I really enjoyed reading Dark Shores last year and consider it to be an extremely underrated YA Fantasy novel. Going into this second installment, I was completely prepared to enjoy it, but Dark Skies takes it to a whole new level.

One very interesting point of note on the format of this series, which I was unaware of going into this, is that this book's storyline runs parallel to the storyline of Dark Shores. I expected this to be a linear continuation of the series, picking up directly after the events of the first book.

However, that is not this case. This book follows two completely different perspectives during the course of the same period of time as the first book. It was so interesting to see the story unfold this way. Lydia, one of the protagonists in this book, is a side character in Dark Shores. The other protagonist, Killian, is new, I believe.

Lydia lives within the Celandor Empire and she was actually the impetus for a great many of the events in Dark Shores, but as the reader, you don't know the whole story. Dark Skies fills it in. Not only does this book fill in some missing pieces, it continues to grow the world at an impressive rate.

Lydia meets Killian when she is forced to flee her home due to a botched assassination plot. She ends up in the West, on the far side of the endless sea. Killian is a solider, marked by the God of War for great things. He is sworn to protect the Princess of Mudamore, a principality on the brink of war.

There are too many incredible elements of this story, but some of my favorites include: Lydia's character arc, the brutal world that seems inspired by ancient Rome, the political intrigue, the dangerous, dragon-like creatures terrorizing the city by night, the blight infecting the citizens and yes, the extremely slow-burn romance.

This book is close to 500-pages and there is always something going on. These characters have to constantly be on guard and it certainly made me tense. I had no idea where this was going to go. There is so much left to this story and I was shocked and delighted to learn, this is slated to be a 4-book series!

If you have not picked this series up yet, I highly recommend giving it a shot.

Personally, I did enjoy this more than Dark Shores and that's saying a lot. I think the main reason is because of Lydia and Killian. Not their relationship, well yes, that helps, but just because I loved each of them both as characters. Lydia is the legit best. A bookworm who gets in over her head and who transforms into a certifiable badass. Talk about coming out of your shell!

I cannot wait for the next book in the series, which if I understand correctly, will follow the events of the first two books and will have all four main character perspectives: Teriana and Marcus, from Dark Shores, and Lydia and Killian, from Dark Skies.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Teen, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I am really looking forward to continuing with this series!

So I just want to start off by saying I read Dark Shores (book numero uno) and loved it! So I was very excited going into book 2. Although this is technically the second book in the series it can be read first as Dark Shores and Dark Skies take place at the same time just with different people.

Dark Skies follows Lydia and Killian as circumstances cause their two paths to crash together. We flip back and forth between the twos perspective so we get a good look into each one's thoughts. Lydia goes through some exponential growth as her journey pulls her into a world full of magic and bloodshed. She was q great MC and I loved everytime it switched to her POV.

The pace was absolutely perfect in this! I was able to finish it in two days( would have been one if my 4 year old didnt require my constant services🤣❤) and I am so excited for the third and final installment. I did enjoy Dark Skies more so than Dark Shores. I really loved Lydia and Killians characters. The romance in this was way more easy to root for and we really get to dive more into all the fine details regarding the magic systems and the Gods and whatnot. And there was plenty of action to keep you on the edge of your seat!

I am giving this a 4 out of 5 stars!

Dark Skies by Danielle L Jensen is the second book in the Dark Shores Series. This book has different main characters from book one. Lydia (who we met in book one) escapes to the other side of the world where she finds some hidden powers granted by a goddess. Killian who has been marked his whole life by a god, only wants to save his kingdom even when the kingdom turns on him. Can these two come together and save a kingdom and their loves or will they destroy what they truly want.

I was super excited for this book. The first book was interesting with a cool world, intriguing characters and fast pace. I disliked this book. I am giving it two stars. None of the characters were likable when I was 30% into the book. There were no real, strong redeeming qualities of anybody. I DNF at 30%. I skipped to the end. This was a disappointment over all. I still plan to read the third book.

Really enjoyed this one and I was excited to revisit the world. I do wish the main character from the first one had been in it because I really enjoyed seeing her but it makes sense that she wasn't in this story. I did find that I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first one, but I'm unsure if that's the mood I was in while reading or not.

