Sea Of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong eARC review!

      

Title : Sea Of Shadows
Author : Kelley Armstrong
Pages : 416
Published : April 8th 2014 by HarperCollins
Source : Edelweiss

In the Forest of the Dead, where the empire’s worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned.

Only this year, the souls will not be quieted.

Ambushed and separated by an ancient evil, the sisters’ journey to find each other sends them far from the only home they've ever known. Accompanied by a stubborn imperial guard and a dashing condemned thief, the girls cross a once-empty wasteland, now filled with reawakened monsters of legend, as they travel to warn the emperor. But a terrible secret awaits them at court—one that will alter the balance of their world forever.

My Thoughts : 

Twins are rare and when they are born they usually become Keeper and Seeker. The Keepers job is to keep the spirits from entering the village and the Seekers job is to go into the Forest Of The Dead and put the spirits to rest. Moira is the Keeper and Ashyn is the Seeker. 

Every year the Seeker has to go into the Forest to quiet the spirits and this year is Ashyns first year doing it by herself. At the start everything goes as planned but when her companions start disappearing things start to go wrong. In the forest Ashyn meets Ranon, a criminal sent to die there. He may be her only hope of getting out alive. 

OK, this was just amazing!!! From the very first page this book had me hooked. 

Moira was a kick ass character. She was strong, stubborn, an amazing fighter and could throw a knife a hairs breath away from you. She was fierce and loyal but also kind and always looked out for her sister. Ahsyn on the other hand is quite and meek.  In other words the total opposite of Moira. I loved how different both were, even though they are twins, but yet they make a complete whole. They each make the best of each other and are fiercely loyal to each other. 

I loved both Gavril and Ranon. Gavril is surly and strong but you know deep down he has feelings for Moira. Ranon is more open with his feelings for Ashyn and I loved seeing both friendships progress. Moira is more practical in her approach to romance, she sees it more logically. To her a kiss is just a kiss and it doesn't have to lead to anything, whereas Ashyn is a romantic at heart. 

The whole lore of Sea Of Shadows was unique and fascinating. The Seeker and Keepers have animals bonded to them that help them on their journeys. There is 3 pairs of these twins in the kingdom and its Ashyn and Moiras job to be at the Forest Of The Dead. This is where criminals are sent and left to die. These spirits often become vengeful which is why a Keeper and Seeker need to be there.  If a spirit becomes vengeful they can become Shadow Stalkers. These spirits can then reanimate the dead and they become like zombies. We also have giant worm like things, giant Thunder Birds, warlocks and mercenaries. I absolutely loved the mythology.

Overall Sea Of Shadows was a breathtaking journey of magic, mystery, suspense, creepiness and danger. I loved every single aspect of this book! When I was reading it it took my breath away!! The separate journeys the girls make were dangerous and deadly and the way the author described things was so creepy. She has a way with words that make you apart of the book. Its an action packed, edge of your seat book and Kelley Armstrong has created a dark and dangerous world but one I cant wait to jump back into. This is a must read and all I can say is bring on book 2!!!