Monday, August 6, 2012

Review: Silver

Rhiannon Held
Adult Urban Fantasy
320 pages
Tor
Available Now
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Andrew Dare is a werewolf. He’s the enforcer for the Roanoke pack, and responsible for capturing or killing any Were intruders in Roanoke’s territory. But the lone Were he’s tracking doesn’t smell or act like anyone he’s ever encountered. And when he catches her, it doesn’t get any better. She’s beautiful, she’s crazy, and someone has tortured her by injecting silver into her veins. She says her name is Silver, and that she’s lost her wild self and can’t shift any more.

The packs in North America have a live-and-let-live attitude, and try not to overlap with each other. But Silver represents a terrible threat to every Were on the continent.

Andrew and Silver will join forces to track down this menace while discovering their own power and their passion for each other.


MY THOUGHTS 
Silver is a quiet story for an urban fantasy featuring Weres; the intensity of descriptively violent battles and dominance power plays are notably absent, and in their place is a remarkable young woman who holds our attention as surely as any action sequence ever could. This is not a story that progresses at a frenetic pace, the pages flying by with such speed that our fingers cramp by the time we reach the end, instead we read with a sort of awed reverence for Silver and the trauma she’s so clearly sustained, reading slowly and carefully so as to not miss any clues that will help us figure out exactly what happened to her and how she can regain what she’s so tragically lost.

Silver is an extraordinary young woman, a jittery ball of confusion, madness, and fear when Andrew tracks her down in the very beginning, and while her seemingly incoherent ramblings of Death, the Lady, and snakes have us wanting to keep our distance a bit initially, we quickly come to understand the language of her madness and the intelligence behind each and every word she utters. She’s a victim of appalling cruelty, but as she demonstrates for Andrew again and again, her status as such does not make her weak, nor do the things she sees make her crazy. She simply sees a world that others aren’t privy to, and while many see that as a defect—something to be pitied–both we as readers and Andrew come to see just how strong it makes her, often surprised by the sharp wit that accompanies her discussions with an invisible companion she calls Death.

While there is a subtle thread of romance between Silver and Andrew woven throughout, it possesses the same quiet quality as both Silver and the story itself—no sparks or overwhelming lust, just a beautiful attraction between two people who have walked hand in hand with death, one as a witness to it and one as the hand who dispenses it. Andrew is as interesting a character as Silver, a very strong Were with the dominance to be an alpha should he choose it, but he’s also exceedingly different from a typical shifter alpha male. He doesn’t come across as invincible–able to tear down any opponent who threatens him or Silver–instead he can be physically overpowered at times, showing a vulnerability that seems to make him fit with Silver all the more perfectly, not too alpha as to deny her offer of strength when he needs it, nor too weak to protect her when her own strength fails.

Overall, Silver is a strong debut from Ms. Held, one that has us rooting for our main couple with every fiber of our being and reveling in the emotional complexity they each demonstrate chapter to chapter. This first installment wraps up nicely, leaving room for more without abandoning us to a long list of unanswered questions, and the second book will be immediately added to my list of must-reads as soon as a release date is announced.

Rating: 4/5

53 comments:

  1. I have never seen this book before! And I love when a good paranormal comes out.. just lately I feel like they are super rare ;(
    Also I do like when a book wraps itself up and still leaves room for a sequel. I had those horrible cliffhangers, especially for the ones where the sequel needs a year to come out!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hadn't heard of it either, but I really liked it. It had a really different feel for a UF:)

      Delete
  2. Quiet UF, yes that might work for me and I do always like weres. And what I love more is a book that does not end in a crazy cliffie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I liked how it wasn't all alpha males and dominance and battles for power, it was refreshing:)

      Delete
  3. Wonderful review, Jenny. This sounds like a very interesting sorry. I've seen it around but it never really captured my attention. I'm intrigued by the fact that you mentioned that the book is quiet. I kind of want to read it just to find out what you mean. I'm glad to hear the story wraps up nicely and not in an annoying cliffhanger. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't know how else to describe it. I usually picture UF books as gritty and often violent with really badass characters. This didn't feel that way - it definitely had some violence, but it wasn't as blatant I didn't think.

