ASEXUAL REP!!! ASEXUAL REEEPPPP!!!! YA needs more asexual rep, and this was fantastic. This book was an absolute joy to read and I’m happy to add another queer standalone to my library’s collection. This was also pretty, well, revolutionary in my opinion as far as YA fantasies go. Normally all of them have some sort of romantic plot but this did not. It focused solely on worldbuilding and the fantastical adventure.

Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

I loved that we get a kickass young heroine who forges her own path, and I appreciated there being a non-binary character in the story. The plot was easy to follow and there really wasn't any confusing world-building. This is classified as young adult fantasy, although I do think it reads more middle-grade - not a negative at all, but something to keep in mind.

I was really excited to read a book about an ace spy, but I was disappointed that there wasn't much exploration or conversation around her being asexual. I think we got one or two mentions of it, and that was it. Aside from those and that there is no romance story, I probably wouldn't have realized she was meant to be an ace character.

I did feel the book could feel somewhat surface level because everything did seem to work out *so* well - it felt quite predictable both in plot and character development. Overall, though, I think this is an enjoyable book for younger fantasy readers with a plot that is easy to follow and that ties up nicely at the end.

Devlin a young spy is given a mission to save Aris from the encroaching Mist. That requires magic. The spymaster is Devlin's mother and she is sending her on a mission to capture and bring back the great caster of the neighboring kingdom Cerena. This mission will be the first that Devlin has done alone. It is a good read especially as we understand that Devlin is struggling with family issues between her and her mother. She is, however, determined to prove herself to the Whisperer who has not treated Devlin as a daughter since they lost her father. Devlin must overcome many obstacles to achieve her goals. Exciting to watch her maneuver these obstacles and grow into her own as she does so.

In a land divided by the Mist, a stretch of mysterious fog that holds back destructive, magical monsters, Devlin lives in one city pitted against another. Devlin is a reluctant spy who desperately wishes to please , the famed Whisperer, chief spy to the throne, and Devlin's mother. When she is assigned a dangerous, risky operation, Devlin finds herself learning more about the other side and the centuries-old truth behind the creation of the Mist.

I enjoyed this story, although I did find it a little simple. It had a lot of particularly overdone tropes, including the mother issues being resolved by a complete turn-around and pretty thin explanation of frankly emotionally abusive behavior, and the tension with being a spy and making a genuine friend on the other side, only to have the friend explain that they knew you were a spy the whole time. It felt a little cheap, but some of the emotional development felt very genuine and I didn't find the main character as annoying as I might have with poorer writing or a less interesting premise.

Overall, the story was straightforward and easy to understand. I would probably recommend this to younger readers-- there are some nice themes and a refreshing lack of romance for a YA novel, and the language is clear and concise (although the ubiquitous title of "layde" was at first confusing, but if other novels can call everyone "sirrah," I don't have a problem with it).

I received an advance reader copy of Silver in the Mist in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for allowing me to read this book.

Devlin is a spy tasked by the spymaster (her overly critical mother) to infiltrate the rival kingdom. Her goal is to steal away their best magic user to save her own kingdom from the mysterious Mists and the deadly lightning-creatures that live there.

I found this a well-paced, enjoyable read. Devlin is a sympathetic character who desperately wants to please her neglectful mother. Her motivations and her inner thoughts make sense in this context and I was rooting for her to find confidence in herself, regardless of her mother's approval. I thought the creeping mists and the scary creatures that live within were a neat idea, as were the two rival kingdoms. We don't get to see a lot of Devlin's home, but the kingdom she infiltrates is colorful, with an interesting culture that differs from her home kingdom. The friendships between the characters was well-written and is one of the strengths of the book. Overall, an entertaining story that kept me interested throughout.

There were a few plot and character elements that I didn't love, which can be found in my Goodreads review, since they contain spoilers.

This was an ok book. I think I didn't connect with the characters or the world the author was trying to make. I admire the effort, however, this missed the mark for me.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had high hopes for this book! It had a lot of good going for it, such as breaking away from the typical tropes other reviews mentioned. I feel thst the world building could have been stronger and made the plot more authentic. If you are creating a world, you can create new standards and titles (layde is an obvious mix of lord and lady, but a whole new title could've been created to match the world). Good story but could use more development.

This book was a joy to read. I felt that the plot and characters were well written and interesting. The plot pulled me in pretty quickly, and I was able to read it easily within a couple days once I got started.

I really like that this book did not fall into the normal YA fantasy tropes. I appreciate that the storyline contained no romance at all, which is rather surprising since I normally love a good romantic subplot. It was refreshing, though, to be able to simply focus on the main story along with the friendships forming between the characters. And while it took me a little while to get used to, I actually enjoyed the very gender neutral tone of the book. I liked that everyone had the same title, no matter their gender, and that everyone seemed to be treated equally and given the same deference.

While I really enjoyed this book, there were a few things that I felt could have been a touch better, though. I wish there had been more world building. We got a lot of backstory on the people side of the story, but the world itself felt a touch underdeveloped. I'd liked to have understood the world itself more as opposed to only learning about the history of the monarchy.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and am looking forward to reading a sequel, should one come out.

I received this ARC from Inkyard Press on Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

It was really hard to get into this book. While the beginning started out with an interesting storyline, as you learn more about the world and the main character's "mission," it just starts decreasing in quality.

