On Dark Shores

Jun 30, 2011 Rachael rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

"On Dark Shores: The Lady" is a three part series that begins by introducing us to the thief, Nereia, and her much younger sister, Mary. They live in Scarlock, a tiny Harbor town dominated by a weasel of man named Copeland. Nothing gets past him, and the inhabitants of Scarlock live in fear of him and his bodyguard, a prior boxer named Blakey who spends his days roughing up the poor and unlucky who are unable to pay their debts.

Nereia and Mary are cousins of Copeland, but unless you had read tha...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: british, fantasy, indies, goodreads-authors

Ahh, where to begin? Let me start by saying that this book is of a genre that wouldn’t usually be my first choice. Or second. Probably not even third. Then let me carry on to say that I am SO glad to have been offered the chance to read it, as On Dark Shores: The Lady is some of the best writing I have come across in a long time. It’s one of those books that has me enviously thinking “why can’t I write like that? It’s not fair!” every other sentence.

Author J.A. Clements has the knack of pulling...more Ahh, where to begin? Let me start by saying that this book is of a genre that wouldn’t usually be my first choice. Or second. Probably not even third. Then let me carry on to say that I am SO glad to have been offered the chance to read it, as On Dark Shores: The Lady is some of the best writing I have come across in a long time. It’s one of those books that has me enviously thinking “why can’t I write like that? It’s not fair!” every other sentence.

Author J.A. Clements has the knack of pulling the reader right along with the flow of the story. She takes the approach of frequent cuts between scenes, shifting the reader’s attention between characters, without ever losing focus on the central plot. I read this book with a constant nagging feeling of “just a couple more pages then I SWEAR I’ll put it down for the night” that somehow had me awake and still reading ’til dawn because I couldn’t quite bear to stop yet. There might be something wrong with me, though. It sounds like the inhabitants of the town of Scarlock aren’t exactly living overly happy or fulfilling lives under the thumb of the unpleasant Copeland, but somehow the author’s description of the place made me want to go there, rent myself a little stone hovel, wander the cobbled alleys and generally assimilate!

…. All of which leads me to the only minor thing I can fault this book on, and that is the fact that the author cruelly and heartlessly left me hanging. I got to the end of The Lady and felt a bit like I’d just finished a chapter in the most amazing epic novel when a mugger came up and snatched the thing out of my unsuspecting hands. Now I’m left feeling all bereft and longing for my next fix of the little world that Clement has dreamed up and so eloquently put down in words. There’s a difference, though - a BIG one! - between being left feeling dissatisfied and being left hungry for more. On Dark Shores: The Lady definitely has the latter effect, and in closing I’d just like to say one thing. J.A. Clement, I firmly believe you have this story all mapped out in your head, and I get the feeling it might be a long one (I do hope so). So, if you’d just be so kind as to give up all unnecessary extraneous distractions such as eating, sleeping, bathing and suchlike, and get down to the important business of writing and editing the rest of the On Dark Shores series, I would be pathetically grateful. At this point I’m quite desperate to find out what happens next, and I’m not ashamed to beg! Thanks much.

In short? Yes, you should read this.(less)

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May 03, 2012 Tricia Kristufek rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews, recommended

"Copeland had already taken eleven years of her life, and there was no getting that back; but Nereia was damned if she’d let him have her sister."

Change is stirring in Scarlock...

For the last eleven years, Nereia has been Copeland's thief, stealing trinkets for him instead of going to work in the whorehouse, to protect her younger sister, Mary, from his clutches. But Copeland's reach in Scarlock is far and his ambitions are vast. Bent on getting Nereia to take on a new thieving scheme, Copeland...more

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Aug 07, 2011 A.F. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-books, own

On Dark Shores: The Lady by JA Clement is an enthralling page-turner and I adored the book. The marvellous story sucked me in from page one and the way the author weaves her narrative elements together, I believe she may be the literary child of Charles Dickens and Ursula K. le Guin.

Sometimes you find a book that is such a delight to read, you don’t want to pry your eyes away from the page; On Dark Shores: The Lady is such a book. You fall in this world of fantasy from the first word, swept alon...more

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Aug 16, 2011 M.T. McGuire rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book takes place, mostly, in the town of Scarlock. We are drawn into the story with Nereia, a young girl whose main concern is to protect her younger sister from Copeland, the money lender who owns the town. They are trapped but they plan to escape. Meanwhile, far away, the Shantari are looking for 'the lady' who they must guard and protect. A group of adventurers arrive in Scarlock and a merchant, who is watching the events surrounding Nereia unfold with a growing sense of unease, turns ou...more This book takes place, mostly, in the town of Scarlock. We are drawn into the story with Nereia, a young girl whose main concern is to protect her younger sister from Copeland, the money lender who owns the town. They are trapped but they plan to escape. Meanwhile, far away, the Shantari are looking for 'the lady' who they must guard and protect. A group of adventurers arrive in Scarlock and a merchant, who is watching the events surrounding Nereia unfold with a growing sense of unease, turns out to know them. Strange ghostly figures appear on the beach and we discover that there is more to Blakey, Copeland's tame thug, than meets the eye.