      Delete
  4. This sounds like a fantastic debut Jenny, I've been quite wary lately about books with weres, vampires etc but this definitely sounds like a book that I would enjoy. And the fact that "This first installment wraps up nicely, leaving room for more without abandoning us to a long list of unanswered questions" it makes me even more eager to pick this book up! Fab review Jenny! and thanks for bringing another book to my attention! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This almost didn't feel like a Were book at all, they can shift, but that was a really small element compared to what happened to Silver.

      Delete
  5. I haven't read a Adult Urban Fantasy for a long time now and this one sounds like a great one to start again with. :) I like that cover, it´s creepy. Great review.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hadn't read one in a long time either, this was a nice way to ease my way back into this genre!

      Delete
  6. Awesome review!!!!! I'm so happy Silver doesn't have invisible characters and instead realistic and strong characters!!!! And it has a real ending without leaving for to many questions? Yay!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really liked Silver - she was strange and quirky and damaged and really interesting to read about:)

      Delete
  7. I haven't heard of this one at all! But it sounds like I need to check it out, despite the lack of action scenes. If a character can capture your attention like this, it's worth reading.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't miss the on-page action in this one, there was a lot of implied violence, both with Silver and Drew, and that made things feel intense enough:)

      Delete
  8. This almost sounds like it would be a good read for those who are new to the UF genre and have been reading mostly contemporaries before.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely! It was paranormal without being over the top supernatural, and it was urban fantasy without action scene after action scene. I liked it:)

      Delete
  9. Jennnnnyyyyy you make me want more books for my already too big TBR pile!! I just love how you describe the story and the romance. It's nice to have a romance every once and a while that is sweet and not full of lust!! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really liked the touch of romance, Drew was really careful with her, but they both had strengths and weaknesses they weren't afraid to show the other:)

      Delete
  10. I haven't read many reviews for this book, but yours is very convincing! This sounds quite different with its quiet tone. I think I like the sound of that. I will have to make sure I get hold of this book when I can. I can't wait to meet Silver and Andrew. Lovely review, Jenny! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was in the mood for something different with this one, and that's exactly what I got. Silver was a fascinating woman:)

      Delete
  11. Wow, this book sounds amazing! I haven't heard of it before which is surprising since I love werewolves and Urban Fantasy. It actually sounds like more of a contemplative and thought-provoking novel than anything else, so it looks like I'm going to have to pick this one up soon! I already have so many Urban Fantasy books I'm behind on, but this might make its way to the top of my list! Incredible review, Jenny! :) It's truly very beautifully written!

    ~Keertana
    Ivy Book Bindings

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hadn't heard much about this one either, and I would definitely agree that it's thought provoking. It's not a page-turner, but you definitely want to keep going to see how things play out:)

      Delete
  12. Wow! I think this is the first time I'd ever felt so interested in a werewolf-themed novel. I've tried reading some but they just don't usually work for me. But this one sounds like a very endearing and captivating read. I like how you described Silver and I'm very curious about her. I'll definitely check this out, Jenny! Thanks for the wonderful review. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay! I'm glad I could generate some interest in this one Eunice:)

      Delete
  13. I've not heard of this one...not surprising since I don't really read werewolves...but this one sounds unique enough for me to look further into it! Thanks for the review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What I liked about this one is it all felt very real, though there were werewolves and a pack structure, it felt like a really subtle element:)

      Delete
  14. This one sounds like a pretty interesting UF, and I like that it's not all battle battle especially since it's got werewolves in it. I also like that Andrew isn't overly an alpha male since that actually tends to annoy me rather than make me fall more in love with the character. I think I'll add this one to my wishlist since it sounds like it can also appeal to older YA fans.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really liked that about Andrew as well - he could fight when he needed to, but he wasn't untouchable which I thought worked well:)

      Delete
  15. I like that female werewolves are becoming more popular. I like that this book is quiet and refrains from all the alpha domination. I really need a couple that I can root for with "every fiber of my being". So nice to find another debut gem!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Silver was a really fantastically complex character I thought - damaged and scarred but really strong as well. Loved her:)

      Delete
  16. I just cataloged this one at my library last week! And it did catch my eye. I like how the book focuses on what seems to be a character driven book rather than plot/action as most UF series. I think I'm going to give this one a try as I think Silver is a heroine that I can root for.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was definitely more character driven, and I think some people might be disappointed in how quiet it is, but I thought it was fabulous:)

      Delete
  17. I wouldn't have thought this was adult. The cover says YA to me. Little I know...

