NEVER BARGAIN WITH A REAPER.
The city of Aravell is in peril, plagued by a deadly blackmist that kills all it touches, and reapers who roam the streets, stealing magic from innocent children in their thirst for power. Seventeen-year-old Viridia Solace has trained for years to hunt these reapers but their ranks keep growing, led by the man who murdered her parents: the Reaper Priest.
When the Priest’s most loyal follower, Reeve Ashton, is captured, he offers Viri a chance to avenge her parents . . . for a price. She knows better than to bargain with a reaper, let alone this reaper, but his offer is too good to resist.
Soon she’s breaking him out of prison, colluding with his crew of magic thieves, and following him deep into the blackmist forest in search of an ancient legend, all so they can stop the Reaper Priest’s plot to doom the city. Viri is staking her life on Reeve’s plan, but how can she trust a silver-tongued criminal to keep his word? And how can she trust her own heart when a buried secret could shatter everything?
Full of relentless twists, enemies-to-lovers romance, found family, and high stakes action, Shadow Reaper is the start of a breathtaking new duology from international bestselling author Lynette Noni.
Buy a copy of Shadow Reaper here.
Read some great reviews from our Preview readers here:
Shadow Reaper by Lynette Noni starts with lots of action which endures throughout the novel. Viri, a hunter, is using her powers to take on the reapers. This is personal for her. Her parents died at the hands of a reaper. At seventeen she has spent her last seven years determined to get justice for her parents. When her childhood friend, Reeve, is captured, Viri is sure she is closer to capturing the Reaper Priest.
As the plot unravels Viri becomes aware that her memory has not been totally accurate. The situation worsens when the Reaper Priest is thought to be receiving extraordinary power from the Aurora Comet. This means he could wipe out all of Aravelle, Viri’s civilisation. She must succeed.Magic abounds and illegal alchemy is needed. This is a gripping fantasy of good versus evil with a very unexpected twist at the end. Well worth reading. Annette, ACT, 5 stars
Now this was a delight and also a hard book to put down to read. Lynette Noni may have needed to write this but wow this is setting up great. This quest of the Reapers is something that you won’t want to miss and instead of spoiling I just say please read and enjoy how Viri and Reeve bring this story alive. This might be the new book of the year that becomes the must read and agree with Rebecca Yarros in her statement. Tianne, NSW, 5 stars
Lynette Noni never disappoints! I was fully immersed into the world of Elverdine Isle. The book was full of twists and turns, magical adventure and charming romance. I could not put it down and I am desperate to see what happens in the next book! Jenny, VIC, 5 stars
The first book in award-winning Australian author, Lynette Noni’s new Shadow Reaper series has lots of clever magic, evil types who kill children for their magic, determined, dedicated, inventive and talented teens working to keep their community safe, and the imminent arrival of a comet that can give the evil leader limitless power. And that’s just the beginning! A setting wonderfully described, subtle and seamless world-building, gutsy characters, a good dose of humour, a touch of romance, twists, turns and surprises to keep the reader constantly guessing, plenty of action, and a cliff-hanger ending: what more could a reader of YA fantasy want? The sequel will definitely be on this much-older-than-YA reader’s TBR. Marianne, NSW, 5 stars
I absolutely loved Shadow Reaper by Lynette Noni. From the very beginning, the world building completely pulled me in, and I never wanted to put the book down. It’s immersive, and every layer of the story adds something new and intriguing. The balance of action, mystery, and fantasy is woven together so well. The banter is sharp and natural, and honestly just really fun to read. The tension between the characters is done so well, and the relationships develop in a way that kept me invested the whole time.
What surprised me most, and ended up being my favourite part, were the twists. I read a lot of fantasy, so I usually have a sense of where things are going, and I thought I had this one figured out. But I was completely caught off guard more than once. The reveals were executed beautifully, and they made the story even more satisfying. This book just has everything I love in fantasy: strong characters, high stakes, emotional depth, and a world that feels alive. It’s definitely one of those stories that stays with you long after you finish the final page. Nicole, VIC, 5 stars
Lynette Noni has blown YA Fantasy out of the water with Shadow Reaper. The world building and characters are brilliant. The banter between the main characters was great. The plot twists and turns were difficult to predict. The cliffhanger ending has me desperately waiting for the next installment. Thank goodness this is a duology because that is my biggest gripe with fantasy books is waiting for the next release. I forgot to mention there is a cute fluffy bunny called Walnut as well. Trudy, SA, 5 stars
A romantic fantasy that bridges the gap between middle grade and young adult fiction, Shadowreaper draws in a captivated audience through the blended mystery of missing children, a unique magic system, and alchemy. The characters were engaging and this had the perfect found family vibe – but to be honest, I was most drawn in by the magic system! Unfortunately I did have some issues with pacing in the middle of this book (and I also unfortunately predicted the ending very early on in the piece – although I recognise this is a me problem, not a fault of the book, but overall – I quite enjoyed my time reading Shadow Reaper! Noni sprinkled in the right amount of twists and reveals through the story to keep me engaged and I’ll be intrigued to see how the world expands in book 2! Perfect for readers who fancy some banter, misdirection, and twists and turns in their reads! I can see this being a hit in the YA reader community – the set up for book 2 has me at the edge of my seat. Belarna, QLD, 4 stars
Lynette Noni’s Shadow Reaper is an immersive read, filled with great characters, easy flowing dialogue, a magical setting, and many plot twists. Noni’s writing was new to me but I think I’ll be reading her in future.
I am definitely not a “young reader”and it took me quite a few pages to get started, while I got my bearings and rhythm, then it was very hard to put down. Loved the inclusion of Walnut. The ending was not what I was expecting and I’ll be sure to catch the second book.
Highly recommended for young or older readers. Sandra, NSW, 4 stars
Shadow Reaper, with its awesome cover, is a terrific read. If you like enemies to lovers, great banter and a rich world in the vein of Jo Riccioni, this is a book for you. There’s a great twisty plot and plenty to uncover about what drives Viri. It’s a very minor role, but look out for the wraith – not something I’d want coming after me. Judith, NSW, 4 stars
I enjoyed this book. It was very good, and the plot was quite twisty turny. I think it could have been left as a standalone. The cliffhanger was intriguing but predictable – very easy to prepare for. I know there’s going to be a second one but I’m not desperate to read the sequel.
The characters were generally likeable, but they were stereotypical, and without a lot of development. It was easy to tell where they were going – my first impressions of each were accurate. They didn’t change. But I did like that they all had their own motivations for doing things. I liked the journal entries which were sprinkled through the novel, but they were a bit pointless. It handed information to us too easily, and that information could have been revealed later in other ways. I liked the plot, although it was predictable and sometimes very obvious. I liked the world building but found it a bit shallow and needing more description. This was fun to read, though. Grace, ACT, 3 stars
Leave a Reply