Danielle L. Jensen

Piracy, 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. A PIRATE WITH A WILL OF IRON Teriana 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 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 only family, and even they don’t know the secret he’s been hiding since childhood. A DANGEROUS QUEST When 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.

Dark Shores

Emily B

4-4.5 STARS:

I've had this book on my list for a long time, so I'm glad I finally read it. I thought that this was a strong series starter. It had a lot going for it.

The characters were compelling. I don't think they're the most complex I've ever seen, but they certainly had substance. I know for most people Teriana got on their nerves, but I liked her. Yes, she did some things that were immature, but I thought it was realistic for her age. I know my 17 year old self was a lot different from my now 21 year old self (even just a few years makes a difference). Despite some naivety and impulsiveness, I thought she had a lot of commendable qualities. She was undyingly loyal, and when someone called out her immature behavior, she listened and changed. Marcus was just steeped in tragedy. Everything about his life has not been his choice, and it's cost him. He was big and brooding, but he cared so much. He loves his men, and more than anything, just wants them all to be free. I found him just as compelling as Teriana, and I just want him to have a happy ending.

The romance was very natural. I felt like the progression flowed well, though my heart did hurt at the tragedy of the situation. The world was also very interesting. It was more simplistic, but I feel like later books will start expanding on the different countries and their cultures. The aspect of the gods and their meddling was very cool. I always like it when gods have a more prominent role in the story. Teriana's faith was also refreshing, as so many protagonists usually reject the gods or don't believe/care. There is nothing wrong with a protagonist with those views, but it is done so often, so it was nice to see someone who actually cared about their religion. I also thought that the story flowed well. It never seemed to drag. That being said, I found the story a lot more interesting once they reached another country. There was nothing wrong with the book before that point, but you could tell it was working to set up the rest.

Overall, I really liked this story and will be continuing this series. Just a fair warning, like other reviews stated, this is NOT a pirate book. So, don't go into this expecting one. But if you like what I talked about, and the book sounds interesting, definitely check it out!

Megan Lowe

I genuinely enjoyed this book. I will admit it was slow to start, and not a lot of things were explained, especially Lydia, but if you battle through it is worth it.
I will admit that Teriana’s character is still a bit of a mystery to me. Is she a hardass? Is she soft? At times she’s both, which is welcome, but also a tad confusing.
I love Marcus. He is strong but has a heart, which I love.
I did also love the fluidity of relationships, miki and quintus among my favourites, but I would like to see more.
I am looking forward to the rest of this series and can’t wait to start the second!

Savannah Winchell

I respect, trust, and value one (1) O N E author rn to deliver what was promised

Elizabeth Bentler

Oh my goodness! This book was amazing! So hard to put down, if you loves The Bridge Kingdom series please read this one too. It’s a book told in 2 POV slow burn romance and Greek mythological themes.

Bethany

** spoiler alert **
           This was an enjoyable read and I was hard-pressed to resist finishing it in a day. I'm a sucker for the enemies-to-lovers trope, and I appreciated that both Teriana and Marcus are shown with a hard leaning to morally bad decisions for self preservation (or of those they care about) and in an unforgivable yet understandable way, as they're faced with apparently impossible choices. 
I'm immediately picking up the next book so I can find out how much more destruction they leave in their wake (because it's obviously not going to end well for them, at least not without some serious casualties), how the West will fare, and who the traitor is.

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. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Aundreya Rich

I recently picked up Dark Shores so I could read my ARC of Dark Skies. Many said I didn’t have to read the first but the second would make more sense of course.

Dark Shores follows the narratives of Marcus, lead commander of Thirty-Seventh and Teriana, daughter of and heir to the Maarin triumvirate. 
Teriana can captain the Quincense with the best of her crew and speak with The Six (the gods to which she prays) while Marcus commands an army of many to kill and do the will of the Empire that controls them.

After new rule is taken in the Emoire, Teriana and her people are taken prisoner because of the hope and secrets she shared with her best friend. The only way to save her mother and the Maarin is to lead the Empires armies into the East, what they call the Dark Shores... and the unbelievable ways to get there. 
Once in the Dark Shores, Marcus must win over their people while cutting down the evil that rules it. In the end... there will be blood. 

Pirates of the Caribbean meets Roman History!!! An action packed, exciting read that had me living in a different time. 
I always struggle when a book is slow to start and ends abruptly and that was my biggest hold back on this one.
There is a slow burn romance that kept me wanting more for these two MCs and the world building was nothing short of amazing!!!!!! 
Overall excited for Dark Skies!

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Sheila

3.5 stars



This book was less about cool pirates & more about an AU Roman Empire, but nevertheless I enjoyed the story! The central romance was... steamier than I've been used to seeing in YA books? Hell, I liked it. The main drawback for me was that there was less ~ divine involvement ~ than I thought there would be, but the ending heavily implied that that particular aspect should be ramping up in the next book. Will be picking up the next book when it's out!

