Dark Shores by Danielle L Jensen

Dark Shores (Dark Shores, #1)

by 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.

Reviewed by bestmessever on

5 of 5 stars

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It is no secret that I absolutely love pirate stories and this is no exception. We are following a girl who is one of the first mates of an acclaimed pirate ship where her mother is the captain. Basically they sail between the two worlds trading and living out their lives on the high seas. One day though Teriana has a friend who is in a dangerous situation and of course she wants to save her so she ends up telling her the one secret that is never meant to cross her lips. She tells her of the other world and when her friend winds up betrothed to the new Consul, that is when the trouble starts.

Marcus is a commander of the most famous legion and is tasked by the new Consul to take Teriana and have her show them how to get to the other world. It sounds like every other typical Ya fantasy out there but it's remarkably not. The people in this book are as real as the air I breathe and I absolutely fell for them. The plot is well thought out and that pacing is set in such a way that there is never a dull moment but it is also conscious of when there needs to be a moment of stillness to truly take in what is happening in the story. I was close to tears a couple of times and coming from me that is high praise.

I loved this a lot and can tell it is one of those stories that I will think about for a long time.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 30 April, 2020: Finished reading
  • 30 April, 2020: Reviewed