Shadow Heist: A Dark Urban Fantasy Series

The Nightkind Series #1

by Kit Hallows

A perilous mission. A team of unruly magic wielding misfits. A string of the worst luck you can imagine.

The name’s Abadare Glynt. Yes, really. I’ve been chewed up and spat out more times than a dog’s favorite bone, but I keep coming back for more, which is probably a good thing for an outcast, occasional detective, and all round shadowy guy.

Things weren’t exactly going well, but I’d decided to see the glass as being half full, so when a beautiful woman with an ugly job fell into my lap, how could I refuse?
Add to the mix a hell-raising heist, a murderous dimension hopping enchantress, and a spell on the loose with the potential to destroy half the city.

The good news… I was given a team to help me. The bad news… I was given a team to help me.

Soon I found myself fighting undead monsters, stumbling into literal dream houses, and dealing with a horrific conspiracy far worse than anything I’d ever faced.

Genres: Urban Fantasy

276 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 28, 2022

Reviews

[Debbie Eyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read! An action packed adventure full of danger, violence and twists and turns to keep you guessing as we join Abadare Glynt, an interesting sort of fellow, on his journey. It’s a well written, intriguing and with a little fun read that I will admit had me glued to its pages as we explore this world and it’s menagerie of intriguing characters. I look forward to reading the next book!

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author has been on my radar for a while, so I was glad I got this book to try. This is a series-starter, which is a great place to start, and I dived right in. Abadare (great name!) is down on his luck, and he’s kidnapped by someone who wants to hire him along with two others to retrieve an object. What follows is an almost non-stop action-filled book. This is well-written and interesting, but I wish we had gotten to spend more time with and get to know more about the characters, which I suspect will come in other books in the series. This was a fun ride, and I can’t wait to read the next in the series. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

[Joyffree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for Action?
Mystical Misadventure?
Mayhem?
Laughter?
Look no further than this bumbling group of magical misfits

The cast was such a diverse mishmash of personalities
From the slightly unhinged to the calm and collected
And the story -
Fast-paced action, lots of violence, intrigue, a bit of mystery,
twists and turns that keep you on your toes all blended with off-note humor that just worked!

Great start to the series and a new author that is now on my one-click list

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book one of the Nightkind series and the main character is one Abadare Glynt, a former agent of the Organisation which policed supernatural crimes, now has a shingle hung for his detective agency, but is only just about making ends meet. He could do with some more jobs, but a big flashy agency has just opened up across from him and is getting most of the good jobs, He is left working for the more shady characters that he probably would have been arresting in his previous job. He is behind on is rent for the dive he lives in and would take any job that falls in his lap. What he doesn’t appreciate is to be kidnapped by a succubus on his way to get a coffee and a bite, and taken to see an underground figure who has a dangerous job for him. Abadare is equipped with a powerful sword called Eznarez, that speaks to him and always wants him to feed it, and in return it will feed him with the power he may need at the time to defeat whatever he faces. It is a dark magic object, a cursed vampiric sword, he came into possession of when facing a mage and it saved his life but then stole half of his core magical essence. Now he has been brought into the presence of the notorious smuggler, Argyle Screed, who wants him to recover a dangerous music box that could level half the city of opened. He also insists on Abadare working with two others, a drunken thug and former enforcer called Johnny Deadlock and also a drug addicted assassin called Evelyn Draugh. He also wants those who stole the item from his associates to be hunted down and killed in revenge for killing his people. He even shows Abadare video caught by a blinkered (what the non-magical humans are called) camera and what it shows is not for the faint hearted.
He and his teammates, once he finds them and can persuade them not to actually kill him, will be facing a very powerful and dangerous woman called Parthenia, a Hextress who can kill with a touch and seems to glorify in making her foes die in the most painful manner possible and often by their own hands. You certainly don’t want her in your head! They learn the object they seek in being held in a vault in the museum, which is heavily guarded, both inside and out. But what they don’t expect are the extra magical security that is awoken when Abadare enters the vault. Luckily he has been joined by a man called Thaddeus Holdcroft, who also want the music box, what he calls the Ancesytheme. He has his own reasons for wanting it and mostly he wants to get back at Parthenia and recover that which she stole from him, his memories! They have to fight their way out of the museum and all the dangers it has brought back to life to stop them. Parthenia seems to be able to travel through portals to different dimensions, making it nearly impossible to track her. She has magic at her fingertips like none any of them have seen. Wean she manages to leave him and Johnny a message, it shows how she can get into where ever they are and they didn’t even notice anything! Scary stuff. They still need to recover the real music box and it will be part Thaddeus’ memories and a dream memory of Abadare’s that will lead them to using harpies to fly to a warded and invisible island off the coast, to face their biggest battle and to rescue one of their own. This is a fascinating read, with lots of magic, death and danger in pursuit of a deadly object, with a team of people who usually work alone and aren’t good at working with others, soon coming to rely upon each other and seeing them as friends. Much more to come from this group of unlikely teammates as they carry on to whatever job might be coming next and whatever dangers they may face, they will do together.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shadow Heist by Kit Hallows is Book 1 in The Nightkind series. Looking for a fast paced, action packed, page turning adventure with great world building, awesome characters, and twists/turns, then this book is what you are looking for. Abadore Glynt (great name) is a magical ex-cop detective who is hired (not by choice) to find a magical music box and he is given the help of a crew consisting of a drug addicted assassin, a possessed cursed sword, a drunken mage (all of whom he does not want). All of these characters and their antics make for an enjoyable and interesting read. Highly recommended. Received an ARC and this is my voluntary review.

