≫ Read Beyond a Darkened Shore Jessica Leake Books

Beyond a Darkened Shore Jessica Leake Books

Download As PDF : Beyond a Darkened Shore Jessica Leake Books

Beyond a Darkened Shore Jessica Leake Books

This book was a beautiful dark creation of everything I love as reader. We had a kick ass warrior woman main character, magical ancient Ireland, Irish mythology mixed with norse mythology, vikings, and a love story that you can’t help but fall in love with as well.

The story begins with our main character Ciara heading off to protect her family from the savage Northmen who are about to raid her village. She leads a group of men to stop the raid but while the other men fight with swords Ciara uses her mind. She has been gifted a special power that allows her to control the minds of other people. While most in her village are frightened of her gift and stay far, far away from Ciara this is one time they are happy for her gift. During this battle though something very strange happens when she comes upon the leader of the Northmen. Ciara ends taking him prisoner to find out more about him. But when her father returns home from another mission and she is ordered to execute him, everything falls apart.

I’m just going to come right out and say it...I LOVED this book! It was so engaging and kept me hooked from the first chapter. The characters were so complex, the world building and mythology involved was so beautifully described and I just could not stop reading. I absolutely love Ciara. Her character was so broken in the beginning with no friends, the village shunning her and the death of her sister weighing heavy on her. But throughout the book we begin to see emerge this amazing woman who would do anything for the ones she cares about. She finds this inner strength and talent and you cannot help but root for her throughout the book. And then we meet Leif and wow I could just sense his beautiful smile through the book and it was so swoon worthy! I loved their banter together and their journey. But my favorite part of this book was all the mythology involved, both Irish and Norse. It was a beautiful combination and I learned some new very interesting stories!! The only thing I would love to see with this book would be a map! They travel a lot during the book and I think it would really help to track the journey.

Also did I mention that this is a stand alone book? How often do we see this in YA...umm like never! It is so refreshing to finish a book and have some closure!! While the author does say more books could be in the future (I WOULD LOVE MORE!!) this book is perfect on it’s on (I mean minus the whole map thing but maybe I’m just biased). Overall, I highly recommend this book especially to readers who love Irish and Norse mythology, kick ass heroines and love stories.


Tags : Amazon.com: Beyond a Darkened Shore (9780062666260): Jessica Leake: Books,Jessica Leake,Beyond a Darkened Shore,HarperTeen,0062666266,Fairy Tales & Folklore - Adaptations,Fantasy - Historical,Romance - Historical,Fantasy,Imaginary wars and battles,Ireland - 11th century,Love,Princesses,Prophecies,Prophecies;Juvenile fiction.,Psychics,Psychics;Juvenile fiction.,Vikings,Vikings;Juvenile fiction.,Young adult fiction,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12),Fiction-Fantasy,JUVENILE,Juvenile Fiction,Juvenile Grades 10-12 Ages 15+,TEEN'S FICTION FANTASY,TEEN'S FICTION HISTORICAL,TEEN'S FICTION ROMANCE,United States,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Action & Adventure Survival Stories,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Fairy Tales & Folklore Adaptations,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Fantasy Historical,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Romance Historical,Young Adult FictionAction & Adventure - Survival Stories,Young Adult FictionFairy Tales & Folklore - Adaptations,Young Adult FictionRomance - Historical,Young adult fiction,teen fiction; fantasy; young adult books; romance; forbidden romance; female empowerment; warrior; magic; Celtic mythology; Norse mythology; Viking mythology; sacrifice; Ireland; Princess,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Action & Adventure Survival Stories,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Fairy Tales & Folklore Adaptations,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Fantasy Historical,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Romance Historical,Young Adult FictionAction & Adventure - Survival Stories,Young Adult FictionFairy Tales & Folklore - Adaptations,Young Adult FictionRomance - Historical,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)

Beyond a Darkened Shore Jessica Leake Books Reviews

This story was such an amazing surprise! I'm a sucker for mythology, so the Celtic and Norse mythology from this story is what drew me in initially. However, the plot and the characters are definitely what inspired me to speed read through this book.

Plot
In the mystical and powerful land of Éirinn, Princess Ciara of Mide is rendered a harbinger of death and suffering due to her gift. Ciara has the ability to control the minds and actions of others. As you can imagine, her ability combined with her combat skills make her a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. However, the sad thing is that this gift that helps her people also makes them leery of her. Everyone, including her parents, make her feel as if she is an outcast in her own kingdom. But, Ciara doesn't let this stop her from loving and protecting her younger sisters from any potential harm. This love for her sisters is what motivates Ciara to listen to the Morrighan, the Phantom Queen, when she sends her a message. The Morrighan wants Ciara to save the recently captured Northman raider as he is meant to help Ciara save mankind from a savage race that wishes to dominate the world. Ciara and Leif, the Northman, manage to put their pride and differences aside so that they can save their respective kingdoms from further harm.

