Teriana has lived on the sea her whole life, travelling from port to port and guarding a secret her people have kept for as long as they can remember. When their secret is discovered, she and her crew are captured by a power-hungry ruler. Teriana is given an ultimatum; take Marcus, the Commander of a notorious legion of warriors across the seas or her family dies.

Well what a ride that was! This book was not at all what I expected but holy wow if it wasn’t really blummin’ good. I absolutely loved Teriana, she’s so strong and opinionated. Her love for her family and her people was admirable. She wasn’t afraid to do what she needed to in order to protect those she loved. Marcus was a great second POV and I’m glad we got to see things from his perspective. He has so much inner conflict. I wanted to stroke his hair and tell him everything would be okay!

I do have a real love for books that force two enemies to spend a lot of time together and watch them figure out all the ways in which they are similar. This book did it brilliantly. The super slow burn romance was killer! I’m still swooning from one particular scene *fans self*

The side characters were good too. I thought they were fleshed out well considering we spent a lot less time with them. I will say that the book had a slow start. There was a lot of world building in the beginning but I would urge anyone no to let that put you off. It was so so good and I can't wait for book two!

Rated 4.5 Stars

Dark Shores is my first book by this author and it won't be my last as I have every intention of devouring her backlist and the rest of this series. I loved this book. The world building is superb, rich and intriguing, I so can't wait to explore more of it. The characters are wonderfully flawed. The heroine is fierce but stumbles her way through a lot of it while the hero is an anti-hero with heroic tendencies. I loved his vulnerability and look forward to watching them both develop over the course of this series. I was originally drawn to this book because of the mention of pirates but there's so much more to it than that, there's politics, intrigue, betrayal, Gods, magic, a Roman like empire, romance (yes a romance which I'm so looking forward to watching grow under a less than conducive environment) and so much more. I highly recommend this book.

Ok, so the blurb of this novel gave me images of swashbuckling pirates and Jack Sparrow-esque captains. After starting to read it, i found that I was ridiculously incorrect in my expectations. Yes, Teriana is a pirate (kind of) but she is more like a strong adventurous woman who travels the seas instead of life highways. And to be honest, I wasn't mad once I got into the story.

From the beginning you get a sense that everyone has a secret. Be it Marcus the stoic warrior, Quintus and Miki his faithful best friends, Teriana the strong adventurer or Cassius the evil leader of the Celendrial Empire. Basically its a whole heap of shady characters pretending not to be shady (I loved it to be honest). There's murder and intrigue and basically Jensen wrote characters that grabbed me and wouldn't let go.

As I said earlier, when I went in I expected pirates and swashbuckling. Instead <em>Dark Shores</em> has a very Roman Empire conquering the East feel. From the very beginning, I had a sense of sprawling buildings, Pantheon style government buildings and structured societies. When the story finally took them to Arinoquia, I could almost see the huts of less civilised society, feel the grit and hardship its occupants have endured. I found myself researching subjects I haven't studied in a long time just to give me better context as to the novels surrounds - I'm not a history buff but it ignited a want for knowledge I haven't felt for a long time.

This being a fantasy novel, I expected grand expanses and a lot of action. <em>Dark Shores</em> does not disappoint. Between the Gods fighting in the middle of the ocean to the armada of ships crossing it, I was hooked. The initial invasion felt small and civil but by the time the army marches on a common enemy, the sheer size of Celendrial's forces becomes apparent. By the final pages, I wanted more and was absolutely enthralled with the story.

Here is where I want to mention the fact that Jensen writes amazing villains. And <em>Dark Shores</em> has MORE THAN ONE!!! Cassius is so positively uptight and scheming, I instantly fell in love with his nasty (except with the bit where he killed someone I kinda liked). But there was another one on Arinoquia and I was astounded that it turned out to be someone I didn't expect.

Basically I really loved this novel. It was all things essential in an adventure. Jensen writes the perfect mix of adventure, fantasy and romance and I can't wait for the next instalment to arrive. Its a perfect score for a perfect novel.

First off, what a beautiful cover! Just the artwork alone made me want to pick up the book and read it! When i started reading Dark Shores, I thought it was going to be another swashbuckling pirate story but I was wrong. It was so much more. I loved Teriana because although she was tough, she still had a soft, insecure side to her that we got to see and made her much more likable as a character. Same goes for Legatius Marcus. Great first book to I what I feel is going to be an epic new series and I cant wait to see where it goes.

Overall, I liked Dark Shores. It wasn’t great, but I didn’t hate it.