I had a feeling that this one was going to be as good as the first one. I really loved the captain Teriana but now I also love Lydia the scholar. And I cannot waaaait for that next book’

It is not often that I find books that just completely blow me away. This book is one of them. I've read this authors Hidden Songbird series and I remember being pleasantly surprised with that gem. This author knows her trade. I asked for this book even though I saw it was the second book only to find out that you can read either book one or book two first, which I love. The author is writing a tale that encompasses a whole fantasy world, not just a continent, which is something that I admire and not often done, and well at that. Well she rocks it. The characters are so REAL and the choices they have to make are gut wrenching. In novels I often find myself frustrated with characters when they make decisions I find unlikely, but something I loved about this book is the choices they made, even if they were bad. They felt real. They considered what should be their priority, even knowing the cost would break their heart. The stakes become increasingly high and the characters get backed further and further into a corner as the book goes on. This book has it all and I want to devour it over and over again. Even the side characters are fully fleshed out and love-able (or love to hate-able) and you care about what happens in a way that finds you unable to go to sleep because you want to keep finding out what happens. I don't buy books often because I don't have the money to buy nearly the amount that I want, but I would buy all of these books. Any thing Danielle L Jensen writes, sign me up. This is going down as a new favorite and I am eagerly anticipating the next installment. In the meantime, I'll be getting my hands on that first book.

Spoiler Free Section

I will start off by saying that I LOVED this book!! I gave it five stars and it rivals my love of the first book Dark Shores. This is the second book in the Dark Shores series, I didn't read the synopsis before going into it as I didn't want to get any spoilers for what was going to happen next so I didn't realised that this book actually runs in the same timeline as the first book but just following different characters. At first I was quite sad that we weren't continuing on with Teriana and Marcus's story since I love them so much but once into this book I started to love Killian and Lydia just as much :D

As I just mentioned I loved the characters, Killian and Lydia were just so intelligent and had such a strong moral compass and that is something I love in my characters. Lydia was a character that we are introduced to in the Dark Shores but we really don't know what happens to her and all, through that book I just needed to know what had happened and in this book I finally get my answers :D I loved getting to see Lydia's story she was so open minded and kind and she deserved so much better than Celendrial could give her.

The politics and intrigue in this series are so well written, in Mundamora there are 12 high lords and ladies that act as a council for the kingdom and elect one of the 12 to be the king or queen, and there is so much politics, backstabbing and undercutting each other and I loved it!! The politics surrounding the marked were also really interesting in that they were forced into using their mark to help the crown instead of being given the choice, and that those that kept protected those who were in hiding were executed, which is just crazy.

The world building is fantastic in this series, I really feel as if by reading this book I was transported into this world with these characters and it really makes you enjoy the book so much more and really get invested in these characters. I loved how we get to explore the religion more in this book as well, we get to see more of the marked individuals as well as more from the corrupted and start to get some more understanding as to how it all works and what kind of 'powers' are given to those marked by the gods.

Also I just wanted to mention that I LOVE the cover of this book, it is beautiful and was so well thought out because once you have read the book you can see how well it fits this story and how every element is important.

I 100% recommend this series to anyone who loves fantasy because this series is fantastic. It has been said that you can read book two first or book one first since they follow the same timeline but I would definitely recommend reading Dark Shores first as it really gives you the introduction to this world and then read Dark Skies.

Spoiler Section

I once again loved the relationship between Lydia and Killian, it was so incredibly sweet and honest and I just wanted them to be together. They worked so well together, they both had such a strong need to help others and an excellent strategic mind and if they had been working together and talked about what was going on with Malahi's orders then maybe some of the terrible things would not have happened.

I am so incredibly happy that Bait and Magnius found Lydia and got to the truth behind what happened in Celendrial and that Lydia was not directly involved and tried to warn them of what was happening. I really just need Teriana to know that because at this point she hates Lydia for what she believes she has done and I cannot wait for her to find out the truth and for everyone to come together hopefully in the next book.

