Kelley Armstrong

"Twin sisters Ashyn and Moria must embark on a a dangerous journey when the spirits they're charged with protecting turn vengeful"--

Sea of Shadows

Kelley Armstrong, #1 New York Times bestselling author, takes an exciting new direction with this big, breathtaking blend of fantasy, romance, horror, and pulse-pounding action, perfect for fans of Graceling and Game of Thrones. Twin sisters Moria and Ashyn were marked at birth to become the Keeper and the Seeker of Edgewood, beginning with their sixteenth birthday. Trained in fighting and in the secret rites of the spirits, they lead an annual trip into the Forest of the Dead. There, the veil between the living world and the beyond is thinnest, and the girls pay respect to the spirits who have passed. But this year, their trip goes dreadfully wrong. With all the heart-stopping romance and action that have made her a #1 New York Times bestselling author, and set in an unforgettably rich and dangerous world, this first epic book in the Age of Legends trilogy will appeal to Kelley Armstrong's legions of fans around the world and win her many new ones.

Kirsten Simkiss

You know, I'm not sure how to feel about this book. I enjoyed it for sure. It wasn't the best thing I've ever read, but it by far was not the worst. I liked the characters and the concept of the world, but the plot? The plot was thin at best. Granted, it does appear to be one of those book series where the story continues throughout the course of the series, but there's no real closure at the end of this book. For that reason, I'm giving this book 3.5 stars, but rounding down to 3 for Goodreads.

The story mainly surrounds two twin girls capable of hearing the spirits of those since passed. Their function in society is to quell the angry spirits of the dead. Specifically, their job is to go into the haunted forest outside their small rural village to find the dead bodies of convicts left there to die and convince the host's spirits to not be angry. One stays home to protect the village while the other goes into the woods with guards. Ashyn is the Seeker, the one who goes to fetch the bodies and tame the spirits, while her twin Moria is the Keeper and stays at home restlessly waiting. Each have a specially bred super-beast that lives a full lifetime with them. All Seekers have dogs and all Keepers have panthers.

Naturally, everything goes wrong in this story, leading to chapter upon chapter of chaos and distrust. The book is violent, massacring a number of people, possessing others, and throwing a number of horrifying monsters at the main characters and their companions. As interesting as that may sound, I have to say that it's almost too much. The plot seems to suffer substantially as a result of there just being too much. After a certain point, it seemed like there wasn't a chapter that went by where someone didn't die needlessly to prove how awful the world was. Sure, they weren't really important people - a guard here, a villager there - but it added up. I really just felt like the book needed to stop relying on violence to keep the story interesting.

Ultimately, I could sum most of the plot up in a reasonably sized paragraph. It's seriously that simple. However, I can see where the plot might lead in future installments of the story line.

I did enjoy the book. As much as I thought the violence was relied upon too much to keep the story going, I liked the world and the characters were believable for being sixteen year olds. I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for the next book, but I'm in no great hurry to read on. As far as recommendations to others go, I would definitely say this is aimed for young adult readers simply due to the violence. Any younger and you might want to rethink it.

Toni Turner

I'm in love.
New favorite series. This statement is pending, but I don't doubt that this shit is going to be amazing. Fantadtic characters & the dynamic between all of the main characters is so great. Slow slow slow burn romance that makes me so happy. Main focus is action and spook and adventure and politics and religion and history and I love it so much!!

Tiffany Robinson

Not as good as I thought it was going to be. From the premise it sounded like it was going to be so good, but it was kind of flat and boring. It took me awhile to actually finish it since I could never get into it. There were a few moments that I liked, but they were few and far between.

Anastaciya

The first part was interesting. And I guess I expected to learn more about the spooky forest and the magic. But the journey and the political tint of the story in the second part was not what I wanted at this time 🤷🏻‍♀️

Carla Aquino

Oooooooo this needs to be a movie and WB along with the producers and directors of the Harry Potter movies need to be the ones to make this happen!

Lauren James

5 stars because the story was very unique and interesting. Normally I don't favorite YA novels, they all start sounding alike, but I loved this story! I liked the weird mix of cultures and characters. I am definitely going to read this book again!

'We loved the dark fantasy and smoldering romance in this story of identical twins with very different personalities. A tale of heroes, filled with mythological creatures, valor and self-sacrifice--fans of high fantasies will happily slip into this action-packed and exciting tale.' - Justine Magazine 'Armstrong smoothly switches from her customary modern paranormal setting to a high-fantasy adventure. Strong female protagonists make this trilogy opener a standout.' - Kirkus Reviews In the Forest of the Dead, where the empire's worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned. Only this year, the souls will not be quieted. Ambushed by an ancient evil, Moria and Ashyn must race to warn the empire of a terrifying threat. Accompanied by a dashing thief and a warrior with a dark history, the sisters battle their way across a wasteland filled with reawakened monsters of legend. But there are more sinister enemies waiting for them at court - and a secret that will alter the balance of their world forever. The first volume in the Age of Legends trilogy, Sea of Shadows is a thrilling dark fantasy where evil hides in every shadow and the deadliest monsters of all come in human form . . . Books by Kelley Armstrong: Women of the Otherworld series Bitten Stolen Dime Store Magic Industrial Magic Haunted Broken No Humans Involved Personal Demon Living with the Dead Frost Bitten Walking the Witch Spellbound Thirteen Nadia Stafford Exit Strategy Made to be Broken Wild Justice Rockton City of the Lost A Darkness Absolute This Fallen Prey Watcher in the Woods Alone in the Wild Darkest Powers The Summoning The Awakening The Reckoning Otherworld Tales Men of the Otherworld Tales of the Otherworld Otherworld Nights Otherworld Secrets Otherworld Chills Darkness Rising The Gathering The Calling The Rising Cainsville Omens Visions Deceptions Betrayals Rituals