Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen

This seductive little book was recommended to me by one of my fellow Witchlanders–as if I ever need to be convinced to buy another book–and it was a delight.

I inhaled it, and was captivated by the expansive world building, character connections, and massive sense of suspense. Danielle’s story is heavily character driven, and not only are her leads the grumpy, snarky, cunning well rounded characters that a this world deserves, but the rest of her cast is just as well thought out.

Call it the Gryffindor in me, but the noble self-sacrifice in the name of those you love is one of my favorite tropes. The fact that we have that in both of our main characters, who were attempting to plot against or at least using each other for their own devices was delightful. The tension was palpable, and Teriana and Marcus are so much fun to be around! Even when they’re all serious, this enemies to lovers hit another of my favorite hallmarks.

Meanwhile, this world guys. I’m so in love with her world building, it’s captivating. The Celendor Empire is built of off the Roman Empire, and you can just tell how much research and understanding of what it took to control that much land was. Their kind of democracy, and how their world worked. The history buff in me is fascinated by the interpersonal play between the political players, and the legions. Factor that into the fact that the two halves of the worlds don’t know about one another, and the interplay of the gods, magical water demigods, and disbelief of the traditional victors, and this world is so dynamic.

I enjoyed the political maneuverings, and how the interplay between different peoples happened. However, I will say that while the erm romantic element is well strung, I felt almost a bit rushed with it right at the end. I’m not complaining, but it’s easy to get carried away when tensions are running high, and the lives of those you love are at risk. I wait with trepidation to see what awaits our beloved crew and legion in the next installment!

You can get Dark Shores here through Bookshop.org, which supports local independent bookstores!

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