The blight is something that we don't really get to see much from in this book, we see how it is destroying the land and that it can infect people and turn them into mindless killers but it wasn't being investigated or at least we weren't seeing that it was. At the end of the novel Lydia chooses to go with Grand Master Quindor to study the blight which is going to be incredibly interesting and I cannot wait for it.

So now on to a couple predictions; first off I am pretty sure that only individuals that are already marked by one of the six can be corrupted, makes sense since the gods have stopped giving their mark, Killian had wondered why there weren't more corrupted if the seventh god could just mark anyone, and also because of the girl who was killed in the palace because her mother said that it wasn't possible for her to be corrupted but didn't explain why, and if I can see this why can't these characters!! Second prediction Malahi is still alive and has just been taken by Rufina in order to corrupt her, she is going to come back and it is going to be bad. Third prediction or more of a hope is that the Royal army and the Celendrial forces will come together to defeat the corrupted and live happily ever after :D more of a dream because I have a feeling that somewhere along this story a lot of bad stuff is going to happen and I will cry.

It did take me awhile to get into this book but wow once it picked up I was completely enthralled. This is definitely not a happy ending fairy tale. The author isn’t afraid to really show the hard things the characters are going through. While I did feel bad for both main characters; Lydia & Killian I don’t feel sorry for them. The world building is well done. I was transported to Mudamora. I was left with the feeling of wanting more, as if the story isn’t over.

Thank you Netgalley & Tor Teen for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

Danielle Jensen is such a great fantasy writer, and Dark Skies was another great read! I think Dark Skies does a good job of building off the first book, and the series plot unfolds really well. The character development within this book was great as well, and I just have nothing bad to say! A fun and entertaining read!

This fast paced and amazing adventure makes you want to go on a journey and explore the whole world!! Whenever a book promises a world inspired by Ancient Rome, political intrigues and epic battles? I'm all here for it!!⁣⁣⁣⁣
And this masterpiece delivered it all🖤⁣⁣⁣⁣
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Not only that but also the concept of starcrossed lovers with a beautiful slow burn romance? We get it all😍⁣⁣⁣⁣
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What I also really loved about Dark Skies was how relatable the heroine Lydia was with her strong and unique personality. Though she wears glasses she still fights like a badass slaying queen. ⁣
She's always had a hard life and felt like an outcast while growing up and even more so because she never stood up for herself.⁣⁣⁣⁣
As the story progresses she finally experiences how being valued and given a sense of belonging makes her own her strength and fight for what she wants.⁣⁣⁣
I mean how can you not relate to a character with this beautiful character arc? ⁣⁣⁣
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Dark Skies is the second book in the Dark Shores series but can be read as a standalone because the events take place at the same time as book 1. So the order doesn't matter 😉⁣

One of my favorite books of 2019 ended up being Dark Shores, the first book in this series. So, when I saw that FFBC was doing a blog tour, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it.


Dark Skies is the sequel to Dark Shores, however it reads more like a companion novel than a sequel. This book runs parallel to the story in Dark Shores and we focus on two POVs: Lydia, who we previously met in book one, and Killian, a new character.



Lydia was introduced in book one as Teriana's best friend but we didn't get to see much of her. In this book we learn that she was adopted by a man who also happens to be a Senator and very influential in politics. Despite this, she is fairly sheltered and doesn't involve herself with the politics that her father is a part of. She is more of a scholar with a kind heart and the determination to do what needs to be done. She is also a survivor and picks herself back up even when it seems like all hope is gone. When she is thrown into a new world she is forced to survive and take care of herself and she ends up realizing how strong she really is.


Killian was a commander until armies from the Corrupter (the evil trying to invade and capture the continent) invade while he is in command. He ends up working for the Princess Malahi as her bodyguard which is a huge change for him. He's a character who always wants to make a difference and as he's caught up in politics, he is more inclined to help the people that will become affected by his and the Princess's actions.


The romance was very slow-burn though you can see how well the two compliment each other from their very first interactions. They both show a lot of growth throughout the book and you can see how different they are and how different their priorities and goals are by the end of the book.


