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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
This was fun. I think it's for younger audience, but it was fun nonetheless.
This was cute! A little bit of a too-stupid-to-live situation, but they worked it out. Definitely would suggest a read if it sounds good.
When I first started Silver in the Blood, I was so excited. The sassy Dacia, with a boy in every place she goes, charmed me. If Silver in the Blood had remained a novel of gowns and flirting, I probably would have liked it. YA could use more fluffy historical romance in my opinion. Then again, I also think it could use a lot of good paranormal novels; ufortunately, the paranormal elements left me cold.
For about half the book, Dacia and Lou are trying to discover their family’s secret. I’m not sure if it’s meant to be a surprise to the reader, but I sure hope not because most will see it coming a mile away. Heck, it’s in the book’s description. Watching Lou and Dacia try to puzzle it out for so long like what-could-it-be??? was so boring. They’re also both so blown away to find out thatLord Johnny and That Awful Man are involved in the whole mess, which DUH . The fact that the girls were so slow to catch onto things made the pace drag and drag. The Romanian setting is great, but it can’t carry the book alone.
Then the paranormal stuff actually starts up, and I didn’t feel like any of it was compelling or original. The most original thing was probably the amount of time people spend having conversations while naked in Silver in the Blood, due to the realities of shifting. I wouldn’t mind that if most of them weren’t related. Literally, there was a scene where Lou undresses Dacia (to allow her cousin to shift) and then goes and has a conversation with her naked Aunt and male cousin. Sure, being comfortable with the naked human form is a healthy thing, but family naked time is a whole different thing.
One thing I did really appreciate about Silver in the Blood is that it’s very woman power. The Florescu family has women and men with the power, but women dominate all across the board. Men take orders from the ladies. Dacia and Lou try to turn to men (Lou’s Dad, Lord Johnny, Theo, Radu) for assistance, but they always end up saving themselves.
Dacia, whose personality I loved at the start, begins to waffle between being helpless and her original sassy self. Lou, meanwhile, goes from being shy and obediant to a boss bitch in charge. While I think the swap in their dynamics is interesting and not unrealistic for how people might react to the news that they can shapeshift, it still felt artificial, perhaps because I didn’t feel anything at all.
The romance could have been a saving grace, but there’s not enough time spent on it, so it feels like a double instalove.Also, why was Will Carver there? His reasons for being in Romania make no sense at all. You guys know I’m a huge shipper, and all I can say is that I didn’t ship either of the ships. I mean, I didn’t unship them, but I super don’t care about them either. I also thought it was a shame that Dacia went from loving having the chance to flirt with different boys to seeming to settle on one. It mostly seems like a reaction to the trauma of her time in Romania, not like her real self.
Silver in the Blood is my second George novel and my second time being underwhelmed. I have her middle grade series, so I’ll try that at some point. If it doesn’t work for me, I think I’m accepting that, much as I love George’s premises, they’re not for me.
For about half the book, Dacia and Lou are trying to discover their family’s secret. I’m not sure if it’s meant to be a surprise to the reader, but I sure hope not because most will see it coming a mile away. Heck, it’s in the book’s description. Watching Lou and Dacia try to puzzle it out for so long like what-could-it-be??? was so boring. They’re also both so blown away to find out that
Then the paranormal stuff actually starts up, and I didn’t feel like any of it was compelling or original. The most original thing was probably the amount of time people spend having conversations while naked in Silver in the Blood, due to the realities of shifting. I wouldn’t mind that if most of them weren’t related. Literally, there was a scene where Lou undresses Dacia (to allow her cousin to shift) and then goes and has a conversation with her naked Aunt and male cousin. Sure, being comfortable with the naked human form is a healthy thing, but family naked time is a whole different thing.
One thing I did really appreciate about Silver in the Blood is that it’s very woman power. The Florescu family has women and men with the power, but women dominate all across the board. Men take orders from the ladies. Dacia and Lou try to turn to men (Lou’s Dad, Lord Johnny, Theo, Radu) for assistance, but they always end up saving themselves.
Dacia, whose personality I loved at the start, begins to waffle between being helpless and her original sassy self. Lou, meanwhile, goes from being shy and obediant to a boss bitch in charge. While I think the swap in their dynamics is interesting and not unrealistic for how people might react to the news that they can shapeshift, it still felt artificial, perhaps because I didn’t feel anything at all.
The romance could have been a saving grace, but there’s not enough time spent on it, so it feels like a double instalove.
Silver in the Blood is my second George novel and my second time being underwhelmed. I have her middle grade series, so I’ll try that at some point. If it doesn’t work for me, I think I’m accepting that, much as I love George’s premises, they’re not for me.
This was a fun and original story with a mix of historical fiction (high society girls, etc), fantasy and a teeny bit of romance here and there. Besides the gorgeous cover, what really stood out for me while reading this story was the bond between the two female leads, Lou and Dacia. I loved how close they were to each other and how they trusted and relied on each other throughout the story. Both girls did a lot of growing up together as well. I especially loved that there was no petty catfight at all to sour their relationship and instead we get to discover the mystery of their heritage alongside them. Overall, I'd consider this more on the "fluffy" side of the fantasy genre, but enjoyable nonetheless.