As it is the first of a series there are quite a few threads to establish in a fairly short time. However, despite the need to jump around I did not find it confusing to follow. We mostly stick with Nereia and her sister in this book but their situation is not resolved leaving this reader, at any rate, eagerly anticipating the next installment.

The writing style is seriously accomplished; shades of LeGuin and with a nod to Orczy in places; a splendid and pleasingly bizarre combo.

It's a lyrical and thoughtful style but that doesn't slow down the pace of the narrative. It's also very dark in places but not gory, the reader is left to imagine the details in.

The standard of production is excellent, no typos as far as I could see, an appealing cover and a very professional feel.

Any criticisms? Only one. I am likely to be talking complete cobblers here but for some reason I'm under the impression that On Dark Shores is the length Young Adult books are supposed' to be if you ask a publisher or an agent. Writing a debut book that way is, undeniably, a smart move for an author. However, in this case, I think it might have benefited from being a bit longer. Just to give us readers more time to gel with the characters. So, I have to take half a star off for that and give it 4.5 stars. Except that Amazon won't let me do that so I'm going to give it five.

Definitely recommended. An impressive debut and some top notch writing. It isn't the kind of style I usually go for but it drew me in and I really want to read the next one. So, J A Clement. Please hurry up with book 2.(less)

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Jul 30, 2012 Shivanee (Novel Niche) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: requested-reviews, read-in-2011, novel-niche-full-reviews

Excerpted from the full review:

"Reading the expository opening paragraphs of ‘On Dark Shores 1: The Lady’ prompted my best hopes for a gracefully constructed and fertilely imagined creative landscape. In these lines, we are introduced to the cast’s main players not by name, but through their dreams, all of which are uneasy, tempest-tossed. Tidings are being washed ashore which will bode ill, we are given to understand, and this hinting at future upheaval is admirably conveyed through Clement’s s...more

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Jul 13, 2011 Katy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of dark fantasy stories and fans of good writing

Recommended to Katy by: J. A. Clement

Shelves: ebook

I have to start out by saying, this is an incredible novella and I hope Clement writes many, many more stories in this world. It is a dark world, a somewhat grim place, and there are threads and branches to this story that are barely touched in this initial entrance to the world – but there is no doubt that it is going to be a crazy ride, and one with which any dark fantasy fan will fall in love.

I can’t think of a way to summarize the plot very well without giving away large bunches of informati...more

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May 25, 2011 Jenn of Frequent Reader, Infrequent Blogger rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, e-pub, review-written

***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***

On Dark Shores: The Lady is an odd little story of the town of Scarlock and it's many battered residents trying to make their way though life. They live in a land that's apparently in the middle of some sort of war between the Shantari and the Mardon which I think are neighboring races but could be just neighboring countries. It's not really completely clarified within the text itself.

The biggest issue with this story is that even though it's part of w...more ***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***

On Dark Shores: The Lady is an odd little story of the town of Scarlock and it's many battered residents trying to make their way though life. They live in a land that's apparently in the middle of some sort of war between the Shantari and the Mardon which I think are neighboring races but could be just neighboring countries. It's not really completely clarified within the text itself.

The biggest issue with this story is that even though it's part of what will be a series of books it doesn't have it's own individual story arc. It is the beginning of what looks like it will be an amazing story but just that, the beginning. You have the build of getting to know each character, learning the plan of the villain and learning individual character motives which is great, but it's leading to something that even at the end you aren't sure what. Don't get me wrong, the story shows promise, but this looks like it's one of those books where it's best to wait to have all the pieces before you read it. When you reach the end it's much the case of what happens now? From what I've read it's my personal opinion that this story might have been better served as a really long book similar to the Historian in length than to have been broken up into individual pieces to what I believe is going to end up being a trilogy.

The beginning is a little hard to get into because it opens jumping from dream to dream in what seems like random characters and tends to leave you a little confused. From there you get a a short introduction to the Mother of the Shantari, but it doesn't really give a full explanation of what she does, who she really is. Yes we know she protects her people and that she has some gifted abilities to do so. We learn that there's something out there called the Dark Waters that's a danger somehow to the people but it's still a bit confusing. I think this scene would have better been served with a bit more background. I realize that some explanations were provided within a glossary at the back of the book, but most readers, myself included never look at glossaries or appendages unless there's no other choice. It's too reminiscent of school. Also a part of this scene included the daughter telling her mother what she should do, and to me that was a little realistic. It was only one line and then the interlude faded back to the norm of the mother being that all-knowing and the daughter asking the questions, but it's a bit jarring. Also the narrative style voice at the beginning leaves the reader at a bit of a distance wondering if you're really going to be able to connect to the characters. That being said the opening still has an interesting flow to it. Clement's words are almost like poetry as she opens this book, and it's almost reminiscent of I'd say and Irish lilting lullaby in flow.

