Early Review: Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen

Hi everyone! So today I’ll be sharing my review of Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen! ♥ So, full disclosure, I do have to state that I had the epic opportunity to Beta Read this awesome book and my thoughts may be a bit biased because I feel for it as if it were my own, BUT IT IS NOT. I just simply got to fall in love with Dark Shores from its early days & I can definitely say that this book is really cool and you should check it out!

Without further ado, read on my thoughts below! Beware some minor spoilers (about the world-building).

Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen
Series: Dark Shores #1
Published by Tor Teen on May 7, 2019
Genres: Fantasy, YA
Pages: 368
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Source: Netgalley

I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Piracy, blackmail, and meddling gods meet in Dark Shores, a thrilling first novel in a fast-paced new YA fantasy series by Danielle L. Jensen.

A PIRATE WITH A WILL OF IRONTeriana is the second mate of the Quincense, a ship beholden to the Goddess of the Seas. Her people are born of the waves, and they alone know how to cross the impassable oceans between East and West. 

A SOLDIER WITH A SECRETMarcus 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 only family, and even they don't know the secret he's been hiding since childhood.

A DANGEROUS QUESTWhen a power-hungry ruler captures Teriana's crew and threatens to reveal Marcus's secret unless they help him conquer the unknown West, the two are forced 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.

The Reader’s Review

Dark Shores might very well be one of my top favorite reads of 2019! I know it’s a bit early to say that but this book is simply fantastic. Not only did I fall in love with a kick-ass heroine who is a PIRATE, but also with the world (and unexplored lands) that make up the Dark Shores.

One question I always wonder about Fantasy books and I’m sure many readers are curious about is this: does it have some form of magic? And the short answer is YES. Long answer: some characters in this world are marked by one of the six Gods whose presence are only known in the West, aka the Dark Shores. Those marked by one of the Gods get a certain type of ability in relation to the God/Goddess that marks them. However, the story starts off in the East, where the Cel empire with its power-hungry senators have conquered that part of the world and forbids any kind of belief. Our main character, Teriana, is a Maarin and while they DO believe in Gods, one of them even granting them passage to and from both worlds via Xenthiers (so cool, btw!) Teriana does not have any abilty (to be fair, she doesn’t need them, she’s that cool). We do get to meet several who do though, and this clash of worlds and systems will certainly build into an epic confrontation. That’s why East must NOT meet West.

I HAVE SEEN INTO THE FUTURE. And rest assured, it’s going to be epic. The world will expand and there’s a twist to the story that will just make this so much more complex and gaaaah, cannot say more. I hope the author doesn’t kill me for saying it, LOL. BUT I LOVE THE DIRECTION IT IS GOING.

Anyway, back to this book! When it comes to the romance, I have to say that I really really loved Teriana and Marcus together. Marcus is the type of character who is conflicted to follow orders and to protect his own (aka the the Thirty-Seventh legion under his command), and with Teriana now in the picture plus being on a quest to conquer a new “world”, so many things will surely come between them. However, circumstances bring them together and they could honestly not be a better pair.

Between the two main characters (this book has dual POVs), all my money is on my girl Teriana! She is fierce and loyal to a fault, which is what gets her and the Maarin into trouble. She will do ANYTHING for those she loves, and she’s the type who won’t go down without a fight.

BUT LET ME SWOON ABOUT MY MIKI. Okay, so Miki is a legionnaire in the Thirty-Seventh legion and OMG, I loved his character so much!!! Him and Quintus are the perfect match, and I love my boys together as well as individually, they better have a HEA! I just love characters who are strong and pure, who know what to say to lift off tension, and they are just the kind of characters I would LOVE to meet if I had the chance. Ack, cannot wait to see them again soon! However, Miki might be my favorite character ever (besides Teriana of course). ♥♥♥

Honestly, I don’t feel like my words are enough to express my love for Dark Shores. I saw this book grow from amazing to epic, and I am truly excited to get a physical copy so I can hug it tight. I have already read it many times, but I want to read it once more in its final draft. I want to meet up again with Marcus and Teriana and jump aboard the Quincense with the beautiful Maarin and their secrets (Bait! ♥)! I want to see and read more about the mysterious lands found in the Dark Shores and its mythological system. And definitely get to read more about my Miki!

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