Dark Shores is written in alternating perspectives between our two leads: Teriana, a Maarin pirate, and Marcus, a high ranking officer of the Celendor army. Personally, I am not a fan of multiple perspectives. I didn’t hate it in Dark Shores, but I still ended up preferring Marcus’ chapters over Teriana. Teriana is a POC protagonist (yay for some diversity!), but her character became annoying quickly and did not really live up to her supposed pirate ways. There was no swagger. Marcus, overall, seemed like a decent guy. And I did like the relationship Marcus and Teriana had with the rest of Marcus' troops. They didn't seem one dimensional. They all had distinct personalities.

The romance also was lacking. I love a good hate to love romance, but I don’t think this book pulled it off all that well. The chemistry was not there. There was no tension.

Overall, the ending was pretty anticlimactic. I have liked Jenson’s work in the past, Stolen Songbird, but I just didn’t connect with Dark Shores as much as that one. If there’s a sequel, I think I’ll skip it.

A gripping fantasy with a cast of characters so compelling they'll have you wondering whose side you're supposed to be on.

I love a sassy pirate which was what made me pick up Dark Shores, and Jensen didn't disappoint. Teriana was strong, fierce, and resilient when forced to betray her faith to protect her people. She's equally matched with Marcus, trained as a soldier since he was a child, but a natural leader with a knack for manipulation. And it wasn't just our MCs who were multifaceted. Even Jensen's side characters had depth and personality, each one adding a unique and intriguing layer to the story.

But perhaps my favorite thing about this book was the setting. Jensen's world building was nothing short of incredible. The lands she created were unique with descriptions of their people, their customs, and their landscapes so vivid I could practically taste the salt in the air or feel the heat of the Arinoquian sun. It's been a while since I've been introduced to a world so real, I swear I could find it if I just opened the right wardrobe.

5/5 stars for a story that will hook you from page one, make you question everything, and have you begging for the sequel

Ive read Danielle Jensen's Malediction series and I adored it. She has such a way with words and world building. I was very excited to see her releasing another magical series, but this time involving pirates! I was not let down at all. The main character is a wonderful badass and I loved her. She is strong but still human. The book was paced perfectly and the characters were amazing. The villains were extremely detestable and the plot was great. I ripped through this one and am excited for more from this author!

4.5 stars.

300 meets Pirate's of the Caribbean. A mash up that you didn't know you needed in your life. Political, dark and full of strategic calculations. This is a story that can appeal to a variety of different people.

I've not read many roman inspired works that I have enjoyed as much as I enjoyed this. I think without the unique aspects of pirates and gods, I may not have been so captivated. But it all blends seamlessly into each other, and creates a wonderful, complex, world.

A fantastic blend of diverse ethnicities, that I am so happy to see more and more of in modern literature. To have characters that you can relate to, not only on a spiritual level, but on a physical one too. To read about empowering women, and women of colour as the main characters in books is something that I am adoring, and Dark Shores delivers on that.

If I had anything negative to say, it would be that I had wanted Teriana's character to be a little more consistent. I like characters with depth and that have multiple sides to them, and she certainly has that. But I found sometimes that her reactions to certain situations weren't always consistent with who she is as a character. The smallest of niggles, it really doesn't detract from the story at all.

I look forward to the next book, and seeing how far Teriana and Marcus can go.

Jenson's writing is fast and fun and will make a good recommendation for reluctant readers! I will absolutely recommend this to my high school students looking for a fast paced and romantically fun fantasy.

Dark Shores is one of my most anticipated releases of 2019 so you know I most definitly threw a party and maybe a handful of glitter when I was approved for this arc..

The story takes you on-board a thrilling , suspenseful and exciting; filled with adventure and you’d never want to abandon ship.

Speaking of the title, Dark Shores is actually a location known in the west where six very prominent Gods resides and those marked by one of the Gods receive special abilities in relation to the God/Goddess that marks them. I found this absolutely fascinating and it created a world that I easily could immerse myself in. It really surprised me with its Epic genre. Talk of war, and high ranking divisions made this feel mature and it didn't allow the characters to fall into the normal YA trope traps. Every single character wormed their way into my heart, and by the end of the book I found myself invested in the outcome of their fates. Every triumph filled me with celebratory cheer while every loss and betrayal made me fume and rage inside. I very much cared about what happened to these characters, which made this one an easy read. Together with the fast pace of the plot, I just flew through this book.

I also liked what the story had to say about defining yourself and your identity. I think it explores some rather important coming-of-age lessons. Sometimes familiar ideas work just fine when you combine them with a story that’s fun to its very core (though you should still brace yourself for some eventual tensions and heartbreak) and characters who have great chemistry and infectious personalities.

This book was amazing! The author’s incredible world building is reminiscent of ancient Rome and is full of kick-ass girl pirates and gorgeous imagery. I fell in love with all of the characters, and their dynamic personalities hooked me from the start!