Once you've passed the opening you start to get a real introduction the characters. You root for poor Nereia, an orphan uprooted from her home and mistreated by her awful cousin, while she struggles through dangers trying to protect her young sister Mary from the harsh truths of their life. You wish that Blakley would get a backbone and save the entire town from Copeland instead hiding in his drugs and booze while following his cruel employers orders. And you grow more and more curious about just what Mickel is doing in Scarlock because it's made very clear there's more to Mickel than meets the eye. Toward the end you even have a growing respect for the Madam. The last portion of the story introduces a few new characters, but the story doesn't have the opportunity to delve enough into those for you to really understand what role they're going to play in this book series. You have the idea it's going to be a pivotal role, but you can't be sure without having more to read.

It does take a little bit to find that connection to the character but once you find that spot the characters are there, in your face and raw. You can't help but connect to them. There are a few odd scenes of skeletons and beaches in small section of the story but as of yet those don't exactly make sense. Honestly I think I'll have a much better understanding when the next section of this story is released. Hopefully it won't be something we have to wait too long for because I finished the book feeling like a little kid whose mother had just come in and taken away their book in the good part and said it's time for bed. So then the kid can't sleep tossing and turning as they wonder what happens next. It's the opening of what could really be a phenomenal series, however it doesn't have enough of it's own story arc to hold as a single title in my personal opinion. However I still appreciate the experience the author has gifted with by giving me this story to read and review. (less)

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May 25, 2011 Cambria added it

Title: On Dark Shores: The Lady
Author: JA Clement
Publisher: Weasel Green Press March 2011
AISN: B004S7JCYG
Format: E-book (Paperback, coming soon)

In the tiny harbor town of Scarlock, the residents are dominated by fear. They live in trepidation of when the next visit from Copeland, the town moneylender, will come. Copeland takes pride in the fact that he ‘runs’ the town and is increasingly demanding in the money and goods he collects. Blakey is Copeland’s bodyguard and the man that does all the di...more

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May 22, 2012 Vered rated it 4 of 5 stars

Scarlock is a dark, gloomy town in a country still struggling to sort out its history. The town may look sleepy, but there’s a lot going on and most of it not good. Like most of the inhabitants, Nereia is desperate to get out of the clutches of Mr. Copeland, the thug who runs the place. Unlike everyone else, Nereia is willing to risk the unthinkable: escape.

This is a beautifully told story, gripping and with a number of threads twisting through it. The characters are all rich and deep. Even the...more

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Apr 16, 2012 Sheila rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: coming-of-age, relationships, scifi-fantasy, suspense, young-adult

It took a little while to get into J.A. Clement’s On Dark Shores, the Lady, even though I’d already read the prequel, Parallels. But perhaps I was looking for too many parallels between the stories. Characters do reappear, but the story's set later and the future's more important than the past. The evil Copeland's still ruling the port town of Scarlock and Nereia, the thief, works for him, trying to keep her younger sister safe and fed. Boxer Blakey wounds people in his master's name but might b...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Read2review rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed-for-read-2-review

** For the full review please check out www.read2review.com **

This was my introduction to the On Dark Shores series by JA Clements. In this book we come across Nereia and Mary. We also come across Copeland, Blakey and Mickel the group who control the town of Skarlock.

At first the story is very hard to follow as it shifts all over the place and the chapters are quite long, there were 6 chapters for 96 pages. After years of abuse Nereia and Mary try to run away but get found and brutally beaten b...more

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Jul 02, 2011 Naiya rated it 1 of 5 stars

The book genuinely frustrated me. I was the person toddling down a lovely forest trail on a lovely autumn evening, only to have a Mack truck careen out from the undergrowth, spraying me with the mud from the puddles I'd just been admiring, and go roaring down the path, steamrolling nifty literary conventions like pacing and plot arc.

The story opens with a promise of a good yarn and four characters: the man who holds the town in a mafia-like vise of control, the muscle who got hooked on drugs aft...more The book genuinely frustrated me. I was the person toddling down a lovely forest trail on a lovely autumn evening, only to have a Mack truck careen out from the undergrowth, spraying me with the mud from the puddles I'd just been admiring, and go roaring down the path, steamrolling nifty literary conventions like pacing and plot arc.

The story opens with a promise of a good yarn and four characters: the man who holds the town in a mafia-like vise of control, the muscle who got hooked on drugs after a bad injury, the thief who'd do anything to protect her little sister, and far away, a mysterious wisewoman whose visions tell her that she is running out of time.

I was prepared to love this story. But this story blindsighted me with its pretty imagery only to splatter me with an incoherent storyline.

I think I might have overlooked that--who hasn't for the sake of a kickass character or high energy plot? But the story's personae dramatica are spun each and every way by the plot. The muscle who plans to kill Mr. Baddie can face Mr. Baddie down in a stare-off, but when Mr. Baddie goes conveniently crazy (a penalty-free way of making him act out of character and kill people), Muscle becomes as shaky and insecure as a colt. He grows a conscience and pays lip service to feeling bad for beating the shit out of a little girl. Deus ex machina is milked to the nineteenth degree.

