The Seeker and the Shade

by Ellen Osborne

An intense, compelling fantasy novel for young adults and old – enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn, first love, soul mates, and good versus evil feature in this story of a battle against the darkness, both from within and without...

Inexperienced but determined, Connie is desperate to become a caster to save her village from the deadly Shade.

Arrogant and privileged, Jasper is everything she detests. He intends to become a seeker like his father before him, and he has no time for a no-hoper like Connie.

Thrown together at Blackwood, Connie and Jasper are pledged to each other as caster and seeker, learning to light the oath lamps and conquer the Shade, as well as their mutual dislike... but could the undeniable connection that flickers between them become an unbreakable bond? Their lives depend on it, for the vows are failing, the Shade is advancing, and only those with the strongest conviction will survive.

400 pages, Paperback

Expected publication May 14, 2026

About the author

Ellen grew up on the border of the moors and still misses them. As a child, she spent a lot of time writing long, rambling stories, which somehow over the years have evolved into proper books. These days she lives in Bristol in the UK with her young family and you can find her writing around the edges of life.

Reviews

[gracie ౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

╭₊˚๑ 4.8 ⭑﹕🏛₊˚੭

┆ ⤿ ₊˚ started: 22/01/26
┆ ⤿ ₊˚ finished: 06/02/26

‧₊˚ ┊ connie and jasper playlist𓂃🎧
⤿ supercut - lorde
⤿ i wanna be yours - arctic monkeys
⤿ better in the dark - jordana, tv girl

𓍢ִ໋☕️⊹˙⋆ quotes
‧˚✉️ ୭ ˚. ❛but there he was, climbing onto a mat himself - by the far wall, where they wouldn't be spotted easily - to do it all over again. for connie grayson.❜‌‌ ‌ ‌
‧˚💭 ୭ ˚. ❛ connie's slight smirk, when she found something amusing, that apparently sent some kind of tsunami of triumph through him, if it happened to be him that made her laugh. connie's relentless passion. connie deep in thought. connie's eyes, a deep shade of brown, almost overwhelmingly arresting and curious. connie's smell. her body, soft and still beside his, sending an energy thrumming through him that he'd kind of felt before, but never really felt before, not like this, not like her.❜‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

𓍢ִ໋🕰⊹˙⋆ summary ࿐ . ｡˚ ° ⊹ ˚.
the seeker and the shade by ellen osborne follows connie grayson and jasper howard, as they began their education within the prestigious college, blackwood, where they train to defend their homelands against the shade; a paranormal entity that swallows the light and attacks people with spectres, deceased soldiers who have been possessed by the shade and are puppeteered by its malicious ways. to defend against the shade, the school appoints pairs: one seeker (the brains of the operations) and one caster (the light). when connie and jasper are paired together, they quickly realise that they are polar opposites. however, when blackwood becomes threatened, the two are forced to work through their differences to protect their public and families.

𓍢ִ໋⏳⊹˙⋆ thoughts ࿐ . ｡˚ ° ⊹ ˚.
this book was given to me pre-release to give my honest thoughts on. sort of like an ARC, but also not really lol. I really enjoyed this: the story was a unique concept I hadn't seen before, which is always refreshing, and the relationship dynamic was perfect - not too fast, but also not so slow I was bored. however, it was labeled as an 'enemies to lovers' when given to me, but they were never really enemies to begin with; more just unfriendly acquaintances.
connie entered blackwood extremely underprepared and a little naive I thought. it sort of irritated me how she just rushed into it without really a good reason and then realised she wasn't exactly cut out for it. I loved connie's friendships with tristan and marianne, and also the bond between jasper and connie, even prior to their romance.
overall, this book not only captivated me, but surprised me. I definitely did not expect it to be this enjoyable, which was obviously a pleasant surprise. this book is out on may 14 2026, and is the author's debut novel. (for a debut this is amazing) I definitely reccomend reading it after its publishing!

[Melissa Fletcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable book! Thanks to the publisher for giving it to Waterstones book club early
I really enjoyed the concept of the darkness taking over and creatures being inside. It definitely ups the ante of not being scared of the dark and actually whats in it.
I love the concept of the Oath lamps too and to light them you actually have to have the passion and intent and how the Light can always help beat the darkness.
I liked Connie as our FMC. She's fiery and knows what she wants and won't let anyone get in her way to achieve it. She's fiercely loyal to her friends and family.
I was on and off with my feelings about Jasper. Sometimes he was nice and sometimes he was an ass. But by the end I loved him he was so passionate and loyal.
I do wish the end battle would have been a bit more nail biting it just seemed to be over very quickly. The relationship between Connie and Jasper was cute going from an unwanted pairing to reluctant friends to lover however the relationship was a teensy bit underdeveloped.
All in all a really enjoyable read

[Vonprice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb YA dystopian fiction!
You can read my full review here: https://vsviewfromthebookshelves.home...

[Leticia Moreira · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this story beginning to end, action packed from the get go and throughout, and a slow born enemies to loves, what’s not to love

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. YA dystopia in a bit of a fantasy setting. Some intriguing ideas