Saturday 6 May 2023

Book Review: Dark Moon, Shallow Sea by David R. Slayton (Fantasy)

Title: Dark Moon, Shallow Sea
Author: David R. Slayton
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Publication Date: 1 October 2023
Pages: 350
Format: eBook - EPUB
Genre: Fantasy
Source: ARC via NetGalley

Raef wants revenge on the knights who killed his goddess, the moon. Her death darkened the night sky, stopped the tides, and left the shades of the dead without a path to the underworld.

Seeking revenge, Raef breaks into the knights’ temple and opens a box, expecting to find gold and jewels among the bones. Instead, he finds a living man, Kinos, sleeping inside.

Raef steals Kinos.

As they run from the knights and grow closer, Raef thinks he’s found a friend, love, and perhaps a secret that may lead to his goddess’s return. If they can’t solve the mystery of Kinos's imprisonment, the moon will never rise again and the world will drown in ghosts.

 

Dark Moon, Shallow Sea is a book I wanted to like more than I did. The premise appealed to me immediately from the blurb, and I did still like the storyline on the whole as I read. But something about the book didn't quite work for me. My attention wandered as I read and the characters never caught me in any kind of emotional connection, their relationships feeling forced. It's hard to pinpoint why exactly I felt that way, and perhaps other readers will really connect with the work, but for me personally it was missing a spark to captivate me and lift the book above a shallow read through. As such, I am giving it three stars. It had promise and there were good elements, but it simply wasn't a stand-out work for me.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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