The idea itself isn't bad, but for the events that actually happen, I think a lot of scenes and plot elements get unnecessarily drawn out. (I also thought the mission itself was kind of ridiculous. How are you going to take the time to get someone to trust you and then kidnap them? Either you kidnap someone, or you take the time to build a relationship and get them on your side).

Also, because of the rating, it needs to be said that I actively read about 25% of the novel and then skimmed the rest to be able to write a review. I normally DNF books that are less than 2 stars.

First I would like to thank the publishers and Netgalley for providing an advanced readers copy in return for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It's about a spy named Devlin and her mission of going undercover in the neighboring country to steal magic to save her own country. Devlin is asexual so there isn't any romance but there are a lot of good friendships which I enjoyed reading about and seeing grow. We get to see Devlin undercover doing spy things for a lot of the book and it's more believable since she's had so much training as a spy compared to other MC's that know how to do so much with no training or prior experience. The ending feels like it could be a standalone so if you're looking for a quick read with good characters, a different kind of magic system, and spies then you should read this book.

I appreciate that this book shuns the typical tropes for YA fantasy - no love triangles to be found anywhere. And really, no love story at all, which is fine. I also loved that one of the characters is nonbinary and literally no one cares; there's also the underlying gender neutral-ness of the world (nobles all called by the same title, instead of the gendered "lord and lady", etc. Though I kind of wish the author had found a different word than '"layde" for them, bc I kept reading it as laaaayyyyyddddyyyy" in my head. But that's a minor quibble.)

Unfortunately, the rest of the book was underwhelming. The plot is okay, nothing too intricate, but the world building and characterizations were both very shallow. There's supposedly some chemistry between the 2 main characters which explains why they trust and want to help each other, but I really couldn't see it. In fact, the main character was so flat they had no real chemistry with anyone.

The emotional development was also rather shallow - people breaking out of long held patterns with little effort or any sort of crisis. It just seemed very juvenile to me.

I'd have given this 2 stars but appreciated the non-binary character and other new approaches to issues of gender here. I received this as an ARC from Net Galley.

Eight years ago, Devlin’s father was killed, and her country was attacked. Her mother becomes a spymaster and Devlin becomes a spy which is the only time she sees her mother. The mist is spreading, and enemies are ready to attack again. Now it’s up to Devlin to steal magic from the royal court of a neighboring country.
I was hooked a few chapters in. The author used such amazing detail when describing everything including the world building. The main character is ace (which is an own voice representation) and there is a non-binary character. I loved how this book had me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what will happen. I highly recommend this book to fantasy lovers.
Thank you Netgalley and Inkyard Press and I will be posting this review to my Instagram (Bookmarkedbymaddie) closer to the release date. I will also be posting this on my Goodreads account.

This book would benefit from more world-building and higher stakes.

Before the reader can fall in love with (or even learn about) Aris, Devlin's home country, she is whisked away to Cerena (the enemy neighboring country) to continue her spy duties. Devlin, for having the spy master as a mother, was not a very good spy.

There is not a lot of information about present-day Cerena. Most of the world-building comes towards the end of the book through the discovery of old texts.

The character arcs were fast moving, which made it difficult to understand some of the decisions the characters made. It was also hard to tell if any of the characters were meant to be romantic interests.

This short, spooky fantasy was such a fun and quick read! Emily Victoria writes such great descriptions, which were perfect for describing the bleakness of Aris and the Mists and the decadence of Cerena. I loved all the characters, and I especially liked how since Devlin is asexual, her character development was focused on learning to trust and make strong friendships, rather than to get into a romantic relationship. Her relationship with Alyce was so much fun to read!

I liked this book quite a bit; I enjoyed that it focused on friendships and sisterhood as opposed to any romantic entanglements. All the lead characters were relatable if sometimes infuriating. The book is a bit overlong though and the middle drags a smidge but it's worth it to get to the end which wraps up all the loose ends (it's not a series so I guess that's why there's a lot of setup and clue finding throughout).

It's more YA spy novel than fantasy, it just happens to have magical elements.

A country split in two, one part given to each daughter to rule. Many years have passed and the 2 countries battle the Mist or the Hush, for both mean the same thing. The people of Aris suffer greatly, losing the casting magic, and seek to steal the most powerful caster of Cerena. Dev, a spy, is sent on this mission, bent on proving to the Whisperer that she can do this with success. Dev thinks it will be easy to earn the trust of the magic caster and take her away to help save the people of Aris, Dev discovers a kindred spirit and learns they must understand the past to save the present. There are multiple obstacles in Dev's path and she must navigate each one, for her people are depending on her to complete the mission with success.
I received this novel from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Unexpected. I loved the dynamic of the two main characters. I couldn’t put this book down. I need more of these characters.

A delightful book full of adventure, action, and thrills. Fun to read, engrossing world building, and very descriptive imagery made it feel like it was cinematic. It's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. Would recommend.

An Asexual lead protagonist!! Omg do I even have to say anything else?! This book was an absolute masterpiece. Usually I am a sucker for a good romance but this book didn’t need it as a main plot line. I am so happy I got the chance to read this book and the creative world the author has spun. Even if you love a good romance I am telling you you need to pick this book up and give it a real shot! The strength of the protagonist is unmatched. Thank you for this amazing read.

Thank you, Inkyard Press, for allowing me to read Silver in the Mist early!

I read Victoria's debut and liked it very much. This though, I loved. Featuring an asexual heroine, Silver in the Mist is a thrilling fantasy novel with an organization of spies at its center. Full of action and intrigue, I was entertained from start to finish.