Silver in the Mist is about an asexual spy in ya fantasy. It's a fun, fast-paced book.It's an #ownvoices story in ya fantasy.

I was really excited for this book because of the aroace rep! While it's never defined in the book, I did feel it was implied because the main character never looks at anyone through a romantic lens. I also loved the best friend that goes by they/them pronouns!! I really liked the world building, the mist reminded me of the fold in s&b and the history between the two split kingdoms was fascinating! It had the right amount of character-driven and plot-driven!

This book follows Devlin (called Dev and uses alias Ladye Devonia), a young spy from the kingdom of Aris. Upon returning home from her current mission with best friend Lochlan, Dev receives a new mission from the Whisperer, her mother and head Arisian spy. She is to travel to the capital of their rival kingdom, Cerena, and capture Layde Alyse, the best caster in the world, in order to save her kingdom.

But, once in Cerena, she finds out things might not be what they seem and relief from the mist might just be in reach, if Dev only learns to trust herself and Layde Alyse.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the asexual and genderqueer representation and that there was no romance at all. Victoria developed a cast of complex and distinctive characters that came together to be the solution to their world’s problems instead of blindly following history and hate.

THANK YOU to Inkyard Press & NetGalley for sending me this ARC. All reviews are honest reflections of my own opinion, always.

In the swirling mists, light flashes as danger stalks the edges of Devlin’s home in Aris.

Eight years have passed since the devastating attacks that killed her Father. Now her own Mother, feared Whisperer, is leader of the spies. But the magic that took Dev’s Father away from her also killed some part of her Mother too. Reclusive, harsh, a stranger now stands in the shadow of where love once lived.

A new assignment. Infiltrate the enemy country, bring back their most powerful caster… before the malevolent magic breaks their own barriers & kills them all.

But when one sends a spy, one must be ready to deal with all they uncover.






An interesting magic system & broadly likable characters, (minus the familiar distant mother trope) this book fell directly in the ‘ok’ category for me. The plot was sometimes slow, interesting enough to keep going, but not enough to make me desire to know more. The world building is nice, & I’d love to see it fleshed out even more. Altogether a middle of the lane read.

I understand (now) that the big draw is an asexual main, but honestly would never have assumed this was the case. A lack of romance on the main character’s part does not an asexual character make. If that were the case, one could throw that label on a whole slew of other stories. Another draw for readers is the non-binary side kick. I’ll be honest, the use of they/them pronouns kept pulling me out of the story as my mind tried in vain to attach some kind of mental image to this character, but with no success. A personal struggle & one others may be able to get past much more easily.

*Thank you to Netgalley & the author for letting me read and honestly review this book*

I haven’t read Emily Victorias debut This Golden Flame yet, but if it’s got similar pacing, lovable characters, and interesting world, I’m ready! I loved everything in this book. It’s been a while since Ive read a YA Fantasy, but this lived up to my expectations and more.

Silver in the Mist follows Devlin, a young asexual spy in one of two monarchies. Her mother, The Whisperer, head of the Spies of Aris, sends Dev in a mission; become friends with Alyse, the strongest magical caster, and steal her away so Aris can restore its dying magic.

I knew going in this was an ownvoices author with an asexual lead, but I was not expecting the nonbinary best friend who uses they/them pronouns! Pleasant surprise if I do say so myself.

The world, when you think about it compared to other YA fantasies, is so simple but Victoria makes it so much more complex and interesting. The way the 2 monarchies are divided (by a Mist) is definitely something different from what Ive read. And the magic system? Loved it.

The plot in this is fast right from the beginning. I was never bored in it, and read the last 260 pages in one go.

If you want a badass asexual spy, badass and funny nonbinary side character, and a loveable quartet of characters, Silver in the Mist is for you!

While the premise intrigued me, the writing felt very amateurish to me and I struggled to pick this book up.

Silver in the Mist is a young adult spy novel. I really wanted to love it. However, the plot seemed to be very drawn out and was slow for the most of the novel. Still, the protagonist is very strong, and I like that there was no romance. I also like the world-building in this story. Thus, I recommend this for fans of Alex Liddell, Justina Ireland, and Tasha Suri!

Thank you NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the opportunity to read and review this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Devlin, a spy for Aris, is sent on an undercover mission to Cerena. There she learns not everything is as it seems in either country.

I feel this book is wrote more for a younger audience. It's a little repetitive and the plot is a bit simplistic, but I found myself enjoying it regardless. It does, however, take a little bit of slow pace to get to the good stuff. I was starting to lose interest and then about halfway through, things picked up and I was sucked back in. That could create some problems for readers who don't want to stick it out.

I love the inclusion of an asexual character and a non-binary one. And how their pronouns were brilliantly used and never a mistake. I would want to read more of their story.

This just didn't work for me. The writing is very debut and from the first sentence I struggled to read it. The cover is the main reason I requested it but I would not buy it for the library.

Young Adult Fantasy has been a favorite genre of mine for a few years now. This book has solidified a top spot in that genre. Emily Victoria creates amazing characters and a superb world. If you love Sarah J Maas then you will absolutely fall in love with Emily Victoria's book.

This book was not interesting and I could not finish. I didn’t really care for the premise and hype of an asexual MC. Who cares? If there’s no romance or interest in that let’s just call it a normal story and go on.

