Sea of Shadows Review

Title: Sea of Shadows (Age of Legends #1)
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Random House Canada
Release Date: April 8th 2014
Source: Purchased
Rating: 3.75/5

In the Forest of the Dead, where the empire’s worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned.

Only this year, the souls will not be quieted.

Ambushed and separated by an ancient evil, the sisters’ journey to find each other sends them far from the only home they’ve ever known. Accompanied by a stubborn imperial guard and a dashing condemned thief, the girls cross a once-empty wasteland, now filled with reawakened monsters of legend, as they travel to warn the emperor. But a terrible secret awaits them at court—one that will alter the balance of their world forever.

Review:

I have read pretty much everyone one of Kelley Armstrong's book, YA and adult, and she is one of my favourite authors (and she's Canadian, yay!), so of course I was excited for her first book in the Age of  Legends series/trilogy and intrigued because it is a fantasy, which is must different than Kelley's typical paranormal/urban fantasy series. While I did really enjoy Sea of Shadows I have to say I much prefer Kelley's paranormal books that I have read in the past, it is only the first book in the series so maybe my opinion will change and it while match the ranks of  the Darkest Powers and  Darkness Rising trilogies. Only time will tell!

Sea of Shadows is told in third person in two points of views, twins Ashyn and Moria, both tactics are different from what I have read from Armstrong in the past. I admire her for break out of her paranormal mould, and change in form of narration I think the changes in style are part of the reason that I did not absolutely love Sea of Shadows. I do prefer to read in first person POVs, in fact all of my favourite books and written in first person.

The premise for Sea of Shadows in really unique and the world is very dark and really grabbed by attention. I will say though that the world building is quite slow and I was confused for the first third of the novel, but after, when it became clearer it was truly an amazing fantasy world. Because both twins are different, Moria is more the outgoing aggressive one, and Ashyn the quite, kind and polite one, so the change in narration was not confusing what so ever and was easy to distinguish who was telling the story at a given time.

I really enjoyed how, while being  a fantasy novel, the still was a very, very slight paranormal aspect tied in as well. I also enjoyed the side characters, which are boys and could  be possible love interests for the twins in later books, and Sea of Shadows are very minimal romance which is refreshing. It seems that the relationships will for at a more reasonable speed that in some other books.

The best parts of the novel by far for me would have to be the mythical creature that appear in the book, all of which I have never heard of, or seen in other books or movies. They were awesome! I also absolutely LOVED the ending, if definitely raising the rating I was going to give Sea of Shadows, and I cannot wait until next April to continue with the series to see what happens next.

Ultimately I think fans of Kelley Armstrong will enjoy Sea of Shadows even though it may not be her best book to date, reader will admire a change in genre and narration and fall in love with the amazing world that Kelley created in Sea of Shadows.

The Calling Review

The Calling

Kelley Armstrong

Doubleday Canada (HarperTeen)

April 10th 2012

* A copy was provided for review by Random House Canada. Thanks!

Summary:

Maya Delaney's paw-print birthmark is the mark of what she truly is--a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly everyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it's only a matter of time before she's able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents.

Now, Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. Then they're kidnapped, and after a chilling helicopter crash, they find themselves in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home

Review:

Kelley Armstrong wasted no time in getting right back into the story where we were left off with a cliffhanger in The Gathering. The plot line is very fast paced right from the first chapter, there a deaths, injuries, and many more chaotic things that occur with this book. In other words there is never a dull moment. Readers will be satisfied with character development, revelations revealed, and of course the fastness of the plot.

There were two things I was really looking forward to discovering when I finally got my hands on a copy of The Calling. 1) Who/what killed Serena, and 2) What powers do Maya's friends have. I am both pleased and disappointed in what happened or didn't happen with these two things. There is a suspect to who/what killed Serena in the lake, but no finalised answer which I am dying to figure out. Only two of Maya's friends, Daniel and Sam, supernatural abilities are revealed in The Calling. I'm still curious to see what Cory, Hayley and Nicole are, but I guess we'll have to see in the last book in the trilogy. I have some suspicions but again I would like to have those finalised.

As always Kelley delivers a well written, and well thoughout and exicuted read. I don't think I've read a book of hers that Í haven't loved (I've read all but one). All the characters are likable expecially Maya and Daniel, and Rafe depending on who you ask. I really love how in this trilogy that the experiment is trying to revived extinct supernatural creatures rather than just enhancing their abilities like in The Darkest Powers series.Of course the Canadian setting and mix on native american culture also peaks my interest. For me I could not put down this book until I was finished, but now sadly I have to wait over a year to see what happens...

Of course I miss that characters from The Darkest Powers trilogy *cough* Derek *cough* but from what I see we'll be seeing our fare share of Chloe and the gang in the next insallment. I hope to see more Rafe since he wasn't a huge character in The Calling. Overall this is a truely amazing read that you must read or at least try out . Action non stop and an amazingly written story is what awaits you in The Calling.