Shadow Reaper

Shadow Reaper #1

by Lynette Noni

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.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Romantasy, Young Adult Fantasy, Audiobook, Magic

485 pages, Hardcover

First published June 16, 2026

About the author

Australian author Lynette Noni studied journalism, academic writing, and human behaviour at university before venturing into the world of fiction. She is the #1 bestselling and award-winning author of THE PRISON HEALER series, THE MEDORAN CHRONICLES, and the WHISPER duology. To date, her books have sold more than one million copies in over 20 countries across the globe.

Reviews

[jazmin ౨ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

⊹ ࣪ ˖⌇𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫
╰⪼〝𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺.〞

𑣲 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥: june 17th, 2026 ⌝
⌞ 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥: june 19th, 2026 .ᐟ.ᐟ

──── .✦
⋆ 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒗 (𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒅 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏)
⋆ 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒆: just kissing that doesn't go further
⋆ 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: violence, murder, death, blood, injures, kidnapping, imprisonment, human sacrifices, grief, abandonment, addiction
──── .✦



‎ . ݁⋆ ꫂ᭪⌇𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
╰⪼ 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨: 𝟒.𝟕𝟓/𝟓 ✰

*deep breath*

WHAT IS LYNETTE NONI'S PROBLEM??😧 THAT ENDING WAS INSANE!! i can't believe im saying this but that reveal may have been almost crazier than the one in the first prison healer book 😭😭😭😭

anyways...

one thing i absolutely love about lynette noni's books are the plots. everytime they are just so well thought out and are soso unique i love it so muchhh.

but the plot twists and cliffhangers have gotta stop i need book 2 rn 💔



.☘︎ ݁˖ ⌇𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬

⊱ 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞
╰⪼ 〝𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩... 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘐𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥.〞

i don't even have any words. her backstory just kept getting worse and worse omg.. i feel sososo bad for her 😭😭 but i loved her resilience and determination, even if it was a little misguided lmao

⊱ 𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐭𝐨𝐧
╰⪼ 〝"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘸𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘥𝘰."〞

ooo okay, so i was kinda skeptical about him at first tbh but after like ch. 12 or so i liked him a bit more! i loved him later in the book tho !! (jaren is still my fav of her mmcs tho🥹)

he honestly kiind of reminded me of jacks from ouabh 😭 at least in the beginning, he was so sweet tho, and so misunderstood oh my god 💔💔

⊱ 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐢 + 𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐯𝐞
╰⪼ 〝𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴, 𝘐'𝘮 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘐'𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮.〞

he calls her little shadow.. and i honestly dont know if i love that or hate it

THEIR BANTER WAS SOSOSO FUNNY THO, i actually couldnt 😭😭

they were so adorable though, once it was revealed they were chilldhood friends i immediately loved them even more, my fav trope ever <3



𓂃⋆.˚ 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 .ᐟ

➺ shadow reaper (𝟒.𝟕𝟓✰)
➺ book 2 (✰)



➵ . ݁⋆ ꒰ ✉︎ ꒱ ‎. ݁⋆
𝐩𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝:
⋆ 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝟓/𝟓 ✰

ᯓ the prison healer is one of my all time favorite series, so im really hoping this is just as good! but also i am so not ready for the plot twists 😭😭 anddd im probably gonna regret even starting this cuz if its anything like the prison healer series its gonna end off with the biggest cliffhanger ever and we know nothing about book 2

but like im too invested not to start this soo 🤭



ﾒ૦ﾒ૦

[kitkat (semi-hiatus ♡︎) · Rating 5 out of 5]

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦
4.5 stars rounded up
→ read 1.19.26

- overview -
lynette. noni. never. misses. EVER. i'm only a few weeks into the new year, but i can already tell this one's going to be a top read of 2026. but seriously?!? this woman is giving us hit after hit and i am eating up every second.

this book is filled to the brim with the most mouth watering yearning. there are scenes in shadow reaper that will simultaneously smash your heart open and give you a warm hug. plus those plot twists?? what am i supposed to do with myself now?!? i'd like to think that i'm fairly good at predicting book plot twists, but this one got me realllll good. *throws kindle across the room*

the characters... oh my lord, these are my babies. viri and reeve's relationship is so genuine. this book perfectly weaves dark themes while still being an easy book to loose yourself in. like, even after everything these characters have been through, it never becomes a toxic relationship, which is the biggest red flag in most romantasies.

did i mention there's also a tiny fluffy bunny named walnut? 😭😭😭

⋆˙⟡ now playing - men on the moon by chelsea cutler ♫
"we put men on the moon, but i still don't know how to you."

♡ huge thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc - all thoughts are my own ♡

[jenny reads a lot · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a bit slower to start and took a while for me to really get invested but once the reveals started happening I was locked in!

A great start to a new duology

Whats to love…
- enemies-to-lovers
- found family
- high stakes!
- political machinations
- interesting magic


What might not work for some…
- a bit slow to start but really thats just me being impatient I think.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.

