Vali Benson did a wonderful job of building the characters as well as the historical research of Tombstone Arizona in the 1800s. Carissa is a very brave young girl, who is trying to save her drug-addicted mother and herself from the life they have been living in a brothel. I read this book in one sitting, it was that fast-paced. I enjoyed learning about the old west, as well as learning that China Mary was a real person living in Tombstone. This YA historical fiction will take you back to an action-packed 1800s adventure. I highly recommend this book to everyone of all ages.

I would like to thank the author for the copy in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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In this tale set in Tombstone, Arizona, the author paints a vivid picture of life in a frontier mining town. Carissa, only 12 years old, is determined to escape the life she and her mother have fallen into after tragedy hits her family. Through an unlikely source, Carissa finds hope and friendship, and possibly a way out. The eclectic group of characters, from the local sheriff to China Mary are unique, and even though they come from completely different backgrounds, they find they have a common goal. I especially enjoyed that the author included a section at the end regarding historical facts about Tombstone in that era. ( )

I am often drawn to books because of their description but in the case of Blood and Silver, I was enticed by the front cover. It depicts a young girl, Carissa, breaking free from the old West. There is something about her woebegone appearance that attracted my attention-making me want to learn more about this story.

When Carissa Beaumont and her mom Lisette travel to Tombstone, in the Arizona Territory, there are shops of all kinds set between saloons. In this area, it was not uncommon to see flashy gamblers, skilled gunfighters, and ladies in elegant dresses which were steamed and pressed daily. And if you looked outside you might find mule teams hauling silver while inside men were bedding women.

While some notable people used laudanum as a painkiller, Miss Lucille used it in order to better control her ladies, and Carissa's mother, Lisette, was one of those ladies. Carissa feels she needs to find a way to help her mom overcome her addiction and break free from the life she was living at Rose Reds.

Carissa soon meets China Mary who is a woman of great influence. Mary ran Tombstone from her store in Hoptown. Mary takes a liking to Carissa and gets Carissa a job at the new Grand Hotel, which frees Carissa from her work duties at Miss Lucille's. Carissa becomes friends with Mary's twelve-year-old niece, Mai-Lin and the two girls must work together to stay alive.

Benson's prose is so beautifully descriptive, one really can imagine Carissa attempting to escape her life at the brothel and survive the bullies, thieves, and murderers of the old west. ( )

*Thank you to the author for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a honest and unbiased review*

Hello Fellow Readers,

Today I have a historical work of fiction to review. It's been a long time since I've read historical fiction, even longer where the book took place in the wild west. Now I have mixed thoughts and feelings about this book that it is a little hard for me to focus my thoughts to review it. So I wanted to break it down a bit to hopefully make sense of my review.

First of all, the characters. I love Carissa, she is such a smart and intelligent child that you can't help but hop that she can get out of the terrible situation that she's in. You know that if she hadn't been so young with such a caring attitude for her mother, she would have definitely been a successful woman. The side characters on the other hand didn't do it for me. I just couldn't like or relate to them so their situations typicaly made me shrug, which in turn make me feel like a bad person.

Secondly, while the plot is interesting, it just didn't grip me like the synopsis did. I was hoping for a lot more disaster and danger and while yes, Carissa was in very real danger, it felt like everything just happened so quick and tidied up a bit too nicely. For such a short book of around 142 pages it took a while for the meat of the story to really set it, this is one of those stories that would have benefitted from being about 50 pages longer. I just really kept looking for me.

Lastly, I will say that I feel like Benson really did her research about the Old West. Now, I am not an expert by any means but Benson really did focus the on the nitty-gritty not just the glamorized version we see in Hollywood movies. This book did have a darker and realistic feel to it.

Overall, if your a fan of historical fiction this book is for you! ( )

Despite its short length, Blood and Silver says everything it needs to say and easily balances all of its story elements, from plot to characterization, without feeling rushed or incomplete. Its characters are interesting yet realistic, and it gives the floor to those who don’t usually get to tell their story while still acknowledging the societal hierarchy of the day.

I’m not usually a fan of westerns, but this book is an exception to the rule. I recommend it to history buffs, women who want to read something other than the typical romance genre that is often marketed to us, and those looking for a story that is short but sweet.

You can read my full review here: https://laurasbooksandblogs.com/blood-and-silver-book-review/ ( )