Of Silver and Shadow

I received a review copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. I couldn't put it down. It is amazing, and better yet, has an open ending, so it works as a standalone.

This reminded me of the Girshaverse in a very good way. It had the same feel and a lot of elements that I loved in those stories and I enjoyed seeing them redone and reimagined in here.

The world was immersive and interesting. It felt real. I loved all the different perspectives and characters as well as the magic system. Even though it was a soft magic system, it was used well and I found it unique. All the characters were distinct and individual. They had different voices, motivations, and goals. It was great seeing them all show more come together for the end. It was spectacular.

I also enjoyed many of the concepts in this book from the Fight Pits to the King's Children. It made the role feel so rich and well-developed. It also helped with making the character feel unique and original, as they were all on different sides with similar goals.

I found the foreshadowing was carried out very well too. There was enough that I could guess what might happen, but I never felt like anything was hitting me over the head with obviousness and it made some of the twists very fun to read as even though I was clued in, iI still felt as shocked as the protagonist as she realized what was happening. That hasn't happened in a long while and it was amazing.

The romance was not all-consuming. It was there, in the shadows, but it stayed there and let the politics, magic, and rebellion shine. And they shone brightly for it.

This book had the right levels of everything. The recipe for the perfect fantasy novel. And it was executed perfectly.

I honestly can't do much more than gush over this because I loved it so much and I highly recommend anyone who reads this review to pick it up. show less

Of Silver and Shadow is a gritty, YA(ish), Magically Realistic Fantasy. It is a solid debut and also quite unputdownable! There are Revolutions, Coup(s), back alley ring fighting to the death... dum dum dummmm... and killer assassins that were raised from tiny little foundlings(?), groomed to be killing machines. There is forbidden love and a slooow burn that is almost too slow to believe... plus extremely iffy wooing dialogue that is both uncomfortable and slightly painful (at times) to witness BUT I'm getting ahead of myself... back to the specifics.... The world building is good, the character development even better and the writing?? Well, the writing skillfully held my undivided attention... I was fully dialed in and absorbed. The show more pacing is on point, thankfully there are no lagging spots to slog through.

There are 4 POVs:

1) Ren -our Silver wielder, kick ass, antiheroine that cuts people at will with her sharp tongue and bleak outlook.

2) Darek- Ren's love interest and full time partaker in the Rebellion. We were repeatedly told just how handsome, loyal , handsome and brooding he was... did I mention he's handsome?? We were told this much too often and each time it niggled a little more, it felt insincere. Hopefully this will be ironed out here and avoided completely in book #2. Also, with regards to Ren and Darek, their dialogue was (often) stilted to the point that both the banter and the burn left me feeling cheated... but again, I'm hoping these things will be addressed and polished in book #2. If Ren's awkward romantic connection doesn't resolve itself completely, she can always go for the roguish royal with a gooey caramel center... which, by the way, I am SO here for... and speaking of which...

3) Kellen- the youngest princeling that has a heart of gold (to his father's chagrin), a gentlemanly nature and is painfully, classically handsome as well. He was unfortunately born into a family of sadistic vipers but still manages to be (undercover) sweet, thoughtful of others and their plights and man is he good at keeping secrets. Kellen was one of my favorite characters. I loved his roguish, multifaceted, reluctant ruler charm.

4) Adley- is one of the King's Children (bad ass killers who were trained up from tikes) who somehow manages to retain a shred of her humanity. She is nasty with a longbow, one part of a forbidden love assassin duo, and an all around badass character.

Then there is the Silver wielding. I get that information on magic, at the time, was scarce due to a purge BUT it could have been explained to us with a touch more detail... even just a smidge. It/we needed it and sadly, again, I felt jipped. Its form, function and scope are almost entirely unexplained and for it being such a central part of the story, it came up lacking.


