Unfortunately I just couldn't get into the story and had to DNF @30%. I may have not been the target audience so could have just been me.

Of silver and shadow The book was a bit disappointing. There was some good, but for me it was over shadowed y characters that I just couldn’t get into. I tried but it jut didn’t happen.

I first tried reading Of Silver & Shadow by Jennifer Gruenke back at the beginning of June, but I was struggling to get into the story and connect with the characters. I put the book aside for about a month and again the same problem happened. I decided recently to give it one last try and thank goodness I did because I ended up really enjoying the book.

So, why did the book improve so much so quickly? I’ll tell you — Adley and Prince Kellen were introduced! Of Silver & Shadow is mainly told through four perspectives. The first bit of the story is all about Ren and Derek, and you guys I just did not like them. If the book had continued with only them as the main characters, I would have absolutely DNF’d it. Their constant bickering while their internal monologues were thinking how hot they found the other to be was plain annoying and so not cute. Then we got Adley, and connecting to her was a breeze. Maybe it’s because she’s a fellow bookworm, but I really think it’s because she wants to right her wrongs and do better. She wants to get away and live a peaceful life with the one she loves and damn, don’t we all?! Adley isn’t the only one sick of life in the brutal castle because Prince Kellen is trying to escape as well. He’s the secretly good-bad boy character I love to read about, and honestly I could have used a bit more of him in the story.

In the end, once I was invested in the characters the book ended up being fast paced which I’m a fan of. I also loved the LGBTQ+ representation, and the mix of magic and political intrigue. This book left me wanting more and I didn’t think that was possible after the rough start. I have no idea if there will be a 2nd book, but as long as Adley and Kellen are in it, I would definitely read it, and I think most of y’all would enjoy this first book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flux for providing the e-arc for me to read.

3.5/5 stars

* I was provided an E-ARC of the book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*

I have mixed feelings for this book. While at the end of this book I really overall really enjoyed myself. I will say this is pretty fast-moving, and I read it pretty fast. I will start by saying that I felt pretty confused when I first started reading, the more I read the more I understood. so that took a little bit of my enjoyment. There is just something that is stopping me from loving this book. Overall this wasn't a bad read, I would recommend giving it a try.

I requested and received an e-ARC of this book from Jennifer Gruenke and Flux through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed reading this book and I hope there is a sequel (currently this is a stand alone book according to Jennifer's answer on goodreads) in the future because I need to know what happens to these characters beyond the ending of this book! I highly recommend this book it kept me entertained and wanting more.

I got around to reading this during my May ARC reading vlog and this was such a pleasant surprise! I wish the ending was better executed but overall I was very pleased.

I was really pleasantly surprised by this book! Really excellent cast of characters led by Ren, a sharp savage badass. The rotating POV's was initially disorienting but really fleshed out the story well and really kept the pace going. Big fan of the setting and the magic of wielding silver was unusual. Would have liked the Shadow aspect to be explored a little more. And as always, an enemies to lovers trope always goes down a treat.

Apparently the author says it's currently a standalone but with room for sequels, and I'd be interested to see where this story could head.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

So, I have to start off by saying I was reading this while also reading Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard and couldn't help seeing the parallels. It was really hard keeping thr stories straight at first. They have very similar elements.

I did enjoy this book. It has all the things I tend to gravitate towards when it comes to my favorite books. The world building was good. The characters were interesting and fun to follow (although I'm not a fan of multiple POVs). I would definitely recommend this book to fantasy lovers.

Oh my! I wish I can read more of this book. A 5 star read for me! There was never dull moment reading this book. Loved everything about it: the world building, the magic, the characters and the fast pacing.

I was enthralled in the world of the protagonist and how badass and unlikely she is from the typical heroine. She comes from a world where only royalty is supposed to yield magic ( silver manipulation) and in the past any other person with the magic were killed. But the main protagonist survived the attack. She later becomes part of a rebellion and we’re introduced to a group of characters unlike others I’ve ever read of. I am also a sucker for a good romance, this book did not fail me in including it.

I highly recommend it and I can’t wait to read the second book (if there’s one). Thank you to Netgalley for providing the copy in exchange for an honest review

This book was a lot of fun! It was exciting from the very beginning all the way to the very end. It was a little dark and felt like it was maybe for older YA audiences which is why I think I enjoyed it so much.

Gruenke needs to study conversations. This 'banter' is just awful The things they say is not witty or clever or even smart. It is just cruel and the longer I read it the more it got on my nerves. By the end of the book I did not care. I wanted them to shut up.
I loved the world building and the supporting characters were great. However I am relived that it is a stand alone ( so far, the author my change her mind). I would love to go back to kingdom of Erdis but with the secondary characters instead of Ren

The file formatting made the book illegible. As that is no fault of the book's content, I'll rate a neutral 3 stars.

I enjoyed this book as I saw a few comparisons of the main character Ren to some of my other favorite characters, ex: Celaena Sardothien and Feyre Archeron.

The plot centers around Ren, a silver-wielder which is against the law as King of Erdis, and only he and his family shall have that power. The backstory here is that the King eliminated anyone with this power, and seemingly, Ren is the only one outside the royal family with this power. What is lacking is the backstory of how the magic came to be. I felt this should have had a more active part in the book.

The characters, for the most part, were well-rounded. Ren was a thief mixed with a pit fighter hidden on top of her soft heart. She tries to hide that quite frequently throughout the book. Adley, one of the King's Children (chosen to fight the rebellion), was one of my favorite characters. I felt that she was almost a counterpart to Ren's character. Both were kind-hearted individuals who dealt with the hand life dealt them by honing a hard exterior.

