Hello Friends :)
Is there a genre that as of late you haven't been reading as much?
I used to absolutely love fantasy books back in the day. I inhaled them as fast as I could get my hands on them, but then in recent years I kept finding the majority of them disappointing.
Of course, there has been some standouts for me still, like The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye and The Queen's Rising duology by Rebecca Ross.
However, I was starting to not be that interested in the genre as much anymore, which honestly saddened me.
However, when April rolled around, I was once again craving an awesome fantasy story. I happened to stumble upon this upcoming release by Danielle Jensen that had a fantastic synopsis, and I decided to pick it up and give it a go.
Dark Skies by Danielle Jensen:
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Publisher: Tor Teen
Publication Date: May 5th, 2020
Genre: Fantasy/Young Adult Fiction
Series: Dark Shores
Synopsis:
A RUNAWAY WITH A HIDDEN PAST
Lydia is a scholar, but books are her downfall when she meddles in the plots of the most powerful man in the Celendor Empire. Her life in danger, she flees west to the far side of the Endless Seas and finds herself entangled in a foreign war where her burgeoning powers are sought by both sides.
A COMMANDER IN DISGRACE
Killian is Marked by the God of War, but his gifts fail him when the realm under the dominion of the Corrupter invades Mudamora. Disgraced, he swears his sword to the kingdom’s only hope: the crown princess. But the choice sees him caught up in a web of political intrigue that will put his oath – and his heart – to the test.
A KINGDOM UNDER SIEGE
With Mudamora falling beneath the armies of the Corrupter, Lydia and Killian strike a bargain to save those they love most—but it is a bargain with unintended and disastrous consequences. Truths are revealed, birthrights claimed, and loyalties questioned—all while a menace deadlier and more far-reaching than they realize sweeps across the world.
(synopsis from goodreads)
My Review:
I was intrigued by the synopsis of Dark Skies, but since I hadn't read the first book in the series, I wasn't sure if I should go ahead and read it or not. However, I then discovered that Danielle Jensen has written the first two books in this series as interchangeable, and I loved that fact. You can truly read them in either order, and not miss out on anything that's happening. I did end up enjoying certain things about this one, but I didn't end up loving it quite as much as I was hoping to as certain parts were really hit or miss for me.
First off, I have to say that I loved the magical system featured in this world. It felt mysterious and original, and almost was layered in illusion during certain parts of the story. A good magical system is so important to the proper development of a fantasy story, and I'm happy to say that the one featured in Dark Skies was amazing. I truly adored Killian as a main character, and thought his selflessness and never ending courage truly made him stand out as a young adult protagonist. I was also quite impressed with how he changes the entire palace guard to females, and I enjoyed reading about the strong friendships they develop with each other, and their giant training master.
However, I really didn't enjoy the female main character Lydia all that much. The first part of her story is extremely slow moving, and I had a hard time keeping myself interested in reading it. Once she reaches the Dark Shores it picks up a bit, but I still found her to be a weaker character, and I never was really a fan of the chemistry between her and Killian.
While a lot of this book is action packed, I felt it was way longer than it needed to be, and certain components felt unnecessary and took me forever to want to read through. And even with how long the story is, I still ended up feeling like the gods and the reason behind all the wars and chaos was never properly explained, and it ended up leaving me quite confused. Lastly, this whole book has a hopeless undertone throughout it, and it got a little tiring to read about nothing but things going wrong again and again throughout the story.
I still think this series as a whole is going to end up probably being amazing, and I definitely want to go back and read the first book and continue on with the next book when it releases. Since I was really intrigued by the brief glimpses we're given of Teriana and Marcus in this one, I have a feeling I'm going to find their story more interesting personally than I did Killian and Lydia's.
Final Rating: 3/5.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Tor Teen for allowing me to advance read this!
I received a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel to voluntarily read and review. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Is there a genre that as of late you haven't been reading as much?
I used to absolutely love fantasy books back in the day. I inhaled them as fast as I could get my hands on them, but then in recent years I kept finding the majority of them disappointing.
Of course, there has been some standouts for me still, like The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye and The Queen's Rising duology by Rebecca Ross.
However, I was starting to not be that interested in the genre as much anymore, which honestly saddened me.
However, when April rolled around, I was once again craving an awesome fantasy story. I happened to stumble upon this upcoming release by Danielle Jensen that had a fantastic synopsis, and I decided to pick it up and give it a go.
Dark Skies by Danielle Jensen:
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Publisher: Tor Teen
Publication Date: May 5th, 2020
Genre: Fantasy/Young Adult Fiction
Series: Dark Shores
Synopsis:
A RUNAWAY WITH A HIDDEN PAST
Lydia is a scholar, but books are her downfall when she meddles in the plots of the most powerful man in the Celendor Empire. Her life in danger, she flees west to the far side of the Endless Seas and finds herself entangled in a foreign war where her burgeoning powers are sought by both sides.
A COMMANDER IN DISGRACE
Killian is Marked by the God of War, but his gifts fail him when the realm under the dominion of the Corrupter invades Mudamora. Disgraced, he swears his sword to the kingdom’s only hope: the crown princess. But the choice sees him caught up in a web of political intrigue that will put his oath – and his heart – to the test.
A KINGDOM UNDER SIEGE
With Mudamora falling beneath the armies of the Corrupter, Lydia and Killian strike a bargain to save those they love most—but it is a bargain with unintended and disastrous consequences. Truths are revealed, birthrights claimed, and loyalties questioned—all while a menace deadlier and more far-reaching than they realize sweeps across the world.
(synopsis from goodreads)
My Review:
I was intrigued by the synopsis of Dark Skies, but since I hadn't read the first book in the series, I wasn't sure if I should go ahead and read it or not. However, I then discovered that Danielle Jensen has written the first two books in this series as interchangeable, and I loved that fact. You can truly read them in either order, and not miss out on anything that's happening. I did end up enjoying certain things about this one, but I didn't end up loving it quite as much as I was hoping to as certain parts were really hit or miss for me.
First off, I have to say that I loved the magical system featured in this world. It felt mysterious and original, and almost was layered in illusion during certain parts of the story. A good magical system is so important to the proper development of a fantasy story, and I'm happy to say that the one featured in Dark Skies was amazing. I truly adored Killian as a main character, and thought his selflessness and never ending courage truly made him stand out as a young adult protagonist. I was also quite impressed with how he changes the entire palace guard to females, and I enjoyed reading about the strong friendships they develop with each other, and their giant training master.
However, I really didn't enjoy the female main character Lydia all that much. The first part of her story is extremely slow moving, and I had a hard time keeping myself interested in reading it. Once she reaches the Dark Shores it picks up a bit, but I still found her to be a weaker character, and I never was really a fan of the chemistry between her and Killian.
While a lot of this book is action packed, I felt it was way longer than it needed to be, and certain components felt unnecessary and took me forever to want to read through. And even with how long the story is, I still ended up feeling like the gods and the reason behind all the wars and chaos was never properly explained, and it ended up leaving me quite confused. Lastly, this whole book has a hopeless undertone throughout it, and it got a little tiring to read about nothing but things going wrong again and again throughout the story.
I still think this series as a whole is going to end up probably being amazing, and I definitely want to go back and read the first book and continue on with the next book when it releases. Since I was really intrigued by the brief glimpses we're given of Teriana and Marcus in this one, I have a feeling I'm going to find their story more interesting personally than I did Killian and Lydia's.
Final Rating: 3/5.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Tor Teen for allowing me to advance read this!
I received a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel to voluntarily read and review. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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