[Kayla lou ♡ {in my let go letters era} · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now Playing:
Cliche - Chloe Ament
0:26 ———♡——— 3:50
◁◁ ▐ ▌ ▷▷

»｡ ∾ ღ ➵ ♢ ➵ ღ ∾ ｡»
𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖘
right.... where on earth do I start... First off, I HAVE READ 11 OF LYNETTE NONI'S BOOKS AND I STILL DIDNT PREDICT THAT ENDING. HELLOOOOO?!?!?! WHAT WAS THAT?!
Lynette Noni has done it againnnn *insert happy dancing gif* everything was on pointe, the plot, the chemistry, the romance, the magic, and the FREAKING PLOT TWISTS!!!!!!! this has to be one of my fav reads this year for sureeeeeeeeeeee. I was also expecting this book to be waaaay darker than it was, and I'm really thankful that its not and that i can trust my girl Lynette by keeping her books clean (even in a seemingly dark book!!!) as a Christian, dark magic/magic/rituals etc in books REALLY unsettle me and i usually try to avoid reading books with that kind of content, and so i started reading this book with caution, but IT WAS SOOO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and there was only one time where i was like, uh eww. hehe

𝖙𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖘
enemies to lovers, slow burn, childhood friends to lovers, slight miscommunication. ADORIBLENESS AND REEVE BEING SMITTEN

𝖕𝖑𝖔𝖙
PERFECTIONNNNNN

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 (𝐚𝐤𝐚 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐬)

𝕽𝖊𝖊𝖛𝖊
MY BABYYYY
I loved Reeve SOOO MUCH, and he was legit the description of a misunderstood villain, he is such a sweetie and i ABSOLUTELY ADORE how he will do anything to protect Viri 😭🩷 hes genuinely sooo smitten its not even funny... THEY NEED TO KISS AGAIN.

𝓥𝖎𝖗𝖎
I genuinely loved Viri soo much, she was so relatable and i felt so bad for her omds her trauma? HER FREAKING BACKSTORY?!?!? OH MY DAYSS😭😭 she should not have to carry such a weight... she was so oblivious as wellll 😭😭

𝕵𝖔𝖓𝖆𝖘
HE IS BLONDE AND OWNS A PET BUNNY CALLED WALNUT, SHALL I SAY MORE??????????? (I feel he may be inspired by everyone's fav blonde Jordan from the Medoran Chronicles heheh but IM NOT COMPLAINING!!) i wish i got to see more of him, he was lowk a side character which kinda ticked me off cos I LOVE HIMM

𝖂𝖞𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖗
She and Viri's dynamic is so much like me and my bestie's its actually crazy lolllll, i really liked her and she was such a sweet characterrrr!

𝕾𝖆𝖌𝖊
ehhhh I like u but U NEED TO STOP BEING SO BITTER RAHHHH

𝕭𝖗𝖆𝖊𝖉𝖊𝖓
*crying mode, activated* NOW THIS GUY DESERVES THE WHOLE WORLD I FEEL SO BAD FOR HIM AND EVERYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED TO HIM AHHH HE NEEDS A HUG, JUST LIKE EVERY CHARACTER IN THIS BOOK😭😭😭😭😭

𝕱𝖎𝖓𝖆𝖑 𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖘
THE CLIFFHANGER IS SO MEANNNNNNNNNNN I DONT WANNA WAIT HOWEVER LONG FOR THE NEXT BOOOKKKKKK
ALSO
READ THIS FREAKING BOOK
NOW
o̶r̶ ̶i̶m̶m̶a̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶l̶k̶ ̶u̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶d̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶u̶ ̶l̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶w̶h̶i̶s̶p̶e̶r̶ ̶s̶p̶o̶i̶l̶e̶r̶s̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶u̶r̶ ̶m̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶a̶n̶t̶i̶c̶i̶p̶a̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶b̶o̶o̶k̶s̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶u̶r̶ ̶t̶b̶r̶ ̶w̶h̶i̶l̶s̶t̶ ̶u̶r̶ ̶s̶l̶e̶e̶p̶i̶n̶g̶
SIX STARSSSSSS!!!!!! WHOOO LETS GOOO!!!


⚊⚊⚊⚊⚊⚊✬✥✬⚊⚊⚊⚊⚊⚊

•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*

°•~━━✥❖✥━━~•°

𝖕𝖔𝖘𝖙 𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉
♱⁺.⊹꒷꒦ ꒷꒦⊹.⁺♱
Six. Freaking. Stars.
RTC, I'm genuinely freaking out... the plot twist at the end and the cliffhanger... AGHHHHHHHHHH LYNETTE NONI U FORKING GENIUS
brb imma stare at the wall for a few hours




𝖕𝖗𝖊 𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉
༉‧₊˚🕯️🖤❀༉‧₊˚.
NEW LYNETTE NONI BOOK?!?!?! LETS FREAKING GOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm so excited for this one, I have read almost all of her books and when this arrived at my library, I audibly SCREAMED! I AM SO EXCITEDDD!!!

