BLURB: A RUNAWAY WITH A HIDDEN PAST Lydia is a scholar, but books are her downfall when she meddles in the plots of the most powerful man in the Celendor Empire. Her life in danger, she flees west to the far side of the Endless Seas and finds herself entangled in a foreign war where her burgeoning powers are sought by both sides.
A COMMANDER IN DISGRACE Killian is Marked by the God of War, but his gifts fail him when the realm under the dominion of the Corrupter invades Mudamora. Disgraced, he swears his sword to the kingdom’s only hope: the crown princess. But the choice sees him caught up in a web of political intrigue that will put his oath – and his heart – to the test.
A KINGDOM UNDER SIEGE With Mudamora falling beneath the armies of the Corrupter, Lydia and Killian strike a bargain to save those they love most—but it is a bargain with unintended and disastrous consequences. Truths are revealed, birthrights claimed, and loyalties questioned—all while a menace deadlier and more far-reaching than they realise sweeps across the world.
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BOOK REVIEW
GENRE: YA Fantasy
You will like this if you like:
~Roman Empire
~ Magic
~ Quest/ Adventure
~ Game of Thrones
To Note: Book 2 (book 1~ Dark Shores) needs to be read in order
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Writing Style: 4/5
Personal Enjoyment: 4.5 /5
Overall Rating: 16.5/20
This is book 2 in the Dark Shores series.
So this book started with a dramatic first chapter and it never really stopped. So much intrigue, drama and mystery!
We follow split POVs shifting from Killian a commander who we first meet when he fails to defend his outpost and is stripped of his role. To Lydia, (the adopted daughter of a powerful but ailing senator) who escapes an unwanted arranged marriage. As these characters navigate the new situations they find themselves in, we gradually start seeing all the bigger mechanisations at play. Lydia in order to avoid one kind of danger has stumbled into a bigger one: The land she escapes to, is in the middle of a war and unbeknownst to her , she has a vital role to play within it.
I found the world building fascinating, the Cel Empire has many parallels with the Roman Empire from its senators to its legions of armies, which was very well done in my opinion. While the country across the sea has a whole different feel to it, almost medieval. I loved the contrast. I especially liked the religions of this world and how magic was intertwined within them. So that a person could be favoured or "god marked" by a certain god. Resulting in them being adept in certain roles. The idea of the "corrupted" was really intriguing too.
In terms of the characters, I felt it was easy to connect with them. I LOVED that Lydia wore glasses and used them throughout the book. Killian is a honourable man, surrounded by dishonour and hard choices, I felt for him. There were plenty of characters IÂ enjoyed hating too: The sinister Senator Cassius and the oily Vibius were portrayed so well, they made my skin crawl. (Sign of a good writer!)
I have read Jensen's other works so I am familiar with her writing style, I find it to have a nice flow, and the pacing is always just right, I really liked that this book had a lot of action, allowing the plot to be more fast paced. the magic system was really interesting, I really liked how the power of the Seventh (god) manifested and how its followers were '' infected''.
The ending though not a full cliffhanger has enough things up in the air that I can't wait for book 3 to come out! Overall I really enjoyed it, I would recommend you read book 1 (Dark Shores) first, as characters from the first book do appear in this one too.
Thank you to @netgalley @danielleljensen @torteen for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
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