When it comes to the main character, Nereia (a name I ended up pronouncing to rhyme with gonorrhea), I saw no struggle or growth--things happened to her, and the only conflict she engaged in consisted of her shooting her mouth off at the worst possible time--in exclamation points!, even when she was not shouting. Inconsistencies in her actions and decisions are waved off as her acting-without-thinking. In any other setting, I'd call her a spoiled brat (can a destitute thief who's barely scraping by be called a spoiled brat?) of a teenager. But she's a 25-year-old and one of my first TSTL fantasy heroine experiences outside of the paranormal romance genre.

All in all, the story attempts to introduce a vast array of characters, most of whom have nothing to do with moving the story forward, and others who are only passing through. I wanted to take the author by the shoulders, give a good shake, and say, cut all the random convenient caricature characters, build our Nereia into the woman she is to have survived so long on the streets, and make this story blaze like a forest fire.

By the end of part one, I saw a lot of set up, but little substance--which was a tragedy all in itself, because the author can write. My expectations were quietly trampled into the undergrowth and there was precious little to cling to after the novelty of seeing a real life metaphorical Mack truck in a metaphorical forest wore off.

Full review can be found here.(less)

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Jun 16, 2011 Kimberly Maloney rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! It had all the appeal of a novel of historical fiction, but a bit of fantasy is also thrown into the mix. It’s the first in a series of three I do believe. I will most definitely be getting the next two novels to read and review. I loved the characters and their stories. The evil Copeland is a great antagonist, and the grip he has on the fictional town of Scarlock is intense. His “muscle man” Blakey grows as a character in the novel, and at the end it’s hinted that there is mu...more

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May 06, 2011 TC rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I was offered this book for review I was a little hesitant as I don't think of myself as a fantasy fan. However when I thought about it I do read a bit of fantasy and sci fi, so agreed to review it with the author being aware it wasn't one of my usual genres. Once again opening my mind to something different has paid dividends though.

The harbour town of Scarlock is a virtual prison for its inhabitants, who are controlled by the moneylender Copeland.Those who get on the wrong side of him hav...more When I was offered this book for review I was a little hesitant as I don't think of myself as a fantasy fan. However when I thought about it I do read a bit of fantasy and sci fi, so agreed to review it with the author being aware it wasn't one of my usual genres. Once again opening my mind to something different has paid dividends though.

The harbour town of Scarlock is a virtual prison for its inhabitants, who are controlled by the moneylender Copeland.Those who get on the wrong side of him have to deal with his enforcer come bodyguard Blakey. Nereia is related to Copeland but this means nothing, she has had to become a master thief to support herself and protect her sister. However change is afoot and while Copeland starts losing control others are asserting themselves. Elsewhere the Mother of the Shantari, "guard and guide to her people", has to find The Lady and stop anything happening to her.

The majority of the action occurs in Scarlock, which has a faintly Dickensian feel about it, with its taverns and brothel, and the moneylender whose sharp practices trap the people in a cycle of poverty. I was captivated by Nereia's story and the way she remained determined to protect her younger sister despite the consequences to herself. I wanted to keep reading to see where the tale was going to go. I also found myself questioning whether Blakey was a bad person, inflicting violence under the guise of just doing his job, or himself a victim.

The role of the Mother of Shantari remains a bit of a mystery, no doubt to be addressed in future books in the series. She and the dark shore of the title provide the real fantasy element, and I was pleased to find I really enjoyed that aspect of the book and wanted a little more of it, rather than being put off by it. This is a dark and, in places, violent story that sets up what looks to be a grand epic.

While this book does set up a lot of threads to be picked up in the next one, and introduce a lot of characters I expect we will learn more about in future, I did feel that end was a little too abrupt and I felt a bit disappointed that I'd reached the end at that particular point. I need the next book in the series to be available pronto so I can pick up the threads again! This is a book that has been released after a decent edit and proof-reading, which always pleases me and I don't recall noting any typo's. That and the attractive cover make for a polished end product.

This is a great debut novel for J A Clement. The second book is one I'll be keeping an eye out for & I'm definitely going to have to reconsider what genres I say I enjoy in future.

(less)

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Aug 06, 2011 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars

On Dark Shores The Lady by J.A. Clement

Jules Rating: 5 stars

The first couple chapters of On Dark Shores had me sratching my head, I couldn't figure out where the book was taking me. Then it found its rythym. This book is haunting, dark and leaves you wanting more, and more. Some parts of the book gave me chills with my hair standing on end... I can't wait for the next books to follow.