Lila Harrison

Caitlin

I didn’t even need to get to the end of this book to know that Danielle L Jensen yet again owns me. My god, this series has it all. Forbidden love. Enemies to (almost?) lovers. Pirates. Magic. High stakes. Bringing back my Pirates of the Caribbean obsession feels in full force, here. Plus some Ancient Rome inspired politics and angst. Give it all to me, baby.

Toni Turner

Listen. Danielle L. Jensen’s writing is addictive to me at this point, but this world is so good. Fantasy war & politics with Roman influence. PIRATES. Pantheon of god’s, ONE OF WHICH IS A SEA MONSTER!! Angsty enemies who eventually are also lovers but like...definitely still enemies tho. A hero forced to be a villain and another hero recognizing shit isn’t that black and white...*Italian chef kiss*

Story Eater

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. Initially, I expected it to be a parroting of These Rebel Waves  (I was wrong, to my delight), but it was quite a surprisingly different novel.

Many users comment that this book was not a “pirate” book. I would have to agree. It seems the current trend of YA for any character that sails on a vessel to be considered or labeled a pirate. The more accurate term (actually, the correct term) is “merchant.” Sea-faring merchant, if one wishes to be precise. The MC and her people are merchants who enjoy more freedoms in the world Jensen has concocted, for which reasons I’ll leave to the reader to discover. 

Jensen also does not riddle her book with vast amounts of profanity and vulgarity, as so many other YA authors (by way of publishers) feel obligated. The f-bomb is dropped once; the other words amount to about less than 10 occurrences of slang terms for bathroom urges. I know some readers don’t care about cussing, and some feel obligated to berate those who don’t wish to read it and make an issue out of it, but I do know some parents are reluctant to encourage their children (YA books are marketed toward children, though they are older, they are still children) to read books with foul language for whatever reason. I teach: parents parent. I don’t parent those whom I teach; I guide within the confines of the parent(s).

I valued the complexity of the world building in this one. I know it’s the opening of a new series, according to the author’s statement here, so I’m anticipating quite a bit more intricate backstory to come. I even anticipate (view spoiler)[that readers will find Lydia is not dead, and the Maarin are somehow tied to the gods of the story. Someone in the MC group will emerge touched by the gods. (hide spoiler)] I like the characters—their interactions were enjoyable and clever but not exaggerated and forced. I did not enjoy the stinking cliffhanger, which brings me to:

I’m glad I read it. I have not had time lately to read already released books because of my lengthy ARC shelf and the impending academic year looming ever closer to the start. I’m also, in a way, not glad I read it; for I will now have to wait a blasted eternity to finish the series. I HATE starting a long series as soon as it starts because of the infernal waiting. I won’t even start The Cruel Prince until Queen of Nothing is released.

Paola C

Dark Shores was an unexpected surprise read this month. I didn't really know much going in, other than it is a tale about pirates and Roman empire inspired. Which was intriguing. So I decided to pick up the book from my local library, and I'm glad that I did. This YA fantasy novel is fast-paced, action-packed, and easy to follow along with. Typically with fantasy novels, authors tend to dump a bunch of information and overstimulate the readers, or at least in my case, that's how I feel. This was not the case with Dark Shores. 

Teriana, a Maarin sailor that travels to the Celendor Empire to trade. While she is there she tries to help her friend escape by telling her some secrets that are never to be told to anybody who is not Maarin. While doing so, she gets screwed over and the Celendor Empire captures her and her crew in other to find out what is out there in the sea past their rule. 

Marcus is a legionnaire of the Celendor Empire and the duty falls to him to get Teriana to help them cross over the forbidden path and conquer the land for the empire. They come up with an agreement that once Teriana delivers the legion to where they need to go, the empire will release her crew-without killing them all, hopefully. 

I enjoyed that this was a very much plot-driven story and while it was technically not about pirates, which I thought it was, it did involve political drama. And it wasn't boring. The book kept you on your toes, and while I did predict some things *cough* the romance *cough* it was still done well. I came to love certain side characters and their interactions with one another didn't feel forced. 

When you have likable characters and a plot-driven book, it is a win-win for me. 4 stars for this book and cannot wait to read Dark Skies next!

Alice

Alexia Cambaling

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Teen!

I loved Dark Shores and in fact, it would have been a 5-star read if not for a couple of issues I had which really shows up late in the book. This is going to be a spoiler warning but I would still suggest you read on otherwise. However, if you don’t want spoilers and would like to read the book and judge for yourself, I’ll put it in a separate section with another spoiler warning.

First of all, this was a really easy read. The moment I started reading, it was just hard to stop. I fell in love with the world and characters from the moment I started reading and why wouldn’t I? Dark Shores was very fun, full of adventure and great characters, plus it features a great fantasy world clearly inspired by the Roman Empire. Really, it’s very good.