Setting
The world-building in this story is magnificent. It's blended with a perfect combination of Celtic and Norse mythology. I loved learning about the different legends in each culture. These legends helped to flesh out this world and also flesh out the differences in Ciara and Leif's upbringing as they believe in different God(s). Jessica Leake did a remarkable job in creating the atmosphere of this story.

Characters
I love Leif and Ciara with all of my heart. They're both fierce, protective, strong, loyal and unbelievably caring people. It was such a joy to watch them overcome their differences and learn to trust each other and then fall in love. I cannot say enough positive things about these characters, but the best way for you to see them as I do is for you to read this book!

Overall
This story was an adventure from the very first page. Jessica Leake immediately captivated my attention and she managed to hold it until the very last page. I cannot wait to read more book from this author. She has an incredible ability to create such magical, realistic worlds full of three-dimensional characters.
I have been searching for a book to grip me, to yank me in and not let go.... Beyond a Darkened Shore did just that. I am fascinated by Celtic and Norse mythology after recent trips to Ireland and Scotland, and this novel satisfied every need for that mystical, mythical nature of these beautiful countries. Leake's writing does seem a bit more telly than showy, and I do wish we had a bit of a darker tone... Ciara's character is strong, and I have yet to find a flaw in her. I think there is potential for a flaw in her possible power-hungry nature, but just TELLING us she has a darkness inside her - literally - isn't quite enough to fully develop her character as much as I would like. Still, despite the story being a bit held back by the over expository writing, this is one of my new favorites. I look forward to reading every other book Leake ever writes. I hope we get more of Ciara and Lief.
BEYOND A DARKENED SHORE is a beautiful, stay-up-late-into-the-night-because-you-can’t-put-it-down read!

You are immediately immersed in the lush setting of 11th century Ireland with all its green hills, crashing shores, and dark mythology. Ciara is a strong, loyal main character who you immediately root for, and her situation is dire. She must team up with her greatest enemy in order to save her family and her kingdom. Luckily, for her and us, her enemy is the deliciously handsome Leif, a Northman (Viking) invading Ireland. Their romance is fraught with tension, as is the plot.

This book doesn’t hold back the punches. The romance is steamy, the battles are exciting, the heartbreaks are devastating, the mythology creates a darkly magic atmosphere, and the ending is ultimately satisfying. I definitely recommend this one!
This book was a beautiful dark creation of everything I love as reader. We had a kick ass warrior woman main character, magical ancient Ireland, Irish mythology mixed with norse mythology, vikings, and a love story that you can’t help but fall in love with as well.

The story begins with our main character Ciara heading off to protect her family from the savage Northmen who are about to raid her village. She leads a group of men to stop the raid but while the other men fight with swords Ciara uses her mind. She has been gifted a special power that allows her to control the minds of other people. While most in her village are frightened of her gift and stay far, far away from Ciara this is one time they are happy for her gift. During this battle though something very strange happens when she comes upon the leader of the Northmen. Ciara ends taking him prisoner to find out more about him. But when her father returns home from another mission and she is ordered to execute him, everything falls apart.

I’m just going to come right out and say it...I LOVED this book! It was so engaging and kept me hooked from the first chapter. The characters were so complex, the world building and mythology involved was so beautifully described and I just could not stop reading. I absolutely love Ciara. Her character was so broken in the beginning with no friends, the village shunning her and the death of her sister weighing heavy on her. But throughout the book we begin to see emerge this amazing woman who would do anything for the ones she cares about. She finds this inner strength and talent and you cannot help but root for her throughout the book. And then we meet Leif and wow I could just sense his beautiful smile through the book and it was so swoon worthy! I loved their banter together and their journey. But my favorite part of this book was all the mythology involved, both Irish and Norse. It was a beautiful combination and I learned some new very interesting stories!! The only thing I would love to see with this book would be a map! They travel a lot during the book and I think it would really help to track the journey.

Also did I mention that this is a stand alone book? How often do we see this in YA...umm like never! It is so refreshing to finish a book and have some closure!! While the author does say more books could be in the future (I WOULD LOVE MORE!!) this book is perfect on it’s on (I mean minus the whole map thing but maybe I’m just biased). Overall, I highly recommend this book especially to readers who love Irish and Norse mythology, kick ass heroines and love stories.