On Dark Shore takes place in the town of Scarlock, which is being held hostage in fear of the moneylender Copelan...more

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Jul 30, 2011 Shaunna Mclaren rated it 4 of 5 stars

On Dark Shores: The Lady turned out quite a different-from-usual read for me, yet I thoroughly enjoyed it. I found the first couple of pages confusing, but once I got into the story everything fell into place, and Clement’s incredibly interesting, dark world opened up. One thing that stood out to me when reading this novel was the foreboding atmosphere that seemed to hang above every page. Clement manages to create such an atmosphere that the reader truly feels the anger and fear that her charac...more On Dark Shores: The Lady turned out quite a different-from-usual read for me, yet I thoroughly enjoyed it. I found the first couple of pages confusing, but once I got into the story everything fell into place, and Clement’s incredibly interesting, dark world opened up. One thing that stood out to me when reading this novel was the foreboding atmosphere that seemed to hang above every page. Clement manages to create such an atmosphere that the reader truly feels the anger and fear that her characters are forced to live through every day.

One of the best examples of the atmosphere created by Clement through her beautiful, haunting description has to be the skeleton scenes in Chapter 5. Possibly confusing at first, the fragments gradually build into a stunning representation of the choice between life and death.

I also loved the fact that Clement allowed us to enter the minds of many of her characters. This gave a very interesting insight to the workings of her characters, from her heroine Nereia, to her villain Copeland. It is worth saying that, as much as I hated Copeland, and as much as his actions made me squirm at many points in the story, Clement’s characterisation of him is wonderful. I found it intriguing diving into his mind, especially at his uncertain points in the novel, of which I won’t say any more as I don’t want to ruin it!

I would say the only thing I could criticise about On Dark Shores: The Lady is the fact that, even upon reaching the end of the novel, a lot of it seemed left open-ended and there were many loose ends; I felt that I had finished right in the middle of the story – however, I am aware this novel is the first of a series, so this does make sense. It only becomes a problem for me due to the fact that the novel, in a way, does not stand for itself as a story – it needs the sequels to complete it, rather than them being a welcome addition to the completed first novel.

Aside from this which, in all honesty, should only be considered a minor problem as I am sure J.A. Clement will be releasing the next part of her series very soon, On Dark Shores: The Lady was a very gripping read. I would most definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a dark, compelling story; great characterisation and something with historical and fantastical elements.(less)

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Jul 16, 2011 Jeffrey Poole rated it 4 of 5 stars

A dark, gripping novella...

Without realizing it, I'm discovering myself a fan of novellas. Short stories with wonderfully created worlds and disctinct characters that are very easily imagineable. On Dark Shores is such a novella.

This story is set in a grimy little town where it is ruled mercilessly by the moneylender, Copeland. He and his bodyguard, Blakely, keep the villagers cowering with fear, extorting money and doling out beatings on a daily basis. There are two sisters, and one has been f...more A dark, gripping novella...

Without realizing it, I'm discovering myself a fan of novellas. Short stories with wonderfully created worlds and disctinct characters that are very easily imagineable. On Dark Shores is such a novella.

This story is set in a grimy little town where it is ruled mercilessly by the moneylender, Copeland. He and his bodyguard, Blakely, keep the villagers cowering with fear, extorting money and doling out beatings on a daily basis. There are two sisters, and one has been forced to become a thief, being a distant relative to Copeland himself. When the older sister realizes she'll be unable to protect the younger any longer, she determines it is time to try and escape from the clutches of her cousin.

There's clearly more going on with the townfolk than they let on. The bodyguard, Blakely, used to be a boxer, and has the power to eliminate the moneylender's grip over the town, but instead chooses to hide his emotions in booze and drugs. There's the barkeep, Mickel, who was formerly a medic, I think, and is forced to resume his old profession as the town doctor is afraid to cross Copeland.

I won't go into any other details here lest I inadvertently give away a spoiler. Let me just say, instead, that I enjoyed the story. The writing was smooth and flawless in execution. I had no problems imagining I was skulking around in the dark streets of Scarlock. This isn't a story for the faint of heart. There's gruesome scenes of torture and murder and of unspeakable acts of cruelty. On the plus side, the scenes are so well written that you're glued to the pages waiting to see what happens next, much like you would do if you saw an train wreck: you know you should look away, but you find yourself transfixed to the scene. Like that. :)

There were a few critiques that I could find. Again, without giving anything away, the skeleton scene. I'm not sure where that came from, but I was confused about why it was there. I think I see where the author was going with it, but just thought it was odd and not really fitting with the rest of the story. I feel as though the story was cut off abruptly, but I'll take that as a good sign, as I'm clearly intersted in learning what happens next, when Karma will finally catch up to those who need it, and what the fate of the older sister is.

Ms. Clement, nicely done! I'll definitely pick up the next in the series when it's released!(less)

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Jul 28, 2011 Jenn rated it 3 of 5 stars

On Dark Shores is a tale that is just that, dark.
J.A. does a wonderful job in her descriptions of weather and scenery so much that I actually almost shivered.
That should say a lot since it is over a 100 where I live.
She gives such life to her characters that I could see them as real people and found myself even feeling their own emotions, even the most awful of villains!
Her main character in this book is a very headstrong and stubborn girl by the name of Nereia.
She will do anything possible...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Carrie Penney rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: freebie

On Dark Shores was a book that I might not have even noticed when looking on goodreads or amazon if it wasn't for the fact that it was offered as a freebie at the time. Is now? I haven't a clue.