This book was sooo good. The compelling story, where the stakes keep getting amped, the well written main characters (sense of guilt! old secrets! wrath of the gods!) that you start to care for early in the book, the super interesting world building (that borrows heavily from roman history, but it's never too much), the abundance of characters of colour, the presence of disability and the discussion about it, and the topic of colonisation and its effects, all managed to keep me glued to the pages!
I'm looking forward to an equally stunning sequel!

I received an early copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars
Dark Shores was not quite what I expected it to be going into it, but to be honest it was better than I expected. I went into this book because of the pirate character, Teriana. If you've been following my bookstagram or my reviews, you know I love a good swashbuckling tale!

Unfortunately this book didn't entirely deliver on the swashbuckling. I do not entirely agree with calling Teriana and her people pirates, they're referred to as pirates but they seem more like a peaceful seafaring people that worship the old gods and goddesses, and there isn't any actual piracy in the book.

If you like a good slow burn romance, Roman inspired Empires, power hungry politicians as the villain, and fast reads, this book is for you!

This book is the story of Marcus and Teriana. Teriana is a Maarin and they are a seafaring people that worship the old gods and know of magical ways to travel from one side of the world to another quickly. They've somehow kept the East and West lands secret from each other. But the East discovers the secret of the Dark Shores, and now they want to conquer the land. This is where Marcus comes into the picture. He's the leader of the thirty-seventh legion and he has been blackmailed into completing this quest, into conquering the West.

I liked pretty much the whole book because it was a fast read and I had a really hard setting it down! However, I wish there was ACTUAL piracy and a little more time at sea, the majority of the book was on the Dark Shores and barely anytime at sea. The book would also benefit for a tad more worldbuilding.

I look forward to reading book 2 and learning more about the magic, the lands, and the characters!

I really enjoyed this story!
I’m trying to put my thoughts into words because I have so many swirling around.

Let’s start with what I loved:
I LOVED the world! I am fascinated by this whole entire world especially The Dark Shores. I can’t wait to see more and I hope we do travel in the next books.
I really loved the legionaires, just as people. They weren’t just sticklers. They actually had personalities and compassion. I liked the relationships built between Terianna and a few of the legionaires!
The religion aspect of this story is super interesting to me and I hope to delve deeper. There is a specific scene when two Gods show up and that was the most epic scene in the whole story! I really hope to see more of the Gods.
I could really see the characters and this world through the details and descriptions.


Some things that I didn’t not like but needed a tiny bit more...:
I went into this thinking Pirates and it only had a small portion of pirates. I’m hoping throughout the series we get a little bit more Pirate action because that was a really amazing part for me.

The ending scene/battle was a little quick and a little easy, even though it’s been said throughout the story that the Thirty-Seventh doesn’t lost or retreat so...
but it could have been a little longer, it all happened within one page.

Overall this is a really awesome story! I can’t wait for the rest of the series! I can’t wait to see more of the world, Gods and all the drama in between!

I absolutely enjoyed this book, from the swashbuckling pirates, to Roman inspired legions, to gods at odds with each other, Dark Shores boasts so many adventurous elements woven together in a way that was reminiscent of Homer's The Odyssey. In any other book, I don't know if I could have envisioned pirates and Romans going together, but they just worked. The main characters are so wonderfully flawed. Fans of Tricia Levenseller's Daughter of the Pirate King duology will be absolutely thrilled with Dark Shores. This was such a great adventure that has left enough cookie crumbs to build a great sequel.

Summary

This book ties together the stories of Teriana and Marcus. Teriana is the second mate of a pirate ship and they are the masters of the high seas. Marcus is the leader of the Thirty-Seventh, which is a commanding legion that has helped conquer the empire. Their paths cross and they must join forces together to save Teriana's crew and to protect Marcus' secret. 

Likes

I didn't like this book, at all unfortunately. I had high expectations because female pirates have really worked for me in books such as Song of the Current and Seafire. But this just didn't live up to my expectations. I think that the cover is absolutely gorgeous and the general idea of the book was good. But that's about all I liked about it.

Dislikes

First, I didn't feel a connection to any of the characters. I was expecting to find myself loving Teriana and how she carried herself; while she did present with some strong leadership qualities, she just didn't say pirate to me. I thought I was going to be rooting for her the whole time as un underdog, but my reaction was more meh. Marcus also didn't strike me as a lovable main character. He was okay but I didn't find myself caring about what was going to happen to him. The two together did show some promise but not enough to make me really become invested in them. Speaking of investment, I didn't really like the plot? I felt like there was so much going on it was hard to keep track of. There were also elements of gods and goddesses in this but it didn't feel like it truly fit, like it was kind of misplaced. The romance between Teriana and Marcus didn't feel genuine to me and it was rushed and thrown in. There was a lack of world-building and I feel like that could have upped my rating if it was a little more developed. There was also a distinct lack of piracy in this book, which was why I picked it up. So it surprised me that it wasn't really in there for what I expected.