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

[My.bookish.diaries · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

Thank you Penguin Teen Canada for the gifted copy 💌

Ok ladies… I fear we may have a new nickname obsession: Little Shadow 😮‍💨🤍

This book was SUCH a journey and honestly… a must read for 2026 ✨📖

The world building in this story was incredible. As the story unfolds, we learn more and more about the city of Aravelle, its history, the magic system, and everything happening beneath the surface. You can tell how much detail went into creating this world …even the map alone makes you realize how unique it all is 🗺️⚔️

We follow Viri, a hunter tasked with hunting reapers… people who siphon magic from young children (!!). During her hunter duties, she uncovers evidence of a dangerous plot that could completely destroy the city. Enter Reeve 🫠🤍 and the two end up teaming together to stop disaster before it’s too late.

Viri and Reeve’s relationship felt so genuine and naturally woven into the story. Their bond grew through everything they endured together and the banter ?? TOP TIER. Literally some of my favourite interactions in the whole book 🤍

Also… Jonas and his little bunny Walnut 🥹🐇
Easily one of my favourite parts of the story.

And LISTEN… the twists in this book ???
Every few chapters a reveal just gets thrown at us 😭✋ The ending especially had me staring at the wall in complete shock because HOW do you end a book like THAT ??? I thought the reveal was done but noo it kept going!

╰┈➤ counting down the days until book 2 😭

✦ ───────── ✦

pre read-🚨 ARC Received ! 🚨
Thank you Penguin Teen Canada for the free copy 🩶
Soooo excited to read ✨ keep an eye out for reading updates!!

Update: Very cool world !

[Darcey]

🚨 NEW LYNETTE NONI FANTASY SERIES ALERT 🚨

i am beyond hyped, folks! give it to me now!

[Val ⊹ ࣪ ˖ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Books_the_Magical_Fruit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my introduction to Noni’s body of work, and I’m a big fan. The worldbuilding is great, and the author throws you into the city’s underbelly from the beginning with a night chase. Viri is 17 and hungry to stop “reapers” from siphoning magic from children (the process almost always ends up killing the littles).

The Reaper Priest seems forever out of Viri’s reach, until his #1 fan is captured and strikes a bargain with her. Viri knows she’s probably a huge idiot to trust Reeve Ashton, but she longs for revenge on the man who killed her parents.

And so their journey begins, further and further into where the blackmist lies in wait to steal their lives.

Also, Walnut. That is all.

Solid 4 star book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for an eARC. All opinions are mine.

[&#x1f319;henny✨ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m grateful for the ARC, but it unfortunately did not turn out to be as enjoyable to me as I hoped. The blurb and tropes sounded really interesting! But we know they don’t give us the full picture. It’s always a gamble!

I didn’t get too far in (around 25-30%) so I don’t have a huge amount to say, but I will start with the prose. I did not like it. I noticed that everything was very directly and obviously described in a very simple way, but it didn’t leave much room for any of the little intricacies that turn a screenplay into a novel. The scene was described to you, ‘he did this’ etc, then the fmc would immediately reiterate what had just happened like she didn’t think we were able to infer it ourselves from the actual passage that she then paraphrased. I’ve absolutely read books with worse writing, but this one falls into the ‘definitely YA’ category instead of ‘technically YA but the prose is A’. This prose was very much YA. We did not need the author to explain what things like nulligloves (or whatever they were called) did, and we especially didn’t need it mid-sentence. We can pick up that they nullify magic from the context clues. The book was full of this kind of thing.

The first time we met the best friend character, she and the fmc went on to have a conversation that contained so much exposition dumping that I thought I was actually reading the script of a low budget CW show. People don’t talk like this in real life. We don’t just state our goals so arbitrarily, it was very immersion-breaking and I went from being a fly on the wall inside the story to sitting at my desk staring at one.

We then delved into a murder mystery/true crime type plot which is where the book completely lost me. My level of interest was already very fragile before the main plot started cooking because of the aforementioned issues, but I’m just not a fan of crime or mysteries in general. I read for the romance first and the fantasy second. The romance was being hinted at, but it was a bit of a carbon copy of every other forbidden fantasy romance, kind of cringe, and ultimately it just wasn’t enough to keep me invested and I had to call it there. Time of death: 5:02 PM.

My last bit of critique for this book pertains specifically to the audiobook. I was gifted the ARC of this book, but I knew almost immediately upon starting it that it wasn’t gonna be something I’d be able to just pick up and read based on the writing style alone. Third person pov is not my favourite in general really. But there are definitely books that exist that excel at using that perspective. Sadly I couldn’t count this book amongst them, so I went ahead and got the audiobook so I could read and review like I agreed to. The performance style that the narrator was doing was just really not for me, something about it felt incredibly grating and overstimulating. I think their child character voice especially bothered me, their version of a male voice too. Usually I love when a woman does a man voice, but I think the entire thing just felt too bouncy and American.

So yeah, ultimately, not for me. I can see this book appealing to a specific demographic. I just don’t fall under that umbrella this time 🥹 thank you to the author and publisher (Penguin Random House) for the opportunity to read and review this book though!