This book was great from the start, and it kept me turning the pages, or rather swiping my finger across the screen.There are so many characters and we the reader have been fed tidbits of things regarding them. But not their full tales, a thing that hope is resolved in the next books because I have so ma...more

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Aug 14, 2012 PaulineMRoss rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: genre-fantasy, price-cheap, 2-star

It's really hard to know what to say about this one. It starts well, with a truly atmospheric couple of chapters, but then the reader is dumped into a generic fantasy town with a generic fantasy villain and a generic fantasy situation - you know the sort of thing, there's this bad guy who runs the pickpockets, the brothels, the drugs trade, and our orphaned heroine is forced to be a thief in order to avoid a Fate Worse Than Death (ie working in the brothel). But why? Is there no honest work she...more It's really hard to know what to say about this one. It starts well, with a truly atmospheric couple of chapters, but then the reader is dumped into a generic fantasy town with a generic fantasy villain and a generic fantasy situation - you know the sort of thing, there's this bad guy who runs the pickpockets, the brothels, the drugs trade, and our orphaned heroine is forced to be a thief in order to avoid a Fate Worse Than Death (ie working in the brothel). But why? Is there no honest work she can do? In the whole town, is there only one person who's prepared to give her work? If she lived there before, how come she doesn't know anyone else? Sorry, it makes no sense to me. And when she defies the bad guy, she discovers that actually there are worse things than working in a brothel. This part was quite hard to read, in fact.

Then there's the writing style. There are a lot of characters (which is fine) but the author chooses to head-hop from one to another with gay abandon, which simply gets confusing. This makes the story lose all focus, since we’re just getting used to one character and it’s on to the next. It's very difficult to develop a rapport with any of them when we jump in and out of heads so rapidly. The whole effect was made worse in the version I read because there were no gaps between one point of view and the next, not even a blank line or two (stars or some such would have worked better). [Edit: this seems to be a problem only with the Kindle for PC app; the formatting is fine on the Android app and the Kindle.]

This is not to say that the book is bad, it really isn't. The opening is terrific, and there are some really interesting things going on behind the scenes - Copeland's loss of memory, for instance, what's that all about? Blakey and Mickel have intriguing backgrounds that I would definitely like to know more about. And there are moments when the writing is wonderful. There are no typos and no creative grammar or spelling. But for me it was ruined by the trite and unoriginal nature of the story - thieves, whores, an unbelievable premise for the heroine, bad decisions all round - and a confusing approach to telling the story. And there was no real resolution here, this book is just setup for the next. For those who aren't bothered by any of that, there's an interesting and dramatic story in here, with the promise of some intriguing reveals in future books, but it just didn't work for me. I've given it two stars because at least I finished it (although I skimmed the second half), but it came very close to being an outright DNF.(less)

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Sep 24, 2011 Emma rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: indie-authors, owned-kindle, series-to-follow

3.5 stars

Scarlock has been under the brutal oppression of the moneylender Copeland for as long as anyone can remember. Nereia the thief is one of the only people living there with the courage not to cow-tow to him. However she has an achilles heel: her sister Mary and when Copeland threatens the young girl's safety in order to blackmail Nereia, he unwittingly sets off a chain of events that may change everything.

The author's use of descriptive and evocative language builds an extremely well rea...more 3.5 stars

Scarlock has been under the brutal oppression of the moneylender Copeland for as long as anyone can remember. Nereia the thief is one of the only people living there with the courage not to cow-tow to him. However she has an achilles heel: her sister Mary and when Copeland threatens the young girl's safety in order to blackmail Nereia, he unwittingly sets off a chain of events that may change everything.

The author's use of descriptive and evocative language builds an extremely well realised setting, infused with atmosphere. On Dark Shores is a very apt title for a story about a place as down-trodden and corrupt as Scarlock.

There are a lot of characters and strands of plot being woven in this, the first novel of an intended series, and I am not usually a fan of continually shifting third person perspectives. However, when it is handed well it can be a huge bonus and I think that it really works for On Dark Shores, drawing out tension and suspense and keeping the pace swift.

I also particularly liked how the author handled violence; make no mistake there is ample but it is very cleverly kept 'off-camera' so that as a reader you are left to fill in the brutality for yourself.

There are two reasons that I had to give this a 3.5 star rating rather than a 4 star one. First, there was quite a lot of exposition through dialogue which isn't to my taste and, in some cases, I felt it was out of character. I don't read a lot of fantasy but I am aware that sometimes world-building and scene-setting in the first episode of a series can make exposition a necessary evil and I'm happy to say it didn't spoil the flow for me.

