Dark Skies

By: Danielle L. Jensen

Narrated by: DeVante Johnson, Stephanie Willis

Length: 16 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Unwanted betrothals, assassination attempts, and a battle for the crown converge in Danielle L. Jensen's Dark Skies, a new series starter set in the universe of the YA fantasy Sarah J. Maas called "everything I look for in a fantasy novel".

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.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Teen.

©2020 Danielle L. Jensen (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

Better narration than the first book.

much much much better narration. these were better actors for this storyline. also love this series.

Great Standalone Sequel

(Really close to five stars, but you'll find out why later in the review)

So, this is more of a companion book to Dark Shores where we get to follow Terianna’s best friend, Lydia. I super called it in my last review where Lydia had “main protagonist” written all over her, and I’m glad for it. There’s no need to read Dark Shores first. You can actually read Dark Skies first if you’d like.

Lydia was raised by her adopted father after she was found with her murdered birth mother. No one knew the origins of Lydia, and her adopted father took her in and cared for her like she was of his own blood. Unfortunately, Lydia was raised in the very Roman-ish Cel Empire, which means women are pretty much treated like property. In order to secure his daughter a safe future, Lydia’s dying father tries to marry her off to the worst possible person to get her married to—the evil and power hungry Lucius. Thankfully, Lydia is able to escape the murderous Lucius (that’s right, he tries to oversee her murder) but instead finds herself on the other side of the world—the Dark Shores, which were previously thought of as a myth. Lydia must get back to the Cel to save her father from an insidious plot and to save her friend Terianna, of whom Lydia may have accidentally doomed her entire people.

Oh, you think that’s it with the synopsis? Pfft, no! We get two POV’s.

Killian is our second protagonist. He lives on the aforementioned Dark Shores where the people worship seven gods/goddesses. These immortal beings “mark” humans they like, which gives these humans cool powers like an affinity for fighting, growing plants, or fast healing others. Killian is marked by the war god, so he should be okay with protecting the non-penetrable wall, right? Nope. Because the god of death/chaos sent his marked ones over to take the wall and capture/kill Killian. The wall falls, and Killian pretty much spends the rest of the novel trying to atone for not going with his gut instinct, which resulted in the fall of said wall. He’s supposed to be charming and good with the ladies (which is a ruse yet it’s never really displayed), but I got more of a “I have to atone” vibe from him, even before the wall fell.

But what did I think of the book? Well, I liked it. It was fun and well developed. Lydia grows from a girl who knows of the problems plaguing her world and doing nothing to heal those problems, to an adept and goal driven woman. Killian goes from a boy who is chained up by his marked to taking control of his life and being reliable to the people around him. I HIGHLY enjoy how Lydia and Killian were truthful with each other from the start. There are so many stories where misunderstandings and withholding information damaged a pretty good plot. I dislike how you know where the story will end up just because of someone keeping a secret. (Ex: I shouldn’t tell him about my past because he’ll hate me for it---->Oh no, he hates me for keeping the secret and not because of my past, I have to heal our wounded relationship now!) Thank goodness this story didn’t end up like that.

That being said, I ended up liking Dark Shores better. Terianna is a fun character. Super awesome and witty. I would have actually liked Terianna and Lydia to be romantically together than with Killian and Marcus. They have way more chemistry than they do with the two boys. I liked both plots, the growth in both novels, and basically everything pretty much at the same level. But there’s a smidgen of Terianna in this book so that’s why it comes in second.

Quick ramble: What’s up with brothers in these books hating each other? Where's the familial love?

I listened to this book on audiobook through Audible.com.

Johnson DeVante is not the best narrator for Killian. Don’t get me wrong. His voice is like melted butter mixed with a delicious batch of brownie batter---but that doesn’t go well with Killian. Killian who is, what, 19-years-old, and not the learned, deep voiced 30 something DeVante sounds like. There “are” some parts where Killian does exhibit that “rascal” attitude, but it’s lost on DeVante’s narration. (Still, I’d listen to DeVante if he was narrating a character closer to his voice range.)

Stephanie Willis was a great choice! I wouldn’t change her performance in any way.

Okay. Hope you had fun reading this. I had a great time reflecting. See ya with the next review!

The most awful male narrator EVER

The only reason I will continue to listen to the rest of the series is because it is actually good. But the male narrator is awful. If you cannot annunciate then you should not be a narrator.

Great fantasy!

This author is a wonderful creative storyteller. I have read a few of her books and not one disappoints her attention to detail is mesmerizing.This particular story is perhaps worthy of comparing to Phillip K Dick. I hope there is more.

Great story

the Female narrator was amazing, but the male one wasn't one I enjoyed listening to. stumbling over words and hard to understand.

Awesome book. Bad male narration

Loved all of Lydia’s parts. She did an amazing job embodying this character. The male narrator however was severely lacking. He made it so hard to even want to follow what was going on. I don’t think he was right for this book or it’s strong sure male character Killian. We needed a voice we could all fall in love with. That was not it. I feel like that narrator alone is holding the book back from its true potential because the story is amazing and the character are phenomenal.

Amazing narrator!!

In love of Lydia’s voice. She did an amazing job, not so much the male narrator.
Can’t wait to continue the story

Loved It

Book 2 in the Dark Shores series

Political Upheaval...Gods...Goddesses...Judgments...Love & Longing

Desiring hope. Wanting too much. Determining where you belong. Finding a purpose.

Once again I was pulled into the book from the beginning. I love reading the different people's stories in each book and seeing how they overall series ties together. At the risk of own life, the main characters continue to do all they can to preserve life.

"I choose this."

Can't wait to continue in book 3.

Narrator took me out of the Story

I enjoyed the female narrator, but the Male narrator sounding congested. At times I thought I changed the speed of the book because he spoke too fast at random times.
This book wasn’t as good as the first two (#0.5 and #1), but I still enjoyed it. Hoping book #3 ties the story together more

Stephanie Willis is Amazing

Stephanie Willis is such an amazing narrator! She really pulls you in and makes you feel every emotion. I really wish the whole book was narrated by just her. Not such a fan of the male narrator, especially when compared to Stephanie. Not enough variation between characters. His voice sounds nice but it just sounds like he’s reading a book to you as opposed to acting out a story.