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tparm1's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
seatordahl's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
krista_mae's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
wuxian31's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
franncenee's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ir0l's review
3.0
Not my thing + I'm too old for a female MC of 17 acting like a 25. God can we have fantasy books with characters older than 20 ? Please
kellybaskin's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
ametakinetos's review
4.0
Dark Shores felt new and at the same time, incredibly familiar. As a kid who went through a decided Ancient Rome stage, the Empire echoed many of those themes and power structures. I kept accidentally visualizing Russell Crowe from Gladiator whenever Marcus appeared.
The worldbuilding was clunky in the beginning, an affliction that numerous fantasy books possess, but smoothed out as the book went on. Lydia, considering the role she plays in Teriana's initial motivations, was particularly difficult to buy into as a character and as a plot device. I did, however, appreciate the dedication to creating the impression of multiple cultural and ethnic backgrounds comprising these nations - although the description of individuals tied to their country of origin did become overdone. The gods and their god-marked devise a soft magic system that I hope is explored further throughout the series.
Teriana and Marcus are both tortured souls to have as main characters, every action the culmination of contrasting hopes, fears, and purposes. It felt realistic to the reality of war and living underneath tyranny, but like the character descriptions became repetitive towards the end. The plot was essentially I shouldn't do that, it goes against xyz moral...but then I did it, because that went with abc moral. Now I'm going to burn in hell forever/add another event to my list of nightmares because I really should've considered hijk moral. Their otherwise unlikely romance made sense because they both, at their core, are incredibly similar in how much agony their every step provides them.
I write all this critique, but I did truly enjoy it and look forward to reading the sequel. If you like morally gray characters, pirates, the Roman Empire, political intrigue, and brooding duty-driven male leads, this is for you!
The worldbuilding was clunky in the beginning, an affliction that numerous fantasy books possess, but smoothed out as the book went on. Lydia, considering the role she plays in Teriana's initial motivations, was particularly difficult to buy into as a character and as a plot device. I did, however, appreciate the dedication to creating the impression of multiple cultural and ethnic backgrounds comprising these nations - although the description of individuals tied to their country of origin did become overdone. The gods and their god-marked devise a soft magic system that I hope is explored further throughout the series.
Teriana and Marcus are both tortured souls to have as main characters, every action the culmination of contrasting hopes, fears, and purposes. It felt realistic to the reality of war and living underneath tyranny, but like the character descriptions became repetitive towards the end. The plot was essentially I shouldn't do that, it goes against xyz moral...but then I did it, because that went with abc moral. Now I'm going to burn in hell forever/add another event to my list of nightmares because I really should've considered hijk moral. Their otherwise unlikely romance made sense because they both, at their core, are incredibly similar in how much agony their every step provides them.
I write all this critique, but I did truly enjoy it and look forward to reading the sequel. If you like morally gray characters, pirates, the Roman Empire, political intrigue, and brooding duty-driven male leads, this is for you!