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leighkayne's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
secretdearest's review
2.0
I liked the writing, but honestly, this book won't be remembered and there aren't even any lessons to be learned from it. Waste of time.
Like you put in one mystery to drive the plot forward and you call it a book. I doubt the reader can have a guess at what's even going to happen cause everyone is probably kept in the dark.
Like you put in one mystery to drive the plot forward and you call it a book. I doubt the reader can have a guess at what's even going to happen cause everyone is probably kept in the dark.
pages_oflau's review
5.0
This book deserves more than 5 stars!!!
This book was phenomenal, I know it probably has its faults, as every book does. But wow...I’m still speechless.
I quickly fell in love with the whole world. The descriptions were enough to make me feel like I was there but they weren’t too much to make it boring to read.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Leif, can he be my 5th book boyfriend? Pretty please....with a axe on top? 🙊 Ciara is also pretty amazing and Arin just melted my heart!
I was unsure about the Celtic & Norse mythology mix but my god...it completely blew me away. I loved every mention of Norse mythology and I’m pretty sure I’ll now be obsessed with Vikings!
The magic & loyalty, the friendships & alliances were amazingly portrayed by the beautiful writing that just flowed so effortlessly.
I thought Sky In The Deep was amazing...but this book is on a completely different level and so far I will hand down say its in my top 3 reads of 2018.
This book was phenomenal, I know it probably has its faults, as every book does. But wow...I’m still speechless.
I quickly fell in love with the whole world. The descriptions were enough to make me feel like I was there but they weren’t too much to make it boring to read.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Leif, can he be my 5th book boyfriend? Pretty please....with a axe on top? 🙊 Ciara is also pretty amazing and Arin just melted my heart!
I was unsure about the Celtic & Norse mythology mix but my god...it completely blew me away. I loved every mention of Norse mythology and I’m pretty sure I’ll now be obsessed with Vikings!
The magic & loyalty, the friendships & alliances were amazingly portrayed by the beautiful writing that just flowed so effortlessly.
I thought Sky In The Deep was amazing...but this book is on a completely different level and so far I will hand down say its in my top 3 reads of 2018.
kimeggy's review
5.0
Noorse mythologie en Keltische mythologie komen bij elkaar in dit geweldig mooie boek van Jessica Leake. Ik ben een liefhebber van mythologie, dus dit was voor mij al een dikke pluspunt. Verder is het boek een perfecte combinatie tussen actie, liefde en fantasy. Ik vond het boek een mooie opbouw hebben en net zo sterk in het eind. Een echte aanrader!
dalinarsreads's review
4.0
Rating is a 4.5. Could have been a five star, but I had a few problems when it came to pacing and awkward sentences. I'll explain more in my review, but overall? I actually really enjoyed this one.
UPDATE Okay... I finally have written a review for this several months later. Click the link down below to view my thoughts!
http://startouchedfae.blogspot.com/2018/09/review-beyond-darkened-shore.html
UPDATE Okay... I finally have written a review for this several months later. Click the link down below to view my thoughts!
http://startouchedfae.blogspot.com/2018/09/review-beyond-darkened-shore.html
beemma1's review
3.0
I found this while looking through a book app and decided to give it a go. I hadn't heard of it prior or the author, but it sounded like a fun book that wasn't too dark and angsty. I ended up liking it more than I thought it would, but it's not at the top of my list for 2018, that's for sure.
Ciara is the princess of Mide, but she's no prim and proper gal. She's a warrior and battles to protect her kingdom. She has a special ability that helps in battles but she doesn't know exactly what it is our how to control it. Ciara is very tough but has moments of weakness and emotional bursts-which I really liked. I hate when the female protagonists are seen as tough and never show an ounce of emotion. She was real and cried in the right moments or wasn't sure of herself.
I would have liked to have seen her powers used a tad more. It seemed very back seat to the rest of the story which isn't bad but I was expecting her to have a few uncontrollable outbursts while learning to harness them and that didn't happen.
Lief is a Northman, and he and her people don't generally get along. They meet in battle when he comes to her shores and she captures him. He's very strong, loves a good battle, and wishes for Valhalla when he's finished with his quest. I liked Lief. At first, I thought he'd be like any other historical character Hero and he'd brood and want nothing to do with her. He was actually funny and really cared about her, which took me by surprise. Their friendship was quick as was the movement into a relationship. I would have liked that to have been a bit slower and drawn out.
The mythology in this book was really fascinating. I know a bit about the Norse and Celtic mythologies but it was interesting to read about it in this book. Some things were new and I liked how the author incorporated them into the story.
