Though at the beginning I was a bit confused by all that information that was thrown at us, I appreciated the fact that there was a glossary at the end of the book where I could look up everything.

I absolutely adored the mythology aspect of the story. “Even as my eyelids drooped closed and I slipped away into sleep, one thing stuck out in my mind: the price of such power must be more terrible than I could imagine.” The romance also was so good, despite some parts being a bit rushed. They were very complex individuals, and had such an amazing evolution throughout the novel. The interactions between the characters and their character arcs in general were really well done. I love books where the characters went through a major and very important thing that made them align themselves with their enemies, and Beyond a Darkened Shore was one of those stories.

I think my favorite parts of the whole story was the evolutions of the characters and their interactions. There were still some minor issues I had with the pacing of the novel at one point of my reading experience, but overall I think it was a very entertaining read, and a solid one, but I think most of the problems I had were because I was in the middle of a reading slump while reading this book, so… Not to blame it. Though they are completely different books, there was something about them that my mind kept linking, so I decided to finally pick it up this month, and I was pleasantly surprised with the whole story. I don’t know why but ever since I heard the premise of this book I knew I had to read it, but I especially wanted to after reading and loving Sky in The Deep. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard the crow’s voice, and I knew it warned of only one thing: death.” “They’re coming, a voice whispered in my mind, and a cold shiver snaked down my back. With evil rising around them, they’ll do what it takes to defend the land they love…even if it means making the greatest sacrifice of all. Leif is mounting an impressive army, and with Ciara’s strength in battle the two might have a chance to save their world. Leif should be Ciara’s enemy, but when Ciara discovers that he, too, shares her prophetic visions, she knows he’s something more. Then the crow leads Ciara to Leif, a young Northman leader. Although her clansmen dismiss her visions as pagan nonsense, Ciara fears this coming evil will destroy not just Éirinn, but the entire world. But lately, a mysterious crow has been appearing to Ciara, whispering warnings of an even darker threat. The people of Mide have thankfully always been safe because of Ciara’s unearthly ability to control her enemies’ minds and actions.

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 ancient land of Éirinn is mired in war. Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, High Fantasy, Romance

Beyond a darkened shore