Second, was the length. I was aware from other reviews that the novel stopped somewhat abruptly but I still wasn't quite prepared for it and, apart from anything, I just simply wished there had been more - which can be seen as a positive as well as a negative luckily. About two thirds of the way through things starting to get surprisingly creepy and I can't wait to see where that ends up going.(less)

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Jul 28, 2011 BarkLessWagMore rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-book, fantasy

This novella is very short and appears to be the beginning of a longer piece of work currently being written. It read like an introduction to a story and a rather large cast of characters and didn’t turn out to be very satisfying all on its own and it ended extremely abruptly. The prose is often beautifully written and almost has a dream-like feel to it which I loved and I see a lot of promise here with a little tweaking and expansion, especially when it comes to the characters and their plight....more This novella is very short and appears to be the beginning of a longer piece of work currently being written. It read like an introduction to a story and a rather large cast of characters and didn’t turn out to be very satisfying all on its own and it ended extremely abruptly. The prose is often beautifully written and almost has a dream-like feel to it which I loved and I see a lot of promise here with a little tweaking and expansion, especially when it comes to the characters and their plight. The bones of the story are solid but it jumps around too quickly to get to know any of the characters on more than a surface level and it left me confused far too often for my liking. The chapters are super short and just when I was getting into a characters point of view the story shifted to one of the many other characters. Basically, there was too much going on for me to keep up and it was difficult to root for anyone because I didn’t get to spend enough time with them to feel much of anything at all. Terrible things happen but most of it occurs off-screen and the reader is left with only the surface aftermath. I’m the type of reader who prefers to be in on the action, experiencing the emotions along with the characters, no matter how horrifying they may be. I just felt left out here and longing for more.

Basically the story is about the inhabitants of Scarlock who are firmly under the thumb of a greedy money lender named Copeland. Nereia became a thief when her parents died and Copeland took possession of everything they owned. Her only other option was to become a prostitute. Either way, nearly everything she owns is tithed to Copeland and he keeps increasing the tithe. Nereia fears that now that her younger sister Mary is old enough, she will be forced into prostitution. Nereia will do most anything to save her innocent sister and Copeland uses that fact against her and a gritty adventure ensues when Nereia rebels. Many other characters are introduced, many are interesting enough but as I said the focus is just too scattered to become fully invested in any of them. In the end I found the story too cluttered to fall into and it was a bit of a struggle to finish. In the end, it all feels like trying to recall a hazy dream.
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Mar 03, 2012 David King rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"On Dark Shores: The Lady" by J.A. Clement is a relatively short fantasy novel that forms the first part in her "On Dark Shores" series of novels. The story is mainly based around the town of Scarlock which is controlled by a tyrannical money lender named Copeland. In the town lives Nereia, a young woman who has become a thief after her family died and Copeland gave her a choice to either steal or become a prostitute. When Copeland threatens Nereia's younger sister, she realises that she needs t...more "On Dark Shores: The Lady" by J.A. Clement is a relatively short fantasy novel that forms the first part in her "On Dark Shores" series of novels. The story is mainly based around the town of Scarlock which is controlled by a tyrannical money lender named Copeland. In the town lives Nereia, a young woman who has become a thief after her family died and Copeland gave her a choice to either steal or become a prostitute. When Copeland threatens Nereia's younger sister, she realises that she needs to do something now before it is too late. And so, a dangerous and rather violent adventure results as Nereia and her sister attempt to escape from Scarlock and the control of Copeland.

The first comment I need to make is that whilst this is a reasonably enjoyable novel, it really didn't feel very satisfying as an individual story. The ending was a little bit sudden and the whole book just came across as being a vehicle to introduce the reader to a large cast of characters and an overarching plot. If the next book was already available to read then it maybe wouldn't have been so bad, but as it currently isn't, I feel like I have read the first few chapters in a novel and then just had to stop.

However, the heart of the story being told is actually pretty solid and there does seem to be a lot of interesting and engaging plot lines that are intermingled quite nicely with each other. I will admit however that some of the sub-plots did leave me quite confused and in particular I still don't really understand what was going on in the first chapter. Luckily there was enough in the core of the story to keep me reading and I am just hoping that some of the more mysterious sections will be explained in the future books.

In regards to the characters, there is quite a variety of them and I did enjoy the way in which the author swapped between them which enabled me to experience the events from various different points of view. However, the usual issue I see with short novels or novellas is glaringly obvious in that none of the characters seem to have been developed to their full potential. There are some superb building blocks there for future development in the coming novels and I think that Nereia has all the hallmarks of what could be a great heroine but at the moment it just feels like we are just getting a sneak peek.

A little niggle I did have with the characters was in relation to section of the story where one of the characters seems to descend into a form of madness. The issue I had with this was that it came across as just being a cheap way for a character to act in a way that they normally wouldn't have done. I had been appreciating how the main characters and secondary characters were being used up to that point and just felt a little bit let down by this.