    Oh I wanna read this one for that character, Andrew. You have me captivated with getting to know him. Looks like he is worth the price of admission! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think YA readers would like it as well, there's no sex and very little descriptive violence, so I would have no trouble recommending this one to YA audiences:)

      Delete
  18. Sounds pretty captivating! I've seen this book pop in some places before too and it did catch my eye. I'm glad to hear that it is a very good paranormal story!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hmm, the cover is intriguing. And the fact that it is a were story grabs me more. I will be looking into this book.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a surprisingly great read, I really didn't expect much from it!

      Delete
  20. Never heard of this one. Sounds a bit different from most werewolf stories that I'm used to. I really like that Andrew isn't super alpha like we're used to seeing, because uber-alpha males aren't really my thing. I think I'll add this one to my tbr, thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm all about super alpha-males (in fiction anyway, not so much in real life), but I really liked that Andrew would defer to Silver once he got to know her, and trusted her to take care of herself as well as him.

      Delete
  21. This one sounds like a pretty amazing UF and I never even heard about it! what's wrong with me! Im living under a rock (or maybe Im watching too much the olimpic games XDD lol) thnx for the wonderful review! Im adding this one asap to my pile =9

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm addicted to the Olympics too. SO GOOD!

      Delete
  22. I admit the summary doesn't make this sound enthralling, but your review certainly did. I like romance noticeable in my YA but when the story is perfectly executed, I don't mind a subtle one. I also have a thing for books with descriptive gore so maybe I'll like this one. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Jenny!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This was just such a different read than I was expecting, and I think that just made it really refreshing for me. I hope people give it a try!

      Delete
  23. This one sounds really unique and I love that its a quieter kind of story. I haven't heard much about this one so I'll have to look it up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was unique I thought. I liked Andrew and Silver both, they were both really layered characters:)

      Delete
  24. Oh, thank god! Another promising werewolf series! There seriously aren't enough of them for me. I knew about this one, but I'm glad that I was able to have you screen it for me. ;P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd be interested to see what you thought of this one Ruby! It's a very different UF, kind of in a category all it's own. I would have loved a touch more romance, but I thought what we got fit with the story:)

      Delete
    2. *Shakes head* How are we ever going be satisfied with any werewolf/shifter romance after Kiss of Snow?

      Delete
  25. Andrew!!! The romance in this seems SO sweet and beautiful and amazing. I can't wait to meet the lovely couple! YAY! Another awesome werewolf book!! I LOVE how it's not all fast-paced and all but takes its time so we can notice every single detail. I've been reading too many ridiculously fast-paced novels recently and I really need a break. Thanks for the amazing review, Jenny-chan! <333 Btw I've just nominated you for a bloggy award over at http://eileenlisblog.blogspot.sg/2012/08/the-bloggy-awards-new-event.html

    I LOVE you and your amazing blog, sweetie!!!! xxxxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. THANK YOU RIYA!!!! You are adorable and I would hug your face if I could:) {{virtual hugs}}

      Delete
  26. Oooohhh this sounds SO INTERESTING!!! WEREWOLVES!! That's definitely enough for me to devour this immediately :D Awwwww...I'm REALLY intrigued by the romance! I'm glad it isn't driven by lust :) I can't wait to meet Silver and Andrew!! Fantastic review Jenny! Glad you enjoyed it :D

    ReplyDelete
  27. I must say I rather love books that don't have you frantically turning the pages. Those are easy to right. Slow and steady burn is often ideal.

    ReplyDelete