Dark Shores Book Review

 

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, the world needs more pirate books. 

I’ve heard about Dark Shores a lot on bookstagram, and ended up buying a copy from a library sale, but ended up listening to the audiobook instead. (I really liked the narrators) 

The Blurb

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.

My Thoughts 

The worldbuilding was really fun with this one. Roman Empire meets fantasy, with a magic system that worked well but wasn’t overbearing. 

The characters were great. Marcus now has a seat on my book boyfriend list. You know I can’t resist an antihero. He spends the book doing good things for bad reasons and bad things for good reasons, and I LOVE the inner turmoil. 

Teriana is actually pretty likeable for a YA heroine. I appreciated that she’s actually the weak link in her crew, and not unbelievably strong and capable, but not annoyingly so. She’s determined, sassy, and cares deeply about her crew and friends. 

The legion soldiers were great too. You gotta love the dry sense of humor and banter that comes from nineteen year old warriors who have never lost a fight. The ego is strong. 

Content wise I’d give it a PG-13 rating. There’s one fade to black scene and some mild innuendo, but quite a bit of strong language throughout. 

The Wicked Deep book review

 If you haven’t noticed, witchy stories have taken over a good portion of bookstagram lately, and for awhile I blew it off because witches aren’t really my thing. I’ll stay in my other worldly fantasies, thank you. But, then October came along, with all the spooky vibes, and I got a wild hair and decided it was time for a witchy book. It just so happened that The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw is the one my library had, so that’s the one I read. 

The Blurb:

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…

Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.

Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself. 

My thoughts: 

This book was good. Very atmospheric. The prose and descriptions were so delightfully spooky and vivid, coupled with an oddly easy going pace that gave you that feeling that things were going too good and something horrible was going to jump out at any moment. 

Which was basically what kept happening. 

I really liked the characters, particularly Bo, and the alternating timelines was really cool too. 

Honestly, the first three quarters of the book had me wondering why I’d been avoiding spooky witchy books for so long. 

And then all of the sudden I got hit with this foreboding of the impending plot twist. And it wasn’t the pleasant kind of anticipation that comes when you think you’ve got the story figured out, but a rapid backpedaling of No Please Don’t Do This To Me. 

But. No one listened to me. And I was right. 

I won’t say the ending is bad. Because it’s not. But I feel like it didn’t match the rest of the book. People who like bittersweet endings would probably love the entire thing from beginning to end, but for me the last portion felt crushing and sort of slapped together. 

All in all though, it was a fun Halloween time read that was the right mix of spooky, suspenseful, romantic, etc, and unlike the movies I watched for Halloween, I could still sleep after reading this. 

One of Us is Lying Book Review

 

So I am WAY behind on this book. It’s been out for years, and I just now read it, but man, was it worth the wait. 

The Blurb:

Pay close attention and you might solve this.

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.

Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.

Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.

Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.

Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.

And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose?

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them. 

My Thoughts: 

It has been a long time since I left the realm of fantasy and ventured into contemporary, and let me just say, I loved it. 

This book was full of a lot of twists and turns, and it was really fun to guess what was going on. I was right about several things, but they came about in such unexpected ways, so I wouldn’t call the plot predictable. Even when I had suspicions I couldn’t figure out how it could have possibly been pulled off. 

I loved the cast of characters. Especially how one minute I was convinced each and every one of them was innocent, and then the next I was sure they were all the killer. The secrets and motives and personalities were all so rich. 

Nate is, of course, my favorite. I will love him forever. 

I just started book two in the series and can’t wait to see where the mystery goes now. 

Just a heads up that there is some strong language, and innuendos between gay and straight couples, but nothing too graphic, in my opinion.