The world-building is expanded upon in this second book. In this world there are Marked ones who are individuals who have been Marked by one of the six gods and they end up having the abilities/talents that the god who Marked them has. Most of this story takes place in Mudaire which is where the Marked ones have to turn themselves into the King so he can use them for his own gain. The world is dark, brutal and dangerous. We also get a lot more of the politics in this book which was very interesting and showed us that there really are no 'good guys' in this world and how every character has flaws and nothing is black and white.


Dark Skies is a solid second book in the series that introduces us to more characters, builds up the already complex world and has a fast-paced plot. I highly recommend this series and book to all Young Adult Fantasy lovers.

I enjoyed this title so much! I thought the plot was so intriguing, and the characterization very strong! The description used by the author was so evocative I felt transported, and I kept turning until the very last page. I think the cover is very cute - I'll be sure to purchase this for my store!

The first thing to realize is that this is not a true sequel. It does not pick up where we left off in Dark Shores. Instead it picks up the timeline near the same start time as Dark Shores, from the viewpoints of Lydia and Killian.

Once I realized that, I was able to enjoy this story. And I found I almost enjoyed Lydia and Killian than I did Teriana and Marcus, and I didnt think that would be possible.

It's a wonderful story of rising above who you were born and told to be, to find the magic of potential unleashed when one is true to oneself. Full of action and magic, twists and betrayals, by the end you're left wanting the next book now!

Dare I say that I might have liked this book better than the first?! If not better, Its right up there with it and thats saying a lot since usually the second book in a series tends to lack a little bit when the first book was so very good! Danielle Jensen quickly became one of my favorite authors back when I read her Malediction Trilogy. I love the way she writes love. its never easy, and its through the difficulties that makes it seem so real. Its always a build up until finally it happens and its so sweet when it does.

I LOVED that this book was happening at the same time the first book was going on, but we got a completely different side to the story. It was nice finding out exactly what happened to Lydia and knowing that she didn't betray Teriana after all! There was something in me that kept fighting for Lydia in the last book just hoping that she didn't actually turn on her best friend, and I'm happy to find out thats not the case at all! We knew she was supposed to be killed also and I'm glad that didn't happen either!

This was one crazy twist and turn after another, it almost seemed like a different world. Its interesting to see how both girls can end up on the other side of the world in such drastically different locations in their own ways. And at the same time they both managed to find love and affection from unlikely sources.

I honestly CANNOT wait for the next book when all four POV's come together for an epic story!! And also knowing that the third book wont be the last, that we get to keep going on this adventure and find out more about this world is also exciting. I love Danielle Jensen as an author and can't wait for more!

I recieved a free e-arc from Netgalley in exchange for a review.


Dark Skies by Danielle L. Jensen was sooooo good. I enjoyed Dark Shores, I gave it 4/5 stars but this book I'm giving 5/5 stars! I loved it, and I love Lydia and I'm so anxious about the characters and all the things that still need to happen in the books and I don't know where this is going! Please send help and send me book titles to read that are this good!

Dark shores follows the timeline of Marcus and Teriana, and their travels. Whereas Dark Skies takes place during the exact same time period as Dark Shores but it follows two other characters, so while Marcus and Teriana are figuring shit out, Lydia and Killian are figuring other shit out. I can't wait to see hw these two stories connect to each other. Also how are these ya? The political intrigue and badassery going on are just wild.


So I thought I loved Marcus and Teriana but MOVE aside I love Lydia and Killian. Welcome new book boyfriends into the world because these two are my jems. I'm so so sad that the next one isn't out yet. I love everything about these now, consider me obsessed and take my money!

For real I don't have anything bad to say, I just really liked it.

Wow, I really loved this book! I wasn't sure what to expect because I haven't read the first book in the series yet, but you can definitely start with this one like I did (and then go back to book 1 like I will because you need to know what happens!).

The world building was top-notch! The seven gods and the marked (with their magic) were so easy for me to envision, as were the differences between the two continents on opposite sides of the world--one more roman in nature, and the other more medieval. I believe the first book takes place in the other continent, which makes me eager to read it and explore more about the world we only touch on in the beginning of the story.