[julkahap · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mam wrażenie, że autorka skupiła się na nawaleniu plot twistów zamiast na fabule, a szkoda, bo początek był fajny. Trochę jakby najpierw wymyśliła twisty i potem napisała do nich resztę.
Męczyła mnie też ta relacja romantyczna :((

[mags · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

thank you so much netgalley for this arc!!

this book was one of, if not my #1, most anticipated read of 2026 and let me tell you, IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

prison healer is one of my favorite trilogies ever so i have been SOOOO excited for new book by her!!!!

there were so many genuinely good plot twists, and the banter between viri and reeve was chef's kiss 🤌🏻

this book had my jaw on the floor one minute and then had me tearing up the next

i CAN'T WAIT for book 2

[Jordan Miner · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25☆ EXCUSE MEEE, WHAAAATTT?! Lynette has done it once again: she is the queen of plot twists and cliffhangers that leave you absolutely GAGGED!! after reading (and loving) her prison healer trilogy, I knew I’d love this new release by her and love it I did. she is one of my favorite ya authors. I swear she writes plot twists that you easily predict to distract you from THE plot twist that leaves you absolutely gobsmacked!

I loved the dark magic system, bargains, found family, the yearning and pining between viri and reeve, plot reveals after plot reveals, and twists after twists. I cannot wait for the second book in this duology!

[Charlie]

Lynette Noni can probably hear me screaming my excitement for this book all the way in Australia (I live on the other side of the planet)🫶

[Bibliothecat · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF 25%

2.5/5 stars

First of all, I'd like to thank Penguin Random House UK Children's for the eARC provided via Netgalley. I feel absolutely terrible but this one is a DNF for me (around 1/4 into the book). On paper, this has so many elements I love and I am primarily a YA reader. Therefore, it's quite significant when I say that I found this "too" YA. A big reason for that was the main character who was more bratty than anything else and something just felt really off about her - it's quite difficult to appreciate a book if you can't connect to the main character.

I was also rather confused by the world building. Based on the blurb and magic system, I was expecting a European-esque historic fantasy setting of sorts. I am not sure what this was aiming for; many elements do give the atmosphere I was expecting but then there are devices that feel a lot more modern such as an elevator. I am not even sure if this was a modern electric elevator or an earlier model - neither felt like it fit into this world. That is, unless my entire impression was off and this was more of a steam punk or even futuristic setting - that's the issue, I don't know! There also seems to be bad air quality and people living underground or inside mountains? I really, really struggled to picture what this world is trying to deliver.

As mentioned, I didn't like the main character Viri. It was this blend of being bratty, arrogance and somehow being one of the best at the tender age of 17. It's not an uncommon trope but something about this set up bothered me more than it has in other similar books. Then there's the romance - it seems this was aiming for a friends to enemies to lovers. I didn't read far enough for clarification but it seems Reeve was somehow involved in Viri's parents' death. When they meet again, she does the full body scan and lists all his muscles and physical traits. I love a slow burn which is what I'd expect of an enemies to lovers. I don't think appreciating someone's looks automatically counts as insta lust but I think it could have been more subtle. Viri could have taken note how he's grown in the years they haven't seen, maybe commented on his face or some such but going into a full body scan and commenting about multiple parts felt rushed and also misplaced given that he has a connection to her parents' death.

I am truly sorry for dropping this - I've been wanting to read Lynette Noni for years and I will still give her books another chance. This one in particular rubbed me the wrong way and I can't see Viri changing enough for me to suddenly enjoy this book.

[Magdalena (magdal21) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The more I think about this book, the less I like it. On the surface it’s a fast paced YA fantasy with interesting worldbuilding, a colorful cast of characters, and enough twists to keep the pages turning. It’s undeniably bingeable and very easy to read. The perfect kind of book to devour in a few days and never think about again. The problem is that this is the first installment in a series, and once you start reflecting on what you’ve actually read, the story begins to fall apart in its worldbuilding, characters, and major plot twists.

The world itself is intriguing, but the amount of exposition can be hard to bear. I understand that fantasy novels need to explain a lot of information, but some of it could have been delivered more naturally. Too often the exposition feels clunky and obvious, like the scene where a character asks his sister to repeat everything she learned about the Reapers so the reader can get another explanation.

As for the characters, I actually enjoyed much of the secondary cast. They were fun, memorable, and brought some personality to the story. Of course, you have to overlook the fact that teenagers are somehow leading powerful magical organizations despite barely being old enough to run their own lives, but that’s a fairly standard YA. The romance did very little for me though. It felt generic and also cringe. How many more chosen one heroines paired with a brooding love interests do we need? The male lead is so similar to countless other romantasy heroes that you could swap some of his dialogue with lines from another series and I honestly don’t think anyone would notice.