The plot mainly concerns the Celendor Empire’s expansion into Dark Shores, a continent on the opposite side of the world, long-rumored to be legend. In this continent dwells people who still worship gods, beings long forsaken by the Celendor Empire. Teriana is a Maarin sailor who, in order to save her people, makes a deal to bring the empire’s legions into Dark Shores. It is a perilous journey since some gods are not exactly keen on bringing legions intent upon conquest. Marcus on the other hand, is a commander of one of the legions, blackmailed by a power-hungry senator who agrees to help conquer the other side of the Reath in order to protect his secret and his family.

Dark Shores features a world divided into two. On one side of this world, the Celendor Empire has conquered all lands and now turns its greedy eyes on more- or rather, a senator does. More on this later. Dark Shores is a very diverse world. It doesn’t do that annoying thing wherein there’s a country of white people (or two, or three), and there’s a country for Asian people, a country for Africans, and maybe one for Middle Eastern people. Honestly, that kind of thing gets annoying fast when authors just make kinda lazy fantasy stand-ins for POC with a clear lack of nuance or research. That’s why I appreciated the fact that in Dark Shores, Celendor was shown to be a diverse and metropolitan empire (like Ancient Rome). Its legions are filled with people of all colors and races- like Ancient Rome. POC are everywhere and are not confined to maybe one or two stand-in countries which I really appreciated.

One of the things I like the most about this book is how nuanced it is when it comes to portraying conquest, colonization, and would-be colonizers. Not everyone is a fan of never-ending conquering and war in the Empire. Many citizens want peace, for resources to be diverted to civic projects, like schools. It presents a nuanced view of what the common people may want versus what their rulers want and how those two things don’t necessarily align. As for those who do support it, I liked how the book digs into the psychology of conquest and why otherwise good people may support something like colonization.

I loved the strong characterization of Teriana and Marcus in this book. I liked how conflicted, yet politically-savvy Teriana is, and how strong yet vulnerable Marcus was. They are two characters on opposite sides of a conflict and it’s interesting to see how their dynamic evolves throughout the book. I do have to say that I’m not a fan of how quickly their romance developed near the end, especially since they have been enemies since practically the moment they met. I think I’d have preferred it if the romance was a slower burn since I really do feel like it’d make more sense for both of their characters. If it was a slower burn (like, if the romance happened in later books than this one), I think it’d make for a great enemies-to-lovers story arc.

Which brings me to why I docked half a star for this book. WARNING: THIS IS A SPOILER. Please skip to the end if you don’t want to be spoiled.

(view spoiler)[ There is a gay character in this book. No, he’s not the only prominent gay character, but the way his character is in the book is significant enough to warrant a mention, I think. This character’s name is Felix and he’s basically Marcus’ best friend and right-hand man. Oh, and he’s also in love with Marcus and doesn’t like Teriana. And he gets suspected of betraying them. To be honest, I’m not a fan of this trope. I wasn’t a fan of it in the Mortal Instruments and I’m not a fan of it now. It doesn’t really show up all throughout the book, mostly near the end, which makes it more grating. I honestly hope this improves in the next book. This would really have been a five-star book if it wasn’t for that.  (hide spoiler)]

Overall, I can still recommend Dark Shores. No, it’s not a book with pirates as the Maarin are a merchant sea-faring people, not pirates. But it does feature sea voyages and a lot of adventure, plus strong characters. If you read the spoiler-y trope part I mentioned, I do advise a bit of caution especially if you hate the said trope, but I do still recommend it overall as it is a pretty strong book. I do hope it will get better in the sequels. It’s fun, fast-paced, has good world-building and hard to put down. Will I be reading the sequels? Yes!

This review is also on  The Bookworm Daydreamer

sam worley

WOOOOOOW!!! I loved this book so darn much!!

Gosh where to begin!? Firstly, the glossary in the back was perfection and greatly appreciated like wow thank you Danielle! The characters have such depth and the world is sooo detailed and interesting!! You are hooked from the very beginning! Marcus is such a fantastic character i just love him endlessly!! I really enjoyed how Jensen used tropes we know and love but in new and re-vamped ways it was refreshing. 

Highly recommend this series x10000 
5 Stars:)

Aubrey Erskine

For the full review visit my blog: http://theshelflifechronicles.home.bl...

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for an eARC of this novel!

I don't even think I can string together the words to express just how much I loved this book. Just like Sarah J. Maas, I loved every word. This is my favorite book of 2019 and I don't think anything will be able to top it.

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.

Princess Irene Uddon

Laura Allen

Manon van Heumen

What a great book! This was the first time that I read something by Danielle, but this definitely left me wanting more. The story was gripping, and I absolutely rooted for the characters. I cannot wait to dive into the second book.

Bridget Howard

I am seriously SO OBSESSED with this book!!! Hands down going to be one of my fav reads this year!!! I definitely recommend this to all fantasy fans!!!

Dark Shores

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