Comments for Sea of Shadows: Age of Legends

Sea of Shadows: Age of Legends: 11/06/14

Sea of Shadows: Age of Legends by Kelley Armstrong is the first of a new trilogy. This time it's a high fantasy set in the land that seems inspired by Ainu and Japanese legends. Moria and Ashyn as twins have been destined to serve their village as keeper and seeker. The keeper maintains the stories and traditions; the seeker finds the dead and the spirits. Both are paired with an animal guide and the guides are the ones who ultimately decide if twins are worthy of the task.

Over the winter, those who have broken the laws of the village are cast out, sent to the forest to fend for themselves. It's basically a death sentence. If they do survive, they are invited back into the fold. This time though, when Ashyn goes out to retrieve the bodies and put the souls to rest, something happens.

Thus Armstrong sets up a small scale apocalypse, driving the survivors towards the capital. Both sisters are forced to make uncomfortable decisions while trying to stay true to their calling. After so many of her urban YA fantasies where teens suddenly have powers and suddenly the adults around them are EVIL and they have to escape and they can't trust anyone. And oh the sexual tension!

Sea of Shadows is thankfully different. Yes, there are evil adults but it's not quite the conspiracy. Also, the sisters have been training all their lives so even if they aren't much different in age from their urban cohorts, they act older and with more confidence. Thus the focus of the story is on the world building, rather than angsty teens being angsty teens — with powers.

Five stars

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