Dark Shores

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 PIRATE 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.

Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen - release date May 7, 2019

When I first learned about this book I was told it was formed off of the basis of ancient Rome meets pirates, so I instantly knew I would love it. What I was not told was how much further the adventures that Teriana and Marcus set out on actually take you. I was in love with Jensen's idea to create a world that no knowledge of its other half. It made for a really interesting dynamic between the characters and allowed for the book to be built right before my eyes. The way that each layer of the plot fell together was absolutely incredible and I loved every second of it.

Teriana is the type of girl who knows how to use her mind. After being forced into a bargain with Emperor Lucius Cassius to save the lives and souls of her people she was tasked with leading Legatus Marcus to the other side of the world, a side that no one who wasn't a Maarin like Teriana and her crew knew about. Of course, once they all reach the "dark shores" she sets her plan of sabotaging the empire into motion. The only problem is that with every move she makes, Marcus has already taken a preemptive measure to foil her plan. This puts the two of them at odds, even though their goals are actually far more similar than either of them initially realize. Slowly they begin to build up a bit of trust in each other, but they both have secrets that could jeopardize everything... and neither of them is going to stop short of reaching their goals.

My only complaint about this book, other than the fact that there was no map, was that it never really allowed for the story of Lydia to come into play. When the book ended Teriana had barely given her best friend two seconds of thought other than to believe she had betrayed her. Obviously in the sequel, because there is going to be one, I hope that Jensen will let that part of the plot play out, but I was disappointed that it was kind of brushed to the side during this book. This secret is definitely going to stir up some problems when it comes out, but I know that it will only serve to make the next book even better!

There is no question that this book deserves 5/5 stars! I am already anticipating the sequel and I am rooting for Teriana and Marcus! I hope that we get to see more of the second half of their world in the next book because all of it sounds so fascinating. I read this book in 6 days, but I would have devoured it faster if only there were a few more hours in the day to dedicate to reading!

~ Alyse :)

Reviewed on April 28, 2019

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The Missing Season

Whenever another kid goes missing in October, the Pender kids know what is really behind it: a horrific monster out in the marshes they have named the Mumbler. That’s what Clara’s new crew tells her when she moves to town: Bree and Sage, who take her under their wing; spirited Trace, who has taken the lead on this year’s Halloween prank war; and magnetic Kincaid, whose devil-may-care attitude and air of mystery are impossible for Clara to resist. Clara doesn’t actually believe in the Mumbler. But as Halloween gets closer and tensions build in the town, it’s hard to shake the feeling that there really is something dark and dangerous in Pender, lurking in the shadows, waiting to bring the stories to life.

The Missing Season by Gillian French - release date May 21, 2019

I was expecting way more Mumbler in this book than there actually was.  When I went into this, I was hoping it would be some creepy urban legend type monster book, or something even Slendermanesque.  Instead it was way more high school pranks and drama.  Normally I like the high school drama and secrets etc books but I wanted more mystery and Mumbler in this than I got! 

The two best characters were Trace and Bree.  Trace is the comic relief who does probably the most ridiculous things anyone can think of, but that's what makes him great.  Bree is a very strong, do-no-harm-take-no-nonsense type who will never lie to you and only shows emotions when she really has to.  The rest of the cast was just alright.  There was this weird romance part where it was sort of a love triangle?  And it took up WAY more of the plot than romance in a monster book should.  So I was kind of upset.

Specifics for likes/dislikes: There was a TON of sentence fragments everywhere (I guess that's just the author's writing style?) but it was really distracting to the points where my brain autofilled the rest of the sentence and I would lose my place and have no idea what I just read.  So this book took double the time to read because a lot of it half made sense.  And the ending was so short I found it unsatisfying.  It was a good wrap up but I wish there had been more substance in it.

I'd rate this 2.5 stars.  I'd say if you were going to read a book by Gillian French, maybe make sure that book is one of her other ones, like The Lies They Tell instead of this one.  Unless you like plot-deviating sort of love triangles (different strokes for different folks).  Took me a whole week to read since most sentences not even being real sentences didn't have me thrilled to come back for more.  **Also!! Since we recently got the option for it, don't forget to follow with the blue button on the top right!!  Thanks!**

-Taylor

Reviewed on April 26, 2018