Name: Megan Lowe's review of Gilded Serpent by Danielle L. Jensen
Item: Gilded Serpent
Rating: 3
Author: Megan Lowe

Danielle L. Jensen

From bestselling author Danielle L. Jensen comes the thrilling next novel in the Dark Shores world, a series that Sarah J. Maas called "everything I look for in a fantasy novel." THEIR BATTLES ENDED IN VICTORY Lydia returns to Mudaire to enter training at the healing temple. But instead of fighting to save lives, she’s convinced she is doing more harm than good. She delves into the history of the gods only to discover a truth that will change her life forever. His birthright as commander of the Royal Army is finally in his grasp, but Killian feels anything but victorious. Burdened by his past, he embraces the darker side of his mark—and in doing so, risks starting a war. BUT THE WAR HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN Having defeated the tyrant Urcon, Marcus struggles to form a lasting alliance with the Arinoquians. But he is plagued by the knowledge that there is a traitor among his friends, and it could cost him everything that he’s fought for. Torn between her growing allegiance to the Thirty-Seventh legion and her need to liberate her people, Teriana finds herself mired in a web of secrets. She embarks upon a path that will either save everyone she loves—or put them all in their graves. Readers may read either Dark Shores or Dark Skies first! Suggested series reading order: 1. Dark Skies or Dark Shores 2. Dark Shores or Dark Skies 3. Gilded Serpent

Gilded Serpent

Rayaan Ahmed

From bestselling author Danielle L. Jensen comes a thrilling new novel in the Dark Shores world, a series that Sarah J. Maas called "everything I look for in a fantasy novel." THEIR BATTLES ENDED IN VICTORY Lydia returns to Mudaire to enter training at the healing temple. But instead of fighting to save lives, she’s convinced she is doing more harm than good. She delves into the history of the gods only to discover a truth that will change her life forever. His birthright as commander of the Royal Army is finally in his grasp, but Killian feels anything but victorious. Burdened by his past, he embraces the darker side of his mark—and in doing so, risks starting a war. BUT THE WAR HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN Having defeated the tyrant Urcon, Marcus struggles to form a lasting alliance with the Arinoquians. But he is plagued by the knowledge that there is a traitor among his friends, and it could cost him everything that he’s fought for. Torn between her growing allegiance to the Thirty-Seventh legion and her need to liberate her people, Teriana finds herself mired in a web of secrets. She embarks upon a path that will either save everyone she loves—or put them all in their graves. Readers may read either Dark Shores or Dark Skies first! Suggested series reading order: 1. Dark Skies or Dark Shores 2. Dark Shores or Dark Skies 3. Gilded Serpent At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Megan Lowe

3.5 stars.

I’m slightly annoyed with this book. I assumed, for no particular reason lol, that this was the final book in the series. I was only part of the way through when I discovered it wasn’t.
I was also told by someone on TikTok that this book was spicy. It wasn’t.
I’m also confused by this book. So much of it was travelling. And it was painful. And slow. And annoying. This book is long, it didn’t really pick up until about 65%. I just don’t understand the need for it. Why go to all this trouble only to leave us on a cliffhanger? It’s unnecessary and boring. And pointless.
I also found the second book in this series to be lacking, and this felt the Killian and Lydia chapters to be boring.
But less boring than all the travelling. Did I mention there’s travelling? I’m pretty sure I know the layout of the entire empire now for no other reason than this book spans it all.
If you’re a fan of the series this book is needed, if you’re on the fence, I’d wait until the final book and try and pick up the pieces.

Savannah Winchell

AYOOOOOOOOOO THIS SERIES IS SO IMPRESSIVE AND UNDERRATED WTF YALL READ ITTTTT

Caitlin

The One That Makes and Breaks Your Heart Twenty Ways to Sunday. The way Gilded Serpent really jacked up the stakes from the previous two books was masterful. Jensen knows how to keep you from ever pausing or putting the book down at all. Every time you think you have a grasp of what is going on and what’s coming, something comes along that throws a real wrench in your predictions, but always done so in a wow kind of way, rather than ever adding twists for the sake of plot surprise. Every step, every character, every story is connected in ways that deepen the world we’re in. I have many theories and no idea where we’re going from here, but I know I will be anxiously awaiting the next book like no other.

Paola C

Phew, I finished this big fella today. Thank you, NetGalley and the publishers for providing me an eARC copy of Gilded Serpent. 

In Gilded Serpent, we are following all 4 of the main characters in the same alternating POV that we got in the previous books. We have Marcus and Teriana fighting for their lives in order to survive and trying to figure out their next step. On the other hand, we have Lydia and Killian trying to fight a battle that seems impossible to win...fighting the corrupted. And if you read Tarnished Empire, you will be glad to know that Agrippa does show up and is an important character in the ending of the book. 

I liked that this literally picked up where the previous books left off and that the world-building didn't suffer from seeing all the points of view. Nothing clashed and I appreciated the little cliffhangers when switching the views. I did miss all the interactions with the side characters that we've had in the previous books. This book was definitely more character focus, in my opinion.

This book was an enjoyable ride and THAT ENDING! I definitely need the 4th book in my hands ASAP.

sam worley

WOW! just wow what an epic ride! i am hanging onto my seat waiting for book 4 (5 technically?) and i really don’t know how i could possibly wait an entire year!?!? Jensen does not hold her punches in this book i mean each character (cough cough marcus) is really put through the paces and it is intense! my heart aches for my favs but i secretly love the pain cause i know the payoff at the end is gonna be AMAZING!

Not my fav book in this series but that’s mostly cause of my grudges against the pain my favs went through LOL but an excellent continuation of the story. This series is not talked about enough and it is criminal!! The Dark Shores series is really just something special and i HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! 