Overall, this was a rather interesting fantasy novel although it was a little bit flawed by seemingly be used more as a set up for future books than as a story in its own right. Personally, I was able to look past that though due to the interesting and varied characters and the promise of what looks like a rather enjoyable and complex overall plot. I really am looking forward to see how everything is going to fits together in the end and this alone will probably make sure I pick up the sequel when it is released.(less)

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Aug 11, 2011 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars

A small town is plunged into oppression single-handedly by a nasty piece of work. A long-ago wealthy child is now forced to live in squalor while trying to raise and protect her younger sister. A drug addict doing all the wrong things for the right reasons.

These are only some of the characters you will encounter when you enter this little town. The main focal point of the town is not known for its beauty, it is known for its short skirts and ample bosoms. This quaint little port town is also bei...more A small town is plunged into oppression single-handedly by a nasty piece of work. A long-ago wealthy child is now forced to live in squalor while trying to raise and protect her younger sister. A drug addict doing all the wrong things for the right reasons.

These are only some of the characters you will encounter when you enter this little town. The main focal point of the town is not known for its beauty, it is known for its short skirts and ample bosoms. This quaint little port town is also being held under the thumb of a tyrant who has no problem sicking his bodyguard on anyone who doesn't or is not able to pay back money loaned out.

Nereia is, unfortunately, this tyrants niece, but if you think that gains her pr her sister, Mary, any type of leniency, you would be way off the mark. Not only does this not help these two sisters, Nereia seems to get treated worse for the relationship. Her uncle is constantly trying to force her to work in the brothel, which she refuses to do. She puts her life at risk every night as a thief to keep her and her sister fed and out of his clutches. But his claws reach farther than she ever thought possible, and death may come to Nereia anyhow, and her pocketbook no heavier for the trouble.

I am anxiously awaiting the next book in this series, I must know what happens next. While I am waiting on the next installment, I would say it was one of my biggest irritants about the book. I felt that we had no closure to anything that was started in this book. While I know this is the first of a series, the readers need some sort of closure on at least one of the plot lines that are going on in this book. Unfortunately, none of the ends were tied up...leaving me to wonder what happened with everything.

What I did love about this book was the many plot lines that were woven in with one another. This is a very complex story being told in a short novella. I am intrigued to see how she will tie up the story to make them all fit, and what else she has in store for us.

The characterization in the book is done beautifully. We hate who we are supposed to hate, and let me tell you, if I ever would get a hold of the one we are supposed to hate in this story, there would definitely be police reports filed. I wanna beat the tarnation outta this man!! So, yes, we hate those we are supposed to hate, and are interested in all of the other characters that have been introduced. For being a shorter book, I would say this was very well done. I have seen longer books that had not been able to accomplish the same thing.

Anyone with a great imagination will be able to vividly bring up the horrific details that are brought up in this book. While this isn't a gruesome book, there are some elements in it that would be noteworthy in a horror flick. All I cam say is...Poor, poor Emma. The great thing about books though, is that you can make the details as clean or R-rated as you would like. Add in the smells, drips, and stains if you wish, or keep it a bit more sterile, but either way, you will still get a picture of the trauma happening.

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something a bit different than the run-of-the-mill book. This book actually takes me back to my younger years when I read more adventure books. There is no paranormal aspects to it, just all action and some adventure. Pay attention to the details as you go, or the web JA Clement weaves for you may be missing a few strands, and you will need to be aware of them all in order to grasp the concepts.
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Jul 12, 2011 Bethany rated it 2 of 5 stars

Have you ever been driving along listening to the radio when your favorite song comes on? You crank the volume and start singing along at the top of your lungs…then your route takes you under a series of power lines, and the reception goes spotty. That’s how I felt while reading this book; moments of absolute delight mixed with moments of complete frustration...

Full review on Dark Side of the Covers blog.

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Dec 20, 2011 Mario Ebbwa rated it 3 of 5 stars

This author is very talented, but what annoyed me about this story is not enough happens in it. It is an introduction into an interesting world, but that is all it really is. Personally I really wish the author had released this entire story as a single book, if they had done that I probably wouldv've given it a higher rating.

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Apr 21, 2013 Caszie rose rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is 2 out of 3 different books that follow on from one and other. I have not read the first as it is only a short book that gives background info which you can pick up from this book.it is very intense reading and slightly graphic in parts confusing in others. I will finish the second book when I know my brain can focus on this only. Intense to say the least

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Feb 18, 2013 Merissa Sheppard rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-freebie

This book is not for the faint of heart as it describes torture, murder and other darkness. It is gritty and at times obscure but a brilliant read. My only complaint is that it is a novella so it was over before it began for me, but I did enjoy it so not a complete loss!

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Sep 19, 2011 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

I intended on reading a couple of chapters of this book before bed just to get me started, but ended up reading the whole thing in a sitting. I was initially confused by the first chapter but the plot soon became clear and made sense. I could feel the emotions very clearly, desperation and fear in particular. The writer portrayed the images and feelings very well, I have to say I was very impressed. I Look forward to now reading the next book and continuing this journey.

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title link	preview: On Dark Shores: The Lady
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On Dark Shores: The Lady (On Dark Shores #1)

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