The plot twists are probably the book’s greatest strength and its biggest weakness at the same time. They certainly make the story gripping, but many of the major reveals don’t hold up under scrutiny. A lot of them are only kept secret because the plot needs them to be in order to maximize the shock factor. There’s often no convincing reason for characters to withhold information for so long. Like why the identity of the Reaper Priest is revealed as late as it is? No logical explanation. More than once I got the impression that the story was written around its twists rather than allowing the twists to emerge from the story itself.

That said, I’m probably criticizing this book more than I actually disliked it. It’s entertaining, and the setting is interesting enough that I’d still like to learn more about it. There are also a few characters I’d happily follow into the sequel. Even so, I think the author’s previous series was simply better written. Maybe my opinion will change once I read the next book.

[Tilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

I am a huge fan of The Prison Healer series and so I was so excited for this new YA fantasy from Lynette Noni. Sadly for me though, it didn't work as well as I had hoped.

Shadow Reaper is based in a land where humans give up their internal magic at the age of 14 to protect their land. However there are Reapers, humans who have become magic fuelled vampires that prey on the children and kill them by stealing their magic. Our lead female Viri, age 17 is a reaper hunter and has a lot of secrets.

The storyline was pretty basic, and although there were some decent twists, I felt they were hinted at enough that I guessed them all and they didn't come as a surprise.
The story was told in quite a juvenile way which is the opposite to The Prison Healer. It read really young which put me off it and I didn't feel the depth I wanted.
Also there was a lot over of over description but then also some silly errors (such as being able to take off a coat whilst handcuffed to someone else).

The lead character Viri was also really annoying. She acted like she was the only person that could save everything, at the age of 17, and often ran into situations with half baked plans.
The lead male Reeve was the most interesting character and I felt added the most to the story. My favourite characters though were the side characters of Viri's friend Wyn and Reeve's group of friends. They gave a found family feel which I really enjoyed.
I wasn't a fan of the romance seeing as they hadn't seen each other in 7 years (and are currently 17) and were giving a sibling like vibe.

The world and ideas were interesting, I sadly just think it was a little too obvious, a bit boring at times and the characters didn't have me hooked either.
Overall, it was good but not great and I doubt I will continue the series.

Please note that I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Olivia&#x1f49c;&#x1f5e1;️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH. MY. GOSH.

You would think that after reading 12, TWELVE, books by Lynette Noni then I couldn’t be surprised by her plot twists. Well you are wrong, BECAUSE I WAS SURPRISED. IN FACT IM IN DISBELIEF. BECAUSE WHAT?! I honestly feel so stupid and now I absolutely NEED to reread this book and see the foreshadowing moments because I KNOW THEY ARE THERE. Okay now time for the actual review, but first we have to back this up.

When Shadow Reaper was announced it quickly became my most anticipated read of 2026. Not only because Lynette Noni is my favorite author but also because it sounded SO INTERESTING. So I am not kidding when I say that I CRIED getting an email saying I got approved for the arc and I am also not kidding when I say that I dropped absolutely everything for this book and I am so glad I did BECAUSE OH MY GOSH.

This book not only met my very high expectations but it EXCEEDED THEM. I was so immersed into the world of Elverdine Isle to the point where time actually had no meaning. When I say that I was obsessed, I WAS OBSESSED. Every waking moment for the past three days has been spent reading this book. In addition to the world, Lynette Noni also delivered on the characters that you just can’t help but loving. Like tell me why I knew Reeve for one page but I already loved him as if I had known him for 100 pages. I EVEN LOVED A FREAKING BUNNY(dare I say the best part of the book). Lastly, as I said previously, this book did not HOLD BACK WITH THE PLOT TWISTS. The ending shook me to my core and I don’t think I’ll ever be the same. I might even dare to say that this plot twist was crazier than the one in the prison healer(and trust me, that is saying something). I should probably stop yapping now but just remember
“Never Bargain with a Reaper.”

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHERS FOR GIFTING ME THIS ARC! It truly meant the world to me😭

[Sanja ✵ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first book by Lynette Noni, although I’ve heard a lot about The Prison Healer. And it’s a solid read that feels very much like an old school YA-book that still has a unique twist with the reapers and hunters.

But while I had a fun time reading this, it didn’t eliminate the fact that I could see most of the plot-twist coming from miles away. This makes the reading experience up to the point where the main character figures out the same things I did chapters ago a bit frustrating.

I think a lot of people will find the romance cute, but I didn’t feel particularly interested. It felt very surface-level and based upon the fact that they used to be friends and now he’s back and that’s alluring. I wanted more of a development, but I guess the ending is building up to something interesting.

Also, the amount of screen time the rabbit got didn’t do it for me, it made the book occasionally feel on the younger side of YA.

Unsure if I will continue, but I’m willing to possibly give the sequel a try.

[Stacey | read.with.stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC + ALC Review

Thank you Penguin Teen Canada for the gifted paperback arc and PRH audio for the gifted audiobook 🫶

💭: I enjoyed the story, but I will say I did have fairly high expectations for this book, and it fell just a little bit short. The concept of the world and magic was really interesting. I enjoyed the journal chapters from a different character that are sprinkled throughout the book. I liked the mystery and quest component. I like that there are still parts of the magic we don’t fully understand. It also has a good found family element. I know it’s a YA book, but it just read a little bit younger than I was expecting. A lot happened towards the end of the book though and that has me wanting to know where the story will go from here! I will definitely be checking out the conclusion to the duology.