I felt like the story was really fast despite the good amount of pages. The end felt rushed and I would have liked an epilogue maybe a few months later or something.
This book was good but not outstanding. If you're looking for something quick with a bit of romance and mythology, this is something you'll like.
Ciara is the princess of Mide, but she's no prim and proper gal. She's a warrior and battles to protect her kingdom. She has a special ability that helps in battles but she doesn't know exactly what it is our how to control it. Ciara is very tough but has moments of weakness and emotional bursts-which I really liked. I hate when the female protagonists are seen as tough and never show an ounce of emotion. She was real and cried in the right moments or wasn't sure of herself.
I would have liked to have seen her powers used a tad more. It seemed very back seat to the rest of the story which isn't bad but I was expecting her to have a few uncontrollable outbursts while learning to harness them and that didn't happen.
Lief is a Northman, and he and her people don't generally get along. They meet in battle when he comes to her shores and she captures him. He's very strong, loves a good battle, and wishes for Valhalla when he's finished with his quest. I liked Lief. At first, I thought he'd be like any other historical character Hero and he'd brood and want nothing to do with her. He was actually funny and really cared about her, which took me by surprise. Their friendship was quick as was the movement into a relationship. I would have liked that to have been a bit slower and drawn out.
The mythology in this book was really fascinating. I know a bit about the Norse and Celtic mythologies but it was interesting to read about it in this book. Some things were new and I liked how the author incorporated them into the story.
I felt like the story was really fast despite the good amount of pages. The end felt rushed and I would have liked an epilogue maybe a few months later or something.
This book was good but not outstanding. If you're looking for something quick with a bit of romance and mythology, this is something you'll like.
josieabc12's review
Such a great read! It had me captivated from the very start. The glossary at the back of the book was helpful for the Nordic and Celtic terms that I was not sure of.
hellobookbird's review
2.0
The laws are clear: there are only two strong enough to defeat them. One born for it, the other through great sacrifice.
The ancient land of Éirinn is mired in war. Ciara, Princess of Mide, has never known a time when Éirinn’s kingdoms were not battling for power, or Northmen were not plundering their shores.
The people of Mide have thankfully always been safe because of Ciara’s unearthly ability to control her enemies’ minds and actions. But lately, a mysterious crow has been appearing to Ciara, whispering warnings of an even darker threat.
Then the crow leads Ciara to Leif, a young Northman leader. Leif should be Ciara’s enemy, but when Ciara discovers that he, too, shares her prophetic visions, she knows he’s something more. Leif is mounting an impressive army, and with Ciara’s strength in battle the two might have a chance to save their world.
I was drawn in by the beautiful cover and the fact that the heroine could control minds. Paired with a crow omen, because I'm a lover of mythology, I was sure it would be a winner. Unfortunately, it was not up to the task. DNF @ 45%.
Things I liked:
- Blend of Norse and Celtic mythology
- Mythology including the magical creatures!
- The Morrigan and her crows being a prominent figure
- The quest to hunt down and kill the giants
- Axes! Swords! Clans!
- Mind control that has clear limitations
Things I didn't like:
- Mythology was super info-dumpy
- The Morrigan (goddess of war and death people) doesn't seem badass at ALL
- ...and her introduction was also super info-dumpy
- Conversations and interactions were sub-par and most often felt forced
- I don't understand why Ciara is still princess and remains second-in-command if her whole clan (including her parents) distrusts and shuns her for her unique ability
- Ciara is supposed to be a seasoned warrior even at such a young age but she is constantly making bad decisions or getting her butt whooped
- ...she's also incredibly arrogant about her supposed battle prowess
- According to the description, Lief is mounting an impressive army but my impression is he has a handful of men with him
- Lief went mush way too quickly; where is the slow burn? The tension? This could hardly be called an enemies-to-lovers trope
- Ciara gets a second ability that is a complete matrix-style god-mode
The final nail that sent me over was Ciara's constant angst about her lusty thoughts regarding her murderous Northman ally, no less.
While the book isn't badly written, per say, I couldn't bring myself to care about the characters and got impatient with the plot. Maybe I'm just too old for this one.
jnishi's review
4.0
This was a good read. I mean yes there is instalove, which normally I hate, but I didn't mind this one. I didn't feel like it was too terribly forced on me and it was an integral part of Ciara's character growth and the plot. So I was fine with it. I enjoyed the mixture of Norse and Old Irish mythology I thought it was really imaginative and cool. It was a good read.
peony792's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I want the kind of love Lief and Ciara have