Fantastical and grounded at the same time, Silver in the Mist delivers found family, strong female friendship, and examination of magical scarcity. Great asexual rep with a fun fantasy mystery storyline!

This is a great book! Interesting premise. I love how Devlin is asexual, and I was not expecting that when I first started the book. Great representation of pronouns too with Lochlan's character. I also think the whole assassin/spy angle was so cool. It didn't take me to long to understand the rules and history of the fantasy world, which is a plus.

Silver in the Mist is a YA fantasy novel by Emily Victoria. Devlin is a spy for her country, Aris. Aris is in trouble and Devlin and sent by her mother, the Whisperer, to inflitrste the enemy kingdom of Cerena in order to save it.

This novel was interesting and I enjoyed it overall. Aris is plagued by the Mist a dangerous force of magic that leaches life and destroys. And Aris's own magic is weakening they need a savior and Delvin is to procure it.

I liked that Devlin was a spy and I enjoyed seeing her put her skills to the test throughout the novel. The magic system in the book was unique and I feel as if I got a good grasp on understanding it.

I felt that the plot moved a little bit slowly for my liking. I just wanted to rush to the end. And some of the events that happened seemed predictable from the beginning of the novel.

Overall, I would recommend a Silver in the Mist to anyone who wants to read a story with a unique magic system and a main character who's a spy.

Review: 3/5 stars
Release Date: November 1, 2022

I received an eARC of this book through Netgalley courtesy of Inkyard Press. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Inkyard Press for allowing me to read this arc copy.

Devlin, a spy for Aris, is sent on an undercover mission to Cerena. There she learns not everything is as it seems in either country.

I enjoyed this book. Devlin was a great character. She was flawed in many ways. She strived for perfection, but fails, which I liked. I also liked Lachlan, her spy partner. They were snarky and fun. There were complications in all the relationships between characters. Some were more fleshed out than others.

The world building was interesting as well. The stark differences between the two countries was striking. Each country is the polar opposite of the other. Where one was opulent the other was barren. Where one was As was the attitudes of the peoples. For me, I could feel that there was history between the two countries as well as bad blood.

The magic system was okay. It wasn't groundbreaking, but it was interesting.

All in all, the book was very good. I enjoyed it a lot.

Thank you again, NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading Silver in the Mist, but I was pleasantly surprised. The world-building was well done and the characters were engaging. I was particularly impressed with the non-binary character, who was written realistically and with respect.

However, I did have some issues with the book. First, I felt like the plot was a bit slow-moving and I didn't find myself getting really invested in the story until about halfway through. Second, I didn't really understand the asexuality aspect of the main character. It seemed like it was included just for the sake of not including a romantic plotline, which was a bit disappointing.

Overall, I would recommend this book to fans of fantasy who are looking for something a little different. Silver in the Mist was an enjoyable read with some great aspects, and I'm interested to see what else Emily Victoria has in store for us.

Interesting and relatable characters. I enjoyed the idea of the Mists, the dialogue, and as the character relationships. This is an overall interesting read, partnered with easy-to-read.

Thank you Netgalley & publisher for this e arc of Silver in the Mist by Emily Victoria.
This is a YA fantasy novel. 3.5*.
Synopsis: "Eight years ago, everything changed for Devlin: Her country was attacked. Her father was killed. And her mother became the Whisperer of Aris, the head of the spies, retreating into her position away from everyone… even her daughter. Joining the spy ranks herself, Dev sees her mother only when receiving assignments. She wants more, but she understands the peril their country, Aris, is in. The malevolent magic force of The Mists is swallowing Aris’s edges, their country is vulnerable to another attack from their wealthier neighbor, and the magic casters who protect them from both are burning out. Dev has known strength and survival her whole life, but with a dangerous new assignment of infiltrating the royal court of their neighbor country Cerena to steal the magic they need, she learns that not all that glitters is weak. And not all stories are true."
3 things I liked:
Genre, I like fantasy books.
Cover: Nice cover drew me in.
Other: spy elements of the story & asexual main character
3 things I disliked:
I did not get a hook early on
Moved to slow for my taste
I found myself skipping ahead because of the pace and losing parts of the story, maybe read just a bit on the younger YA side to me
I was glad to see some asexual representation and a book tweens or teens might enjoy.

Thank you to the publisher and author in exchange for an honest review reflective of my own opinions.

I really enjoyed this golden flame but silver in the mist seems to have hit a sophomore slump. It’s a solid 3/5 but the pacing was hard for me to keep with. I don’t know what will change before publication but solid characters and plot overall.

⅘ Stars

For a while, I have been feeling like every new fantasy has become so similar to each other that they started to sound the same. However, this book was so refreshing in every single aspect from the plot, to characters, to dialog.

What I liked:
I am the type of reader that needs at least a subplot of romance so when I found out that the main character was asexual I was wondering where the romance was going to come from but this book was so good that I didn’t need any romance. IT WAS SO GOOD!!! I love every single character, even the characters that I hated. The world-building was easy to follow and unique, it reminded me of ‘Shadow and Bone’ but it was still unique in its own way.
Lastly, the way the main character talked and thought was so…. funny.. It was like taking a modern Gen z and making them a spy.

What I did not like:
The only reason that I gave it 4 stars was because somewhere in the middle of the book everything was starting to sound repetitive, it was a little boring. But it only lasted a few chapters because the overall book is fast-paced.