4.5 ⭐️

Fran

Thank you to Tor Teen and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

!Spoiler Warning!
This review will contain spoilers for the previous books in the series: Dark Shores, Dark Skies and Tarnished Empire – but it is spoiler-free for Gilded Serpent itself. Please consider that and read with caution.

Gilded Serpent was my second most anticipated release this year, after A Court of Silver Flames. I’ve been on a real Danielle L. Jensen binge since last year, and after finishing Dark Shores and Dark Skies I was so thankful to be able to dive directly into this. Dark Shores is a Young Adult Fantasy series with 1) incredible worldbuilding 2) fierce female characters 3) political intrigue – and plenty of it! and 4) romance – all of which makes it into one of my favourite series.

...

And so, the sweating, cursing and heartache continued. Gilded Serpent is a beast – she’s thick with her near 600 pages, and let me just say that not a single page was wasted. It took me so long to read this book. I found that I was only able to read a few chapters a day to process everything that was going on because from the very beginning of the book the plot is thick.

For the first time, the parallel stories of Lydia and Killian and Teriana and Marcus meet, and it was interesting to see all 4 POV’s come together. I found that throughout the book, Lydia and Killian had shorter and less frequent chapters than Teriana and Marcus, which made their parts of the story even more concise and tense.

“The Cel called the West the Dark Shores, but they were the black tide intent on washing the gods from this world.” – From Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen

For a good part of the story, Lydia and Killian remain apart after the events of Dark Skies, but when they reunite… Gods, Danielle is such a tease! They have a very interesting dynamic throughout this book, which differs from the one we got used to in Dark Skies, but no matter how my little heart wishes it was different, it felt natural and believable, and I’m actually happy about where their story is taking them.

Then there’s Marcus and Teriana. Throughout this book, they face so much hardship, and I can’t help but admit that I’m sinking deeper and deeper into the love I have for this ship. Again, and again I’m amazed by the sheer bravery and willpower Teriana shows us, and how she carries such heavy burdens on her shoulders (quite literally, for a good part of this book!), yet remains so strong.


And let me just tell everyone right now:
YOU NEED TO READ TARNISHED EMPIRE BEFORE YOU START THIS.

I mean it. I was about 30% into this when I saw all of Danielle’s warnings that Tarnished Empire should be read first. But, I read on, used to going rogue and reading any prequels or novellas after I finish the main story. However, Danielle kept persisting, and eventually, I gave in and SMASHED Tarnished Empire in 3 days (it was amazing, solid 5 leaves), and I’m so glad I did! The ending of Tarnished Empire really sets up some major events and plot points in Gilded Serpent, and I found it so much more enjoyable after reading the prequel. Plus… Agrippa. I rest my case.

“It was all shades of grey: moral justification for immoral ends.” – From Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen

I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, but what I will say is that we follow the characters on new journeys through uncharted lands, where Danielle leads us through the landscape with spotless worldbuilding. Her fantasy worlds are some of the most vivid ones I’ve read because the way she creates atmosphere and builds up the world so effortlessly throughout the passages is incredible. I hate it when you have to push through info dumps and paragraphs with pure worldbuilding, but I’ve never gotten that feeling while reading one of Danielle’s books. So again – A + for her worlds.

Although there’s romance present between our two couples, the series is still considered YA, which means there’s a lot less focus on spice, and more focus on the character relations and how they grow together. To me, it’s just the right amount of spice to leave me satisfied, although I’m definitely thirsting for more.

Do you know what’s great about reading an early release?
Being able to binge the series.

Do you know what absolutely sucks about reading an early release?
Having to wait EVEN LONGER for the next book after the ending.

DANIELLE.
You have ruined me.
And I thank you for it.

There’s no doubt about my review.

5 stars!

The ending was so good! It really kept me on my toes, and God – I see you, Danielle. I was about to rip a certain someone’s beautiful head off for a while there at the end. Most of all, I was just mind blown. I finished that last chapter feeling terrified for all four characters and what’s to come in the next Dark Shores instalment. As much as I hate having to wait, I’m happy to have read this masterpiece, and I hope that the Dark Shores fans will love it as much as I did.

“(…) I think it will be in the absence of light that we all see who we truly are.” – From Gilded Serpent. Quote shared by Danielle L. Jensen on her Instagram

I’ll be recommending this series to everyone from now on, but especially to those who enjoy fantasy, political intrigue, strong female characters and romance. I can’t wait to see what others will think about Gilded Serpent when it releases on April 27th!

Laura Kehoe

Ashlee

Bethany

From bestselling author Danielle L. Jensen comes a thrilling new novel in the Dark Shores world, a series that Sarah J. Maas called "everything I look for in a fantasy novel." THEIR BATTLES ENDED IN VICTORY Lydia returns to Mudaire to enter training at the healing temple. But instead of fighting to save lives, she’s convinced she is doing more harm than good. She delves into the history of the gods only to discover a truth that will change her life forever. His birthright as commander of the Royal Army is finally in his grasp, but Killian feels anything but victorious. Burdened by his past, he embraces the darker side of his mark—and in doing so, risks starting a war. BUT THE WAR HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN Having defeated the tyrant Urcon, Marcus struggles to form a lasting alliance with the Arinoquians. But he is plagued by the knowledge that there is a traitor among his friends, and it could cost him everything that he’s fought for. Torn between her growing allegiance to the Thirty-Seventh legion and her need to liberate her people, Teriana finds herself mired in a web of secrets. She embarks upon a path that will either save everyone she loves—or put them all in their graves. Readers may read either Dark Shores or Dark Skies first! Suggested series reading order: 1. Dark Skies or Dark Shores 2. Dark Shores or Dark Skies 3. Gilded Serpent

Rayaan Ahmed &
Gilded Serpent by Danielle L. Jensen

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