Overall: this story is a strong debut by Jennifer Gruenke and an all around satisfying read. The way the (seemingly) separate lives of our MCs comes together is done skillfully. The ending is a bit Cliffy for my liking BUT I was left feeling that the foundation for the next book in the series was laid down nicely. The time I spent reading seemed to evaporate at an unbelieveable rate which is always a good sign. Even with the rough spots I mentioned above, it turned out being an enjoyable way to spend a quiet day. I enjoyed experiencing this story alongside the morally ambiguous chatacters and I wholeheartedly believe that those who love the genres I mentioned will find this book appealing... why not give it a go?

~ Enjoy

*** I was given a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review *** show less

'Of Silver and Shadow' is about Ren, who is a self-taught silver wielder that nearly escaped death as a child before she went into hiding in the Kingdom of Eris, where magic is outlawed and being outed could be the death of her. While attempting to survive by succumbing to thievery, card games, and dangerous pit fighting to pay an overdue debt, along the way she encounters a Rebel, King's Children, and Prince that pulls her towards a rebellion she wants no part of in which case forever alternating the course of her life forever.

And... Holy. Shit..

Now that's what I call a near-perfect debut YA novel and if you haven’t checked out my rating, this is a must-read for 2021! It had all the elements I was looking for: badass heroine, show more characters that actually had depth and growth, fantasy, magic, fighting, and mild dosage of romance that wasn’t so instant.

It was an addictive page turner that I nearly finished in one sitting. In addition, 'Of Silver and Shadow' showcased fantastic character development, decent world-building along with surprising tropes I wasn’t expecting, and let's not forget the author's phenomenal writing style that made it easier to immerse myself on Ren's journey in joining the Rebellion. Needless to say just about everything about this novel was superb and I would highly recommend everyone to add this to your TBR. You'll have no regrets, just saying.

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I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed the heck out of this book. The plot follows Ren, a silver (magic) wielder as she gets roped into a rebellion she has no interest in. The characters in the book are so well written and the writer made me care about each and every one of them. By the end, I was rooting for the characters and I had to see what happened to them next. The plot flowed flawlessly and kept me locked in throughout. The world building was so well done. The plot contains a romance that is both angsty and entertaining. I loved the representation of all walks of life included in this book. I loved the fresh plot line of the rich instead of the poor pushing for a better world. The end was satisfying and show more did a great job of setting up for a possible next book in the series. If you want a fast paced fantasy book with lovable and relatable characters, give this book a try. You won't be disappointed. show less

*I got this book for review for my honest thoughts for review*

I really loved this read. This book combined so many of my favorite story elements like found family, unlikely friendships, and such a fun magic system. I am unsure if this book will turn into a series but this book can be read as a standalone, but if more books come out I will def check them out. I am stastifed with the ending. I loved that we got we got so many different characters point of view and they all grew on me and such a fun read. I also really loved the magic system and it reminds of Avatar the last air bender and the characters of this book were def a standout!!

*I got this book for review for my honest thoughts for review*

I really loved this read. This book combined so many of my favorite story elements like found family, unlikely friendships, and such a fun magic system. I am unsure if this book will turn into a series but this book can be read as a standalone, but if more books come out I will def check them out. I am stastifed with the ending. I loved that we got we got so many different characters point of view and they all grew on me and such a fun read. I also really loved the magic system and it reminds of Avatar the last air bender and the characters of this book were def a standout!!

Of Silver and Shadow is about Ren, an 18 year old girl who was orphaned many years ago and has had to survive by her wits and skills as a pit fighter. Oh, and her silver magic, a magic only the ruling family is supposed to have. But then Darek, a member of the rebellion seeking to overthrow the tyrannical ruling family sees her use her magic and pressures her to join the revolution. Ren agrees, but for a price. Will it be worth it though with the ferocious King’s Children trying to hunt them down?

This is a darker YA fantasy and unfortunately it was not for me. I was intrigued by the silver magic but I wish there had been more world building to know how it worked and what the country where magic wielders fled is like. Perhaps that will show more be discussed in a sequel if there is one. I did not really like the main characters, and while Ren’s friend Freya and Darek’s brother Markus were more to my liking they also didn’t have much to do. There were also torture scenes which is not something I enjoy reading at all. I also found the ending rather abrupt and unsatisfying. So this book was a miss for me but if there does end up being a sequel I’ll probably still pick it up. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. show less