I really enjoyed the characters as well. Lydia is strong-willed and soft-hearted. Killian is a brooding warrior trying to make up for past mistakes. And there's a whole host of supporting characters as well. The romance pulled me in, and the nonstop action kept me glued to the pages.

I definitely recommend for fans of YA fantasy! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC copy :)

Following the story from the previous point but from a different characters pov was a great way to continue the story. I really loved the switching POVS between Lydia and Killian. I really liked the storyline for this one and the pacing was great. It left off with a bit of a cliffhanger making me want to read the next book already. I really enjoyed the writing style and cant wait to see what happens to all the characters in the next book. If I'm being honest I liked this one a lot more than the first one. The characters had more chemistry and the plot was definitely intriguing. Overall I really liked this book series and can't wait to see what happens next!

Man, I loved reading these books so much! I actually started Dark Shores before, just before it was going to come out. And then it pushed my buttons, and I couldn't get over it. It took time, and I read slower than usual, but I worked out my issues and read both of these, and they were both so freaking great!

These books are companion novels, in the same series, and taking place at roughly the same time. In fact, the beginning of both Teriana and Lydia's stories are about the same scenes, just from differing perspectives. But then they diverge, going different places, and it was so great to read these back to back!

The situations that all 4 of these characters were in, they were totally unfair. I just wanted to rage, I wanted to help them, and I wanted them to avoid making choices that I knew would turn out badly, even if they had limited options.

Facing two threats, well, only Lydia knows the full extent of both, since she was raised by one side, and in the midst of the other. I think Teriana would be next, since she knows full well the threat of the Cel empire, and she has hints of what's going on in Mudamora. I can't wait to see things come together!

There's question marks from the end of each book. Who is the traitor that betrayed Teriana? Did her two guards survive? And what's going to be the fallout of the end of Skies? And I have a very big suspicion about Lydia, because there were just so many hints, I hope we see that play out in Gilded Serpents!

I loved these books so much, and I'm so excited for book 3 with all 4 of them narrating!

4,5 stars

Wow, wow, wow. I loved this book so much!
I can’t believe I’ve slept on this series for so long. It is def. underhyped!

I found the world building really fascinating, based on both the Roman Empire and medieval times plus fantasy elements, I thought it was very uniquely done.
A lot happens in this book but it never overwhelms or drags on. In the beginning there is an overlap with the first book in the series, so it felt a bit repetitive but that is really only in the beginning. After that I couldn’t put the book down and read it in one go.

One thing I missed in the first book was more female characters - in Dark Skies there are A LOT of them. Kick-ass female bodyguards, a princess who’s scheming with the best of them, and a bookish female protagonist with glasses and wit who is def not the damsel in distress type.

I can’t wait for the third instalment when all four MCs of the first two books meet up. There will be some draaamaaa - I love it!

*I received a copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

I was so excited to get this book because the first one was awesome.

But what the heck kind of ending is that?! And the next book comes out in 2021?! My goodness, the wait is already painful, though I literally finished reading book 2 a minute ago.

Even though it fits in well with Dark Shores, this book was quite different because of the characters it followed and the circumstances they were in. We see more of life in Celendor from a citizen’s (Lydia’s) perspective and are introduced to another civilization across the sea (Mudaire). It’s good to see the events at the beginning of Dark Shores from Lydia’s perspective as well. Teriana and Marcus make brief appearances in this book because of the interactions mentioned in that book (the two books occur concurrently).

I really liked Lydia (17 or 18–I can’t remember) and Killian (19). She’s a total bookworm, and she’s fierce, loyal, and determined. For some reason, I loved that she wore glasses. Killian is honorable to a fault—honestly, I kind of wanted to strangle him and his honor at times because I felt like it blinded him and prevented him from doing what was actually right. But he was good. I want him and Lydia to be together, but how?? I feel like both of the potential relationships in this series are doomed to not work, and that ticks me off.

Oh, and I despise Malahi. I hate her so much. For a while, I liked her and admired what I thought was a love for her people. That changed.

As always, Danielle Jensen has crafted something amazing. She has such a command of words that she can use them to create a completely believable world and characters that practically pop off the page.

How it ends: (view spoiler)

Note: Some swearing.