[Michelle VanDaley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This first in series takes you on a captivating ride . The characters are enjoyable and the journey is filled with lots of action, suspense and magic. I wish we got to know the characters on a deeper level but that may still come in future books. I really like the world the author created for the series and I look forward to book 2

[Joe Cochran · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me this was just ok. I had a hard time at the beginning following the storyline and the world in which it was written. It wasn't until I was about 3/4's in that I started to like it but it didn't end the way I had thought it would so over all a bit disappointing. Would I recommend this, yes to all those who like magic worlds with a bit of Magnificent Seven rolled into it.

[Jan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a slow-go read. Although there were suspenseful scenes I felt unsatisfied by the story. I was particularly repelled by the overuse of the term ‘blinkered’. It wasn’t used in a consistent manner and I felt it was misleading. I liked the concept of the storyline and plowed through to the end…very disappointed.

[Cali Jewel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this emotionally thrilling, action packed and heart racing adventure filled with witty and engaging charters, exciting twists and thrilling turns. An edge of your seat emotional roller coaster journey from beginning to end and so hard to put down.

[Seda Galstian · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read

Fast paced, lots of action. Definitely for adults because of gory details. Heroes are likable. Fun read. Some horror, original story.

[Johnie C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read

I enjoyed reading this book very much and I recommend this book to anyone who like magic and adventure type of books with lots of action.

[Literary Lioness · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do you get when you cross a sacked detective, with a talking sword, an inebriated bruiser, a drug dependent slayer, and a perplexed magician? An ace of a combat team.

Abadare Glynt is struggling to make ends meet. A year after being fired from the organization, he cannot seem to catch a break. So, when a well-known criminal lord wants to hire him to acquire a music box for twenty grand and a crew, he figures why not? He’s at rock bottom, only way to go is up, right?!?

Kit Hallows attracts readers with a mish mash of characters in Shadow Heist. With a delivery of non-stop action, idiosyncratic mockery, and unforeseen obstacles, Kit brings a wide array of conflict to a seemingly mundane task. The result of which is a storyline that keeps dark fantasy enthusiasts rolling with laughter, cringing with fear, and turning those pages.

He also shows his proficiency as a writer with a shortage of spelling and grammatical errors. In addition, there is no sexual content. However, the amount of profanity was excessive and overshadowed much of the story. Therefore, a rating of 4 out of 5 stars is given.

Please take caution when reading if any of the following may cause you distress: violence (gun, knife, and sword), mangled and bloody bodies, job termination, alcohol and drug consumption, murder, deceit, betrayal, prison, hand to hand combat, abduction, bomb, decapitation, assassination, kidnapping, psychotic break, weapons dealers, migraines, gangs, blackmail, human trafficking, poison, bank foreclosure, stalker, arrest, money laundering, homelessness, house fire, paranoia, depression, and thievery.

The beginning of The Nightkind Series, Shadow Heist, is an introduction to a force in which fans cannot help but be enthralled with.

Thank you to #ShadowHeist, #TheNightkindSeries, and #KitHallows, for the opportunity to read this book and give my honest review.

Original Post found at: https://www.literarylioness.net/post/...

[Wanda Jewell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a good read. Anything goes when you mix a possessed cursed sword, a drug addict assassin, a rage infested Bruiser and a retired magical cop. Then when you throw in a magic man with amnesia, it really gets interesting. I think the characters were the best part of the story. Abadare is a really cool name and I liked the character. The story was pretty good as well. The museum is my favorite scene in the book. You have to read it to enjoy it, i won't give you any more hints. I would recommend the book.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this introduction to a new series that promises to be fun and engaging. This book has a defined main character, good world-building, is fast-paced, entertaining, and enjoyable. I believe it could be more enjoyable if more time were devoted to the characters themselves, making them more engaging. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I voluntarily read an ARC and this is my honest review.

[Patrick Chadd · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a huge HUGE fan of Morgan Rook (hint. hint), I was gutted when I too quickly reached the end of that series. Then comes along Abadare Glynt an equally interesting, yet very different character from that world. Where 'The Curse' provided a tasty sip, "Shadow Heist' is a full-headed intoxicating draught of great characters, fast-paced action and adventure with some nice twists and turns. As always, Kit Hallows leaves me wanting for more and I can't wait for Book 2 in this series.

[Christinaraven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story that starts a series and introduces Abadare Glynt and his magic world along side the regular one. Abadare Glynt is hired to do a job that sounds simple in nature but gave a great story. Full of action, danger, and mayhem. Good characters and an interesting world I was entertained. Had to see what trouble Abadare Glynt and his team would get into and what they would do to get out of it. Cannot wait to see what happens next.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abadare gets kidnapped because they want him to help. He has no idea how he’s supposed to do this. Plenty of action to make this first in a series well worth the time to read.

[Madeleine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first book by Kit and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Great plot and characters with amazing chemistry that kept my attention the entire book.

[Hector Santiago · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read the characters are interesting and the story moves along quite well if u like this genre I recommend this book for you