🎧: This is predominantly narrated by Abigail Reno. Alex Knox and Imani Jade Power narrate several chapters as well. This audio was pretty good! At times though I found the main narrator was a little bit too shrill with her “excited” or “surprised” or “upset” voices. But that could just be a me thing!

[Sally Hakim · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH. MY. GOODNESS. 6 stars. Infinite stars. Lynette Noni is a QUEEN. The sheer amount of twists at the end was INSANE, let alone the rest throughout the book. So many tender moments along side high stakes made my heart feel so many things. Please please please read this book! I hope we don’t have to wait too long for book 2. This is a masterpiece, my most anticipated read of the year did not disappoint.

[Faith Lavezoli · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

For the first 20% of this book, I absolutely hated it and wanted to DNF it. It didn't get that much better, but it was still able to draw me in enough that I was willing to finish it. I was constantly questioning why certain aspects of the world were the way they were, but I was able to persevere. I think that people who enjoyed Fourth Wing would probably like Shadow Reaper. It has nothing to do with a dragon school, but Viri and Reeve reminded me of Violet and Xayden and the overall vibe was pretty similar.

Some parts of the world are over explained. A few of the terms that were introduced were literally defined in the same sentence. Not a direct quote, but it would go something like “Viri clamp nullicuffs—cuffs that nullify magic—around his wrists”… as if the reader couldn’t fathom to understand what a nullicuff could possibly be referring to or as if the author couldn’t come up with a more creative way to introduce a term without just straight up saying what it is.

Other parts of the world and how the magic works, I couldn’t understand in the slightest. There is a past timeline that is explored every once and a while, which I found interesting, but they don’t use the magic like that in the present timeline, so I had no clue what they are talking about. There was a lot of potential with the world, but the system of mages and the different types of magic wasn’t fully fleshed out in the past timeline. I don't mind vague systems in magic in which the way the magic happens and used isn't strictly defined, but the past timeline included different types of mages and alchemists, so I wanted to know what differentiated these groups and how their magic worked.

All of the characters feel like archetypes of a stereotypical YA fantasy: the “strong female character” who is stubborn to a fault and the most special person to ever exist with purple eyes and an extra sensitivity to magic and dead parents, her smart best friend who always comes in clutch, the flirty yet misunderstood love interest, the other tough girl who is close to the love interest, the male best friend who is literally a cop, the gay cinnamon roll(tm), and the one guy who is vaguely described as a POC but is hardly in the book at all.

The plot twists were either predictable or lacking an impact. There were too many major plot twists for anything to feel important. There is a legend that Viri apparently grew up hearing but it wasn’t mentioned until it was central to the plot, so it had no impact.

I also noticed that there seemed to be some issues with the glossary, which might be fixed in the final published version. The glossary is at the beginning, which isn't my favorite, but since Shadow Reaper is a YA, I could move past that. Some of the terms within the glossary were normal words that were applied to things in this magical world but did not need to be define, such as hunter. The glossary also defined Ancient Mages as "mages who lived in ancient times." If a definition includes the term being defined, it is not necessary. Then, immediately on page one, we are confronted with the word "Nox Custodia" which was not in the glossary, so I was confused as to why there was a glossary at all because it served no purpose.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️ - It's been way too long since I've had a Lynette Noni fantasy on my TBR, so I snatched this up the moment I saw it. And while Shadow Reaper didn't fully land for me, I was still able to enjoy it for what it was.

As a big fan of Noni's The Prison Healer series, I have been searching for a found family half as good as the one in those books, so I was really hoping we'd have a strong found family here. While all the side characters didn't spend a lot of time together, we did get introduced to a strong crew of characters with distinct personalities. The found family is just starting to take shape, and I have high hopes for book two.

Pacing-wise, things move slowly for most of the book, though twists and reveals are scattered throughout that kept things interesting. The final five chapters pick up significantly, and the ending twist was strong enough to pull me back in. I did not see it coming at all!

I did have two main sticking points. The romance felt off because Reeve and Viri's backstory and vibes gave more sibling energy than romantic tension. I do love the hunter/hunted trope, but this romantic arc felt forced.

The worldbuilding was also hard for me to follow. The magic system and world aren't that complicated, but characters are constantly speaking in half-truths throughout the book. With so many layers of misdirection stacking on top of each other, it was hard to parse through what was actually true about the world. I do still have some questions about the magic system and lore that I hope get answered in book two.

I'll be reading the second book because it's only a duology and I want answers, but it won't be a must-read-on-release-day situation for me.

Definitely recommend for readers who were fans of The Prison Healer series or someone craving a story with a lot of twists, turns, and misdirection.

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for the ARC!

