Book Review ~ Sea of Shadows

Sea of Shadows (Age of Legends #1)

by Kelley Armstrong
published by HarperTeen
genre: Fantasy, YA, 

Summary (Goodreads): Twin sisters Moria and Ashyn were marked at birth to become the Keeper and the Seeker of Edgewood, beginning with their sixteenth birthday. Trained in fighting and in the secret rites of the spirits, they lead an annual trip into the Forest of the Dead. There, the veil between the living world and the beyond is thinnest, and the girls pay respect to the spirits who have passed.

But this year, their trip goes dreadfully wrong.

With all the heart-stopping romance and action that have made her a #1 New York Times bestselling author, and set in an unforgettably rich and dangerous world, this first epic book in the Age of Legends trilogy will appeal to Kelley Armstrong's legions of fans around the world and win her many new ones.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book as a whole. I've always been a fan of fantasy and I was really in the mood for a new fantasy series. Sea of Shadows was a promising first book filled with great characters in a fantastic fantasy world.
Of the twins, I think Ashyn was my favorite. I didn't dislike Moria, there was just something about how vulnerable Ashyn was while still being a strong character. It was obvious that Moria was the strong, athletic, can do everything after seeing it once type. Ashyn's strength to me was more subtle.
The only thing that really brought this down for me was how slow it read at times. There's a lot of traveling, whether it was into the forest (several times) or to the Imperial City. When there were things happening it kept my interest but then we would be back on the road traveling somewhere.
Overall, the ending sold this book the most. I was worried when I knew I had less than 1/3 to go and nothing had been resolved. A lot happened in that last half, if you stop before then you miss a lot. I'm intrigued by the supposed betrayal and how much Gavril is involved in the whole thing. Looking forward to finding out more about the coming war and what happens going forward.

Rating: 4