Dark Shores (Dark Shores, #1)
Danielle L. Jensen
High seas adventure, blackmail, and meddling gods meet in Dark Shores, a thrilling first novel in a fast-paced new YA fantasy series by USA Today bestselling author Danielle L. Jensen. In a world divided by meddlesome gods and treacherous oceans, only the Maarin possess the knowledge to cross the Endless Seas. But they have one mandate: East must never meet West. A SAILOR WITH A WILL OF IRON Teriana is the second mate of the Quincense and heir to the Maarin Triumvirate. Her people are born of the seas and the keepers of its secrets, but when her closest friend is forced into an unwanted betrothal, Teriana breaks her people’s mandate so her friend might escape—a choice with devastating consequences. A SOLDIER WITH A SECRET Marcus is the commander of the Thirty-Seventh, the notorious legion that has led the Celendor Empire to conquer the entire East. The legion is his family, but even they don’t know the truth he’s been hiding since childhood. It’s a secret he’ll do anything to protect, no matter how much it costs him – and the world. A DANGEROUS QUEST When an Empire senator discovers the existence of the Dark Shores, he captures Teriana’s crew and threatens to reveal Marcus’s secret unless they sail in pursuit of conquest, forcing the two into an unlikely—and unwilling—alliance. They unite for the sake of their families, but both must decide how far they are willing to go, and how much they are willing to sacrifice.
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Obsessed with this book. Characters are incredible, the moral dilemmas are intense and writing is so entertaining
0I originally read Dark Skies first by accident. I was walking thru my library’s New Books section and spotted it. I LOVED it, and immediately had to order this one. Well, the TBR grew, and I put Dark Shores off for a few months. I do wish the stories were a little fresher for the sake of comparison, but think I actually liked starting off with Dark Skies for a few reasons:
1. Lydia’s story in Dark Skies explained the world better. Okay, a lot better.
2. We also leaned about the 7 gods and who the corrupted were from someone who was freshly learning about Dark Shores. It was a better perspective to start off with.
3. It was a stronger book to make me want to read the series (in my review I said it was my sleeper hit of 2020).
I did really like Dark Shores, but I felt the book wasn’t as strong as Dark Skies (hence, why I shouldn’t have been a dummy and realized I was reading them out of order. I hate when a subsequent book in a series falls a little flat).
Teriana was a great character, but I would have loved to see even more of her personality or witty banter during card games, and with other characters. I felt her personality was there, but it could have really shined with a few extra scenes. I thought having her eyes shift with her moods was a really cool characteristic for the Maarin.
Marcus was also a character that I felt just needed a little more. Being told he was a military genius, and having a few more scenes showing how cunning he is would have also made a difference. I think there was only one scene where he made a smart move. It wasn’t enough for me. I did enjoy his backstory, and seeing the parallel to Dark Skies. I really can’t wait for both stories to come together in The Gilded Serpent (Dark Shores #3).
So, to sum up: 3.5 stars for a solid book.
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