For those looking for the quintessential slow-burn romance, you will not find it here. I felt like the two characters were forced together merely by the plot. There is another couple that is also in the book that I do like much better. You will have to read to find out who that is!

Thank you to NetGalley and North Star Editions - Flux for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Of Silver And Shadow is Jennifer Gruenke's debut YA fantasy novel. I didn't have any high expectations for this book because It's a debut novel. I think it was a decent YA fantasy read. I liked the characters and the plot. There's not much world building but I really enjoyed the magic part. Even though I enjoyed the story, I need to be honest that I had few issues with some aspects but it didn't hinder my overall enjoyment.

Ren Kollins is a girl born with a unique silver magic which is forbidden in her kingdom of Irdis. She survives her living by thievery, card games, and pit fighting. When a wealthy rebel leader approaches her to join him, she rejects him but when he offers a huge sum for her help, she can't ignore his offer. Behind the castle walls, a brutal group of warriors known as the King’s Children is engaged in a competition: the first to find the rebel leader will be made King’s Fang, the right hand of the King of Erdis. And Adley Farre is hunting down the rebels one by one, torturing her way to Ren and the rebel leader, and the coveted King’s Fang title. Somehow the youngest prince of Irdis also gets tangled with the rebellion and they all want one thing, to dethrone the current king and end his reign of brutality.

I loved Ren Kollins! She's smart, witty, fun and totally kickass. I really enjoyed her character and I admired her for helping the orphaned kids in her own way. Darek is the member of the rebellion. He's broody and not a great fan of Ren. They both clash with each other every time they meet. I enjoyed their relationship in the first half but I didn't like how it was rushed in the second half.  I wish there was more interactions between them. Adley Farre is one of the king's children who's hunting Ren and the rebel leader. Even though she's on the bad side, I still enjoyed her character and her relationship with Lesa, another warrior in the kings group. Prince Kellan was a nice addition to the plot but I wish there's more depth to his character. I really wanted to know more about him.

The plot was engaging but I found some parts rushed especially the ending which is the major issue I had with this book. It would've been great if this story was divided into two parts. Some aspects were not fully developed. I'm a bit lenient when it comes to rating debut novels. If it isn't for the main character, I would've given it a less than a four star rating. For a debut, the author's writing was good. I enjoyed the multiple POV's. The world building was not bad. It was a typical medieval setting. I wish there was more magical action in it.

Overall, I liked this book! Even though the rushed ending left me a bit disappointed, for the most part I enjoyed the story and I'll look forward to the author's next work.

DNF'd at 40%. I liked the concept of this book and the plot. However, the characters could not keep me interested. They felt very cliche and did not seem unique to me at all. I struggled with what I knew about the bad guy in this story. We are told early in the book that he has intercourse with many women and is very rough with them while doing so. Some women leave with marks and bruises. He is portrayed almost like a rapist and even though he is the bad guy and the author did not support this, it still bothered me deeply. I do not usually DNF books so I felt bad for stopping. However, I just could not continue this book.

This ARC was provided for review, but in no way affects the following impartial and unbiased review:
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4*
Pros: Multiple PoVs featuring kickass characters. Interesting and immersive narrative. Witty and overall fantastic dialogue. PoC, and LGBT+ representation. Intriguing magic system. Features amazing fight sequences, as well as graphic and realistic violence, present in war. Swoony and heartwarming enemies to lovers trope. Overall, a great introduction to this world.
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Cons: One of the most rushed beginnings I've read. Lackluster world-building. Easily surmountable challenges and difficulties. Includes too many basic tropes.

thank you so much to flux publishing and netgallery for the ARC!!


this book is six of crows meets a darker shade of magic and is approximately 20% more gay. adley and lesa were the stars of this book and i will take no criticism on this fact thank you very much. (would like a spin off series of just them pls) also kellen gave off such strong nikolai vibes i stan that boy so hard

the main characters were all so well developed for there being so many i was THOROUGHLY impressed. the worldbuilding was not as strong but im thinking that will be highlighted in the sequel?

and the plot twists WOW at the end they just kept coming like ok thats good wow ok haha i get it omg another one OMG WTF IS HAPPENING

im very excited to see where this series goes next!!

Of Silver and Shadow is a fast-paced and I really enjoyed that about the book. Lately I’ve read several YA fantasy books that just dragged on and on. The author’s writing I beautiful, the world building is complex, the characters and interesting and the plot kept me interested the entire time. The ending made me look forward to a second book from the author.

4/5 ⭐️

I did not expect to fall in love with this book as much as I did. From chapter one I was sucked in by both the characters and the premise of the story. The vibes reminded me a lot of books I have previously loved in this genre (namely six of crows and a darker shade of magic) while still managing to be it's own story. I fell in love not just with Ren but the people fighting against her and found myself flipping back and forth between who I wanted to come out victorious. The ending was so unexpected and yet so satisfying, I was absolutely blown away by it all.

I HIGHLY recommend this book wether fantasy's your number one genre or if it's more of a hit or miss for you, I think you'll find this book to be a hit.

What an epic story!!!!!! What can I say about this story? The characters are amazing! Dynamic. Realistic. And relatable. The plot was absolutely amazing! My attention was held the entire time. Twists. Turns. Suspense. I love the entire story!!!! I was sad when I finished. Amparo has an amazing story!!!!