody MMC, magical creatures, and mythology without getting lost in too much lore. If you’re looking for a quick listen that still gives you those “just one more chapter” feels, this one’s worth checking out.

Thank you to NetGalley & Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review. 🙏🏼