REVIEW: Sea of Shadows

Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong
Published: April 8th 2014 by HarperCollins
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult, Horror, Romance
Pages: 416
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 7/10
Quick Run-Down: 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

This is a great young adult fantasy novel! It basically centers around twin sisters Moria and Ashyn. They are the Keeper and the Seeker (which reminds me way too much of Quidditch positions). They are in charge of quieting these angry souls/spirits.

The Characters? I loved the two sisters a lot... They had a really nice family dynamic. I preferred Ashyn over Moria, simply because I could relate to her more quiet, bookish nature over Moria's fiery and passionate nature. The two are very realistic sixteen year old's, despite the novel being a fantasy. I LOVED Ronan, he is so cute and funny. His lines made me laugh out loud. Gavril definitely annoyed me a little with his over-confident and cocky character, but he was intriguing and I wanted to know more about him. I liked the companion animals and their accompanying characteristics, too. 

The Plot? The plot was fairly slow, however I was kept entertained simply because of the world and the creatures which inhabited it. I mean, the parts with the legendary creatures were awesome. I was kept intrigued and breathless with the fight scenes with the shadow stalkers, thunder hawks, and death worms. I mean, those creature names alone intrigued me! The actual plot was pretty thin, and the "plot twist" at the end wasn't very shocking at all. The slow storyline progression didn't bother me at all, though, as I wanted to slowly venture through this world with Ashyn and Moria. I liked how they were discovering what the world looked like outside the Waste's the same time we discovered it.
It wasn't a super fast-paced read, but I kept thoroughly hooked the whole time.

What I didn't like was the lack of communication with the spirits. We didn't really get to see what Ashyn and Moria are supposed to do. We just know that they are highly respected.
Not a lot of people liked this book, which surprises me. I quite enjoyed it.

Supernatural, because of it's... well... Supernatural elements and creatures. Also, the dynamic between Ashyn and Moria reminded me of Sam and Dean. Sam and Ashyn are the quieter, more level-headed, bookish siblings, and Dean and Moria are the rash, fiery, warrior siblings. The relationships between Ashyn/Moria reminded me of the relationship between Dean/Sam.