It took a while for me to get into the story, but once some of the family secrets started to be revealed I really liked the how the story unfolded. Overall a fun story once it gets going and unexpected in some ways. I really liked the idea for the 3 different shifters, in particular the Smoke. I don't think I've ever heard of that being done before, but I also haven't read much fiction dealing with vampire folklore. Also the cover is really pretty!
Dacia and Lou are New York society girls going to Romania to meet their family. Little do they know there is more to the Florescus than they've been told. Soon they are caught up in supernatural secrets and political intrigue. Soon, the marriage prospects of a New York season are looking like a pice of cake.
This book has all the right elements: supernatural creatures, strong female friendships, a late 19th century setting. I really enjoyed Dacia and Lou. They had a strong bond despite their personality differences. Additionally, neither was potrayed as the "poor wallflower" type which is easy in period pieces. Yes, Lou was a little weaker at the beginning, but she was never judged for it. And she was always strong in her own way.
Conversely, our villain is rough. For one, he seems somewhat cliche and vague in his goals. Of course he wants to usurp the throne and take over all of Romania. Why wouldn't he? But it all feels very thin in terms of development. And I really didn't enjoy the assault of Dacia as a plot device. It takes a character we have hereforto seen as strong and uses her as a prop for the villain to sexually assault. Yes, sometimes that's how villains try it. But Mihai was nowhere near developed enough for this to work. It felt forced upon the narrative. Let's make Dacia a victim in this situation. A guy will want her real bad, and he will attempt to force himself on her.
Additionally, the world here did not feel fully fleshed out. I'm all for twisting the Dracula and Vlad the Impaler mythology, but it didn't mesh together well here. At one point a character tells the girls he is worried for their safety around Mihai because of the popular novel Dracula. But the novel Dracula does not at all fit in with the world established, and neither does the author use it to explore the sensationalism and gossip. I understand wanting to acknowledge the novel, especially as it came out in the period we are set in, but it doesn't really work. And the Florescus themselves didn't present thesmelves vibrantly. I understand the mythology, but not why I should care.
While George deoes a wonderful job at developing Dacia and Lou, I would have liked to see this translate to the world around them as well. Some parts felt more tell than show. And the setting was not nearly as richly built and exciting as it could have been. And why Romania and how Romania as a setting is any different than Paris or New York would have been at this point remains to be seen. I'm not given the all the pieces I need to make this stand out in a sea of wonderful young adult supernatural fiction. Still, it wasn't a chore to get through, and would made a good, quick summer read.
This book has all the right elements: supernatural creatures, strong female friendships, a late 19th century setting. I really enjoyed Dacia and Lou. They had a strong bond despite their personality differences. Additionally, neither was potrayed as the "poor wallflower" type which is easy in period pieces. Yes, Lou was a little weaker at the beginning, but she was never judged for it. And she was always strong in her own way.
Conversely, our villain is rough. For one, he seems somewhat cliche and vague in his goals. Of course he wants to usurp the throne and take over all of Romania. Why wouldn't he? But it all feels very thin in terms of development. And I really didn't enjoy the assault of Dacia as a plot device. It takes a character we have hereforto seen as strong and uses her as a prop for the villain to sexually assault. Yes, sometimes that's how villains try it. But Mihai was nowhere near developed enough for this to work. It felt forced upon the narrative. Let's make Dacia a victim in this situation. A guy will want her real bad, and he will attempt to force himself on her.
Additionally, the world here did not feel fully fleshed out. I'm all for twisting the Dracula and Vlad the Impaler mythology, but it didn't mesh together well here. At one point a character tells the girls he is worried for their safety around Mihai because of the popular novel Dracula. But the novel Dracula does not at all fit in with the world established, and neither does the author use it to explore the sensationalism and gossip. I understand wanting to acknowledge the novel, especially as it came out in the period we are set in, but it doesn't really work. And the Florescus themselves didn't present thesmelves vibrantly. I understand the mythology, but not why I should care.
While George deoes a wonderful job at developing Dacia and Lou, I would have liked to see this translate to the world around them as well. Some parts felt more tell than show. And the setting was not nearly as richly built and exciting as it could have been. And why Romania and how Romania as a setting is any different than Paris or New York would have been at this point remains to be seen. I'm not given the all the pieces I need to make this stand out in a sea of wonderful young adult supernatural fiction. Still, it wasn't a chore to get through, and would made a good, quick summer read.
Really loved the mythology in this one, the incorporation of Romania, and the way both main girls develop through the book. I did feel like the lack of information was dragged out for a lot longer than necessary-- the characters spend over half of the book questioning and searching, which got a little grating, especially when there was so much interesting stuff to work with.
I had a hard time getting into this at first which is very unlike me when it comes to a JDG book. However, once it caught on for me it really took off! I really loved Lou and the insane family dynamic. I look forward to the upcoming sequel(s) to this book!
This one is pretty much perfect for me. Historical fantasy? Check! Unique setting? Check! Low on the romance? Check! Bonus points for werewolves, two incredibly likable main characters, two incredibly unlikable antagonists, and some nuanced character development.