Review--Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong

They hear the spirits.They must obey.

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.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong comes a captivating new series that blends elements of fantasy and horror with the pulse-pounding action and romance that have earned her a devoted readership worldwide.

Sea of Shadows starts off Kelley Armstrong's newest YA series, Age of Legends and it was quite an interesting read! It was by far more different than her previous YA series, which in fact, took place in her famous Otherworld series. Here we are in a new world with new rules and in a different time. The time in unclear, as it usually is with fantasy novels, but the story was still engaging and intriguing.

Ashyn and Moria are the Seeker and the Keeper of the Forest of the Dead. It's a rare thing, having twins. So the girls are treated as special. This year Ashyn is to go into the forest and basically help the dead move on. Their village sends traitors and the like into the forest to die basically. But if after the time, the traitors or whoever are still alive, they are given a pardon for their crimes. But surviving the forest is near impossible.

It's not long before Ashyn has finished her task and returns home. Moria, was not allowed to go because she is the Keeper and it's not her job. She's a bit sullen over the matter, but doesn't hold any resentment towards her sister. But she comes back with a boy her age, Ronan. Instead of just setting him free, the village locks him up. Strange things happened to Ashyn and the people she traveled with. Many of them simply disappeared. And that night, the village is attacked by shadow stalkers.

And this is where our story really begins to take off. Moria and Ashyn are separated for the majority of the opening. Ashyn travels with Ronan and Moria travels with Gavril--a guard from the village. He and Moria are constantly arguing with one another. The two are too much alike and they butt heads constantly. While Ashyn and Ronan are pretty much the opposite. Ronan has his own story to tell, but I feel like we didn't get all of it. We got a little of his background story, but I feel like there's still more to come. In a sense, the guys of this novel are some of the most mysterious characters.

The four encounter some monsters along the way of their separate journeys and when the sisters are finally reunited, it's only to be set with an even more dangerous task. This story is far from over, in fact, the ending is really only the beginning of the rest of the series. It definitely sets us up for what's sure to be an extraordinary series!

Moria and Ashyn were definitely different from one another. Moria was more the aggressive sort whereas Ashyn is the sweet and almost timid kind. I also enjoyed Gavril and Ronan, perhaps more Ronan. He was a bit easier to understand his character. Gavril was a harder sort to read. He wasn't quite standoffish, he's just very secretive. I also enjoyed the girls' animal companions! Moria travels with a wildcat named Diago and Ashyn has a wolfhound named Tova. These two are definitely animals, but their loyalty to the girls was endearing. Plus, they are extraordinary animals too, not your average ones either!

The pacing to this one was pretty good. It's told in third person point of view, ranging chapters/sections between Moria and Ashyn. There were a few moments were I felt the pace started to lag a bit, but then there was usually an exciting scene soon to follow, so all in all, it was a pretty good read! And I look forward to seeing where the rest of this adventure takes us!


Overall Rating 4/5 stars