**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Dark Skies (Dark Shores #2)
Danielle L. Jensen
A RUNAWAY WITH A HIDDEN PAST
Lydia is a scholar, but books are her downfall when she meddles in the plots of the most powerful man in the Celendor Empire. Her life in danger, she flees west to the far side of the Endless Seas and finds herself entangled in a foreign war where her burgeoning powers are sought by both sides.
A COMMANDER IN DISGRACE
Killian is Marked by the God of War, but his gifts fail him when the realm under the dominion of the Corrupter invades Mudamora. Disgraced, he swears his sword to the kingdom’s only hope: the crown princess. But the choice sees him caught up in a web of political intrigue that will put his oath – and his heart – to the test.
A KINGDOM UNDER SIEGE
With Mudamora falling beneath the armies of the Corrupter, Lydia and Killian strike a bargain to save those they love most—but it is a bargain with unintended and disastrous consequences. Truths are revealed, birthrights claimed, and loyalties questioned—all while a menace deadlier and more far-reaching than they realize sweeps across the world.
-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.
Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.
My Opinion
(4 / 5) Book 1 did not grab my attention. However, this book, definitely redeemed the series. Lydia was a character I felt I could connect with more and loved her side of the story.
I read this book in preparation for the advance copy of book 3. Each book is better and better! Check my review of book 3 for a full series review so far.
Content Summary: Language is fairly high with no F words, the intimacy is very low and the violence is high with beheadings, battles and violence.
Detailed Content Review
Language
F***-
H***- 2
S***- 13
A**- 5
B****- 2
D***- 54
Bas****- 10
Religious Cursing
J****-
Chr***-
G**-
L***-
Derogatory terms etc-
Gods
Balls
Wretch
Arse
By the six!
Alcohol, Drugs, Smoking
A group drink wine at dinner. Many are drunk.
A man is drunk.
Someone pours a sedative down a woman’s throat while holding her. She fights so they plug her nose and force more down. She crawls and passes out.
A young woman drinks wine.
A man is slowly poisoning a man.
Two men drink wine.
Intimacy, Sex, Immodesty
*Very minor LGBTQ+ aspects included*
A young woman kisses a man.
A man’s pants are around his ankles and he has to pull his pants up after being kicked down some stairs. A young woman hurts him and yells about never hurting her friend again.
A young woman says she has no need for men as she prefers women. She later kisses her “love.”
A woman takes off her clothes in front of a group of people and walks naked.
A man is stripped naked to work on his wounds.
Violence, Weapons, Crime, Blood
A young woman is shot multiple times in the chest and falls to the ground.
A man holds a knife to two men. One man cuts a man’s head off with a sword. Blood streams along the floor. Someone drags the body away, leaving a blood trail. Someone grabs the head by the hair and throws it at another.
A man cuts off the head of a woman who tries to attack him.
Thousands in an army attack a group of men. Arrows are shot, boiling water dumped off the wall. A man grabs a man by the throat and uses magic to desecrate him into an old man, killing him. Many more attack with magic. Many are killed.
A man slaps a young woman.
A man kicks a passed out drunk man down the stairs.
A young woman kicks a man down some stairs and threatens him. She splits his lip, breaks his nose and cheekbone all while yelling about never hurting her friend. She then tried to drown him in a puddle.
A man tortures many for information. No details.
A man tells a young woman the plan currently falling into place to murder her.
When a man threatens her father, a young woman claws at him, the man slaps her so hard she falls and tastes blood. Then he kicks her.
A man will kill a man’s family if he doesn’t kill someone for him. He holds a young woman under the water, trying to drown her. He holds her as if to break her neck. The current drags her under and away.
A black winged creature falls from the sky onto a man, breaking his spine. His body twitches as the creature drags him away and flesh is heard tearing. Many of the creatures chase two people and it attacks. They fight them off. Two creatures feast on a body. A young man is bloody, blood dripping consistently. The young woman stabs the creature. The young man has an injury cut down to the bone.
A young man breaks a glass over a girl’s head. They fight, she takes a woman as hostage, holding her by the throat. He stabs a young woman then cuts off the head of the girl. Blood pools on the floor. Two others are dead.
A young woman is hit over and over by many women as they rob her.
A mob attack a group and use knives to kill their horses. People swarm on the horses and cut meat off. Knives are pulled out and many are getting injured. A young woman is cut and getting trampled. Another is getting trampled, fingers breaking under their boots. Dozens are on the ground, unmoving.
A woman tells a story of a crocodile biting her leg.
A man fights a woman with a sword and his fists. He smashes her nose, hearing bones crunch. Using magic, she steals time from his life every time she touches him. He stabs her with a knife, she coughs up blood. A creature is killing others. Her blood coats his fingers. He stabs her again in the shoulder.
Many arrows are shot at a group of women. One is hit in the shoulder. A woman is grabbed, blood filling her wake. A room is “painted in gore” with blood and body parts from a fight. Two young women fight a man with swords and knives. A bone snaps, blood drips. The man grabs one by the throat. Another tackles him and smashes his nose with her elbow, blood spraying. He punches her, her wrist snaps, she uses magic to pull life from his body as she stabs her fingers in his throat. Someone cuts off his head and the body falls on her as blood gushes. A young woman has a gash on her head, bone seen underneath.
Women attack a young woman and drug her and capture her. She is tied up. A woman slaps her.
A young woman jumps from a height into the ocean. While trying to swim, she breaks her wrist then her ankle. She feels bones crunch as she hits rocks and starts to drown.
Soldiers fight in a battle. They use swords and other weapons. One man slits a man’s throat then hits a man with an arrow. Many rocks are thrown and arrows lit and aimed for enemy soldiers. Many light on fire. “Scorched meat” smell permeates.
Another battle. A man cuts off limbs as he rides by on a horse. A man “opened her from stem to stern then twisted, slicing through her spine.” He kills many more, slicing through guts and slicing off a head.
A man is speared in the side, blood spilling out.
Potentially Intense Themes
A young woman’s father is struggling through liver failure.
Children are taken as tithes.
A mother kisses the body of her dead daughter.
Blight- a slime that causes disease- overtakes people and animals. Those people kill others.
**Any quotes from the book are taken from the advanced copy and therefore may not be fully accurate or correctly compare to the final copy of the book.
**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Happy to hear the series is getting better!
That’s great the series is only getting better but dang… The content 😬