Burner Kindle Book Blog

[Courtney Dziadul · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

Ugh. I hated having to give that rating, but this was my most disappointing read in a while. Lynette Noni isn’t a one hit wonder. I’ve read plenty of her books and loved them. But this one seemed so shallow.

If you’ve read her before, specifically The Prison Healer series, you know she has twists DOWN. But the difference was that most of the twists in this book were either predictable or just seemed to come out of nowhere. The lack of groundwork made them unbelievable.

On top of this, the first half of the book was simultaneously too long and also not deep enough for me to truly love the characters. It also felt a bit like a teacher who wanted me to learn something.

At about 70% through, the story picked up and I sped through the end, but sadly, it still didn’t hit like her other books.

I don’t mean to turn away all the Noni fans. Maybe you’ll like it. But for me, this was a miss. (Although I still can’t wait for her next book! I think I’ll always be excited for a new book from her.)

[Denise Ruttan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will be the odd one out for a book that has gotten many wonderful reviews and say I just didn't get what stood this book apart from so many other conventional romantasies out there. They are really starting to seem cookie cutter, and one of the reasons why I was drawn to romantasy as a subgenre was that they weren't as predictable and bland as conventional romance. This is also my first book by this author, so perhaps I just need to be a fan to get it. I just found this book kind of bland.

To start with the FMC has a really annoying name, Viridian Solace - I mean, I know silly names are a fantasy mainstay, but I struggled to take her seriously with a name like that. She's grown up hating the Reaper Priest, an infamous figure whom she believes siphons magic from children until it kills them, for killing her parents when she was young. He's the right hand of the Reaper Lord, and she comes up with a plan to free her enemy and work together to stop an even greater evil.

I did find their adventure compelling, but the romance was boring to me. The chemistry between Viri and Reeve was nonexistent. Reeve was also cocky and arrogant, and I found his self-assured charm annoying. The cute banter often seemed inappropriate, and weird moments like a crew of reapers has a pet bunny seemed almost too obviously emotionally manipulative. I already believed this crew was recovering addicts who gained their power from murdering children, and a pet rabbit won't soften me to them.

I also grew frustrated with the ham-fisted infodumping, from asking a child to explain the lore to chapters featuring the journals of past mages. I felt as if the magic system was overexplained and overshadowed a lot of the romance and action in the book. I found the pace really dragged for such a long book. And 18-year-old hunters are a mainstay of YA fantasy, but I wish it had been explained earlier why they needed to give young people so much responsibility. I was surprised by the twist at the end but I felt it was danced around so much that I didn't get fully invested in the intricate worldbuilding.

I won't be continuing in this series, as there wasn't enough that I enjoyed here. But if you like worldbuilding-heavy YA fantasy with a conventional romance storyline, this may be more your speed than mine.

But maybe it's just me, since this book has received such a high rating. I continue to be confounded at how some romantasies get rated high or low on here!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I rated this book two stars and for some reason my rating was removed, so I am adding it again.

[Samantha Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy of this book.

This YA fantasy took a minute to get started, but once it did I couldn’t put it down. Viri and her friends are such an odd pairing of people, but somehow they work in a way that keeps this novel flowing perfectly. Plus, the pet bunny doesn’t hurt. This one is perfect for anyone, but especially those who don’t love a lot of spice with their fantasy.

[Jassie Grace &#x1f338; · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just scared everyone in my staff room at work with that ending.

LYNETTE! WHYYYY!!!! BASTARD!!!!!

[tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had a very strong, solid start but fizzled out as it progressed. Unfortunately, I found it to be very predictable - I guessed all of the major "twists" well in advance, and spent the rest of the time trying to puzzle out how the characters hadn't figured out what I realized several chapters prior. This may be an artifact of the fact that this is a YA story, but I also just didn't find the factors driving the plot forward to be very convincing. The magic system also needs work - it is unnecessarily convoluted, while also lacking explanation of certain aspects.

This is clearly book 1 of a series as it leaves off on a cliffhanger. I personally will not be picking it up, but I hope this book finds its audience!

[Marie Grim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shadow Reaper by Lynette Noni was an engaging YA fantasy novel, filled with twists and turns designed to keep her readers on their toes.

Set in the magical city of Aravell, Viridia Solace is a 17 year old Hunter tasked with tracking down Reapers - people who feed on the magical essence of children. When the Reaper Priest, leader of the Reapers and the man responsible for her parents’ death is captured, he offers her the chance to avenge her parents in exchange for his freedom. This sets off an unpredictable high-stakes series of events that leaves Viri balancing between the fate of her city and the desires of her heart.

Written in third-person singular-POV with Viridia as the sole POV character, there are also first-person singular-POV flashbacks interspersed every few chapters or so. The flashbacks are informative and well-placed, and contribute to the end reveals by building tension. It is a sex-positive world, with solid LGBTQ representation: two side characters are bisexual/gay, and homosexual relationships/attraction are mentioned. The main relationship is M/F. Sexual activity is insinuated and not described. There is violence and gore through depictions of fight scenes, but it is not gratuitous.