Recommendation

I'm not sure that I can recommend this book since I didn't like it but I would suggest fans of the author's previous works to read this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had never read anything by Danielle Jensen, but the summary (sounding very Pirates of the Caribbean-esque) had me intrigued. Not to mention, what a gorgeous cover! However, I’ve never been more confused about my feelings over a book.

I admit I was pushing through boredom until about the seventh or eighth chapter when things picked up a bit. As I see other readers have shared similar sentiments, there wasn’t as much “swashbuckling” as I had hoped for or expected there to be, and all in all, I felt I spent far more time on land with these characters than on the water. Would I say I feel duped in that regard? Perhaps that’s a bit too harsh. I will say that one of the highlights of my reading experience was during the crew’s travels to the West, so I certainly enjoyed “being on the water” with the characters.

Speaking of the characters, I really liked Marcus, even at his worst. Teriana, on the other hand, was hit or miss for me. Of all the characters, however, I most enjoyed the scenes with Servius, whose sense of humor brought some light to otherwise grim instances. One of my favorite lines from him was during a scene when they were traveling to the West and he said something like, “I’m never getting in the water again.” :) In that startling moment of the story, it was the laugh I didn’t know I needed as a reader.

As for the worlds we venture into—I had an idea in my head of what Celendor was like. I thought it was original to throw the characters and the reader into a Roman Empire inspired city, which is something I can’t recall coming across in other books I’ve read. However, our characters spend a lot of time in the West, and I had no clear picture of what that world looked like. I pictured forests and somewhere a bit Amazonian, although I’m not sure that’s what the author was going for. I also felt unsure about the Western gods and goddesses. They’re supposedly an important part of this story, but as soon as the crew made it to the West, I felt that the gods (in which there are more than just the Goddess of the Seas) were placed on the backburner…unless there’s more to come of them and their involvement.

It may not be the pirate adventure I was expecting, but it’s an adventure nevertheless. A quick read, and without hesitation, I say it’s beautifully written—sometimes fun, sometimes boring, other times your eyes can’t leave the page. I do realize that this is the first book of a series—how many of which, I do not know. With that in mind, I understand Jensen was setting us up for what’s to come in the sequels, and I am curious to know what will happen next.

Thank you to Tor Teen for providing me with a copy of Dark Shores, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Teriana has lived on a ship all her life, as a trader between the east and west continents.  Her people believe in the existence of gods, who preside over such things as the air and water, unlike those on the shores of the East.  Under threat of being arrested for paganism, they must never speak of their gods, or the people who are born marked by them with special abilities.  The other thing they must never speak of is the existence of the other continent.  East must never meet West, due to the fear the East's ruler would attempt to conquer the Western Continent of farmers and traders.So neither side has any idea another continent exists over the seas.  Even if the East did know about the West, they wouldn't know how to get there....until Teriana is forced to show a legionnaire and his army the way.  They will both need to decide what they're willing to sacrifice for the good of the people they each love.

This book was SO GOOD.  Teriana is a tough, kick ass girl, but we're often shown just how difficult it is for her to take on responsibility beyond her age.  I liked the way her vulnerabilities and inner conflict were woven in to her personality, giving her character a realistic feel.   Marcus also had a multilayered personality and the love/hate relationship between them for a lot of the book was so fun to read.  I got real Pirates of the Caribbean vibes while I was reading Dark Shores, although the story is not really alike.  The subtly interwoven magic, battles between gods, seafaring and betrayal made for an exciting ride.  I loved a lot of the supporting characters in the story too,  there was some great banter and even though they were not main characters, we still got to know their personalities surprisingly well.  There were a lot of questions left unanswered or unconfirmed at the end of the book, but I never really get concerned about that when I know it's the first in a series, I assume they'll be answered in the next book (which, by the way, I can't wait to read!)

This book was so different from the other pirate themed books i have read. It was so interesting that i was hooked immediately! I loved the main characters personality she wasn't just tough but she showed more real emotions that made her relatable. I think I read this book in one day because it was so fast paced. I do wish though that it had some romance in it but i would still recommend this book to everyone.

Oh how I waited to be approved for this book! Through my nervous anticipation, I must admit I was a little apprehensive that it would not live up to the hype that I have seen in virtually all media fronts. How pleased I am to say that it did not disappoint! This story is sure to be a hit! Through incredible story-telling, beautifully developed characters, a fascinating plot and more action than I could ever recollect, I can already say that I will have a waiting list very long for my readers to get their hands on this book! The dangerous quest that unfolds throughout is not only captivating in the nature of the plot, but completely fun and exciting to learn about as well! I love, love, loved this and cannot wait for more! Jensen is a rock star!