Publisher-provided tropes are found family and enemies-to-lovers. Publisher comps are Lynette Noni’s backlist, Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli, Alex Aster’s Lightlark Saga, Heir by Sabaa Tahir, Reckless by Lauren Roberts, The Thirteenth Child by Erin A Craig, and The Last Tiger by Julia Riew. Of these, I have only read Heir and Heartless Hunter. Heartless Hunter has a very similar feel to the enemies-to-lovers relationship and a slight similarity in world-building, but the magic system is distinct. If you enjoyed Heartless Hunter you should enjoy Shadow Reaper, so I find the comp to be appropriate. Heir has a similar style of prose. I would add Silvercloak by K L Steven as a good comp in feel and structure, though not the adult content.

This is a YA fantasy romance title and leans into YA’s more defining characteristics, so if you do not enjoy YA I would be cautious about recommending it. The romantic content does substantial plot work, so if you’re looking for a fantasy driven by plot events versus relationships you may not enjoy this. I personally do not read YA and found the novel to be enjoyable after the first 25% had passed. The pacing is slow for about half of the book and then zips up, but I did not feel like I was slogging through it at any point. I could have done without some of the banter but it wasn’t intolerable. I found the main relationship arc to be very predictable, and the feel of it was weird - at times giving romantic tension and at others giving feuding sibling. The ‘enemies’ portion was a blip - probably better described as complicated situationship with baggage-to-lovers - and the relationship as a whole moved at lightning speed.

The FMC has strong Mary Sue vibes, so be prepared for that. She had an adequate arc; most of the growth was through relationships, being driven by personal interaction versus introspection. The MMC is the popular hyper-attractive, competent, dark and brooding type, and the FMC devotes plenty of time to ogling him and providing feedback on his attractiveness and prowess via internal monologue. The main side characters comprise of Viri’s two best friends plus MMC’s three friends, and are stereotypical in their construction: one brilliant genius doing illicit things, a caustic female antagonistic towards the FMC, a golden retriever male, and a rule follower who bends for their loved ones. They are moderately constructed with acceptable arcs, and one does solid plot work. My favorite relationship is that between Viri and her best friend Wynter; it is a supportive, empowering female friendship and I enjoyed reading their interactions.

There are plenty of twists to keep the reader engaged, though I found several of the reveals to be predictable. Despite being predictable, I still enjoyed the process of discovery and the reveal themselves. Noni does a good job of informing her characters actions in subtle ways and layering in foreshadowing. The themes are at times heavy, discussing guilt, death, parental loss, intimate betrayal, and flawed societal constructs. Self-sacrifice is integral to the story.

I really enjoyed the lore, and found the flashbacks interesting and engaging. The combination of magic with technology thinly veiled by magic was slightly jarring, and wasn’t my favorite mix. Half of it felt like more of a traditional fantasy setting, the other half an urban fantasy. Some of the names were on the nose, like morphenine for a magical painkilling potion. I think the lore has potential for interesting sequences, and could see the world being expanded beyond the planned duology.

It was all around engaging and enjoyable, and I would be open to reading the second half of the duology. While not a YA reader, I still felt involved with the characters and plot, and can see this being exceptionally successful with its target audience.

[Tabetha (tabsbooknook) · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC review: Shadow Reaper by @lynettenoni published by @penguinbooksaus @penguinteenaus
Release date: 2 June 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“A young Reaper Hunter must conspire with her enemy to stop an ancient evil threatening her world.”
Lynette sure knows how to build original fantasy worlds with unique magic systems. From page 1, we are thrown straight into the action with our FMC, 17 year old Vivi, on patrol in Aravell hunting a Reaper. Seven years prior, Vivi’s parents were killed by the Reaper Priest and she vowed to become a Hunter and exact her revenge.
This book is go, go, go with the action and I loved it. The world building was great along the way from Vivi’s POV, while we also get journal entries from an ancient mage by the name of Kadmus weaved throughout the story, all of which make sense at the end.
I loved the friendships in this book, along with the banter and tension between Vivi and the MMC Reeve, a man she has not seen in seven years and who she has been hunting this whole time,
While I guessed a couple of the plot twists, those last two that pop up in those final chapters left me gobsmacked. I need book 2 now please and thank you.
If you enjoy romantic fantasy YA with high stakes, then this book is for you.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks so much to Random House Children’s for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

Vivi is special. She hunts reapers, people who feed on the magic in children and suck them dry and she has enhanced senses that on one else does to get it done. She’s talented and passionate and driven.

This was a fast and decent read. I really enjoyed unpeeling Vivi’s past as she learns the truth of what happened to her family. Reeve is a fantastic MMC, full of bite.

A thing I hate is when books wander along with characters not sharing important information. The whole “we don’t have time for this discussion” trope was present WAY too much in the first half. I know it’s YA but communication is key and you need to make time, even if that means the book is shorter.

I’m also not sure where the story goes from here. The romantic subplot and characters arcs are complete at the end of the book (unless we’re moving to side character couples?). But it’s fantasy first and there’s a lot still to be resolved on that end.